John Vere

This is why a person should use the DAW that works for you . Each will have certain features unique to only that DAW. Cakewalk can’t always do what Pro Tools can do and in probably more ways Pro Tools can’t always do what Cakewalk can do. Actually for me Pro Tools is a DAW I like second best and I found it user friendly unlike the rest of them. So why not just use it? It’s very good at Audio projects but Cakewalk has it beat for using midi tracks ( for me anyway)

As you are asking a very basic question which people normally teach them selves using the many teachings aids that are very accessible including the documentation found in the help menu and the tutorials found here https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/forum/35-tutorials/

What I also found was some plug in installers seem to create either a VST folder or in some cases the Steinberg VST folder. Just pay attention during the install if this happens because Cakewalk has no way of knowing about new folders unless you add them. Those are the only other folders for VST 2 that are in my scan path other than Cakewalks folder. So if I install a VST 2 and it defaults to Cakewalk folder I change it to one of the others. I reserve the Cakewalk VST folder for Sonar and Cakewalk stuff. So in answer to you question I use the VST folder found in Program Files mostly.

Mute doesn’t unload a synth from the CPU anyway . I’m pretty sure of that. You might need a higher buffer setting. Just be aware that projects with a lot of effects and higher buffer settings will add latency so you’re keyboard playing will struggle. But just so you know what does work and on a older 2014 laptop. I created backing tracks with midi instruments but I export stems to create 4 sub mixes. Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Other stuff Using audio for backing tracks totally eliminates CPU issues. Then I created a project template with 4 Audio tracks for the sub mixes and my 7 keyboard VST’s. The only effect used is Loud max on the master bus. This set up allows me to have the options of muting as well as routing of those 4 parts for different bands I play in. Someday I’ll purchase a midi lighting controller. I have a Yamaha 01v digital mixer that I could also control with midi which would automate solos and effects. But that’s a lot of prep work. Then I created a playlist for the performance . I haven’t used it live yet but I’ve certainly practiced a lot and so far no issues. I often change channels mid song. And I always use the volume which I should really get an expression pedal for.

I would just use automation. I haven't used an even list since my Atari died in 1998 so sorry I wouldn't know how to do that. . When you arm a track for automation all the things that can be automated turn red. Mute is one of them.

The thing is the projects need to be from the same template and no additional tracks added. So it works best for live recordings where the project was kept identical through out the session. You dial in the first song and go to town on effects. Then the other songs from the session will fall in place easily with very little if any changes needed.

Here's the script from the video. It's sort of confusing without the visual but the important steps are still here. Mostly what you want is near the end. The key thing as you'll read in scooks post above is the drag and drop of the mix recall file. Sharing a mix scene with other projects. Mix recall stores the scenes in a special folder you will find inside your projects folder. We can use the browser to find and open it. In this demo project I’ve not saved any mix scenes yet so the folder is empty. I’ll mute a corresponding track number so you can see the different mixes. . If I click the Snapshot icon I get this dialogue and it say’s Mix 1. You see it now shows in the Mix Recall folder and it has the name of the project as part of the file name. Notice the CWM file extension. Now pay attention. I’ll Mute track 2 and save as a new scene. This time we will re name it “ July Mix.” Notice the name in the folder is still the project name Mix 2. Did I loose you yet? I’ll save this project. And now I’ll also use SAVE AS and re name it with NEW in the name and I will stay inside the original project folder. This would be how you might manage different versions of your projects. They will share the audio folder and as you’ll see, the Mix recall folder. I’ll now mute track 3 and save the scene which is now Mix 3 and now notice the NEW in the file name. I’ll mute track 4 now and it saves as mix 4. Lets save and close this project and return to the original. Well browse back to the Mix recall folder It still contains all 4 mixes. But if you look in the Mix scenes list here, only mix 1 and July Mix are showing. So let’s share a scene and see what happens. Mix 3 and 4 are from the second version of this same project but they don’t show on the list in the Mix recall module. So we have to copy them from the Mix Recall Folder. If I drag and drop Mix 4 into the track pane notice track 4 is now muted so I’ve successfully applied Mix 4 to this project. If I save it right now it will overwrite July Mix. But I’ll save as a new scene which you see is scene 3 but gets the correct project name. This is why I took the time to go into this in detail for you as the naming system will trip you up if you don’t understand it fully. The sharing scenes is a great way to work with multiple projects from a live band session. It’s also handy if you have already saved a few version of the same song under different names but didn’t change the tracks and buses around. In conclusion Mix Recall is an easy way to quickly compare different mixes of the same project but can also be applied to many other scenarios. Thanks for watching.

