Starship Krupa

Doesn't have to be a "throwaway," you can get some very useful, even essential stuff for even as low as $5. I don't know what your genre is, but I do electronica and one of my favorite developers is Glitchmachines. They are having one of their periodic five and dime sales. Most of the FX are $5 and the samplers $10. I have all but a couple of their products, getting Tactic this time around. If you do experimental music, I consider these essential, but they're also good for sprinkling a bit of "whoa, what was that sound?" seasoning on an electronic track. WA Production's stuff is about the most underrated I can think of, maybe because they deep discount it so often. They make no junk. Which brings us to.... Soundspot has wildly varying quality. Cyclone compressor is great at $5. It helped introduce me to the charms of mid-side compression. Somewhere in this forum I have more detailed reviews of their line. Don't rule them out, but be careful. I demo'd Union and it had an audio engine hit higher than Chromaphone, which it has no right to given the "meh" sounds it produced. Glitch is great for....glitch, if that's one of your things. One rule they have is that the item you buy can't be the same item that you're getting as a gift, so if you want the A|A|S soundpack, you can't use that to qualify.

Click on the link in the post just above yours and you'll be in for a nice surprise. @John Nelson released it to the public back in September, there have been a couple of artwork updates since then. It's ready for anyone to enjoy.

That's why I download any creative/sound design freebie. I am a hoarder of physical objects, too, my other interests/professions include audio electronics repair and woodworking, so I have the requisite collection of tools, parts, and scraps. With me at least, the "use I'll have for it that I just don't realize at this moment" comes true often enough to reinforce my behavior. This is, of course, both good and bad. Good because hey, I have a useful tool or I happened to have something a friend needed, or I spent some time puttering around with a plug-in and it opened new possibilities. Bad because it reinforces hoarding behavior. I suspect that if you're into sound design (as I am), you check out every oddball that comes along. I have almost every product in Glitchmachines', Freakshow's and Unfiltered Audio's lines due to this. These companies' FX are ones where I don't think people read the descriptions and think "yes, this is precisely what I need." They're too weird and deep to describe verbally (other than "you can use this to warp sounds past all recognition"). I just snag everything they come out with when it drops it to $10 or less. My musical goals and interests and skills are always changing and evolving. Every so often I hit the plug-in browser and go through the forgotten oddballs to see if they might be of current interest. I also get rid of the ones that have sat too long without finding a use. As for strategies, I have so much stuff already that just browsing through it satisfies my desires to mess with something novel. I've defined categories where I'm already satisfied (compressors, EQ's, delays, basic modulators, limiters, ROMplers, synthesizers). Patch collections for synths I already own are most useful. The things I'm going to buy this year are (at long last) Chromaphone 3 for $89, which is probably the most money I've ever paid for a single plug-in, Glitchmachines Tactic (seems to be the Glitchmachines' Breaktweaker, a sample sequencer with special processing) for $5, and a set of new patches for Vacuum Pro for $5.99. Coming in at just a penny under $100.

For the benefit of my comrades, and, I hope, @Peter - IK Multimedia, this is my "out of box" experience with trying to install Syntronik 2. Once I get the issues sorted, I'll post what worked. Background: I have a license for Syntronik, including Bully, OXa, and Memory-V. I've also gone through the painstaking process of importing the SampleTank 2.5 sounds into Sampletank 3 and then again importing them into SampleTank 4. This is the first version of SampleTank that was usable on my system (ST 2.5 Free had the tiny UI and ST 3 crashed whatever host I tried after 20 or so minutes of operation but the sounds are still great). I also have the excellent Orchestools One library, successfully installed after a certain amount of fuss. All were working just fine. I also have Orchestral Percussion, Art Deco Piano, and Hitmaker Synthwave. First, I followed the instructions on the website, which say to use Product Manager to install/authorize the new product. When I opened PM, it said that there were updates to SampleTank 4 and T-Racks, so I figured I'd let it do those first. In retrospect, I should have checked right after that to make sure that process had gone okay but I didn't. It appeared to complete with no errors, though. Second, time to get Syntronik 2, so I clicked to download and install, which again, it did with no complaint, except that it popped a message saying that I needed to download new content. I clicked okay thinking that, being an installer shell, it would then download the new content. It didn't seem to do anything, but when I opened Cakewalk, I saw a new entry for Syntronik 2. Okay, but then I opened it and only saw the presets for Syntronik, plus Bully, Oxa, and Memory-V. Third, and WAY more troubling, I opened SampleTank 4 and the only libraries that appear to function and be available are Syntronik Free (sic) and Orchestools One. Being a veteran of the IK process, I went to the My Products section of the website and found the sounds for Syntronik 2 and am downloading them "manually." I hope that when I'm done I can get them into Syntronik 2 with little fuss. One issue that I have is that I like to keep the downloads on my spinner and the actual samples/patches on my SSD and the IK installers can be kinda vague about which is which. I don't want any download leftovers on my SSD, as space is limited on there, and of course, I don't want my sample libes on my spinner. Even if that goes okay, though, I'm going to have to figure out WTH happened with SampleTank. Maybe it's a simple as rebuilding the databases or whatever? Maybe reauthorizing, although PM says I'm cool with all of that. I will post again once I either get it sorted or hit a dead end. I am grateful that my favorite forum has a thread about this.

