Larry Jones

Seriously, a video editing program is the best way to do this. I use Vegas, because video is video, and CbB is an audio workstation. So I don't know much about how to work with video in CbB, but there are some entries in the official documentation PDF (1,942 pages). You can find it for downloading at the top of any page in this forum, under "Cakewalk by Bandlab|Reference Guide PDF." Search the PDF for "export video" and good luck with this.

I skipped X1, so I'm dealing only with GR3. On my current system (which I am still setting up) if I try to load Guitar Rig 3, it comes up as "Guitar Rig 3 Demo" (Not 'LE'). I don't recall actually installing it while I was installing all my old versions of SONAR, but it does appear as a plugin in CbB, and it wants a serial number. I do have the serial number, which is printed on the DVD paper sleeve inside the SONAR 8 box, but there is nowhere on the Native Instruments website to enter said number -- it acts as if I don't have GR3 installed, possibly because they'd prefer that I buy their latest version. I contacted NI and they first warned me that it probably wouldn't work and they wanted no responsibility for what might go wrong, but they sent me a link to Google Drive where there was supposed to be a way to install GR3. I do not have access to the Drive because I am registered at NI with a non-Google email address. I have asked them to try another way but they have not responded. I have come to the conclusion (just guessing) that when they use the term "installed" they are talking about a specialized meaning, to wit, "physically installed on my system and registered as such in their system." So when they sent me a link (inaccessible to me) to "install" GR3, I think they were trying to get it "installed" in such a way that I could see it in my NI account online and enter the serial number. Back before I moved to a new computer, I don't recall ever seeing "LE" in the GR3 interface, but I know I never intentionally tried to upgrade it. However the plugin worked fine on the old Win 10 system, so if NI ever lets me activate it I'm hoping it will work on the new Win 10 system. Thanks, Mark, for jumping in on this.

Website has '99-ish Tripod feel. No blinking text, though...

Hey Keni! Let me know if and how you get the freebie Guitar Rig 3 working on your new setup. I just moved to a new/used PC and it comes up as a demo that needs serial number activation.

Thanks for your response. I do have access to my old account. Guitar Rig 3 is not mentioned anywhere there, but I do have the plugin. It was installed when I installed my old versions of SONAR. Pretty sure I won't find download links in Command Center since SONAR 8/8.5 was not a downloadable product. I didn't notice exactly which version GR3 came with, but I did not purchase it (so it must have come with some earlier version of SONAR), and I've been using it for years. Today I fired up Producer 8 and Producer 8.5, thinking maybe the plugin needed to see the "parent" app and would then activate itself, but no luck. GR3 is available in both versions, but as a demo version that needs a serial number. As I mentioned in my original post, Native Instruments is pretending GR3 doesn't exist. In fact, the "Click here to activate" splash screen leads to a Native Instruments Service Center page that doesn't connect to anything. My account at NI shows numerous products I have purchased from them, but not GR3 (or any other Guitar Rig version). I found a serial number for Guitar Rig 3 LE, but NI does not accept that one. I have contacted them from their support form to see if they'll help. Fingers crossed.

How can I activate Guitar Rig 3 (not GR LE)? I got it with SONAR years ago and just got a new (used) PC for a DAW. I installed all my old versions of SONAR and got many (most?) of the old "free" plugins. Guitar Rig 3, however, came along, but opens as a time-limited demo and wants to be activated with a serial number. I don't recall ever having a serial number for it. There's nothing about it in Command Center and the Native Instruments website is pretending this plug doesn't exist. I know about the free Guitar Rig 6, but for various reasons I prefer this old sim.

Is this what you're looking for?

Thank you @Starship Krupa and @John Vere, I resorted to an online chat with Focusrite support. This forum has always been the best place to get real-world help, and over the years I've tried not to abuse that privilege, so I spent the day trying to fix this myself, then posted the issue here. Usually I don't get any real help from the manufacturer, but at least I get to log the issue. This time, however, the tech seemed mystified by my problem, then went right to the fix: That little box in the Windows sound settings had to be unchecked. Kind of counterintuitive, and I'm not sure when I checked the box, since I only noticed this issue yesterday. But maybe because I've been recording two new projects while still in the midst of setting up my "new" used computer I just didn't notice a little latency.? Anyway, I'm happy now, and I still say Focusrite MixControl must have been designed in hell, but A.J. at Focusrite Support is the Man.

