Starship Krupa

Okay, Tezza, this topic is pertinent to one of my biggest frustrations when trying to put together good components for a workstation. Since gaming drives the GPU market, it is virtually impossible to find specifications or benchmarking for a graphics card's 2-D performance, yet I know for a fact that they can't all have the same performance. Hitfilm and DaVinci are 2-D applications, if they use the GPU it's only during rendering, please correct me if I'm wrong. Vegas Pro, which I use, is like that. It comes with CODECS that can use my CUDA processors at render time. I would like to get a video card that would allow me to work in Vegas as smoothly as possible but I don't want to pay for 3-D performance I'm not going to use since I'm not interested in gaming these days (used to enjoy it, just not currently). I also sometimes have the video window open in Cakewalk and Mixcraft, so I would like that 2-D use to be smooth as well. What did you base your card purchase on for your video editing use? Do you know of benchmarking software for 2-D performance? When I search on video editing forums for "best video card for Vegas" I get results that say things like "pretty much any card," but I know that the faster the memory the faster they can display, and my cards are over 10 years old. Their memory is slower than the later ones, and since it was more expensive, they have less of it. That at least must make a difference?

What CPU running at what frequency, how much RAM, what model of video card, what type (SSD, 7200RPM or 5200RPM) and size of hard drive(s), what audio interface (running in what driver mode, ASIO, WASAPI Exclusive or Shared, MME). Without that information, it's very difficult to help troubleshoot. Also what operating system. For an example, look in my sig. If you're not sure yourself about any of this, my favorite tool for gathering information about a system is HWINFO64. Google it if you need it. To say you went from a "slow computer" to a "fast computer" means nothing when we don't know what it is about the hardware that makes it "slow" and "fast." Information about whether your projects are mostly audio or MIDI/virtual instruments is also helpful. Time after time I see people asking for help, and people in return asking for information about their systems and not getting any answer. I don't understand why people are so coy about it.

Both my desktop and laptop are still "not ready" for the update, and just for the heck of it I clicked on the "learn more" link and determined that the likely cause in both cases is the elderliness of their nVidia graphics drivers. Both are running 342 (the latest available for the hardware from nVidia) while the earliest driver that Windows 10 2004 is okay with is 358. So there you have it: in order to defer the 2004 update, stick an older nVidia card in your system. I can tell you that there are a lot of Dell laptops with nVidia Quadro 310's out there. The Latitude 6400 series, for instance. Fine with me if nVidia and/or Microsoft have to come up with a new driver for us.

That's too bad. In addition to its other shortcomings, the poor Drum Map must suffer from homeliness as well.

Zooming has always been tough for me in CbB. In my perspective, the recent update didn't take anything away, it's always been a challenge, kind of like I'm trying to play a flight simulation game set to "heavy unpredictable crosswind."

In my experience, those inexpensive home learning all-in-one keyboards work great as starter MIDI controllers. They can often be had cheaply at thrift stores and garage sales. They're usually velocity sensitive, and as long as they have the 5-pin DIN MIDI out, you're good to go. Play on it, if it feels good, it is good. My main controller at my workstation is a Kawai K1 from the mid 80's given to me by my ex-girlfriend. I don't use the internal sounds, I just like its action. One of my favorite controllers is a Rockband keytar that I snagged at my local Salvation Army for $6 after I noticed that it had a 5-pin DIN connector. Turned out to have a nice velocity sensitive action and works great for sitting on the sofa with the laptop using a USB-powered MIDI interface. Speaking of which, to add MIDI input all you need to do is augment your setup with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/OTraki-Adapter-Converter-Professional-Keyboard/dp/B08549TD7G/ There is a rock-bottom type of those that in my experience has problems with stuck notes, so mind the reviews. They have an opaque oval plastic shell with screen printing and go for around $10. They are best avoided. Alternately, you could upgrade your interface to a PreSonus or Focusrite that has a built-in 5-pin MIDI port. I toss out those brands because if you're going to bother getting a new interface, you might as well get something with really good preamp(s). Caveat: advice comes from a variety of perspectives. Some comes from "if you want to put together a well-equipped studio now" and others' comes from the perspective of "if you want to minimize your initial investment, have some fun exploring, and then upgrade later if you want to get serious." Mine is very much the latter, because that's how I do it. I have a home studio that consists of a workstation along one side of my dining room, which by a fluke of 1903 architecture, has interesting acoustics. I labor under no assumption that I will earn money by creating music, unless by some kind of fluke. I make music for fun, and to be listened to, by the more, the merrier. The better it can sound, the better.

