Matthew Sorrels

Kind of bummed, they collected 20% VAT on my purchase. Sure looked like they would/should adjust the final total based on location (I'm in the US) but they don't.

It never goes on sale. The best you can do is one of the 15% coupons at Musician's Friend coupled with Musician's Friend's reward points. But I think that only works if you are in the US., since they have to ship it to you. (Guitar Center does the 15% coupons too but I don't think they have a reward program) I suspect this year we may see some 20% off coupons at Musician's Friend around the holidays. But perhaps with a longer than normal list of exclusions. No idea if Omnisphere will be included, since it really doesn't go on sale. Honestly Omnisphere is kind of overpriced. It does have a nice library and some nice 3rd party extensions. But it just doesn't seem to inspire me very much at all. This year I guess I should pick up Serum or Sylenth. Not exactly jumping at getting either though.

While CodeMeter is kind of annoying, I think a lot of the complaints are a bit overblown. Yes you do need to refresh your license every (I think) 3 months, which can be done painlessly with their V-Manager app (doing it by hand with the Codemeter apps was kind of difficult but I don't think new users ever need to go through that again). Having to do the refresh does kind of suck, but other than that it's not been a problem for me. I don't have the CodeMeter dongle (nor do I plan to get one). I understand Reason also uses it as well. It seems to co-exist with all the dozens of other copy protection systems I have on this machine pretty effortlessly. VPS Avenger is a killer synth though and is mostly worth the copy protection headaches. Though I know nothing about this next upgrade and what that will entail. My gut feeling is 20% isn't really much of a sale though. Off hand I'd say wait for a better offer. But I do think this one is worth getting, if the deal is good.

Does this for me too. Said there were like 6 products that needed to be updated. It downloaded the installers (you can see them in the Documents directory it downloads to) and it does uncompress them and then the install exits/never starts. If I unzip the download manually and install them they work just fine. I tried running IK Product Manager as admin (just in case) but that didn't change anything. The MODO Drum installer when ran manually claimed a newer version was already installed, but that was a lie. But it did let me continue the install anyway. It looks like I uninstalled Lurssen (I vaguely remember it was crashing due to conflicts with the Intel Math Libraries). So I thought I'd try using IK Product Manager to install it completely (since it wasn't on my machine). But that failed also. At least for it, the IK Product Manager UI showed an error/failure message (unlike all the failed updates which just failed silently). IK Product Manager doesn't seem to have any clean up functionality. So all those installers are now in a sub-directory in my Documents folder. And their sounds/data downloads are still time gated. And I don't see anything that can verify they are complete and installed correctly (something I know us Sampletank 4 Max users could use). I'm not going to open a ticket or work with IK to fix these problems. At this point though I've manually updated everything and I doubt there is much they could learn from me/I could get from them in any case. If I had something more specific and addressable perhaps I'd open a ticket. Though I will try any future updates they release.

Sometimes products will have plugins that only run in a single host (like this Decrackler plugin). Inside Cakewalk's plugin manager you can disable single plugins for this case. Since sometimes it's hard to have fully separate install paths for the "specialized" VST plugins.

Not really and I should know. I currently have installed and licensed on this machine more than 6 major DAWs. Every last one of them has had problems at one time or another over the years. I've had to jump through as many crazy compatibility hoops with Cubase and Reaper as I have had with Cakewalk. The types of problems for each are different, but not one of these DAWs has ever been issue free. And it's not just Windows either. Macs have had (and will definitely have in the future with a CPU change) just as many crazy system issues. And lets not even talk about issues with Linux. The grass is pretty much brown on all sides of the lawn. That said you need to pick your tools and on that score Cakewalk may not be a good fit for you. Nothing wrong with deciding it's not worth it for you personally. But other DAWs all are equally capable of being nightmares. There are no magic bullets.

From the Celemony store: Melodyne 5 studio, upgrade from Melodyne editor (any version), more info...US$349 But Melodyne has lots of sales and can be bought from dealers. So there are lots of better ways to upgrade than the full price store.

Unlike most of those other DAWs, Cakewalk is based on and uses a bunch of Windows software libraries (MFC, C++ runtime, etc). Things other DAWs don't (usually because those other DAWs are more cross platform so aren't tied to Windows only things). Plugins have always used a bizarre mix of system services (and Pace can be seen as a system service too). When the DAW and the plugin both try and use different versions of the same things, conflicts can happen. It has sometimes been why Cakewalk is slightly more picky about some plugins than other DAWs. It's all too easy for some other software to overwrite some shared C++ runtime library with a version it thinks is best and break someone else. Usually it boils down to broken installers. It can be due to a broken installer from a completely unrelated app even. And don't forget the endless Windows updates and driver updates. Plugins also use a bizarre mix of OpenGL/DirectX/GDI +/GDI for visuals which also has to work inside Cakewalk. Honestly it's mostly a huge unstable mess. I'm often amazed it works as well as it does. I install all VST2 plugins into c:\Program Files\Common Files\VST2 and c:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST2 (for 32-bit plugins). I respect that VST3 plugins must be installed into c:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 and c:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3 and never alter those. I let plugins install their resources and other utilities pretty much where they want (I didn't used to, but that always lead to so much pain and suffering I've given up on it). If they give me options I always move sample libraries/large data directories to other drives. I've configured every known VST registry path entry to those paths, so good installers can default to the right directories (this only helps/works about 30-40% of the time though). If given an option to review a plugin's install paths I always take it and fix anything I can. Never use the quick/normal install. Lately I've just been skipping the 32-bit plugins, if the installers will let me. And I always skip the AAX/Protools plugins if I can. Even with all that it is sometimes way harder to get things to work than it should be. I know lately I've been avoiding buying some new products just because I don't want to deal with getting it installed and keeping it updated.

