Tim Smith

I ran into something similar with my iPad. It's new enough to have the lightening connector but too old for the most recent OS or YouTube updates. They want us to throw the thing out and buy another one. I managed to re flash it in iTunes and it works for now to play YouTube. I still get a warning I need to update it. When it comes to computer upgrades, this is certainly better than buying new for PC. My C drive is beginning to fill up aside from the 4 other attached drives I use for other stuff. I think a full C drive might slow things down. I cleaned a computer once that was working just fine using compressed air. I had it unplugged and I thought I had it grounded. After the good cleaning it stopped working. Sometimes it's best to let well enough alone if it works ok. I'm trying to squeeze a few more years out of mine before I go for a rebuild. Sometimes it pays to wait. Other times it doesn't. There are rich kids out there dumping their video cards because they found another one they think is better. You might snag a deal that way. You can get used monitors plenty good enough for most studios too. We won't get twisted on Win 11 for a while yet. I don't think this is an issue, at least for me it isn't. I will probably use my old computer for something and just build a new one. I guess one of my concerns is the trend we see with computer companies weaning most of the public off of larger computers and onto smaller less powerful devices. At some point I am concerned the bigger more powerful computers will no longer be available or they will be much more expensive. The i9 with plenty of ram and a decent setup should hold anyone for a long time. I know AMD is a bad word around these parts, but admittedly the next few years could bring some jumps in what they are offering and it might make a decision harder for a person who is leaning towards true blue Intel. We can't ignore Apple either and anyone who has a cross platform DAW should at least consider their options. My build is still holding me fine for what I do but I see the writing on the wall. I don't buy stuff for the fun of it...well ok maybe sometimes I do. DAWs are not something I buy lightly if I'm planning to live with it for 8-10 years. Heck I don't know if I'll even live that much longer.

OK I'll check it out and thanks @scook I am aware you are FAR more knowledgeable of the inner workings of a software program than I am. I'm just wondering if I do this could it cause another issue in Cubase? Everything I'm using right now uses Focusrite drivers. It doesn't seem there would be an issue, however with Steinberg soon releasing a different registration process, I wonder if it could flag a change and see it as a problem?

I hate to tell you this, but I'm probably not uninstalling Cubase. I don't want to loose Cakewalk either.

I never had issue with Cakewalk until more recently, even after the last update. Only two things changed which leads me to believe the issues are related. I have been playing with sample rate changes. I'll mix with a higher latency but go to a lower latency when I play a part using a vst. I recently loaded some new libraries and another DAW. Cubase. Before that I had Studio One 5 Pro, Mixcraft, Acid pro, Ableton all playing together ok so long as I didn't have them launched together. Nothing happened until I loaded Cubase which seemed to somehow conflict with Cakewalk maybe? All I can tell you is that now Cakewalk says it needs to shut down before I can even load it. My mixes don't tend to be large mixes because I am busy, so I'm lucky to put a few ideas down and let it go at that. I'm not making epic presentations, I'm making simple songs usually. Until I bought Cubase on a great deal, I listened to all of the stories about how complicated it was to use. I was of the opinion that it was " too much DAW" for my purposes. Plus it was simply too expensive to consider me buying it. If I had bought it sooner I would have realized how easy it really is to use ( for me at least). In fact it is hands down the easiest for me to use now. Similar to what many say about Mac computers- It just works. Of all my DAWs it does the most and I like that it's cross platform. It doesn't stall on sample rate changes. Instead it gives me options. Never had a serious failure using it yet. I attempted to boot CbB last evening and managed to boot it in safe mode. None of my other DAWS are not booting up. Only Cakewalk. I downloaded the latest version of CbB and it did the same things again. One error seems to be a spooling error and the other error seems to be happening when it loads my Focusrite drivers for audio. Things I like about CbB I can still work in it very fast It can utilize plugins and instruments none of my other DAWs will load. I did manage to get Cakewalk working one time the other evening. I was using a free Cockos plugin that dates back to 2016 called Reastream that works great with OBS Studio to makes recorded screen captures. It's a VST 2.0 plugin and Cubase only takes VST 3 plugins. You basically drop Reastream into you master> set to to send local broadcast audio. Then you put another copy of it into OBS as a receive channel and set it up under 'filters' in OBS which can now see vst plugins. Those two plugins talk between your DAW, onboard computer audio and OBS which works like a mixer and screen grabber at the same time with almost no latency. You can find info how to do it in more detail on YouTube. ..........anyways I actually made CbB work well there before it crashed again. So I'm not sure what's up, and I don't have the time to be troubleshooting a DAW at length. I'll just use what seems to be working for me, and right now it's Cubase.

You guys using CbB for anything more involved? When I say large, I also mean complex, like mixes with extensive plugin chains. Could be less that say 20 tracks and still large in terms of routing, plugins, sample libraries, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions @John Maar I had Cantabile, the pro version of it and I knew that some players built mini computers to use it with on stage. Most of my playing is church related and they usually only needed a piano, an organ or maybe a nice electric piano. Occasionally I would throw a pad in the background. Big difference between that and a guy who is in a show run off of computer backing tracks. He can program his changes into Cantabile or a DAW, have things change up automatically. Play multi layered huge sounds etc. All of that was too " high tech" for what I needed to do so I didn't end up using Cantabile much. When in the studio, I use more variety in terms of sounds. Big difference between the two and why I guess something made for the studio is best for the studio You have me now thinking about the 61 key though. Maybe it is worth consideration.