I'll admit that they do seem to have a lot of takers, whatever they're doing seems to be working until someone else comes along that can eat their lunch. I don't know what Kontakt has going for it that SampleTank (the most recent issue) and other such products don't, except maybe the ability to create those elaborate UI's? I don't know if SampleTank and sforzando can do that.

Fortunately I'm past the point where I have as many libraries as I can use. It escapes me why an individual who wished to share their sampled instrument(s) just for the enjoyment of it would choose the Kontakt format. The Kontaktians would no doubt say it's because of the multitudes of people who own Kontakt and are therefore able to use them. There are plenty of people such as me who don't have it, don't really want it, don't really need it, and thanks to the locked-down proprietary format, also can't check out any freeware Kontakt instruments.

Roger, Kevin. Thanks. Blip-blip-blip and you're there. Very nice. Ref. Guide says that it copies clip automation, I must try it and see what happens to fades.

Common scenario: Making a dance track, and I recorded my partner playing bass part variations to a click. Chose a bit 2 bars long. Snip those 2 bars to make a clip that I want to repeat. So far we are in territory that every DAW handles pretty much the same. But....the trailing edge of my clip isn't at a zero crossing (I think there's a setting in CbB to prevent this and I forgot to turn it on, but that's not the point of my inquiry), and there's a click at the end which is only audible when it's solo'd, but....you know. I figure no problem, I can throw a tiny fade on it before I tap it with the Groove Clip wand, so I kiss it with the Fade Tool just enough to get rid of the click, hit the Groove Clip button and drag it on out to the right....to find that my tiny fade is now a very looooooooooooong fade, spread out across 16 bars. Hmm. That ain't it. Well, no problem, I un-do all of that and instead put a tiny bit of Clip Gain Automation at the end of the clip to make it a zero crossing. Nice, and it's cool to see it reflected in the waveform in real time. Another visit from the Groove Clip Fairy, drag the edge out to the right, and....oh. Clip Automation isn't part of Groove Clip Looping? Okay, Copy that. I mean literally. Copy/Paste takes care of it, but that seems kinda brute force when we have elegant methods like Groove Clip Looping, and the resulting individual clips are just that, individual little clips to select and perform operations on. Is there a spiffier way to go about repeating an audio clip with Clip Automation than Copy/Paste?

A few questions: Are you actually using some version of "Sonar" or are you using Cakewalk by BandLab? I suggest opening your project in the latest version of the latter if you aren't already doing so. Can you explain more what you mean by "split clips overlapping each other?" You say that they are clips that you "have duplicated and have overlapped." Is this the result of recording multiple takes on a track and then doing some editing and comping? Are the clips currently arranged as you want them to be or did they get messed up somehow?

You are not. From what I've seen, if I had to choose, I'd prefer SampleTank 4.

