Michael Elliott

7th new version; 110124 000001 100092G https://www.soundclick.com/amberwolf/?more=14885769 I experimented and built a bass-companion track out of tiny slices of a deep female voice from the samples out of the free Marie-Pneuma instrument from PianoBook, to complement the synthbass (Z3TA2+) bassline in some places. It was going to replace that track, but didn't do what I wanted everywhere, so it's just addon in places and replacement in a very few spots. Rather than use the clip's pitch dialog, I used Kerovee (automatable tuner/pitchshifter)as a track FX and automation to control the transpose to match the synthbass notes, after first building "clips" of the arp pattern in the voice by using the clip pitch dialog then bouncing the resulting many tiny clips into 2-measure-long sections to use and slice up as needed. Also further edited the vocal tracks to try to cure the repeititititiveness; that's still a WIP though it's much better. More mix changes, etc.

Does F5 key on the keyboard refresh it like it would windows or a browser page? (don't know if that is part of it's functionality, but it's common enough in apps/etc)

Thanks--unfortunately I don't really know what most of those mean regarding the way this track sounds 😊 (while I know some of the technical stuff, I don't know the specific equipment, etc). My own hearing is failing in a way that I probably simply can't tell the problems exist--I'm sure they're there if you hear them. There's lots of things I cant' hear at all because they're right in the spots where my various tinnitus whines lie, or where the frequency bands of my ears are that simply don't work anymore. Is the newer version (71C) better, or worse?

New sixth version: rebussed, remixed, levels, fx, etc. 110124 000001 100071C https://www.soundclick.com/amberwolf/?more=14885278 Strange; the levels in the mix are much lower at the beginning and end, on all the tracks. and the master bus out. My hearing is nowhere near as good as it used to be, and my tinnitus keeps me from hearing a lot of things, so I don't hear any issues there. (which is why I ask for the feedback, so I can fix things I can't tell are there anymore ). I hadn't yet done anything mix-wise; was just using the "template" I already had from The Skaergaard Intrusion project, with it's bussing, levels, etc., and this left the final multiband compressor with a +5.1dB final gain, which in this project's mix meant that the waveform between the beginning and end was the "trimmed hedge" look, while the B&E were a normal waveform nowhere near clipping (or triggering the compression). Now I've gone thru and reduced general levels in tracks and buses, and reset the gain on the MBC, so it doesn't have the hedgetrimming, and is a normal waveform throughout. I also rechained some of the FX, and rebussed certain things, splig the vocals to multiple tracks to allow different submixes, which brought up the vocals some, and then readjusted the automation to compensate for some issues caused by that. Thank you for listening and responding! Which drums? there are some "tiny / thin" drums intended to just fade into the song, then there are some kettle drums. The latter include their own FX in the clip so until I can find some kettledrum samples in my stuff that are close enough to replace them with (with my own FX chain) there's not much I can do about any muddiness there. yeah, the problem I have had is that some of the people that have listened to my stuff tell me that they aren't going to listen to stuff they have to turn up because then when they play their regular stuff they have to remember to turn it back down first (because it's probably all stuff tha'ts been overcompressed to death). So I started doing it this way so I could get them to keep listening (since I have so very few people willing to even try, I have to keep as many as I can). But I went ahead and turned this one down a lot more than usual.

Aaannnnd...new version 5 110124 000001 000060x https://www.soundclick.com/amberwolf/?more=14884899

New version 110124 000001 000047u https://www.soundclick.com/amberwolf/?more=14884412 There are some places I am probably going to bring htem out; I'm not sure if I want to for th whole thing but we'll see how that works out. I am slowly replacing various vocal pieces (or embellishing them or altering them) as I find appropriate ones that better fit the song tha'ts been built since I started. So that should be fixed eventually. There's a few tiny flute bits, one of them flowing thru a small vocal segment that fit with it perfectly at 2:07 in, and a couple more in the next 15 seconds or so. Is one of those what you mean? Thanks! I'll take a look (but unless APD/etc has them for super cheap (like $10 :lol: ) I don't have the budget for it).

