User 905133

Not sure this will answer all your questions, but it might be more direct for some of the basic questions than reading through a multi-page thread that has a bit of discussion related to the original poster's now solved issue and then some.

Personally, I like the use of black + gray to help draw the mind-eye towards important features/elements. I like the way you have done this here! Super nice!

Are you wanting to keep the gradients, just with different colors/shades changed with minimal effort (other than changing the image pixel-by-pixel)? Or do you want to just change to a flat color? If the latter, I just use MSPaint, I draw a box (squared or rounded); but with your experience you probably know how to do that already, so I'm guessing you want to keep the gradient/3D.

Long shot--did you look to see if there was a hidden dialog box waiting for a reply? I had that happened once and now know to look for it.

The 2020 post by Ken stemmed directly from the Original Post from May 2019, expressed some concerns about some of the replies to the Original Post, and then addressed some specifics about something being missing and therefore confusing in a 2020 video directed at beginners. To be honest, it was a bit tedious to go through the video to try to determine if Ken just didn't notice something that was there, if the video left some things out, if the method did in fact work as presented in the video and Ken was off-base, or to try to verify that the problem was simply the lack of mentioning to use Alt+0. My reply related to the video directly addressed the 2020 post even though the video wasn't around in 2019 when the OP was written. Let's agree to disagree on all of this.

JMO: I think the video confuses new users by (1) leaving out important details and (2) mentioning some details too early in the learning process. Yes, references to MIDI Source and Track Widgets might be more advanced concepts, but they are pedagogical seeds that (a) can be easily ignored and (b) will be important. Leaving out critical steps usually tends to be far more confusing than planting seeds for "aha moments." I am guessing we disagree on that; which is fine; just wanted you to know I intentionally planted them and my pedagogical rationale. If I had misinterpreted the @Ken's post or neglected to address it, that would be a totally different matter.

Also, selecting "Midi Source" will not produce midi output (so far as my testing showed). I suspect we are saying the same thing with different explanations: not a midi controller = not capable of serving as a MIDI source? For example, Voltage Modular as MIDI source shows up as a MIDI input in the track widget. PS: I know you know this; doing it to add incremental details for the benefit of "newbies."

There is something odd with your link. I got a page with a "YouTube Privacy Warning." It seems you have posted a link to specific search using a specific search engine. Maybe you could fix that by putting a link to the video itself, not the search query. Out of curiosity, at what time marking does the advice about SI-Drums begin? 3:16? I did the steps from 3:16 to 3:49 with a new template that already has a 2 measure count-in and I used Comping Mode instead of changing it to Sound-on-Sound Mode. Also, in the wizard, I changed the MIDI Input device to my usb keyboard. It worked exactly as expected (recording and playback). I started over and did the same thing choosing the Virtual Controller as my MIDI Input device. It worked exactly as expected, too. OH. I see. He doesn't tell users (1) to turn on MIDI echo and (2) to go to Views > Virtual Controller. He could have also shown how to select the MIDI Input device from the Wizard. Personally, I think those steps are more critical than setting the count-in and selecting Sound-on-Sound Mode--esp. for total beginners. BTW, there are a number of ways to Insert an Instrument/Soft Synth. Today I learned that the [+] will call up the Insert Instrument wizard. (I use other methods having started using with Cakewalk before the Track Insertion Wizard.) As for using the plug-in to put down notes, just a guess here, but I suspect because the plug-in can be used to play drum patterns via the pattern selection/transport interface, the plug-in is specifically designed not to record midi and audio by clicking on the drum kit images or the patterns.

Hope it fixes the issues I experienced, too.

How about capturing patch changes when recording midi data during the compositional process: press a button on a keyboard and the patch number gets recorded onto the track. I guess I misunderstood your Feature Request a couple of weeks ago. It really seemed to me like you wanted something akin to Instrument Definitions for Soft Synths. Oh, well. Thanks for the correction.

I did not test as many permutations/combinations as I did for previous versions of the Insert [Instrument] Track/Soft Synth process. However, (1) I think there are variations in results based on the specifics of each VSTis/DXis, and (2) the current version seems to be inconsistent with previous versions.. (1) [Based on specific SoftSynth]: For example, in one softsynth, I can set the number of outputs up to 19. I have it set to 16, so when I use the VST2 version (one stereo audio instrument track per output), Cakewalk will create 16 instrument tracks linked to one instance of the VST. With "Max. Available" checked, Cakewalk now channelizes the 16 tracks (so the outputs go to the one instance, MIDI channels 1 -> 16 respectively). [New feature seems to work in my tests--sort of**] If I set "Limit to" to 8, I only get 8 channelized tracks for the one instance. Note: I used the Menu Bar > Insert Menu > Soft Synth method (2020.08). With TTS-1 when I put 8 in the "Limit to" box, Cakewalk inserted 8 Instrument Tracks with one Instance in the Synth Rack with two sets of tracks pointed to MIDI Channel 1 -> 4--because TTS-1 has four outputs. ** (2) [Haven't tested many possible combinations] Previously I could set the soft synth to use 19 outputs and Cakewalk would create 19 outputs (or 19 outputs x no. of tracks I chose). Today, Max. Available seems to be 16 max; I did not get 2 instances; I did not get 19 tracks. I understand 16 might be a limitation in Cakewalk; if so, it it should say Max. Avail. [up to 16]. Again, not fully tested with different insertion methods and combinations of insertion options--yet. Also, I got some crashes/shut downs. As well, once when I accidentally typed in a number > 19, I had a crash/shut down. Note: I don't need workarounds; I always work within what the limits of software. Just adding info./details that I hope is helpful. PS: I was pleased to see that with this method, the 16 tracks were channelized. I don't remember that happening with tests of some previous versions. Not a problem to split the instrument track either as needed or in a personal template.