Well I most often prefer either a semi weighted controller for the ability to play faster runs, at least that's what seems to work best for me even though I have several 88 key weighted controllers because for bass runs I'm often down in those lower ranges. I know I can play something and then transpose it, so I could probably get away with using a 76 key controller. Given that most NI libraries have the articulations at the far left is another reason to like an 88 key controller. I know there are work arounds to it, but it's nice to be able to grab the pre programmed settings and run with it in the piano roll. I would say that what appears to be the primary difference between myself and most who use controllers is I PLAY the keyboard like an instrument as opposed to using one for programming purposes. It isn't a midi input device to me so much as an instrument. My last several controllers have been 88 keys with onboard sound because I was going back and forth between using the sounds live and then using the keyboard as a midi controller in the studio. In fact, a dedicated controller feels odd now to me as a result. Since most of my work is now only in a studio, I'm beginning to see a dedicated controller as an option. I don't understand why NI didn't put more tactile midi control on their boards? It seems like the Tesla of keyboards to me, but I'm not into driverless music. Does anyone have any alternatives that would make a decent all rounder' for multiple sample library configurations? I might be ok with 76 keys but 61 are probably not going to work for me. @John Maar Thanks for your feedback on the NI 61. I'm thinking if there's really nothing better than the NI88 I could use one if I complimented it with some other control options. I could still play fast on an NI 88 weighted but probably not as fast. Could always tweak the midi bpm later.

Whew. I was beginning to worry there for a minute. That house looked way too neat for a musician.

Grohl made a movie about his recording experiences in what is basically a haunted house. He claimed things were moved, and guitars detuned from the night before when they would come back to record. There were tracks recorded they didn't make he claims. The funny thing is the band specifically picked this house because many other famous bands had recorded there. That the haunting aspect of it was already well known did not deter Grohl. The movie "Studio 666", while a hyped Hollywood teen centric special effects extravaganza, and an often a comedic take on their actual experiences, does not discount that actual events occurred in the house.

The cable carries audio/video signals WAY better than wireless. No batteries to run down. No connections to loose. @Shane_B. Thanks for those tips! I have done a fair share of drywalling . I bought a very large patch for this hole. I will see if i can post pics of the progress when the drill comes in. If the hole is too large I'll just cut it back to the studs on both sides and then I can tackle it with mesh tape. That hole borders on being too large. Biggest things most beginners seem to do with drywall is they over apply the drywall compound or they over sand it. I think the pepto pink in this room is going too. Yuck.

I guess nothing is bargain priced any more. I loose track of time and how much things cost. Not to mention inflation. Were you thinking to mic it up at some point ?

You might be able to pop for both. I didn't think a piano tuning as very much. I could be wrong.

I mean my wires. I just put a wifi 6 card in my music PC. No need for cables. It's actually as fast as my wired connection was or maybe faster.

"If" you had a recent version of Komplete and a bunch of Kontakt libraries , HOWEVER you also used several other similar programs on occasion such as The Spitfire sample program, UVI, Sampletank, ENGINE, would you still think the 88key NI controller was the best choice? -Thanks

Bass tracking method to get a killer bass- Track two different basses you like. One for high end and one for low end. Roll off the undesirable parts of each bass, put the combination through a send for unified fx treatment or treat each differently. Vox tip- This is an oldie but a goodie. Track yourself singing the same things twice, pan slightly. Sounds better than chorus or copied doubling if you can get the words very close.

Good point. I have learned how to tune some voices frequencies out completely.

Those are not Lan connections

Hey John, I don't come around here regularly. Just seen this. Good luck on getting it done. I am going to look at all of the stuff I never use and probably sell it. I'm still set up in my dining room with my studio. The reno on the old studio is still ongoing to make it a bedroom. I had one more bunch of low voltage wires to re locate. Those wires will go into the basement through the outside wall. No drill I had would do it so I ended up buying a used Milwakee 1/2" right angle drill with a hole saw extension. I replaced a patio door in there. Due to rain water getting in around the old door I have to replace some of the floor too.The drill hasn't come in yet, so I have a very large hole in the wall.

Don't do everything they tell us to do and we might learn something new.

I guess it depends on the kind of work someone does. I so some of the same things over and over again, so tying a button to it would be a good thing. TBH I would probably use it more with Q base since there are some very well made templates for it. Someone probably made good ones for CbB too.

I am looking at stream deck and maybe a way to control automation better. That's about it.

The new router is all in and working now. I moved it to the center of the house. The new studio is still a long way off unless I can figure out a way to dispose of 5 or 6 truck loads of stuff that doesn't belong to me and do it without being killed. I still need to 'negotiate' what's going to happen to a lot of it. Might be a very slow and time consuming process.

Very imaginative work here jack c. Great lyrics. Have you mastered this?

Good to hear another one from you Lynn. I enjoyed the music and mix mastery. Wonderful work on both. Did you need to make deep EQ cuts to get this kind of space? The L/R mixing on this is phenomenal. Glad to hear you're back in action with a new computer. Look forward to your future projects.

Thanks Lynn for dropping by to listen and for your comments! Much appreciated.