Ben Staton

I'm struggling to think how CbB could change your high DPI scaling override setting. I know we aren't doing anything out of the ordinary. On start-up, CbB just tells Windows to handle scaling on its behalf. I wonder if Windows is trying to be 'clever' and is changing it because it thinks it knows better?! A while back, I came across a plugin that was calling Windows DPI scaling functions, which it definitely shouldn't have been doing under any circumstances (it's the hosts job to worry about things like that). Maybe one of your plugins is misbehaving? That might explain it. I did some Googling, and app compatibility settings (of which high DPI scaling is one) are stored in the registry here: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers @jono grant If you're familiar with the registry, please would you send me a screenshot of the Cakewalk.exe entry in there? You might want to try deleting it to see if that makes any difference (at your own risk, of course). FWIW, I tried setting the high DPI scaling override and then deleted the corresponding registry entry with no ill effects.

Hi Jono, That's very odd. I haven't heard of anything like this, apart from maybe one guy who had to set some custom DPI settings or CbB would crash on startup (which should now be fixed anyway, at least in the latest Early Access release). When you say "I'm continually going in and having to set the scaling over and over again", what is it that you're doing specifically? Are you going into Windows Settings to set it to 150% again, or something else? Also, what version of Windows are you using? Thanks, Ben

A fix for this will be in the next release!

I'm working on a fix. In the meantime, using Alt+Tab to switch to another application, and then going back to Cakewalk, seems to 'un-stick' the mouse so you can continue working.

Thanks for the reports. We've logged this issue, and I'm investigating it now. When it happens, does the little zoom window remain visible on-screen, or does it disappear but the mouse is still stuck? Thanks!

@Angelo DiBraccio Thanks for the crash dump. That should pinpoint the code in question. Investigating... Edit: The crash dump helped me find the cause. I'll try to fix for the next release.

@Angelo DiBraccio Thanks for the quick response, Angelo, and for the extra info/screenshots. By default, the 'Override high DPI scaling behavior' checkbox should be unchecked, but I realize that causes the startup problem in your case. It's possible that checking it will cause some layout issues, but you might be OK because your 'Scale and layout' setting is 100%, so there's no scaling involved either way. I've tried to reproduce without any success so far. I'll let you know if I figure it out, but I'm pleased to hear you're up and running anyway.

These example screenshots show the kind of info I'm looking for:

Hi @Angelo DiBraccio Very strange. I'd like to investigate, but I need a bit more information. Firstly, what version of Windows are you using? Secondly, please would you attach screenshots of these three things: 1. Settings -> Display (the 'Scale and layout' section, in particular)? 2. Right click on Cakewalk.exe, choose Properties from the menu, then select the Compatibility tab. 3. Click the 'Change high DPI settings button'. That might help me get to the bottom of it. Many thanks! Ben

That's great news! Thanks for the update Michael.

Hi @Michael Vangerov, Apologies again for the delayed response. I still have the video you sent a while back. At least I think I do (the above link has expired, so I can't verify). It's the one showing you queuing a song during playback, which then opens with 3 minimized Lyrics windows that remain minimized when the song begins playing, right? As far as I know, that particular issue has been fixed for a while now. Can you confirm you're no longer seeing it? Regarding the screenset issue, I admit I'm still not 100% clear on what the problem is. Would it be possible to share another short video that demonstrates it? Alternatively, maybe a remote session (eg. via Skype or Google Hangouts) would be helpful if it's convenient? Thanks for bearing with us, Ben

@Canopus Thanks. I've logged the scroll bar inconsistency. Unfortunately, it might be a while before we get to it since we're very busy working in other areas of CbB right now. That said, we're hoping to give the UI some much needed attention later this year.

@jono grant I'm also using 4K monitors with Windows 10 at 150%, and haven't noticed CbB doing anything unusual (it always opens at 150%). As far as high DPI support goes, CbB asks Windows to take care of scaling the UI, and that's all there is to it. We're not doing anything beyond that, so if there's a problem, it could be a Windows issue. Firstly, are you using Windows 10? If not, which version? All bets are off if it's Windows 7 I'm afraid. As well as no longer being supported, high DPI support in Windows 10 is much improved over Windows 7. Secondly, I notice the 'Override high DPI scaling behavior' checkbox is checked in your screenshot. Unlikely, but FWIW it's unchecked on my PC (which I believe is the default). Edit: You mentioned that CbB is the only app with this issue, but if it's also the only app that you've changed high DPI settings for, then it could still be a Windows issue. Edit 2: I see from your screenshot that you're on Windows 10, not 7 or 8, since I can see 'Windows 8' in the 'Compatibility mode' dropdown!