Hi @John Vere! Great to hear from you and no, I never use direct monitoring. How do I know for sure? When I am all set up to record guitar, I can't hear it unless I activate Input Echo on the track I want to record. 16ms of latency is roughly equivalent to standing on stage 16 feet in front of your amp. I can do that, and have, many times. I am beginning to think something has happened to the hardware itself for this problem to present itself now after years of using this device. By the way, this is a 1st gen Scarlett 6i6. They don't even make it anymore, and MixControl doesn't come with any of the new Focusrite interfaces. If you don't have a 1st gen 6i6, you're not seeing the same thing I'm seeing. Here's some more fun information on this issue: I noticed that I could still hear an instrument plugged into the interface even if CbB was not loaded. After trying all the software changes I could find in Focusrite MixControl as well as in Windows settings, I turned off the speakers, turned off the Scarlett 6i6 and unplugged it for 30 seconds, just as the lever one tech support guy on the phone always tells you to do. When I turned everything back on, it was working as it's supposed to! I don't want to monitor anything unless I specifically set that track to input echo, and that's how it was working! Yay!! But I loaded a project, played it one time, and the problem returned. I checked all my hidden tracks to see if one of them had input echo on, but no. So I'm back to Square One. In the Good Old Days I might have seen this as a shopping opportunity, but I'm broker than I've ever been, so I really hope I won't be forced to replace this thing.

I feel your pain, brother. On the other hand, it's only fair that you 2nd and 3rd gen Focusrite users should feel mine (1st gen 6i6) Focusrite seems to have a problem with their concept of "routing." I checked, and nope.

The damnable Focusrite MixControl! I have never used the useless "zero latency" function, and it is not currently set up that way, at least as far as I can tell. But the 1st gen ASIO panel is as opaque as any piece of software I have ever used, so who knows? I might have something turned on without knowing it. I never use it because it strips away all character from the signal -- no personality on the guitars, no echo on the voices, etc. -- and I have actually gone in and tried to make sure it's turned off. Either I'm missing something obvious or the thing is malfunctioning. Thanks for the tip. It makes sense and I'll take another look.

RESOLUTION WAS IN WINDOWS SOUND SETTINGS. SEE MY LAST POST BELOW. When I plug an electric guitar into my interface (1st gen Scarlett 6i6), I can hear it through my monitors even when I have no inputs set to echo (monitor). I'm sure I have got some setting wrong somewhere, but I have not been able to find my mistake. This is new behavior, as I've been recording direct guitar since the Pro Audio days and haven't experienced this. I have recently migrated to a newish PC, though, so had to set things up again. Does anyone have any thoughts on where I should look to fix this? Thanks!

@Starship Krupa Thanks, Erik! I'm still bumbling through the setup of the "new" PC, but it is my wont to get my cart in front of the horse from time to time, and so I have embarked on two recording projects before I was entirely hardware-ready. As a result I am having to interrupt the creative flow occasionally to sort things out. It's been a pleasure working with the new box, but there are issues. Mostly there seem to be a few plugins that I used to use a lot and no longer have. I thought if I installed all my old versions of Cake/SONAR I would have all those plugins, but I don't. The best free guitar amp simulator I ever had was Guitar Rig 3, which must have come with some old version of SONAR. It came along for the ride to the new machine, but as a limited time demo version, wanting to be activated with a serial number. I have no idea. But free plugins are (not even) a dime a dozen, so I'll survive the losses. Right now I need to figure out why I can hear my electric guitar through the monitors when it is plugged in but not routed anywhere. And then when it is routed to a track I can hear it through the track and also through whatever phantom leak it's sneaking through. I know this because the two sounds are a noticeable number of milliseconds apart. I'll post a question about this in its own thread, so if you have any thoughts on it you can jump in there. Again, many thanks for your well-beyond-the-call-of-duty post above. You are a great and generous resource. PS: Since you asked, I don't remember what the problem was with my Scarlett interface, or if it even was the interface that was giving me a headache. I have a policy of not concerning myself with why something didn't work. I screw around until it does work, and then I forget about it.

Just saw this on Amazon. Sure, it's 34 bucks, but you'll be protected against those music accidents, and what would that be worth to you?

I have had to do this a few times. It can be done, but in my experience it's always a can of worms. Others on this forum are better at explaining the how-to, so I will just refer you to this bit of documentation, and hope my reply bumps your question enough to get you a better answer than mine.

