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Expand the track height view fully so that all inputs and outputs are showing. With them hidden from view it is not possible to diagnose.

AL5 was added to my AL4 license, automatically. It is activated. Update the ASC and let it re-sync your license. If that doesn't work, contact their support.

I don't understand all the hate and pitchforks for XLN? They have good products that sound good. That's all I need. Do I need a shiny new version every year? Nope. They keep what I paid for maintained. That's all I ask...

Now you're singing my song! I can recall when spending $1,000+ for a new keyboard seemed normal! ?

The coupon was automatically added. I only own AL4 and Pigments 2.

I guess you could look at it like as it may have been in a major studio back in the day. For example a guitar player or keyboard player could have had stomp boxes or an FX rack located with their gear, that they use to shape their sound, just like live on stage. I imagine that time based effects (reverb & delay) and modulations would have a major role here. The effects that make up a significant part of the instrument's sound character would have likely been used at the source, which could compare today with "onboard" FX in a synth these days, or the FX bin in an instrument track. Then those "live" sounds could be recorded with microphones (wet) at the amplifier, and/or mixed with a dry DI (direct in) signal at the mixing console. In that scenario, those signals probably went into channel strips at the mixing console, where EQ & compression were applied, and limiting, saturation, or any combination of dynamic effects could be used to achieve the desired sound in the mix. At that point the mixer could use sends to FX busses to blend things into submixes. There are no absolutes, but that's how I generally visualize the role of onboard effects. But bottom line, you have so many tools today, that one needs to just decide what works best for you.

As plug-ins go that appears to be true. But I think the point of requesting an integrated "sampler" is for an alternative to being dependent on what a 3rd party developer chooses to enable in that regard. Both PreSonus Studio One 4 and above, and Tracktion Waveform 9 and above, have an integrated multi-sampler that can record live. Here is an example of using Sample One XT's live record mode to sample a bass guitar. Obviously not everyone wants to multi-sample their own instrument, so this is just proof that an integrated sampler can record live audio. Studio One also includes another sampler called Impact XT that is more suited for drum samples and triggering via pads rather than by keyboard. And I presented the above information only as examples of what is possible if Cakewalk were to add an integrated "sampler". I am not trying to promote other products here. Just showing that the idea is already "real" elsewhere, for those who may question the need in Cakewalk.

It's amazing how easy that is to do in Reaper. You can route an audio input to an instrument track in Reaper. If the instrument, like for example TX16Wx, supports audio input and live sampling you are good to go.

For those of you with the AL V, I found a killer preset that is a 2-part split between the Stage-73 and the Emulator II. Check out the preset "A Rhodes For You".

Wow, now I can even get V Collection 8 for $399 with a coupon discount!

@fitzroyYou are correct! Checking in with ASC, the AL V is appearing as activated now! No more demo. According to 'My Products' on the Arturia site AL V has apparently been bundled in with my AL 4 license! Thank you Arturia!

Actually not even an upgrade price available. Only the full version of AL V at $199. ?

Yup, that's the one I'm running. It auto-updated for me.

When I click on the "Factory" bank in AL 4 it shows 7496 presets. I assume the extras must be from the full Pigments "Factory" bank. AL V "Factory" shows 2397 presets. Some upgrade... I say no...no...no... ? Edit: all fixed now. AL V is bundled & activated with my AL 4 license! Thanks Arturia! Nice Freebie... ?

Yup, same here. AL V shows up as a "bundle" with AL 4 in ASC, but when installed it will not activate, only runs as a demo. ASC only shows a license for AL 4. Checked my Arturia account, only see a license for AL 4. AL V is apparently a paid upgrade for AL 4 users.

I'm with ZT on this one. I have AL4 + Pigments. Never owned VC because I really couldn't see the need to have all of those individual instruments, when I could have most of their sounds in one package. Don't care for the emulations. Too easy to go down a rabbit hole by twiddling knobs all day, and accomplishing nothing. ?

Just guessing that it's something along those lines. AL4 had a teaser selection of presets from the then "new" synths that were not included in V Collection 7. One example, Pigments. There were a few presets for that in AL4, but didn't get them all until I bought the full Pigments.

Like I said, was just getting started with EZDrummer, and the Americana EZX is the first one that I selected. "Please note that this is the same...". Thanks for the updated info!

It appears that only full retail editions of Pro are available via ebay. This looks like the best price for first time buyers. Assume that you must get all upgrades directly thru PG Music.

I guess from your hesitation that you may suspect most of the singles are not the best examples in their respective instrument categories. In that sense, I would agree. But the percussion singles are interesting because they cover sounds that are not easy to find, and they are inexpensive. Like you said earlier, their orchestral instruments are perfectly fine for layering, and IMHO are much better sounding than most of the singles. I suspect that SONiVOX created them to recycle their sample libraries and monetize what is left as best they can. It's a shame they were abandoned, because they have many good samples, just needed some more effort in developing better playing instruments, with more functional user interfaces.

Is Sonar Platinum lifetime included?

I have previously picked up his sounds for iZotope Iris and Arturia Pigments. Good stuff, and affordable! He specializes in sound design for many high end synths such as Omnisphere, u-he Hive, Diva, Repro, Zebra, and Dune 2.

$23.01 for an Abbey Road Collection upgrade (if you already own the collection) to add the RS124 compressor, and WUP the collection, with the Collection upgrade dealer code from Waves, plus the YNY23 code at EveryPlugin. ?

Just getting started with EZDrummer 2. So I'll only comment on price. MSRP is $179, but they briefly dropped it to $79 during Black Friday Week. That's the lowest I've ever seen it, as it's been on my wish list for a while. The second best I've seen is a special at Sweetwater, with a sale price of $149, plus a free EZX expansion of your choice, that can be a $79 value. The EZX include new drum kits, plus drum MIDI patterns for a particular style. They are pricey, but go on sale occasionally. I grabbed one for $20 on sale. They sell the Drum MIDI expansions for much less, without any additional kits. The patterns are the same ones that come in the EZX, so you don't need both. I picked up a few Drum MIDI expansions for $10 on sale.

Group Policy Manager is the big plus for me with the Pro edition. That is the easiest way to get complete control of Windows update, such as notify but don't download. There is also a policy that can be enabled to prevent driver update installs via Windows update. You are probably better off going directly to the hardware manufacturer's site to get those driver updates. There are many other useful policies as well. Just a couple of clicks to set them up as desired, and no need to hack the registry. Easy to revert policies if you wish, as it keeps track of the ones that you have set. Also Bitlocker encryption is handy if you store any personal or financial records on your PC. Your drive would just be a brick to anyone that stole your PC or laptop.