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Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 Canary build for Windows Insiders. Build 27788 is now available for download with fully rewritten MIDI services, ... https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-11-canary-build-27788-adds-reworked-midi-services-new-onedrive-features-and-more/ Cakewalk has previously worked with Microsoft on cutting edge audio issues. Wonder how much Bandland/Cakewalk is in the loop with this set of developments? Here an excerpt from the changelog: Windows MIDI Services Public Preview We’re excited to release the first in-box public preview of Windows MIDI Services, our complete rewrite of MIDI on Windows with a focus on a great experience for musicians and a strong foundation for future expansion and enhancement. MIDI is the standard, first released in 1983, that is used to synchronize synthesizers and drum machines in almost all modern electronic music. It’s used to record and play back note information, control stage lights and effects, keep mixers in a large venue in sync, and so much more. Although it is not itself audio, the MIDI protocol is essential to making music and was heavily used in the rise of hip-hop and other genres. MIDI 2.0 is the first major update to the core MIDI protocol since 1983, offering everything that modern musicians need today, like increased speed and fidelity, better control of instruments, modern bi-directional conversations and negotiation between instruments, discovery, better USB timing, and more. Windows MIDI Services is our new MIDI stack which handles not only MIDI 2.0 but also brings our MIDI 1.0 implementation up to modern expectations. It works on 64-bit operating systems on all supported processors, including Arm64. Windows MIDI Services offers the following benefits: Full support of the MIDI 2.0 Standard, including high-speed data transmission, higher-fidelity messages, increased resolution for controller values, and full in-service MIDI 2.0 endpoint discovery and protocol negotiation. Faster transports, leading to better timing and reduced jitter. Faster USB MIDI driver with full support for both MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0. Every endpoint is now multi-client, meaning multiple apps can use a device at the same time. Better endpoint and port In-service scheduling of outgoing timestamped messages, and timestamped incoming messages, for apps using the new Windows MIDI Services App SDK. Built-in loopback and app-to-app MIDI Automatic translation between MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0 based on API, application, and device needs. Much more device metadata available to applications. Better device add/update/remove notifications. Backwards compatibility with our WinMM (MME) MIDI 1.0 API (and WinRT MIDI 1.0 in the future) enabling applications to light up with new features without any changes, and even access MIDI 2.0 devices at a MIDI 1.0 feature level. Open source. The MIDI Service, all its transports, all the tools, the tests, and the SDK are all MIT-licensed open source, and have been developed in concert with hardware and software partners around the world. New USB MIDI 2.0 Class Driver: The new USB MIDI 2.0 Class Driver, graciously provided to Microsoft by AMEI (Association of Musical Electronics Industry of Japan) and written by AmeNote, is a high-speed USB MIDI driver which works with both the new USB MIDI 2.0 devices, as well as with class-compliant USB MIDI 1.0 devices. By default, for compatibility, this is enabled only for USB MIDI 2.0 devices and a handful of USB MIDI 1.0 devices. However, you may manually assign this driver to any class-compliant USB MIDI 1.0 device yourself to gain the better transfer mechanisms. We also have several built-in transports for things that were not previously available without third-party drivers. Learn more about the built-in transports here. Windows MIDI Services App SDK and Tools: Applications using Windows MIDI Services do so through the Windows MIDI Services App SDK, shipped out-of-band. Current preview releases are available on our GitHub repo releases page. Please note that these are unsigned releases and so will give you a warning when you download and install. In addition to installing the required runtime components, the SDK runtime installer includes these tools: Windows MIDI Services Console (midi.exe): The all-around console tool for sending messages, checking the state of MIDI, monitoring incoming messages, sending System Exclusive, and much more. MIDI Diagnostics (mididiag.exe): A tech support tool which provides information about the state of MIDI on the PC. MIDI Kernel Streaming Endpoint Info (midiksinfo.exe): A hardware developer-focused tool which provides information about the KS (Kernel Streaming) endpoints. MIDI multicast dynamic DNS Info (midimdnsinfo.exe): A tool to support the upcoming Network MIDI 2.0 transport. The Windows MIDI Services App SDK also includes the MIDI Settings app – a desktop application for managing endpoints, renaming endpoints and ports, creating loopback devices, managing your network MIDI 2.0 connections, and more. In addition, we’re currently working on our Network MIDI 2.0 transport, recently demonstrated at the NAMM Show in California, the virtual patch-bay to enable routing between endpoints, and a rewrite of our BLE MIDI 1.0 transport. This will all ship in a future version of Windows MIDI Services. We look forward to having Windows Insiders who dabble in music creation try out the Windows MIDI Services Public Preview and MIDI 2.0. Try out using existing applications that use the WinMM MIDI 1.0 function with the new Windows MIDI Services installed. Additionally, any MIDI 1.0 devices with specific IHV drivers. You can also join the discussion here on Discord if you have questions or are looking to help! You will find a list of known issues documented here.