2GB download, oy. Good thing I have a TV for when I get T-Racks.

Regarding both of those mags, I have seen the wonder of libbyapp.com and my cup runneth over.

Yeah, it started doing that with me, too. Before I posted the message, though, I did manage to snag half a dozen plug-ins. They may have just had a stampede to their server due to the word getting out. I'll be checking back in every so often to see if they get it working again.

Big news, BlueLab have made their entire line of plug-ins freeware. Lots of spectrum visualizers/editors, spatial effects, bass and air enhancement, and more. Sad that they're throwing in the towel, but a boon for we frugal people. Their (always free) BL Gain plug-ins have been a staple in my studio for plug-in level matching and gain staging. It's unknown how long they'll keep their server up, so act quickly.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I consider this one essential for processing dialog samples (of which I am fond). My captures from movies and TV shows are way too clean and full-range. Add a high-pass to roll off the bass, put on Origin, and they sound great, gets that "I held the mic up to my TV speaker" sound.

I use Brave, which is another Chrome derivative. I've never had an issue seeing images in the online documentation (although I typically stick with the Reference Guide), but Steve's image shows as broken. I tried allowing insecure content from www.cakewalk.com and it didn't help. What finally started working for me is that whatever program I'm in to edit the picture, or even straight from the screen grabber, I just copy it from there and paste it directly into my post.

During comping, both. During (and after) mixing, the latter. ? I also turn on waveform preview to reassure me that I'm actually recording sound. Bitter experience suggests that this is a good idea. ?

I so agree. I've requested this feature in the past. It's up there with "replace effect" and "open UI on replace synth" on my list of ways to eliminate needless clicks.

Anyone may request any feature. This one....I just accept it as a good incentive to remember to set Group All Clips before I start my sessions! ?

Once you set up your templates with Group all clips it will happen transparently and automatically. After you get used to selecting takes with the Control key, grouping and ungrouping clips will go a lot faster. It's going to take some time, no doubt, but I do think you'll be able to get very close to that Logic comping workflow. Who knows, you might find other tricks that only Cakewalk can do. Another hint: if you find yourself getting unexpected results while comping, right click on the Smart Tool icon and turn off "Comp." That makes the Smart Tool behave closer to comping methods used in other programs. With it turned on, Cakewalk assumes you want the Speed Comping workflow, which to me, was like trying to ride a MotoGP bike after riding nothing but street bikes. Also experiment with switching the Edit Tool to the Comping Tool (hit F8 a few times).

Simplest way: From the Browser (over at the right edge of the main UI) with the list of VSTi plug-ins, Double-click on the instrument you want to use. A dialog will come up, make sure that "MIDI Source" (this creates the MIDI track) and "First Synth Audio Output" are checked. Also check Open These Windows/Synth Property Page if you want to see the synth UI right away. (the next time you open this dialog, your choices will be checked) Click OK That's it. When you want to open the synth's UI, click on either the synth track's or the MIDI track's icon. As John mentions, there are at least 8 other ways to accomplish this, and no, I don't think that's a good thing. Some of those methods are needlessly complicated/clumsy, and it's possible to learn one of those first and keep doing it that way when simpler ones are available.

Don't have. Won't buy, based on how unintuitive I find the Essentials version. So far, if I were to buy more software, a license for FL Studio seems like the most direct route. Not so great for the detection part of the task, unfortunately. And with the latter, I don't have the facilities to press a disc. ?

RFK.

Yeah, unfortunately I've been on it through v3 and that does seem to be the case. The free Antares app does a better job, so far. It seems like a task that....I dunno, isn't it "sit there recognizing notes for a minute or so, then compare the list of notes to known scales/keys/modes?" It's what hackers call a "dictionary" attack.