To bad that was a video I just deleted. But the answer is using mix recall you can definitely do this. Take to long to type it out but I’ll go look for my script later.

No problem you would use Cakewalk playlist and the live keyboard track will use mute via automation

Update July 29 2024

That's all bad information. The first video you posted above immediately lost me when he said you don't need to do anything if your using on board audio??? This is why I made videos.. https://youtu.be/z3UnPHn6J3Y

Watch my video. You will need to delete asio4all from your computer including in reg edit. It’s known to be invasive and can interfere with other drivers.

I use Cakewalk for live keyboards Simple. Insert all the instruments you want as simple instrument tracks. Assign each a midi channel Activate global input echo Now all you do is change channels on your keyboard controller. Just one important thing. Always have the keyboard connected and turned on before you boot Cakewalk. Been using this all winter at practice and a few gigs using a cheap laptop and on board audio ,, always works. I also set up midi learn to control the volume and an effects send to a chorus effect. The limit is 16 channels but I’m not playing in Pink Floyd so I’m only needing 7 instruments.

No as I said it's a different Interface and the tools are different. And it depends on which version you own. The basic version doesn't do any where near as much as the full versions. But just like a wave editor you can split, apply gain up or down. Add fade in and fade outs. and then you can adjust the timing and change the pitch. And with the version I have I can even remove or fix bad notes from a full guitar chord. You know, sloppy playing like you hit the low E when playing a D chord. This topic is about fixing random notes that went over and became possibly distorted. You can most certainly do that in melodyne. Go to Celemony's web site and watch the tutorials you will quickly see what I'm going on about. It is a very powerful tool for anyone who has a desire to clean up sloppy singing or guitar playing. Or making a near perfect performance 100% perfect. I used to believe in re doing parts until they were perfect. This is still the best approach when you are in your prime of life. But realize that I'm not as good as I used to be so this is my electric wheel chair to help me on the final leg of my long musical journey.

Good advice, it's too bad you never see this. I just was cruising with the search title of Download the SI instruments for Cakewalk. First was a ancient web page where I could buy it. You have to realize how much things like this such. Google is to blame. They put the web page with the most hits at the top. This results in useless information which is outdated. Then there were 4 videos all right away using the Bandlab assistant with abandon. I'm not a fan of obsolete info and this is one of the reasons I'm totally redo all my videos. In the 2 years since I first made the first few things have changed. Not much but enough. And if they change again the my videos that are outdate will get nuked and replaced again.

It's isn't really called a wave editor as that's a title reserved for programs that are dedicated to that task. But in the end it is a wave editor because it takes audio and has editing capabilities that manipulate the digital data exactly like a wave editor does. It is really just a different Graphic image of a wave file. So when you say it is not the wave file you are editing this is incorrect. The graphic design is to optimize and allow for pitch correction. Each little blob is actually a tiny representation of a mono wave form if you zoom in. And Melodyn as I said just like a wave editor is destructive and permanently alters the audio file once you are done and render it. Only a fool would leave Melodyne clips active in a project. That is asking for all sorts of trouble. The only thing a person needs to understand is that there is destructive and non destructive editing of audio. Destructive editing can often lead to unwanted audio artifacts so one need to always have a back up and be careful as they work. You are scrambling ones and zeros. Non destructive editing does not create audio artifacts because you are keeping your original unaltered data and all you are doing is give the software commands to alter parameters such as volume or mute which are not invasive to the original audio. Taking a track and Normalizing it or applying Gain are other examples of destructive editing that are easily avoided by other means such as simply using the tracks gain control which is non destructive. Adding Gain using processing permanently alters the original file and scrambles the ones and zeros. its rare but there is always a danger of adding unwanted artifacts to any audio that was scrambled.

No I seriously think I still know a lot less that many people here and come to think about it, scook has been missing in action for a while. He always has the correct answer to these sort of questions too. Hope he's OK. I said that because the "smarter " people here will remember the early days of terror at having to use it all the time to keep updated and logged in. I actually had to download and install it just earlier before I posted as I guess I un installed it a few months ago. Obviously it's not needed so that's why I was reluctant to direct people to install it. I think I will just say " Make sure to download and install the SI Instrument suite which you will find in the Cakewalk installer or the Bandlab assistant" There done! I think they keep the Bandlab assistant because it might be the only way to install Bandlab?