So figure out what's different with your Cakewalk setup vs those others. I don't have Lexicon PCM but I do have Lexicon LXP and MPX and both work fine in the current Cakewalk. Start with what reproduces the error. If you Start Cakewalk, new empty project, add single audio track, track single Lexicon plugin to the audio track. Does that generate the error? What exactly is the error? Then look at how Cakewalk is configured to load VSTs. Don't use the plugin manager, instead use the Edit->Preferences then File->VST Settings. Check the paths that are listed as VST Scan Paths. What's different about that list vs those other DAWs. Then look at those different directories and see what's actually in them. Cakewalk will often load different/wrong DLL's (usually older versions of things) from directories you didn't expect. Since iLok uses shared DLLs it's very possible it's loading something that's installed to the wrong place. What is your Windows PATH set to, does it contain any directories that might effect iLok plugins? The last step (if nothing obvious shows up) is to use a debugger and or process monitor (like SysInternals Procmon) and have it log every file and look and see what exactly it's loading and from where. Then do the same for Reaper or Samplitude and compare the difference. That may be harder with Lexicon plugins though since they won't load if they detect a debugger attached. iLok is always a tricky shared thing and Lexicon hasn't been shipping updates like mad either (do make sure you are as fully updated as you can be though, the last update to PCM effects was May 03, 2019) https://lexiconpro.com/en-US/softwares/pcm-native-effects-plug-in-bundle-aax-vst-rtas-v1-2-6-windows-64-bit Is it possible Cakewalk is trying to load the 32-bit version and not the 64-bit version? Again check your Cakewalk VST Scan Paths and what is actually in those directories can help work that one out. Are you running Cakewalk as Admin (never a good idea but a lot of people do it to get things to work). My Lexicon plugins load lots of resources from various directories. Access rights to those files may be an issue. Do you have any compatibility flags set for Cakewalk? Again not a good idea, but does happen. You can remove any compatibility flags you have set on Cakewalk (google for how to do it). Sometimes with iLok issues the best answer is to uninstall the iLok software and then reinstall it. I think Lexicon only supports hardware authorizations so there could be issues with Cakewalk and your USB ports. Try moving the key to another USB port maybe? Do you have any MIDI control surfaces configured in Cakewalk but not those other DAWs? And yes I realize this is mostly a list of things you might be able to check, not a "press this button and it will fix it" kind of thing. The problem you are reporting is pretty much going to require some serious detective work on your part. But there is a reason it's acting the way it is, the trick is figuring out what that reason is. Good luck.

Worked on ProjectSAM Symphobia 2. Which is also on sale. So that's a pretty good deal, about $100 less than I paid for Symphobia 1 and 3 during the NI NKS sale. I wonder if that is a mistake also? I do hope they aren't losing money on this extra discount.

The way Steinberg's handles crossgrades is kind of super painful. Expect a whole lot of suffering to get that extra crossgrade discount. I did the crossgrade to Nuendo from Abelton Live 10 Suite (so I could keep my Cubase license). It seemed easy enough at first, the problem was once they approve it, actually finishing the purchase is near impossible with their not running the store. I finally got it to go through (several emails later), but the experience was so annoying I doubt I'll ever try crossgrading anything with Steinberg ever again.

..DELETED..

Every audio app/plugin on earth is using the TensorFlow stuff to split audio into parts. Acoustica 7 has it and now Spectralayers are the two I know about. I'd bet other plugins/apps are also using it. With the right training I think it does a OK job. But I'd not want to count on it all that much. SL7's splitter isn't bad but each layer isn't exactly pure or clean. Better than nothing but not quite as good as real stems. https://www.tensorflow.org/

Google's recent update to their authenticator lets you export your 2 factor keys to another machine. You aren't stuck anymore with it.

I don't think there is a VST2 plugin? Sure didn't ask for a directory to put it into.

I use Keepass on everything and sync my encrypted password file using Google Drive. So the file is kept updated on all my computers and phones and tablets. I think most normal people just use a password manager that lives in the cloud. But I've been doing the shared Keepass thing for a very long time and have been loath to change. I also let Firefox and Chrome keep accounts/passwords to make logging in easier, but I keep master copies in Keepass. I like the fact that each entry can have comments and notes, so I record all those silly questions sites love to add to identify you. Plus pins and anything else. Of course if you can get my password file and brute force the password you would have everything. But I don't think anyone has the computational power to do that right now. At least not with my current password.