@Dan Patterson Upper right corner of this page. Click on the down arrow next to your screen name and choose "Account Settings." Then on the left side of that page, select "Signature." These are instructions for those using a computer. If you're on your phone, you're on your own.?

Got ya. Did it. Thanks again!

I had a marathon reinstallation party yesterday, and I tried not to install things I haven't used for ten years. I guess I left out something I actually wanted. I had been installing from old downloaded setup files on a backup drive, but I went to the Command Center today and reinstalled Platinum from there. To my surprise, this gave me no options regarding what I wanted to install and where, so I ended up with the entire package. Not what I wanted, but at least I now have that precious Adaptive Limiter. Do I need to reinstall CbB?

Adaptive Limiter! That's the one! I love that thing. Maybe I can get it by reinstalling SONAR Platinum (never liked calling it "Splat") Thank you, Tim! @scook I knew it wasn't the LP plugins, because I have those, and they're not what I remember. Thanks for the thought.

I'm rebuilding my DAW (new PC), and I'm trying to find the fancy mastering-type compressor that only came with SONAR and IIRC apparently is no longer downloadable or available at any price. I had it on my old system (which is now shut down) but I can't remember the name of the plugin. I recall vaguely what the GUI looked like, but if I had a name I might be able to spot it somewhere and add it to the new system. Sorry, I know this is a dumb question, but, anybody?

@JoeGBradford This is a great reminder - I still have access to the old machine, and now that you mention it, I'll need it!

@scook Thanks Steve. I haven't done anything since wrestling with the Focusrite today. What I'm wondering now is if I have all the license information for all those old versions of SONAR. I haven't even tried to find my Command Center account for some years. I guess I'll be on a search and rescue mission for that stuff next. BTW, I think I read somewhere that there is no such thing as a full installer for 8.5, just an update from version 8. Is that true? Thanks for your help with this and over the years!

Are you trying to achieve concert levels? Maybe you need a stronger power amp, or bigger amps in your powered speakers, or bigger speakers.

@Andy Great points, thanks! I was already aware of the USB2 vs USB3 thing. It was a hot topic for a while in the old SONAR forum, and at the time I think it was determined that USB2 was not only preferred by most interface manufacturers, it had more than adequate bandwidth for audio. Not sure about the Focusrite driver -- they seem to have a newish one for my old interface, and it worked well enough today, at least on YouTube Hot Chicks in Bikinis music, which is all I've had for testing so far (OK, I could have listened to Van Morrison...). Wish I could use the Gen 2/3 Focusrite Control, instead of the clunky Mix Control that comes with my driver. This box came with a 1TB SSD and I added a 2TB second drive. I don't know the terminology, but the 2TB drive looks like a stick of Wrigley's Doublemint. This is not as much storage as I had in the old machine, but I have taken a vow not to save everything in the future, and it's all backed up anyway, so I think I'll be OK. These are my first SSDs, and I'm thrilled with the speed -- and the silence. Thanks again for taking the time!

I have put this off for years, but this month I bought a used Dell computer and today I decommissioned the old PC and began setting up the "new" one. Anyone who's ever had to do this knows why I've put it off. The old computer was state of the art -- ten years ago -- but it was showing its age, acting weird, doing everything s l o w l y, and getting damned noisy. I kept it going as long as I felt safe to do so, but I have decided to move on. The new machine is an i7-7700, so I guess there will be no Win 11 upgrade, but I can live with that. I just fired it up, installed the Focusrite driver for my first gen Scarlett 6i6, and spent spent 2 hours trying to get sound out of it. I finally figured it out, but that made me realize I'm a bit -- shall we say? -- out of shape when it comes to working on computers and software. There is currently no other software installed, and before I dive in and make a bunch of stupid mistakes, I'm asking for any advice, tips and best practices any of you might be able to give me to reduce the speedbumps and make the most of this experience. Are there any definite "don'ts?" What about antivirus? Anything I should do in the BIOS to improve DAW performance? I have the installers for SONAR Producer 8.5, X2, X3 and Platinum and I'll put those in first to get all the extras that came with them, followed by CbB. Beyond that I don't know exactly what I'm going to do, or if there are big mistakes in my immediate future, so I'm open to any thoughts from all of you. Thanks!