@Lord Tim 1. I sort of thought so but someone the other day said something about re sizing and that's why I asked. I guess they were refering to the method I often use but I'm sort of lazy and I just tend to shoot a screenshot and I only crop them. I guess it's not hard to re size using the photos editing tools. And the You Tubes I'm aware of the link option and I often use that as well I put my Channel Playlist in my signature but many people use cell phones and signatures don't show. But a thought will be to have little thumbnails on hand I just insert as unlinked pictures. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7YqVth30eGt7K5L5fUIUF_UjCsdAVCbd 2. The problem with that is I cannot confirm what happens as I already have Cakewalk installed. So I will have to assume it is very obvious to people that they can install the SI suite. But many people are using the Bandlab assistant still because it's an option on the web page. And all the tutorials tell people to use it because they are outdated now. I have totally avoided mentioning anything about how to install Cakewalk in my tutorials because it kept changing and I'm still not dead sure how it works. My only choice would be to totally uninstall it from one of my computers and start over I guess. Thanks as that does clear it up. But I was hoping there was a direct link.

If it was me I would first hold down shift and drag the Midi data to the Instrument track. You don't need the separate midi track. Then you freeze the synth. Then if you want to save the audio you have a few options. 1- Export the the track as a stem using your projects sample rate and 32 bit no dither. make sure to select entire project. You can drag this back into the project. 2- Bounce the track -Really bouncing opens the same dialogue as well so no real difference just different button to press. 3. With the track frozen open the project audio folder in the Browser and you will find that tracks audio so you can drag that to the project. That track in the audio folder is deleted when you unfreeze the synth.

1- How in heck can you make an inserted picture smaller? Especially when I insert my You Tube links. I find it way too big and would prefer if they were only thumbnail sized. Same with screenshots which are way bigger than needed most times. 2-Are the SI instrument only available via the dreaded Bandlab assistant? I'm just working on a tutorial and realized new people might not have those installed so would be nice to show them how to get them. I thought they were available as a dedicated installer but I can't find one.

It is one of the downsides of Cakewalk for new users. It is such old code and has been re done so many times that the result is software that might have up to 6 ways to access the same function. And you will find your self using an older outdated method out of habit. Then one day find a different?/better?/ newer?/ way and go why didn't know that 10 years ago? Making the tutorials has made me explore as many of these options as possible. As a result my workflow has changed dramatically over the last 2 years as I discover easier ways to do things. Almost everything found in the (Windows 98?) menu bar will have another option and many are either keyboard shortcuts or as in this case a simple right click on the highlighted clip.

This is the dialogue I always get when I choose Edit-Copy. I guess I was unaware that is is called Copy Special, it just says copy, but I see you are correct as the Help module is calling it that. Thanks for the clarification. It's odd how when you look there are 3 little dots indicating there is more to the text,, And to further mystify the Paste has both options? Is the Copy text having a bug issue there in the graphics?

As I was reading your post yesterday I was pondering all this, Now I read this statement and I see what is true. I do believe that they are only for external hardware. This is because it saves you pushing buttons on the hardware to find a sound. You just dial in the sound from Cakewalk using the track inspector. VST instruments for the most part are not GM midi and don't use the track inspectors bank and patch system. Only the TTS=1 will respond to patch changes, at least that's my experience. You have to change the patches in the VST interface. Example If I have a downloaded midi file and it is GM it will have patches and the TTS-1 will play those GM sounds. Say a Clean Guitar and TTS-1 will play a Clean Guitar. I insert Strum Session and re assign that midi track to it and forget to change the patch number in the track headed but Strum Session will ignore it and the default Acoustic guitar will play. I'm pretty sure that Xpand2, Dim Pro behave the same way. For sure Addictive drums seems to ignore all the sys exclusive and other midi messages it will be bombarded with. Thank goodness for that. I still delete all the extra events in the Event list and track header anyways. So instrument definitions you are looking for are in the menus of the VST and the track inspector is not involved as I would believe for the majority of VST instruments.

The first videos I published are all about Cakewalk and Audio. Here is my Play list https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7YqVth30eGt7K5L5fUIUF_UjCsdAVCbd For sure watch this one

When you use the copy feature the dialogue that opens has a box to choose if you want the arranger section to also be copied.