My login seems to work. Note their store has a different password/account than MySteinberg (steinberg.net and your software account) I have two different passwords for that. You might want to try another browser. I've been having all kinds of strange browser issues requiring I use a lot of different browsers this last week. I even ended up having to use Edge when Chrome and Firefox wouldn't work on (of course) Microsoft site's login.

Never use the same password on more than one site. Seriously. Yes it's painful, so get a password manager (or use the browser stuff). For every site generate a new random password. The two together (different passwords everywhere and password not humanly generated) you can avoid a lot of issues. If you use the same password on more than one site and your password is something in the dictionary (or on the list of top 100 used passwords) and you will get hacked a lot. No matter how great the site encrypts your password, if your password isn't crazy random it will be decrypted in no time. For anything relating to money I'd recommend adding some sort of 2 factor authentication as well.

$80 to make Spectralayers Pro 6 do what it should have done when it was released. I went ahead and did the upgrade, but I'm not very happy about it. Just did a quick spin with it in stand-alone mode. The processing seems kind of slow. For example you can't easily or quickly preview VST3 plugins. While the preview is playing changes to the plugin's UI don't seem to take effect (or at least didn't for the R4 reverb) I had to stop the preview and press the preview button again, which then takes a really long time to start playing (on a monster machine). And you can't toggle the bypass effect during the preview playback. It's very awkward. Maybe I'm missing something but this isn't how VST3 effects should be. The layers in ARA 2 is a welcome addition. Seemed to work. I loaded in some audio, unmixed the stems and each one was a layer. Inside Nuendo (didn't try anything else yet). Note: if you are going to uninstall SL 6, do it BEFORE you install SL 7. They share the same VST3 plugin. So if you uninstall SL6 after you install SL7 you lose the ARA plugin and have to reinstall.

Technically this isn't an upgrade. It's a sequel. With a discount for previous owners. The real question: is any percussion library worth $400? The vendors seem to think so, but discounting 50% is pretty much standard. To be honest I think they are running about twice what this is worth, should be $200 full price, $150 intro, $100 for Damage 1 owners. Still it does sound and looks very nice. I'd pick it up on a better deal, but that might be a few years.

Looks like it's a whole new download. They pretty much re-worked everything. Not sure what I should do with the old one (may need it for older projects I'd imagine). They do seem to have removed the Tutorial Files directory and the stuff that was in it. The new GUI is nice. Can't really remember how the old one sounds to be able to tell what's different though.

Looks like they added the Emotional Cello free update to my account, though I haven't seen email about it yet.

When I just want to play around with the AI I actually like using the stand alone Composer. It annoys me that it complains it can't find the MIDI channels (I uninstalled their MIDI expansion since I already have a full LoopBe30). The whole interface between a DAW and Composer is so much of a pain. But that's mostly using it as a doodle kind of thing. I almost never take anything out of it and back into a DAW. But I do like having it and launch it often to just play. For actual work in a DAW I tend to use Captain Chords more often. Though to be honest the two products are very equal. I like the Orb AI and the Arp module is pretty nice. I think for melody work Orb is better. If you were more interested in full on composing Rapid Composer is by far the better tool (than Orb Composer). But for EDM/Pop/synth type music I think Orb Producer is pretty solid. I installed this latest update. Everything seems to work for me. The UI is resizable (that happened a while back I think) and the AI is pretty good at producing interesting things. The synth/sounds I'm going to have to say aren't all that interesting, but I'm not sure it's fair to judge that compared to my vast library of Kontakt libs and an army of synth plugins. Orb Producer still has some of the issues it had when it first came out. Velocity still seems to be an afterthought and it has no way of doing articulations. It wasn't really designed to control other instruments all that well (but it can so it's not a lost cause). I think it's a pretty nice tool for working with music theory and quickly generating chords/melodies. Especially if you don't play piano. They have some nice video's on YouTube that can show how it can work. As long as you are realistic about what these kinds of plugins do, I think any of them can be useful. But none of them will replace actual composing, at least yet.

You can load multiple versions of the Producer plugins into the same project, but everyone shares the same chord progression, no matter how many copies of chords you load. But each chord does seem to have it's own settings/instrument/etc but the progression is completely shared. So yes you can have multiple melodies/bass/chords/arps at the same time. And you can just take the MIDI from one and make a real track out of it. Honestly Composer and Producer are very different things. I'd almost think it's best to not think of them as "together" at all. Composer doesn't appear to be as in active development as Producer. I'm not sure what that means though. I don't think they have any active communication channels. Just a handful of forum posts like this one and YouTube videos.

Assuming you have Cakewalk configured to 960 ticks per quarter note (it is an option in preferences under project->clock) you can use 0.016 * BPM * delay to compute the delay in ticks. So a delay of -250ms would be 480 ticks at 120BPM