Robert Bone

You indicated 32 ms for your buffer, but it is actually referring to the number of samples, so your setting is currently at 32 samples. (Just trying to explain it for you - no issues - just correcting your initial referral to the buffer size). Anyways, it is possible that one or more of the effects loaded into your Cakewalk project is adding enough latency to where it affects the sound at that setting. You can easily test this out, by loading up your project with the audio issues, and hit the letter 'E' on your computer keyboard - this is as Cakewalk shortcut to toggle on or off the bypassing of effects in the project. SO, hit 'E' once to bypass effects, and if your crackles go away, then that tells you that one or effects are the problem. Hit 'E' again, to stop bypassing the effects. It is also possible that 32 samples is just cutting it too close - and you may find it necessary to bump up your ASIO Buffer Size to 64 Samples, and see if THAT makes the audio issues go away. You should be well lower with latency - at 64 samples, to where you shouldn't hear any lag between playing a note and hearing it back. I actually COULD run at either 64 or 32 samples, but I just run at 128 samples for my buffer size, because I still don't hear any lag when recording, and everything hums along nicely - performance wise. The lower your ASIO Buffer Size, the more you are making your CPU work, and at some point - usually at either 64 or 32 samples, it gets to where the CPU cannot quite handle it, and you end up with some crackles. Bumping up the buffer size should get rid of the noise for you. If you found that bypassing the effects got rid of the noise, then you might have accidentally used a plugin that is too consumptive - meaning it either needs a larger buffer size to do its thing, OR it is CPU-intensive. Either way, if this is the case, you can either turn off that effect until you move on to mixing, where you WANT a super large ASIO B uffer Size, or you can temporarily swap that effect out for something less 'needy' of buffer or CPU, until you finish recording, and then when you bump up your ASIO Buffer Size (1024 or 2048 samples), for mixing, THEN you can swap that effect back into your project, and the larger buffer size should allow that plugin (like a convolution reverb) to do its thing without causing crackles. Bob Bone

If your sounds are from an external synth, make sure you turn Local Off, on the external synth, because otherwise each played note will trigger a sound in reaction to a key being pressed, and Cakewalk will ALSO send the midi data for the triggered note event, back to the synth, causing that same note to be triggered again. By turning Local Off on the external synth, that severs the connection between the keys being pressed and the internal sounds - leaving only the midi data sent back by Cakewalk properly triggering only 1 note event. Bob Bone

I happen to have a Dell Alienware 17 R5 laptop, that I picked out of looking at several, because it had Thunderbolt 3 port, and it had support for M.2 2280 NVME drives (2), plus a 2nd hard drive. I picked up a UAD Apollo Arrow audio interface, which uses Thunderbolt 3, which transfers at up to 40 Gbps, which is insanely fast. (it have only 2 mic/line inputs, and 1 Hi-Z input, but that is fine for both my performing and mobile recording needs - I can always use my Presonus 1818VSL interface and the expansion unit for it, to give me 16 mic/line inputs if needed - usually that would be for drums). The laptop is primarily used for live performance (I am a keyboard player and all my sounds live in the computer and are triggered by me playing on midi controllers). Anyways - they also make a version of the Alienware laptop with a 15.6" screen, rather than the 17" mine has, in case you wanted to save some cash. This laptop is way more capable than is actually needed, however it is insanely fast, and easily meets my needs. Bob Bone For live performance

Hi - I have a 64-bit version of LP EQ and LP MB in my VST plugins folder, as VST 2 versions, and they are also BOTH in the VST3 folder in C:\\Program Files\Common Files. I think they came out in 2016. So, I am not understanding why you believe Cakewalk would have loaded 32-bit versions into your project. LP EQ shows up in the EQ category, and LP MB shows up in the Dynamics category. When I insert either one, it loads the VST 3 version, by default. Try looking in your C:\\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 for the LP EQ and LP MB plugins there, and if found, simply rename them temporarily, and then you should see both LP EQ and LP MB VST 2 versions displayed in your list of audio effects in Cakewalk - try loading each into a new project, just to see if the same issue persists. (don't forget to rename the VST 3 versions back to their proper names when done with this test). Bob Bone

And, as mentioned earlier - did you get a chance to check to see if those particular plugins are VST 3, and if so, did you try using their VST 2 versions? This HAS occurred in the past, with some Slate plugins, and others, so worth trying. There is no audio difference between using VST 2 versus VST 3, but MIGHT make it work better to use the VST 2 versions. Bob Bone