For further info, some other topics discussing the format / export/import/etc: https://discuss.cakewalk.com/search/?q=DAWproject &quick=1

Other than versioning, another way that I use for *every* program that I save files from, is to NEVER EVER SAVE But instead ALWAYS USE SAVE AS I re-bound the key in SONAR of CTRL-S to SaveAs, and used the menu editor to remove Save from the menu, and turned off the Standard toolbar with the Save icon in it since it can't be altered to SaveAs. So there is literally no way to just save a file over itself without the chance to rename it. Then I use a file name that is the date, and a six digit number representing the project I'm working on that day, and a six digit number for the file version (and often a letter or set of letters representing significant changes to the project). So it might end up like this for the first project of the day 110124 000001 000038n ProjectNameHere.cwp 110124 000002 000027A ProjectNameHere.cwp for teh second, etc. Doesn't matter what actual name you use, as long as you are consistent so you know what they mean. The main point is to never ever save, and only use SaveAs, so that: ---you never accidentally lose data from saving over something --you have multiple versions of the project so you can go back to any point you save-as'd at, even if one file is corrupted or lost.

If any settings were left behind (like the aud.ini, etc) , then removing those may correct the problem. If you have an external audio device, you could unplug it and see if the program will launch, then change driver modes before reconnecting. If you have a built in audio device (whether you use it or not), you could disable it in Device Manager or your computer's BIOS setup, then try launching and changing driver modes.

Thanks! I think the high end sounds that way because the bass isn't present there, so it's getting brought up too much by the master bus compression. I'll have to use some automation to deal with that. Thanks! I don't know TGU/LG, but I'll google them. (I dont' really listen to anything other than whatever might be background in some tv show or movie I've seen , and whatever's forced on me by the overhead radio loop at work). I modified some of the "heavy" brushy stuff in the early section to blend in better; later sections I left more or less intact (except the sudden clashy moments, other than one for a transition). If they still seem harsh, point to times and I'll see what's going on. What do you mean by "more space between instruments / loops"? I can think of several things "space" might mean.... For now, here's version 3 with some more accent vocals, percussion, and string bits added, and some main percussion altered or removed, some transitions in various tracks shifted to better line up with each ohter. 110124 000001 000038n https://www.soundclick.com/amberwolf/?more=14882868

Updated version: https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=14881894

Still in early stages of composition and creation, using primarily sample libraries from GhostHack, Black Octopus Sound, and Image Sounds, as well as stuff I already had, and stuff I had made myself, as well as Z3TA2+ synth, and various effects. EDIT: see later posts in the thread for current version links. https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=14881842 EDIT: gave it a name (Less Like A Whisper) and added the most recent (10th?) version to my Bandcamp page https://amberwolf.bandcamp.com/track/less-like-a-whisper Looking for detailed / helpful critiques of any part of the track, technical, musical, or otherwise. Give it to me straight. Stuff I already know about that I'm working on: There's too much going on in several places, and some of the transitions are pretty abrupt. It has a LOT of work still to go, but I have a direction to go in, at least. I expect it will end up at least twice as long as it is now with the interludes and intro stuff I haven't built and played yet. Many of the samples in the libraries need trimming / chopping up / key changing in various ways to create the melodies and harmonies I'm after (I already did some of this for certain sections, but there's a lot yet to go). The percussion I still have to build transitions and "thinner" sections of to clear out some sections where there's too much going on. But any feedback about those is also still welcome. I wish the libraries had a "lyrics" translation for the non-English vocals. I love the sound of them but it would be nice to know what they mean. (one of them has translations for the Elvish parts, but nothing for the real languages).

Just a verb with no re?