I think what it comes down to (for me) is what a work is vs. what it's being presented as. I thank T Boog for sharing just how wronged a fan can feel, even decades later, upon finding out that they had been misled about exactly whose work they were consuming. From the start of my music fandom, the genres I've been into weren't as much about the appreciation of a certain player's technical prowess as 80's metal. I didn't usually even know who played what. But now I get how if you're presenting your music as having been played by the people in your band, and their technical prowess is hyped as a way to sell records, and they become your heroes and influences, that it could feel like your trust was violated and exploited. Music is important to a lot of people, especially teenagers in their formative years who are looking for role models. Daft Punk's "Digital Love" is one of my favorite songs of all time. When it came out, an anime fan friend of mine told me about it, that they had worked with the guy who did Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers on the video, so I found it online and checked it out. I was almost 40, had just bought my house, and I still choke up when I remember how I was emotionally transported back in time 30 years to the time when I loved The Archies, Josie and the Pussycats, The Banana Splits, etc. Also Supertramp a few years after that. There's a video that breaks down where most of the samples they used came from, and when I first watched it, I admit I was initially a bit taken aback by just how much of the song was based on/assembled from other people's recordings. It inspired me to take a look at my own notions about such things and to ease up. Bottom line is that they didn't sell the record as being anything else. They were a pair of friendly robots consuming what they heard and reassembling it to make their own music. That was their product, and it was/is amazing. If a song could make a middle-aged man feel like he was 8 years old again, who CARES where the individual ideas came from? I still have ego problems about using mostly presets for all of the synths (and creative FX) I own. But I had a conversation with Lorene "Produce Aisle" about that when I was doing a remix of one of her songs and she put into perspective with a cooking analogy: do you have to grow all of your own spices in order to be an "authentic" chef? Heck, the top chefs in the most prominent restaurants don't even usually do any actual cooking. @Rain, I hear ya about being a guitarist and feeling like using something other than my own carefully crafted guitar tone is also "cheating." I used to have my own one-person boutique stompbox company, as well as having designed a tube amp on commission that was shown at NAMM. So using "in the box" amp sims makes me feel a bit icky. But y'know, whatever I use, in the end it will still be a tone choice I made (or in your case agreed to), and more importantly, my playing reacting in real time to what I'm hearing. And we gotta serve the songs more than we protect our own egos, right? That's what I hear, anyway.😄 Good analogy about Michelangelo. No matter whose hands crafted how much of it, if the true creative force was in charge, it's a Michelangelo, or Warhol, or Walt Disney, or Hayao Miyazaki. I still do find it kinda weird that The Beatles had someone else do the leads on a song that George Harrison wrote about playing guitar....😏

NAMM Special – 50% OFF During the NAMM Show you can save 50% on Software, Upgrades (including License SL) and Soundsets. Only until January 28! https://waldorfmusic.com/shop-english/#software

https://www.musicradar.com/news/namm-2024-martin-remasters-its-affordable-x-series-acoustic-guitars-available-from-dollar599 https://www.andertons.co.uk/search?search=martin x&tduid The remastering breaks down to what Martin details as a number of improvements in playability and cosmetics. On the latter side, new High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) patterns make for some eye-catching looks with cocobolo, ziricote, and Brazilian rosewood joining mahogany, koa, and all-black. Elsewhere, the remastered X Series guitars also feature headplates that match the model's respective HPL pattern, along with refined rosettes .Specs include satin tuners, Martin E-1 electronics with a built-in chromatic tuner and volume, tone, and phase controls.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/korg-microkorg-2 microKorg 2 will be released in June of this year. We'll be checking out the synth at NAMM next week the most noticeable upgrade is the synth's 2.8-inch colour display, which offers advanced control of the synth's parameters alongside animated effects and an oscilloscope view that visualizes your patches. Like its predecessor, microKorg 2 is built around a virtual analogue synth engine. The synth's polyphonic architecture can handle up to eight voices, and sounds can be layered in Dual mode to create multi-timbral patches. The synth comes with 512 presets categorized into eight banks labelled by genre, and custom sounds can be saved in its 64-slot patch memory.