I have had certain 32-bit plugins display a blank UI window upon inserting into a project, through the Browser Pane. When I save the project, close it, and reopen it, it seems to then display OK - have had this for many years now, but since it appears for MY situation, to be a plugin bridging display issue, I never sweated it. Others have reported occasionally having plugin difficulties with VST 3 versions of some plugins, and for THAT situation, many/most/all of those folks found a workaround by using the VST 2 versions of the plugin, then circling back to check on things every now and then - looking for updates for the VST 3 versions of the plugins, to see if their issues were addressed..... Not sure I can offer much additional info.... Bob Bone

Now THAT was funny. Bob Bone

FYI - Icons pinned to the Task Bar are not actually running, unless you have launched one of the apps, so no problem leaving those pinned to it. Am I the Bob Wood you have been referring to? Just curious I am still looking things over, by the way, and will be forwarding your dump file on shortly. Bob Bone

I have had as many as 1200 plugins present on my system, with some that were excluded, and saw no issues from that. Others too, have large numbers of plugins. Bob Bone

I wouldn't think so - it is the spawned scan process that figures out something should be excluded, and then that's pretty much the end of it, as far as I know. Bob Bone

I always create a Bob's 00 Normal template, and when I see the actual 00 Normal template get updated/replaced I generally remake my Bob's 00 Normal template from the new 00 Normal one, so that I get any changes incorporated into what I like to use. Bob Bone

I took a look at the Focusrite Windows 10 Optimization page, as you had mentioned going through some of those suggestions, and one of the suggested optimizations they referenced was about altering Windows 10 to give more priority to Background Services. Noel Bothwick (he is Senor Sonar, and now Captain Cakewalk - sorry, Noel, couldn't help myself there), has commented in the past, about that particular 'optimization' being not only unnecessary, for Sonar (I would assume this to remain true for Cakewalk by Bandlab), but that it could also make Cakewalk performance worse - some folks have reported Sonar crashing after that optimization was made, with the crashes stopping after reversing that change to Windows processing priorities. Here is a link from the old forums, discussing that Background Services optimization, going directly to Noel's comments about it: http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/1239881 I hope that helps - and I am sorry you - and anybody out there - have to deal with conflicting information about what to do or not do, when you are just trying to have the software work well enough to be able to create and finish music production projects. That particular optimization has been WIDELY circulated, and it is one of the unfortunate things about the internet that some things are - not always accurate. Bob Bone

I am a bit confused - if this is the same project we have been referring to in our emails, I am not quite sure if you might be using Melodyne in the project. I reviewed the emails, and while I understand you have Melodyne in your system, I am not sure if it is in the project or not. I am also not suggesting Melodyne is causing issues - I just want to make sure we are all on the same page, with regard to exactly which plugins are used in this project. Can you please clarify? (I have had zero coffee yet this morning, as well, so am not yet actually functioning particularly well). Also, I located another thread, from way back in the old forums, that had 2 comments about a loss of audio in 2 projects where they used VC-64, and I didn't include the link here, because they were only noted as 'hmmm' moments - without any additional information to explain anything that might help you. I DID think mentioning that at least one other person had noticed that they were losing audio here and there in the two projects with VC-64 - perhaps it is worth you looking to use some other plugin, or perhaps consider purchasing J-Bridge (about $20) to try to see if different bridging software helps 32-bit plugins run in a 64-bit Cakewalk by Bandlab environment. Bob Bone

Perfect Space is a convolution reverb. Bob Bone

Well - let's take a step back, and examine your use of plugins in this project. There are some plugins made to be used during the MIXING phase of a project, and NOT for use during tracking/recording. Things like convoluted reverb plugins, or others that use a "look-ahead" type of processing to do their thing, REQUIRE a super large buffer to be able to process. You yourself mentioned that the Rice Krispies go away as soon as you power off or remove those plugins - that is a big clue, that tells you that one or more of your currently used plugins in the project are indeed needing a bigger buffer (ASIO Buffer Size if you are using ASIO driver mode). Unfortunately, if you adjust the buffer size too big during recording, then you have too much lag to really track properly. The solution to the above, IF that is what is happening, is to first try to identify which plugins are causing the crackles, and just until you finish the recording portion of your workflow, and move into mixing, power off those plugins, or temporarily swap them out for less consumptive plugins (like use a simple reverb instead of a convoluted reverb - just until you finish tracking). This way, you can keep your ASIO Buffer Size down to a size that lets you record without noticeable lag. Then, when you finish your recording of your tracks, and move to mixing, then jack up your ASIO Buffer Size to 1024 or even 2048, since a bit of lag prior to the project starting to play won't interfere with anything (since you aren't tracking at this point). The super large buffer size will then allow you to either power back on, or swap back in, the more consumptive plugins (like a convoluted reverb, etc.), and life will again be joyous in your project. I ALWAYS keep my ASIO Buffer Size at no more than 128 when recording, I can go lower, but often just let it be at that value, and I track with no lag issues. Then, when moving to mixing, I ALWAYS then jack up the ASIO Buffer Size to the 1024 or 2048 size I mentioned above, and THEN I can put in the more robust plugins, and still have no problems. Give the above a try, and post back, please. Bob Bone

