John Vere

Ya I found it. Thanks. I edited my post above.

Is there a Sysex view? I’m going to feel really dumb if there is, and now you’ve mentioned it I do believe there is! Edit : Well Son of a gun! why is it you can use software for 30 years and still find something you've been looking for was right under your nose! Now I'll check here next time a downloaded project misbehaves.

When this happens to me it is usually a download midi file that has extra stuff hidden that I’ve never figured out how you get at it in Cakewalk. A few things that work: Slip edit or use split/ delete up to the very first note in the track. If anything was hidden it will be in that first measure. Or I insert a new instance of the instrument as a simple instrument track and drag the midi data there. If it was a multi channel instrument I drag the midi data to fresh midi tracks. The hidden midi data issue has gone way , way back for me and I’d often open the files in other sequencers where it would be visible. Once I figured out those 2 tricks I’ve not had any problems cleaning up the data this way. I just figured this out today and the other place to look is the Sysex view.

Not sure exactly what you’re after but most of us use a dedicated drum VST. Like I use Addictive Drums. Most have lots of different kits available and the kit can be played from either your keyboard controller or a set of pads. You can also create patterns using the step sequencer or just draw them in PVR view. There are lots of free drum VST’s available check out the thread that is below this one. I’ve see plenty of lo fi kits for free.

Here' s the file the offending track is 9 and 10 , AT the HOP.cwp

In the million years I've used midi I've actually never had to have anything to do with creating or saving System Exclusive data. It's just something I would see in the back of my owners manuals and the message sometimes appears when you open a Midi file that there is System Exclusive data in the file and do I want to load it. I usually say yes thinking along the lines that it can do no harm to Cakewalk.It's purpose seems to be for Hardware, right? . It might do harm to my sound modules but they are not hooked up... But I've often had these midi files that misbehave. Things like you can't set the volume of an instrument or patches that don't stick. The solution is usually easily fixed in the Event list but sometimes these things are not showing there?? The workaround would be to sometimes slip edit the track a bit and what ever was hiding at the start of the track would be ignored. This doesn't always work. What does seem to work is to copy the midi dat to a fresh track. Why does this work>?? you would think you also copied the hidden data that was causing you grief?? There's a thread goin right now where the OP has a problem with the Transport not starting right away. This happens to me from time to time and it just happened last night. I have a lot of CWP files that have absolutely no audio that are my backing tracks. I need to put together about 50 songs for a gig in October. About at song number 7 I run into this same issue where the transport does not start right away. I get a Blue circle for about 3 seconds. Normally I just get P'd off but carry on. This time because of the other thread I decide I'll investigate. Turns out it is a certain midi track causing this and only causes it with True Piano's?? Song is a downloaded mid file. I have reworked it probably a few times over the last 10 years so not sure what the original file was. But only one track when un muted causes the transport to stall. If you mute it the transport responded properly. I tried a few things. The only 2 thing that works is to change the instrument to anything but True pianos or to copy the midi data to a blank track?? . If I replace it with any other VST no more stall. If I re install True pianos it stalls again. Copying the data to a fresh track allows me to use True Pianos. So what the heck is hiding from me in that original track. Is this system Exclusive data??? How do you view it?

Don’t save it as a bundle. Just use save as CWP / Normal and put it on a different drive. For what it’s worth. if you have made that big a mess on that drive it will be a lot of work to fix it. if it was me I would buy a new drive and simply use save as to copy the projects I am actually needing to a fresh location and keep old drive as a backup. Less work. Edit : Talking to the wind again.

Re reading the OP I see a few options depending on the state of the original project and depending on Melodyne being available . So I’ll assume you have put down a bass audio track and also assume it was not played to the clock? Also it would help to know if your version of Cakewalk has Melodyne still available. They just changed this with Melodyne 5 so the demo ends. If you do have Melodyne and no set tempo you can drag the wonky bass track to the timeline and it will create a tempo map that follows the bass. Audio snap is the old method. Now you have a tempo and you can create the kick track with midi and quantize it. I’ve done this lots.

I have a few tutorials that show you how to convert from audio to midi using both Melodyne and drum replacer. #16 & # 21

I figured out feedback a long time ago. First - Not enough Power. An Underpowered system trying to fill a space it’s to small for will just feedback when you try and achieve full volume. Second- pour speaker design and placement. Move the speakers. Don’t use cheap plastic Cabnets that back wash Third- Wrong choice of mikes. I only use SM series . Even my drum overheads are Shure. Very very last thing I do is EQ. A feed back destroyer is just an automatic EQ that quickly trashes you mix. But the OP has an interesting idea that might be a useful tool to use once a show has started and my options are now useless.