Logitech...I once loved the company. I still think their hardware is great, but for many years I have despised their software...someone should fire their entire staff and replace them with people that understand how people actually use their computers, and don't create bloatware that forces users to do things they don't want to do, and make it far too complicated to do many tasks. And nowadays, you can't even use the hardware without the software (at least, not for more than the absolute basic functions). I also don't think much of their support or warranty departments these days. For a couple of years, until earlier this year I used a logitech "gaming" keyboard (cheap from goodwill or other thriftstores, yardsales, etc, like almost everything I use) because it had programmable backlighting****, but I had to firewall the software to keep it from autoupdating and losing all my programs every time, and sometimes even failing to operate the keyboard (requiring me to use the built in laptop keyboard to do stuff to undo the updates). At some point the software, even without updating, "grabbed" a bunch of functions and key sets and refused to let me use them normally, and I had to wipe it out. But the keyboard won't even turn on it's lights without it, so it became trash. A shame because it had a great feel and was very useful. However, it led me to a MUCH BETTER keyboard *with replaceable keyswitches*! that *also* had *individually programmable* colors (or even turn individual key lights off!), the Phantom by Tecware....also found at goodwill for like $5. It's pretty noisy, but it has a good feel, and I love that I do NOT have to run the software to do anything except set it up. It stores the stuff all in the keyboard, so the software can be closed and the keyboard still does what it does, and it remembers various presets, so I can use a key combo to change from all-one-color to the SONAR key layout color I made, etc. Their software leaves a lot to be desired for ease of use, and it has some issues here and there, but once it's figured out then just save the stuff to the keyboard, shut off software, and I'm all set. I can even move the keyboard to a computer that never had the Tecware software on it and it works just like it should. It's only real disadvantage for me is that it's body is just big enough to hold all the keys, so there's no "edge" to rest palms on, or grab it and pick it up without touching a key. Thankfully it is very popular with people that have 3D printers, so some free models of casings have been created, and at some point I'll get around to printing a modified version of one of those for it in TPU. You can buy keycap sets for it, and keyswitch kits with various pushpressure and sound emission types. I also used to use a logitech trackball M570(?) that I got new for cheap on amazon (reboxed), but the wireless radio keeps failing (and they no longer make a wired version of the shape I like***) and logitech "cancelled" my warranty saying I must be doing something to them. So I replaced that with a very similarly shaped Nulea M501 I ran across super cheaply, and that has not had any issues at all, and requires no software to run it. (I wish there *was* software I could use to one-time-program it's functions, but it doesn't have that option), but the built in do the normal stuff, plus there's a button for "DPI" so I can use it for fine fiddly work in PRV/etc with a few clicks of that button, and go back to fast work with a few more clicks.) ***My first logitech trackball was one I saw at Comdex97(?96?), the MarbleFX that you can see used as the control for the shuttles on Moya in Farscape, painted gold and silver instead of it's white and red. I still have one, but it doesn't work with PS2/USB adapters, and nothing has PS2 ports anymore. At one time I had wished for a 3D printer to make a new case for it that included a spot for a wheel, as that's the only thing I ever wanted to add to it. It was *perfect* fit for my hand and moved exactly like I needed it to; did everything I wanted even in Lightwave3D building models and PaintShopPro making textures for them. I've used a few other trackballs over time (including the Kensington someone recently posted up; I still have that one in my "emergency devices" drawer), and of those my other favorite shape was a Microsoft Trackball Explorer, whose only truly bad points were the flimsiness of the button plastics and the poor design of it's cabling that allowed it to internally short and blow out the transceiver chip in it (making it useless) (it's software was the least intrusive of any of them I've ever had, and later Windows versions didn't even need the software to be able to customize it's buttons). ****I find it necessary to use backlit keyboards even in a lit room to see which keys I'm using in various situations; my eyesight isn't what it used to be. Being able to adjust the color of at least the entire keyboard as a whole was helpful, because I often need the darkness to feel my way around a new song, or get a mood in my head without being distracted by things I can see, and picking an amber color (or red if that's not available) helps keep my eyes "free" to see outlines of other stuff in the dimness. Can't just close my eyes because then I can't see the keys needed on the computer keyboard to do things in SONAR (record, etc) even if I have the monitor turned off. (I can feel my way around a lot of things, but I am not always certain that I have the right key unless I can see it, and I don't want to miss recording something "great"....). My other favorite keyboard, until I wore it out (literally wore thru the keycaps on several keys; someday I should find or make a 3D model of them and print new ones) was the Microsoft Sidewinder x4. Only had red color lights (there's an instructable on changing them out for another color but never got around to it), but didn't need software to use or light up, and a great feel, and a heel rest, etc.

Might be something with your specific keyboard. If it's a laptop, many of them have hardware functions tied to certain keys, usually printed in a different color on the key, using the Fn key or some other key to switch to those functions. Some keyboards have media functions built in that work similarly. If you have any software that was installed for your keyboard, it may have macros or functionality in it that are doing this.

My experience has been that with used gear, sometimes liquids find their way under the rubber switch caps inside the keyboard mechanism, and either dry leaving slightly conductive sticky residue, or actively corrode partial shorts across them. Sometimes it's other less identifiable things on other electrical contacts for the specific keys/buttons/sliders with issues.

Could it be scanning a large VST file/folder collection? (could also hang on a scan if a file doesn't respond as expected or crashes)

Forgot about the cd/dvd backups and the zip cartridge backup copies of the Ensoniq EPS/ASR SCSI harddisks...oh, and I might still have a few cassettes with stuff off a Vic20 stuck in with my audio tapes. :lol: Oh, and the dats and other backup cartridges. (most of that stuff I don't have a working drive to read anymore; wish I had an audio dat to read the old recordings I made back when...) The various capacity floppies from 5.25" to 8", and the 3.5" "stiffies" include stuff going back to pre-amiga days and the early x86 pc's. None of that includes the things in my "media/memory" collection, which is one of as many kinds of computer storage as I have run across free or nearly free over the years: bubble memory, assorted kinds of ram boards, assorted widths of computer open-reel media, couple of cartridge media types, some core memory, punch cards, punched paper tape rolls, etc. Sorry for the OTness.