How about capturing patch changes when recording midi data during the compositional process: press a button on a keyboard and the patch number gets recorded onto the track.

FWIW, I have had no troubles assigning images to recent tracks via the Notes > Artwork method, but also have had no success affecting *.cwt files in the templates folder so far. I even tried tweaking a factory template that had an image and saving it as a *.cwt file, and that process lost the factory-supplied image from the original.

I could be mistaken, but it looks like the pedal was depressed while the notes in cluster two were still depressed. But I admit, I don't use the PRV. If I saw the midi data, it might be clearer. I will defer to others who use the PRV.

If the video shows the specific problem you are having (sustain pedal pressed too early**) and you like the idea of using the Piano Roll View [PRV] to tweak midi data, I hope someone who uses Cakewalk's PRV can explain/show how to do it in Cakewalk. I don't use the PRV so my suggestions would be of no use to you. **Based on what I see in the video, the performer pressed the sustain pedal on while the second cluster of notes was playing. As a result, the notes from that point sustain when the third cluster of notes comes in--what he calls "dissonance." Please ignore my comments about editing MIDI events using the Events List. To make it easier, I have deleted both the comments and the quotes. Didn't mean to confuse you. Good luck with that.

There is a wizard for Inserting an Instrument that has some advanced options upon insertion. I seem to recall asking for the same option you would like and the reply was to create a template (which I had done previously). The current version (2020.08) has some improvements, but I think the advice still holds--create a template and use that. I would be happy to find out it has now been implemented.

[quotes and comments withdrawn]

I have been a fan of convolution reverb for certain musical tasks and am curious to see the comments in the video in context. If you don't feel comfortable posting a link to the video, could you send it to me via Cakewalk's private mail? Thanks. Background: I started with Voxengo's Perfect Space when it was included in SONAR. More recently, I played around with the one that's included in MeldaProduction's free plug-in set and then their paid multiband version (during one of their 1/2 price sales). To me, the various settings, parameters, and controls can be very expressive in certain types of music and certain performance modalities. Specifically, the complex interactions for me work much better than set-it-and-forget-it monolithic reverbs. Not saying one type is better than another for all forms of music; just want to see the full context. To me, any reverb (and many other effects) "can sound sterile." Depending on the type of music the tutorial addressed, convolution reverb might indeed be inappropriate. Again, thanks.

Diagnostic question: Does it happen with different patches? different soft synths? external synths? Are you saying literally you checked your sustain pedal to see if it was working or you checked all midi events to see if there were Sustain CCs that were not being turned off?

Thanks for the question and for the answer, I never use the start screen and I never use the image option in notes, but I will probably find a use for this! Footnote: Just tested this: If there is existing image pulled up by Cakewalk itself and then the image is overridden via Notes, deleting the changed image reverted to the former image.

Just a thought: maybe you could offer the theme to others in a modular fashion--for example, the base theme with variant overrides.

Thanks for the clarification!!! I have never used "ReWire" and the Reference Guide was no help--so far as I can tell, standalone Soft Synths do not show up via "ReWire." However, I can rewire [in the generic sense] Proteus VX with ASIO by (for example) sending the output of Proteus VX to an ASIO stereo pair output and then routing it via a send from PatchMix DSP into a Cakewalk ASIO stereo pair input. I never thought of routing ASIO channels as rewiring, but I guess you can call routing wiring and changing ASIO Ins, Outs, and Sends rewiring. I see what happened--by "a rewire device" I took that to refer to the "ReWire" apparatus, as opposed to just routing the standalone soft synth via ASIO. Thanks for helping me to understand the difference.

I haven't taken Proteus VX back out of my scan path and would be willing to try it if someone can provide steps on how to convert it to a rewire application. Reading the Reference Guide provided no clues that I could see for converting plug-ins to rewire applications. UPDATE: For what its worth, I just found an old thread about the Proteus VX (and other E-Mus) in a previous forum. There are other threads there, too.

I have the highest respect for the work Tim Swartz has done and continues to do with the E-Mu Library. Another option is to use an XP PC to run Proteus VX and send the audio into a Win 10 PC. One benefit to the out-dated E-Mu software is that you can convert hardware sampler banks (*.e4b) to the software format (*.exb). For ages there have been price gougers selling disks (both copies and original disks), but you can sometimes find musicians selling legitimate E-Mu disks for a fair price. (Just to be clear, I am in no way suggesting being taken in (1) by sellers offering bona fide disks at inflated prices or (2) by unauthorized sellers offering downloads and copies of disks.)

OK. Rescanning Proteus VX jogged my memory: As TracingArcs noted: As for Dimension Pro, I will have to check, but IIRC it uses more CPU than Emulator X. Plus with Emulator X I find that I can have up to 19 buses per instance (though I set mine up to do 16).