Well, I just apply automation to the AUDIO tracks I create from the midi data, by bouncing each midi track, and then applying the automation to the audio tracks. There are fancier ways of doing things - but I find the above lets me easily control the relative sound levels to whatever combinations I wish. Look in the documentation for ways of applying Automation to audio tracks, and I suggest also looking at YouTube for related videos - there are zillions of YouTube videos out there for Cakewalk and its Sonar predecessors, that will give you good info on how to do it. As far as samplers, there is a free TX16WX sampler plugin - https://www.tx16wx.com/ Bob Bone

You could try loading up the project that gets weird on closing, in Cakewalk's Safe Mode - (hold Shift when opening the project), and tell it to skip the loading of the 2 plugins - then close the project, WITHOUT saving, and see if it still hangs. This would help point at one or both of those 32-bit plugins as being problematic. Many, if not most folks seem to have moved away from 32-bit plugins in a 64-bit Cakewalk environment, because of the need for bridging software (Cakewalk comes with Bit-Bridge, while there is a commercial product called J-Bridge), and for all kinds of crashes and issues when using these bridged plugins. I happen to have purchased J-Bridge (was $19 or $20 I think), and I use it for a VERY small number of 32-bit plugins that I sometimes have to use. I put a sub-folder in C:\\Program Files (x86)\VST32 folder, called Bridged, and ONLY 32-bit plugins that I have found to be stable - and quite needed at times, get put into that folder. I then added that specific path to my VST search path in Cakewalk VST Plugin Manager, so that ONLY these 32-bit plugins would even show up in my list of VST instruments. If I have a need for any additional 32-bit VST plugins, I put it in that Bridged folder, but then give it a THOROUGH workout in my 64-bit Cakewalk, PRIOR to actually using it in any production project. The move I made a long time ago, to only try to use 64-bit plugins has REALLY helped Sonar and now CbB to be extremely stable on my system. Bob Bone

My earlier comment failed to explain it - paste the string that scook wrote (using the automatically-populated environment variable called %appdata%), so paste that string, which I will again repeat under this paragraph, into the ADDRESS BAR (caps for emphasis only, not anger), and it will be processed by Windows Explorer, and take you directly the contents of the MiniDumps folder. Please note - the Address Bar is the white text box area at the top center of things like browser windows and Windows Explorer. You can see it in the post from scook with the red box in his screen shot. (by the way THANKS scook) %appdata%\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core\MiniDumps SO, please paste the above string into the Address Bar of a Windows Explorer window, and find the most recent mini dump file. The dump files have a less than ideal format for their names, as they contain MMDDYYYY instead of YYYYMMDD (which sorts better for dates). Anyways, here is the little blip from the documentation about the naming standard Cakewalk-generated mini dump files follow: "The .dmp files all should contain a timestamp of the time of the crash. So if it is 2/1/2011 at 10:26 am, your file should contain a title similar to "02012011_102620.dmp". This can be useful for locating the correct .dmp file if there are multiple listed." Please let me know when you are finally able to see your Cakewalk dumps, and we will go from there: Bob Bone

I believe you can simply drag a selected midi track from CbB to the Desktop, and it will save there. It has been eons since I have done that, but I believe you can. Bob Bone

Mini dumps - default location, but put your user name in where you see to the right. The AppData folder is normally hidden by Windows, which is why maybe you didn't find the dumps in the past, but even with the folder hidden the path to the right will work, once you fix the username part of it: C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core\MiniDumps If you have any dumps in that folder, please indicate so, and we can go from there. Bob Bone