Paring down my favorites list to just the 2 cheapest things I know I would actually use, the cart is still $50 after the discounts, for Divine Vocal Mantras by Black Octopus Sound Vocal Atmospheres Bundle by Black Octopus Sound These two are vocal wave file libraries, so they can be used "raw", which I have a lot of practice at. (unlike the Vocalisa that requires another $300 program (Kontakt full) to use at all, at minimum, plus I think an ilok device for another $50+?). Now I just have to figure out a way to justify to myself spending the $50 on the two vocal wave libraries, (vs whatever that will buy in groceries these days) within the next few days. That's the tough part...it's not going to ever pay for itself, much less earn me anything...but...it might help me make music I couldn't otherwise do, and be fun to mess around with.

I have boxes of (dozens of) harddrives from the decades of doing this, each one filled up, then eventually cloned to a new larger one.... (I don't think I still have the ancient 5MB (yes, megabyte) HDD, though; probably all the RLL/MFMs are gone). Then I have a few of the biggest in external USB cases so I can access their files at need, or backup stuff to, and then a small box of "bare" SATA drives that I can drop into a couple of USB-SATA cradles ala Dollhouse Wedges for the same purposes. (then there are the boxes of floppies and "stiffies" from the age before affordable harddrives, back in my Amiga daze, and the stiffies for my old EPS16+ I wish I still had....I wonder if any of them is still readable?)

Do you mean there is no audio clip in the track? (in this case, you would have to have the audio clip in some other track; if it doesn't exist you wouldn't hear it. you could find whcih track it's actually on by soloing each one in turn) If the clip is on the wrong track, and that track is turned down, then volume will be lower than you expect. Moving the clip to the right track should then fix it. Or is there an audio clip with no waveform at all in it? (in which case you can clear your picture cache and reload the project, or open the properties for that clip, and "rebuild waveforms"). rebuilding the waveform display won't change anything about the actual audio or volume, but it lets you see what's there. Or is there an audio clip with a waveform that is just very very low volume? (you can maximize that track, then expand the waveform vertically by clicking and dragging upward on the dB scale at the edge of the clips pane for that track, until you can see what waveform there is, if there is any). If it's very low volume, then you can either re-record it at a higher volume, or you can turn up the track gain and/or output volume, or add a clip gain envelope to the clip itself and increase the clip's gain. So, to be exact, does this mean that all other tracks are normal, but the guitar track is not? Exact descriptions are helpful. If all other tracks are too loud, then you either have to turn your monitors (or audio device output knob) down, or you have to turn the other tracks down, or you have to turn the bus all those other tracks are routed to down.

Not sure that's what the OP would want; seems to be about reporting problem users and spam? (page quoted below). But I don't see a "forum" there to post in from the root helpcenter page https://help.bandlab.com/hc/en-us just various FAQs, etc. There is a "Submit a request" link at the top, but you have to be logged in to use it.

Does the recorded waveform in CW appear normal, at a sufficient volume level? Do all the other tracks sound loud enough? f you have two different outputs from the device (either the modeler or the 18i8), one into CW and one direct from the leads guitar into your monitors, you might need to turn down the direct out, or turn up the one that goes into CW, if the recorded waveform is too low.

The only way I know of to use plugins/etc tied to specific software / versions is to use them in those sw/v. While I can't know for sure: Since there's no DSPFX company anymore to negotiate a new contract with, I doubt that Bandlab can include them or rewrite CbB or Sonar to work with them. I have a number of projects that use various DSPFX, and *everything* I do uses the Sonitus plugins, and I'm sure there's other stuff I use that's locked to my old SONAR that I haven't even thought about, so any software that can't use them can't be used for my projects (few of which are ever totally "finished"; I go back to stuff when I think of new things or learn new ways that let me fix problems with them I couldn't solve before). (I wouldn't have enough time and energy to redo all that stuff in all those projects, ever). So, if I lost my whole world and had to start new projects in a different software, I'd have to find new plugins to do all those things, and waste a lot of time learning a whole new methodology to work with them. But...that's what I'd have to do. For ancient stuff that doesnt' have an owner anymore, it might be possible for someone (not me or anyone I know :lol: ) well-versed in whatever kind of coding is used for this type of stuff to write a "bridge" that "sniffs" the data passed back and forth in working software/plugin combos, and then provide the non-working combos with the necessary data injected into the "stream". But I don't think that's a discussion that would be allowed here, at a guess.