If you right click on the Record button in Transport module, you'll see this section of Preferences: What you want is Group all clips. As you see, there's also a choice to put each take in its own track. I'm pretty sure you can accomplish this workflow with Cakewalk.

That is very similar to Cakewalk's Speed Comping Although this video is kind of old, and uses SONAR X3, it describes the speed comping workflow:

Are you using this dialog? (Project/Insert Time/Measures): Checking the "Markers" box should take care of moving them to the right. I think Ripple Edit All will help in other scenarios.

Somehow it tickles me that to John, this dialog is the "new" one, when it's all I've seen in my 3 1/2 years of using the program. Of course, he's right, how else are you going to describe it? Anyway, yes, clicking on the "+" sign in the Synth Rack, Insert/Soft Synth from the Main menu, double-click from the Browser, drag and drop from the Browser, and whatever the other ways it can be done (NOT, unfortunately in Piano Roll Track Pane), they all pop up the old verbose dialog. I've wondered in the past why those advanced options....aren't under the Advanced Options section of the flyout.

That is pretty similar to how Cakewalk does it as well. Cakewalk even lets you automatically group the clips from each take. For instance, if you have a 4-mic drum recording, and your drummer tries 3 takes, there will be 3 groups of OHRt, OHLft, Kick and Snare, one group from each take. Then, when it's time for editing and comping, edit moves applied to OHRt. (take 1) will be applied to OHLft. (take 1), Kick (take 1), and Snare (take 1). It sounds like perhaps you want edits to be applied to every take across every lane in every track, but that's not really what that feature is for (although you can do it if you group all of the clips across all of the lanes), and the Logic video you linked to does not show the guy doing it. Most comping workflows are designed with the idea that each take lane is for a take, and that you'll combine the different takes into a single one for each track. Cakewalk has a feature called Speed Comping that can do it really quickly, including automatically adding the crossfades like Logic does. It can be tricky to navigate at first, though. If you want to use more than one of your takes in the finished product, you can move or copy one or more take lanes to another track. You can even have Cakewalk do this at record time, put each take in its own track. I think this latter choice might be better for what you wish to do. It makes it more flexible, especially for things like guitar and vocals, you can pan and effect and EQ them individually. I like to do this with my doubled guitar parts, pan them at 25L and 25R so that it sounds bigger. If you already know about the things I told you, and you don't think they work well enough or you're having a hard time, please reply in greater detail, if possible.

When the user selects Add Track/Instrument via the flyout menu, it's possible to choose "MIDI only" as a track type. I'd like there to be a way to choose "Soft Synth only," with corresponding choice of which synth you wish to use.

My apologies. I just made an (incorrect) assumption. Silly of me. And if you call it the Main menu, I'm pretty sure you know what you're talking about. You tend to know what you're talking about. ? There's the aforementioned quick auditioning of alternate synths. It's good for a situation where I have one synth all tweaked up, and then want to experiment with replacing it. I can set up several synth tracks and just switch my MIDI track between them. Also, since Cakewalk can't route its MIDI tracks to more than one synth at a time, there is the situation where I must duplicate a MIDI track. After I've done that, I'm left with either a lonely MIDI track or, alternately, if I duped both of them, an extra synth track where I have to replace the synth. I prefer the lonely MIDI track option, followed by Insert/Soft Synth. Ah, excellent idea! I'll make a separate FR for that one. It was actually @scook who turned me on to the usefulness of Insert/Soft Synth. I had been ranting about things in Cakewalk's menu system that I find confusing and inconsistent. One of those things is all of the view-specific commands that are up there in the Main Menu. I forget exactly what I said about it, maybe that the commands up there were duplicated by the Add Track Flyout, and he pointed out that no, they are not all duplicated, that it's the only menu that lets you do just that. I still think that the Main Insert and Process menus would work better in the individual views. I think maybe why the veterans don't get my rap about this is that for a lot of people, the Main window is synonymous with Track View. When to me, there's the Main Window and a bunch of other views, one of which is the Track View, which can only be displayed in the Main Window. I work all the time with the Multidock maximized in the Main window. And of course you can drag the Multidock up so that Track View shifts down to the bottom. My idea is that the Main menu should have mostly things that apply to a project or the program as a whole, and the individual views' menus should have things that apply to elements you're working in in the view. So for instance, Piano Roll should have a Process menu with the MIDI stuff rather than having to go over or up to Main. Track View should have its own that includes the Process commands that apply to it. And so on. Track View's Insert menu would get most of the "Project" commands. But those are all suggestions for another time.