https://www.korg.com/us/ The NTS-3 Kaoss Pad falls under the Nu:Tekt brand, and enables you to tweak up to four effects simultaneously via an XY pad. 35 are supplied, including filters, modulation FX, delays, reverbs, mastering processors and more creative options such as a looper, grainshifter and vinyl break emulator. The effects can be edited, and you can build and add your own thanks to support for Korg’s LogueSDK. https://www.musicradar.com/news/korg-nutekt-nts3-kaoss-pad

https://www.boss.info/global/products/ve-22/ BOSS has released the VE-22 Vocal Performer, their new vocal effects processor. The VE-22 offers singers enhanced live sound control with an XLR microphone preamp and a range of sonic tools. It features basic vocal enhancement and processed effects, including a real-time harmony function, and is suitable for practice, recording, and online streaming The new BOSS VE-22 Vocal Performer and CB-VE22 Carrying Case will be available for purchase at authorized US BOSS retailers in January for $349.99 and $69.99.

https://www.gpu.audio/blog/51-announcing-living-sky-a-cutting-edge-spatial-reverb-that-forges-a-new-partnership-between-gpu-audio-outer-echo-and-mntra-instruments MNTRA, GPU Audio, and Outer Echo have teamed up to introduce 'Living Sky', their new spatial reverb plugin designed to revolutionize three-dimensional spatial audio production. This collaboration combines MNTRA's skill in developing immersive virtual instruments, GPU Audio's advanced audio processing, and Outer Echo's expertise in DSP solutions for spatial applications. Living Sky offers an expansive collection of acoustic spaces, enabling creators to transform sound in imaginative ways. Unlike standard reverb plugins that offer limited motion within a space, Living Sky claims to "brings the space itself to life", creating dynamic and organic audio processing.

https://audient.com/products/monitor-controllers/oria/overview/ Audient has announced ORIA, an all-in-one audio interface and monitor controller designed specifically for multi-speaker arrays ranging from stereo to 9.1.6 setups - and everything in between. ORIA provides 16 outputs via TRS or AES, two dedicated relayed switched stereo outputs, two independent headphone outputs, BNC Word Clock in and out, as well as two Audient Console Mic Preamps, 16 ADAT inputs and an optional 16 input AoIP Dante card, which is ideal for large studio complexes and education facilities ORIA will retail at UK £2520 inc VAT; Euro €2885 and US $2625 MAP. The optional Dante Card is priced at UK £600; Euro €685 and US $625 MAP.

https://www.korg.com/in/products/synthesizers/grandstage_x/ The interface on the Grandstage X has been designed with live players in mind, and promises to be very intuitive. You can layer and split at the touch of a button, and there are dedicated level controls for each part. The keyboard has Korg’s RH3 weighted hammer action, and we’re intrigued by the key-touch slider, which promises “instant control over volume and timbre changes with each keystroke”. There are Nutube-powered analogue-style effects, an EQ and multiple delays and reverbs. The Grandstage X also has a slight arranger keyboard vibe with the inclusion of a rhythm and chord progression function, which creates a backing track that’s said to complement your playing. There’s no shortage of competition in the stage piano market, but with its distinctive look and (hopefully) high-quality sounds, the Grandstage X could definitely be a contender. There’s no word on a price yet, but you can expect it to arrive in June.

https://www.korg.com/in/products/synthesizers/kingkorg_neo/ This 2013 61-note keyboard never really seemed to fully capture the public’s imagination, but Korg has now taken the XMT virtual analogue engine that powered it and stuffed it into the more compact KingKorg Neo. The Neo will be available from February priced at £949/£1,099

You say what? Research will show otherwise. That X1 period 2009 - it was found everywhere. Cakewalk won NAMM that year.

it's not just since they went free, they've never been considered mainstream, i guess because windows only? but yeah, since forever when did they last have a namm table? tbf, if it's free why don't plugin devs test in it.., etc, and so on

Look up their notes. 2016 Splat was still on it, and 2024 not anymore. Cakewalk used to be mainstream, but I guess when something becomes free it is not considered as "mainstream" any longer. So - The human species often sees and renders something as such, not worth investing time fixing bugs for a "free" product - isnt that how business works? And just like any other product that suffered some bruises - Its tough and takes time to rebuilding your reputation as a brand. It was sad not seeing a table at NAMM.