@Michael Vangerov Apologies for the late reply. I've been crazy busy lately, and completely forgot to get back to you. Fortunately Noel noticed this thread and nudged me yesterday. The good news is that I already fixed the issue you reported in your original post, so you might want to try the latest release (2019.11) and let us know how you get on. Regarding the other issues you reported, I'll need to spend a bit more time investigating those, so please bear with me. I'm on leave for the Christmas period, but by all means PM me in January if you have any further information, or are just looking for an update.

Thanks for the report. That definitely shouldn't happen! I'll get it logged and hopefully fixed in the next release.

Good news! @AxlBrutality and I finally got to the bottom of this, and his issue now seems to be resolved. I'm pleased to say that it wasn't a Cakewalk problem. Indeed, Reaper exhibits the same symptoms with the same plugins. The instability was down to a gaming utility called Nahimic Sound Tracker, which is, I believe, installed by default on some MSI systems (an MSI gaming laptop in this instance). It runs in the background, and displays an in-game HUD showing where your opponents are based on any sounds they make: https://www.nahimic.com/gamers/ Uninstalling it fixed the problem. They have 15 million users if their website is to be believed, so it's possible other DAW users are running into it too. I strongly advise anyone running a DAW on a gaming rig to uninstall any unused gaming utilities, or at the very least disable them when running DAW software.

@Illogistical Resource Dept Thanks for the report. Does it happen every time you use the zoom control? Presumably you're clicking and holding the left mouse button to zoom, and at some point you release the left mouse button, but the mouse cursor stays stuck in the zoom box? Did you notice this in earlier versions of CbB? Any other clues that might be relevant? Edit: Is the mouse permanently stuck in the zoom box afterwards, or does pressing Esc, left/right clicking again, or anything else 'free' it?

@Illogistical Resource Dept OK, thanks. That's no good. I'll investigate this soon.

@jimlynch22 and @Illogistical Resource Dept Thanks for the report and workspace files. To what extent are you losing mouse/keyboard input during playback? Just in the Track View (for example), or is the entire app affected, including the Control Bar? If so, how are you stopping playback to regain mouse/keyboard control (eg. by using a MIDI controller)? Is the mouse cursor visible or hidden when it happens? Do you have any plugin windows open at the time? So many questions! Feel free to PM me with the details if you like.

@AxlBrutality FYI, I just PM'd you about this

I had a hunch that Windows 7 display scaling might be involved, so we did some tests and managed to reproduce the problem. In Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Display, make sure you're using one of the 3 predefined options - Smaller, Medium or Larger: It's possible to use a custom setting by clicking 'Set custom text size (DPI)', but doing so seems to cause this issue. It works fine (for us, at least) if you stick with Smaller, Medium or Larger. If you try that and still have problems, try clicking 'Set custom text size (DPI)' and making sure the 'Use Windows XP style DPI scaling' option is enabled/checked (I think it's enabled by default, but worth checking): That resolved the issue in our tests. Hope it works for you too. Let us know how you get on.

Mike was kind enough to forward your video, so I've seen it, and it was most helpful. A picture (well, video) is worth a thousand words indeed! Thanks again. I'm hoping to send you another build to test at some point next week ?

Hi Michael, Apologies for the delay (so much to do, so little time!) I've been working on this over the last couple of days, and have made good progress, but there's still more to do. Leave it with me, and we'll get back to you at some point next week. Rest assured we're taking it seriously, and aim to fix it for the next release if at all possible (it seems likely at this point, but no promises). Thanks again, Ben

Glad you managed to sort it! I already have some ideas for a fix to stop it happening again, which I'll hopefully find time for soon.

Yes, the Alt-Spacebar trick is definitely useful for this kind of thing, Panu! Regardless of the workaround, we should really stop it happening in the first place. I've already logged a case and hope to look into it soon.