I taught guitar, bass and even keyboard and drums for about 20 years Im often asked to resume teaching guitar lessons but I don’t like to be tied to any schedule like that these days . So marking the videos is a great teaching outlet and it’s on my own schedule.

@David Baay interesting point about midi only being like old school sequencer projects that drives hardware. But all the ones I’ve converted had at least 4 VST instruments and it worked fine. This is now something to ponder about what is it exactly happens with audio from soft synths? I think all the ones I’m using are sample based.

Good catch. But if the OP is not recording any audio then I’m not sure it would matter? Do soft synths output audio at these settings or do they care? Good question. Never gave it any thought. Except in the case of freezing the midi instruments if need be I’m not dead sure it matters?

Actually midi only projects can be changed at any time. I do this a lot. I used to be using 44.1 because it was for CD and my Yamaha o1v only used it. Now because I work with video I’ve switched over to 48. So I open old projects and immediately I convert them all to 48. I have a tutorial about how to do this. But simply you export all 44.1 audio as 48 . Delete all audio from project, change the sample rate rate of the project that now is only midi instruments and bring the new 48 audio back in. Done this dozens of times now. Just last night I opened an older backing track project that had no audio tracks and converted it from 44.1 to 48. To me 44.1 is for people who make CD’s. These days everything is video which is 48. And even though my projects are 48 I can still export them at 44.1 if I need a CD.

Your probably not alone but it is not normal. You might want to post one of the projects that behaves this way and others can see what happens using their systems. You can share projects in drop box etc. My guess is it’s a plug in you always have used. You say this happens with all audio interfaces but have you ever used a good one? The Mackie driver is not that great. I used to have one a few years ago with a mixer my band used.

Is this a midi track you created or download midi? The track inspector/ header midi bank and patch setting dialogue boxes over rules any patches set in an instrument GUI. Is that where you set up the patches or was it the GUI? Download midi files often have the PG events in the tracks so as said above look in the event list for those. I’ve run into tracks that I can’t see the PG info for some reason and the solution was to split and delete the very start of the track just before the first note. That was rare

It looks like you have added effects to the Pro Channel effects chain. The effects bin on the track is a different location you can use as well. You have nothing there. This is fine you can use one or the other depending on where you want the effect in the signal flow

Buses can only have one output. Adding another bus won’t help because then your sub buses would not be routed there. So you insert a send on the master buss just like when you add a send to a track. That send can be routed to 3/4 and will control the level of the sub. That way you don’t need to disturb the cat who probably will leave anyway! I’ll try and take some screenshots later. Even-on huge PA systems subs are always mono. Mine have the 2 RCA inputs but they are summed to mono as it’s only a mono amp in there like all of them. A Y cable will work but if your bass and kick are in the middle it won’t make any difference. It might be more critical for crazy electronic music but sub frequencies are generally mono and none directional.

Updated links

Yes but be warned that you need a powerful computer system. I only have a 6 core i7 3.4 hz and 16 GB of RAM SSD drives etc. i basically can’t use a lot of their products or my projects will freeze up on me. Good stuff but CPU hogs.

Also there’s a effects toggle on the control bar. If it’s not there then once again this is due to using basic workspace. You should watch tutorials # 5 and #9. That will bring you up to speed with a lot of the new features. Workspaces is a major change from Splat versions.

Change the record mode to Overwrite. This is the most bulletproof mode for starting out with both midi and audio. Later you can learn how to use the other modes. Right click on the record button in the control bar to open the preferences dialogue where you select your recording mode. And thanks @bdickens for posting the link to the tutorials which is a very good idea for all newcomers to take a little time each day to watch.

I have 3 powered subs kicking around all of them have built in crossovers and an adjustable cut off. The Yamaha I’m using also has a very cool auto on / off feature. It stays in standby mode until it gets a signal. I’ll mention that every interface I own has 4 outs but each works a little differently. My Tascam the 3/4 outputs by default clone the 1/2. Therefore nothing needs to be done in Cakewalk. The Scarlett needs you to route this in the Mix Control software mixer. But once set it works on all playback. The Motu requires me to add a send on the Master bus that is routed to 3/4. So I have to do this on each project. Another reason why I don’t like this interface.

Hey Michael The M4 has those 3/4 outputs you probably aren’t using. That’s what I use to go to my Yamaha sub. It’s way under my desk so hard to reach the level control so I can do that using the Main output faders found on the very far right of console view.

I have a whole series of tutorials that will get you going #1&2 are all about setting up audio and midi