I think they are doing a great job with the new Sonar. For me the workflow is on point. I have used a few other DAW’s, but I always quickly returned to cakewalk (now Sonar) I was taught on ProTools, but the constant updates and pricing is insane. Studio One is the closest to Cakewalk I have found. Luna looks amazing, but the workflow is not quite there yet for me. So, for me, spending a few bucks on Sonar is not that big of a deal. and i hope they start to add a bit more eye candy.. As for the future, I am hopeful..LOL I said the same thing with Gibson…. I would have felt a bit better if they would have had some sort of footprint at NAMM this year, but they are so lacking in social media I have no idea if they are doing anything. The DAW is really fantastic, and they are missing a huge opportunity in my opinion.

The big problem is Cakewalk I just got the 16 and it's not working the way it should right out of the box so I been reading post back to 2019 Well what the hell has Cakewalk and Presonus been doing for 6 years You should not have to type anything anywhere to make it happen I'm about to go the NAMM Show this week and Cakewalk and Presonus beware the questions are coming Please have the friggen answers!!!!!!!

I didn't know those were so cheap! The only time I've heard them was at the Sony booth at NAMM, c. 2008. They sounded wonderful. At the time they were a new product, and when I asked the rep what they retailed for, he said $500. I set them back on the rack and moved on.

So-called “modern miracle” features a new modelled tonewheel engine and a new Leslie speaker emulation https://www.musicradar.com/news/hammond-xk4-b3-organ Hammond is calling the XK4 “a modern miracle” and, while that might be overstating it a bit, it does appear to be a keyboard that gigging B3 aficionados will want to take a close look at, particularly as it weighs just 20 pounds. Now we just need to find out how much it’s going to cost. https://youtu.be/KNKEV_3q7p8

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https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/zynaptiq-triumph-3-updated-audio-editor-revealed-at-namm-2022

Is cakewalk at namm this year? Don't see them listed.

- all plugins are 30% off using coupon code NAMM2022 at checkout. The sale will be running from this Saturday, May 28th through Sunday, June 5th. https://www.raisingjakestudios.com/plugins.html

Is Cakewalk going to NAMM. I feel like Cakewalk has evolved a lot in features and the community compared to the last NAMM. If so are they going to display some tracks made on Cakewalk?

Just waling the virtual hallways at NAMM and came across a promotion from Spitfire Audio. During virtual NAMM you can get BBCSO DISCOVER FREE when using the code spitfirexnamm2021 at checkout. Check out the official NAMM site to register: https://www.namm.org/

I'm surprised that I didn't address this a couple of years ago. In my varied career (I'm like @bitflipper in that regard ?) I've worked for software companies both tiny and huge. Hardware/software integration, bundling deals, etc. were invariably the bailiwick of the marketing department. The marketing people would get together and schmooze, do lunch, hang out at NAMM, and either work out concrete deals, or just do what they could to convince their colleagues that mutual support would be beneficial to both companies. Anyone who's worked in "shrink wrap" (as we used to call it back when software shipped in boxes on CD or DVD ROM's, but it meant "consumer" rather than corporate developed-in-house software) can probably attest to this. Despite the many benefits of BandLab's stewardship of Cakewalk, this is one area that at least up to this point, doesn't seem to have been covered. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but CbB has always relied on the simple fact that it's free to do its marketing (along with the stalwart advocacy of many YouTubers). I recall one appearance by the team at the 2019 NAMM Show, but there was a long gap between NAMM Shows, and these days, fewer and fewer companies even participate. As it transitions to payware, along with the revenues I hope comes greater attention to marketing, in this and other areas. I, and probably anyone else who's worked in development for shrink-wrap, used to roll my eyes whenever a marketing person would approach, because they were known for sometimes having unrealistic ideas about what would be possible and desirable. In retrospect, though, I realize more of what value they actually did bring to the table. They are the "boots on the ground" out there researching what (they think) people want, what new features might be important to add, etc. What they say of course should always be....reviewed, but there's great value in having a dedicated person or staff to do that stuff. Even if the developers are all musicians or whatever, they may not be working in the latest genres, etc. There have recently on this forum been more requests for better controller integration. This may be due to more younger people adopting the software and wanting to use it with pad controllers and the like. I'm an older people and I want to get more into realtime control, don't have a pad controller yet but I will someday. I need to crack my knuckles and spend some time in the woodshed with Ableton Live and Matrix View. I have one control surface, a Korg nanoKONTROL 2, and it's been an absolute pain in the rear to get it working with Cakewalk, despite the fact that one of the developers uses one in his own studio. For any who might question whether "official" support by the hardware company is that important, it would be good to know that both Cakewalk and the other company have your back if you have issues. I don't worry about this with plug-ins, because the companies I spend money with either state CbB compatibility or are reputable and established enough that if anything goes wrong, either the Cakewalk engineers or the plug-in developer will fix it pronto.