I have agree on the worth of buying top-notch drives. All of my SSD drives are 2 TB Samsung 860 Pro, and the 2 M.2 drives are Samsung 960 Pro, and they rock. Bob Bone

Yup - both work. I too set my section of song to loop by simply dragging the mouse across the Timeline like click and drag from measure 14-21, you will see that turn white - than I would just click on the Set Loop Selection Points button in the Loop section up at the top - a little to the right of the Time display above the transport, and that would not only tell it which measures to loop, it also would turn on the looping functionality. Bob Bone

Thanks, guys - an M.2 2280 NVME drive is kind of like a super-charged SSD drive that doesn't use the SATA III transfer protocol, but rather the NVME protocol, which transmits data up to 7 times faster than SATA III (SATA III drives, whether HDD or SSD, transfer at a max of about 500 MB/second. NVME drives transfer - depending on make/model of the drive, at up to 3,500 MB/second). NVME stands for Non-Volatile Memory Express, which is an open-standard that lets an NVME drive transfer at the speed of the drive, rather than limited to the cap of SATA III at 500 MB/Sec. I also neglected to mention that the Alienware 17 R5 laptop comes with a Thunderbolt 3 port on it, which is INSANE - supporting up to 40 Gbits/sec. I deliberately sought out such a laptop when I was looking for one, that had both NVME support and a Thunderbolt 3 port. I bought a UAD Arrow audio interface for use with the laptop, which I mostly use for either live performance to play soft synths, and also for simple mobile recording sessions, like plugging the bass player in or grabbing a remote vocal - it has but 2 combo inputs and a Hi-Z, but that is all this is needed for, so it works out perfect for MY situation. There are more Thunderbolt 3 audio interfaces now available, with 8-combo ins, and 8-port expansions, etc., but if I need that many inputs I would be using my desktop setup, where I already have 16 combo inputs. Anyways - for anyone looking at laptops coming up, I HIGHLY recommend the Alienware series - as I said I happen to have the 17 R5, but I believe some of the others might also support the NVME drives, though I would be careful to look at specs and double-check, as sometimes specs listed in computer store sites can be wrong. Prices on NVME drives are also coming down nicely, and as I indicated, there are also now additional Thunderbolt 3 audio interfaces available. My one regret with the desktop I built, is that I didn't realize I could never add Thunderbolt 3 support to an AMD-based motherboard, but it is still a monster, with 128 GB RAM , it also has two 2TB NVME drives and six 2TB SSD drives. Any kind of computer with one or more NVME drive will be pretty speedy - accessing things like sample libraries on that drive, and if you can also get into at least having the motherboard support for Tunderbolt 3, that would set you up for sometime down the road moving up to a Thunderbolt 3 audio interface. All of this Tim Allen Tool Time talk has me so stoked, I am likely to be up all night now, working on some recording tasks I need to get knocked out. WHEEE! Bob Bone

Just too happy not to share - I happen to have an Alienware 17 R5 laptop, that I use both for live performance (I play keys and use VST hosting software to load up a bunch of soft synth sounds), and I also use it for mobile recording of things like drums or the bass player, or a vocalist, etc... Anyways, I had already modified its original configuration, to put in 2 M.2 2280 NVME 2TB drives, as well as an additional 2TB Sata SSD. Well, I just found out tonight, in a review of the specs, that it actually supports THREE NVME drives, with the 4th slot used for Bluetooth and WiFi. SO, I thought having a laptop with not only room for 3 hard drives, but 2 of those as NVME drives, was crazy kewl, but now I can actually add an additional NVME drive, which is absolutely amazing, as I have more sample libraries I can load up on it now. WAHOOO!!!! I apologize for the all caps on the wahoo, I was just absolutely floored to find out I can have a total of 4 hard drives on a laptop, with 3 of those being the super speedy NVME type. This is going to put a quick dent in my budget.... Bob Bone

Every time I use a different drum set in Battery 3 or 4, I always set up a track template for that kit, where each kit piece outputs to its own audio output from Battery, and I also have all of the audio tracks for each of the kit pieces set up, levels are all balanced and set to where I want them, and I have several buses set up too - toms, kick, snare. Anyways, I literally use these track templates in every project I have that doesn't use live drums, and I have never seen anything get messed up when I insert any of the templates. I will set up a similar template, using Addictive Drums 2, and see if I have issues pulling it into a new project, and will post back with my results. I also think my earlier post about your midi devices was a good indication I should have had that cup of coffee after all, prior to making that post. DOH! Bob Bone