User 905133

OY! ?

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Disclaimer: I am not a guitarist and to the best of my knowledge I have never watched videos from the Guitar Rig Guru before. From what I can tell his YouTube channel is primarily geared towards guitarists although this particular video has attracted 2.2K views since it was posted (April 2022). Although it is over six minutes long, for me it is useful to the current discussion because (1) it shows yet another two reasons why someone might not have sound coming from a soft synth, (2) he takes the time to show people who might not be familiar with using Instrument Tracks the audio paths he uses in the example project, and (3) two explanations** of why with this particular example project there was no audio (a) from the virtual controller and (b) from the recorded track are both included (**although one is glossed over and the other is more explicit). The two different causes for the "No Sound" issue might not be readily evident to Cakewalk users. Additionally, the second cause might not be discovered by early stage diagnostics especially for someone who doesn't use automation lanes regularly. (1) Regarding playback: The automation for Track 1 (an Instrument Track) starts with Volume at zero and doesn't get pulled up to normal volume until about measure 9. The envelope comes up slowly (fades in), You can see that at approx 4:30. Just before that he shows that the plug in (Z3ta+ 2) is producing audio. Comment: Don't be fooled by the fact that the video only has 26 likes even with 2.2K views over a year and a half. To me it just shows in part that this particular cause (automation envelope has the volume at zero) might not be common. To me the fact that there are so many more views than his other videos suggests that there was draw to the video in part because it addresses a problem other Cakewalk users have (albeit with different causes). (2) Regarding live sound: At approx. 1:49 we can also see that MIDI Echo / Input Echo is on for Track 1, but not Track 2 (Addictive Drums). Immediately after that we can see how he has no live sound from the Virtual Controller (the source of his frustration by his own admission) and then at approx. 2:21 we can see him change the focus to Track 2 which automatically turns MIDI Echo / Input Echo on for Track 2. NOTES: (1) As a synthesist (initially using hardware and more recently using soft synths), I called the button under discussion in this thread MIDI Echo because having it on enabled live playing of notes to pass through to the synth (2) The video is well intentioned, but is unintentionally deceptive. It covers two different possible causes for the issue (no sound from soft synths / VST instruments) but seems to focus more on the issue of Track 1 (Z3ta+ 2 + automation at volume = zero based on the time marker / Now Time) than Track 2 (Addictive Drums + track focus + Input Echo switching). As a result, some viewers might not realize these are just two of many possible causes. (3) The Guitar Rig Guru shows posts from the forum to demonstrate that he is attempting to describe a cause that no one on the forum described. This is true but only for the Track 1, automation cause. In fact, the second post directly addresses the OP's issue (this thread) as well as one of the Guru's two causes. FINAL POINT: Don't misunderstand: I am not saying Guitar Rig Guru's video is bad. I am however, saying it could have done more of a service (and perhaps gotten many more than 26 likes out of 2.2K views) if he (1) emphasized a goal of showing multiple causes, (2) specifically identified the more common causes and their solutions, and then (3) added yet another cause + solution that he stumbled onto. In fact, I initially thought the video was exclusively about problem solving Track 1 and the Automation Volume starting out at zero issue, even though one of the first things I noticed on my initial viewing was the track focus / Input Echo issue at approx. 1:49 (i.e., the OP's issue). In case anyone is interested in why I said the video is unintentionally deceptive, please take a look at starting at approx 4:02 . At 4:12 we see Input Echo buttons for both Tracks 1 and 2 are on. He then does a very useful (IMO) diagnostic summary--how he knows that the MIDI routing is correct / working. However, at approx. 4:21 he clicks on Track 1 which turns Track 2's MIDI Echo / Input Echo off. JMO: Veteran users of Cakewalk have a mind to hand coordination / fluency that some people looking for solutions to very specific problems might not have. So, it is my claim that this kind of subtle visual change that is not explicitly called to the viewer's attention helps conflate the two very different causes. Again, I am not saying the video is bad. I think that for people who don't have a lot of experience using automation lanes, it emphasizes an important thing to look at when diagnosing the "No Sound from Plugin" issue. It also has subtle clues (i.e., visual) about the importance of the MIDI Echo / Input Echo button in diagnosing the "No Sound" issue. In addition, the section that starts around 4:21 ("These are the areas you need to check . . . .") is a good internal summary of some important diagnostic steps (MIDI/Audio/Instrument Routing) for the "No Sound" issue (among other issues). To reiterate what I wrote previously, it is so very basic that I assumed that anyone using Cakewalk with soft synths would have at least some experience with the Input Echo button. My bad for not taking the "Explain it like you would explain it to someone who has never used Cakewalk before" approach.

Did they ever attempt anything that resembled an explanation of what they considered inappropriate content? Did they think you were advocating violence against the police? I can easily see an algorithm that had certain images being flagged by fake intelligence.

Even if you haven't gotten the e-mail yet, you can check the site (offers).

And in your honor, I will not look up "PFL" to be consistent with your philosophy / professed way-of-being-in-the-world. ?

One of the things I had been writing up earlier was how my setup/workflow works with soft synths. Add an instrument track Automatically input echo comes on Record a short part (bass, chords, etc.) Add another instrument track Automatically input echo switched to the current track Manually unarm the previous track and arm the current track Record another layer and so on The workflow is so natural for me (mind to hands), that I had to stop typing my reply to the OP to be able to verify that it was as simple as I remembered it being. I have no doubt that if I switched to another music-making tool, it wouldn't be as "intuitive" and I'd have to spend time to figure out how to do it with the new tool. To me learning new music-making tools is a fact of life.

To be honest, I had to work very hard to try to figure out what you were trying to say because the way you were describing the issue was not very clear. That's why I had to spend time asking clarifying questions, breaking your post down into bite size pieces, etc. I think I did a fairly decent job of playing stupid to meet your needs just as a user trying to help another user. That being said, I thought of asking if you had input echo on, but that is so basic, I didn't want to risk insulting your intelligence. My bad for not taking the risk.

I have about 25 of them laid out in Kushview Element so I can learn them and customize / design my presets. They look different, especially the ones with devices. This strategy works for me; not sure it will help you to get to know them on a deeper level, but maybe. If you have the free bundle without the paid license, the different plugins might look more similar to each other. Not sure.

Personally, I like that the Melda Plugins (as awkward as they are) have consistency across their line of plugins. Once you learn how to navigate the complexities of one, the others are very similar. I would hate to have to learn each plugin's underlying design separately. Of course, there is definitely quite a bit of design variety for devices, instruments, etc.

Thanks. I was just writing up some other details that included the line you quoted, but that's it in a nutshell.

Not bizarre at all. It's a basic procedure--turning on and off the input echo based on the specifics of your needs. It relates to routing. Cakewalk is very flexible, but the trade off is that you have to take the time to understand how it works and decide what workflow is best for you. There are modes where the input echo automatically turns on, but there are many times when users don't want it turned on. I am wondering how you inserted an instrument track without the input echo turning on. I just tried several methods and input echo lit up. Also, when I added a second instrument track, the input echo for that track lit up and the input echo light on the first track turned off. Maybe other DAWs have all VSTis playing live input from a single source all the time and that's what you are used to?

Glad to hear you solved the problem. For more on the button see this.

I haven't used one of those, but I can't imagine that it wouldn't work. I assume by connected you mean it shows up under Preferences > MIDI > Devices and it is checked in the Inputs section? If so, can you record notes from it on a MIDI track?

From what I can tell from online information, the Micro Key 25 doesn't have built-in sounds and doesn't have a speaker to playback sounds that might be coming from the computer to it via usb (if that is what it is supposed to do). Maybe you are saying that the VSTis aren't receiving MIDI data from the MicroKey 25? inbuilt stock keyboard = Cakewalk's virtual keyboard? See this for documentation on the Cakewalk's Virtual Controller / Keyboard. Makes sense; glad that part of your setup is working. Cakewalk does use ASIO. By ASIO do you mean ASIO4ALL? If so, your problem makes sense. Cakewalk by Bandlab doesn't work with ASIO4ALL. Try using Windows Audio: Preferences > Audio > Playback and Recording. I suggest starting with WASAPI Shared to see if that works for you. It works for me if I have the Instrument track's MIDI Input set to Omni. Hope this helps.

Here's another great example of a pre-emptive strike.

Perfect example of what I call a pre-emptive attack.

UPDATE: It might have been 5-6 weeks ago in response to their "Unlock the Prize: Take Our Survey for a Chance to Win Big!" Survey. BTW, I didn't win a prize, but if my suggestion was in the back of their minds when they created that page in response to your e-mail, that's a win for all of us! Consumers of the world, UNITE!!!!

Thanks for that link. I won't take any credit since they added it for you, but several months ago in response to an arturia survey, (under additional comments, IIRC) I specifically asked for more transparency on their special pricing policy because people get different amounts and have to share information to try to figure out the pricing rules. I probably did not mention this forum, but I think I did refer to "various forums" or something close. So, thanks for writing to them and getting them to do this!!! JMO: Transparency like this is a win for consumers.

I didn't read those comments as disrespecting Mike at all. It seems to me it is just recognizing what he has made clear in his videos.

Interesting. I didn't realize that they keep changing what's included in the bundle. It's like what used to be called here a "Grab Bag" except you do get to see what's inside of the version you are grabbing. Interesting. They also changed the name of the bundle I picked up as well as the order. Now it says "Lifeline Expanse Lite." How often does it change? Anyone know? Mine is from Dec 4th.

I saw the freebies yesterday and wasn't sure if they only worked in VX,** so I didn't download them. Thanks for these details and the review. **To clarify, the __Sounds page says with no clue they work with Analog Lab V. Nice to see that from inside Analog Lab V they can be used.

There have been several threads about this. Some of them should come up if you type "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth" into the forum search box (with the quotation marks so it looks for the phrase, not all the individual words. Let me see if I can find them. Update: Try this search link. I forgot to mention, if the search just does the current topic, switch it to "Everywhere" or "The whole forum," or however its worded.

Thanks for reminding me! Ten years ago I did an textural improv with a late 1980s digital sound module--play a tone cluster and tweak the crap out of the sustained sound using its less than a handful of CCs plus whatever buttons on the panel did stuff in real time. Since then, I have had a knob on one of my usb keyboards with a "D0" sticker to remind me it's the Channel Aftertouch knob. I have only the vaguest memory of how I set that up, but sure enough I just looked. I had assigned it to CC 131. In looking for soft synths that respond to channel aftertouch, I found that Cherry Audio's One factory patch add vibrato for the last note played (even if a chord is played or multiple notes have been sustained). I can't remember when I last used the D0 knob on a regular basis, but being able to use CC131 to play with the timbre of a single note out of several notes that are sounding adds a new real time performance option. Thanks also to Examigan for asking about AT.