To be fair, I wrote my above post from the viewpoint of someone new to Cakewalk, which I was two years ago, and I was trying to be funny and entertaining to illustrate how clumsy the current system is. In the more serious interest of my fellow Cakemongers getting work done while we wait for an overhaul of the Drum Map system, here's how I do it: All of the rigmarole I described only needs to be gone through once for each unique drum VSTi you use, and most of them don't deviate too far from GM if they do at all. Once you have a MIDI or Split Instrument track set up with a Drum Map, save it as a Track Template and from that point forward, it will take you seconds to be ready to go. BTW, Neel, you've reminded me of a question I've had for some time, which is whether there is some way we can share our custom drum maps with other users. Let's say I wanted to share the maps I made for DrumMic'a or Blue Jay Drums, or you wanted to share yours for Abbey Road or whatever. Anyone know if there's a way to do this?

I wholeheartedly agree after coming to Cakewalk from Mixcraft, where, basically, if you want to use a drum map, you click a button in the Piano Roll and then choose which one you want and that's all you have to do. Much amusement/sympathy when later, I spotted a Cakewalker in the Mixcraft forum who couldn't figure out where to set up a drum map because he had been looking everywhere but the place where I, anyway, expect to find such a thing, which is the place where it's used. The only Drum Map-related command that the user can access from the place where, y'know, they're actually going to use the Drum Map should come with sitcom laugh tracks, because they're as if a character asked another "could you hang a picture frame for me?" and then the two of them proceeded to hang only a picture frame with no picture in it. "Show/Hide Drum Map Pane" shows (or hides) exactly that and only that: a blank space where a drum map would go if the program gave you the tiniest clue how to set one up. Once the pane is there can you right click in it and start the process of setting up an actual Drum Map? Nope. All you can do is stare at it wondering where else Cakewalk could be hiding its Drum Maps. If you do somehow manage to figure out that you get to Drum Maps through the pull-down menu near the bottom of a MIDI channel strip (of course you do!), you'll be starting at a page in Preferences that tells you you're about to "Create and save drum maps for use with hardware and software samplers." Even if it's not a sampler you're working with and you thought it would be nice if you could just "assign" a drum map rather than "create" one, because you stopped feeling "creative" about 15 minutes ago. First section is Drum Maps Used in Current Project. Blank. So you click the "New" button because, ominously, it's really the only thing to do, being that there's no list of preconfigured maps to choose from, it just says "DM1-" Down in the section below there's a thingie that says "Presets" and a file picker, so you choose one from there, a General MIDI, hoping that all this does something, as there are no confirmations. All this configurating you're doing seems like it's happening miles and years away from the Piano Roll, which has a different look and feel. You're probably thinking about now that the chances of what you're doing making rectangles with the names of the drums show up along the left side of the Piano Roll is pretty low, and also even if it does work you'll never remember how you did it, and the idea of going through this every time you just want to smack together a little drum beat seems a bit much. Go back to the Piano Roll, and....nope. Yeah, didn't think so. You visit the same game cheats forum you did before and learn that you have to revisit the MIDI channel strip once again (of course you do!) in order for the Drum Map to appear in the Piano Roll View. It's like playing that old text adventure game Zork (or for the next generation, Myst) where you had to exit one building, go out and solve a puzzle somewhere else, then go back into the building to find a door or whatever unlocked before you could advance in the game. Since Cakewalk and Zork date back to the same era, my guess is that this was considered "fun" back in 1987. Yeah, it could be improved about 1000% just by having a tooltip that appears if you hover your cursor over an empty "Drum Map Pane" saying what to do next to set up a Drum Map in that empty space, like "right click to open the Drum Map Manager," and then having a right click menu that takes you to the Drum Map Manager. And could it just default to being applied to whatever MIDI track is in focus in the PRV at the time? Strangely enough, though, Drum Maps are not the most "not the most intuitive feature of Cakewalk." As far as I'm concerned, that prize must go to the Lyrics View. The instructions in the Cakewalk documentation for using this oft-ignored feature are pretty brief, and like any good mystery, the fun would be spoiled by telling the reader too much, which would be a warning not to enter your lyrics before you're done editing the rest of the song. Since this topic is about Drum Maps, I'll stop talking about the Lyrics View except to say that however you think it works: you're probably wrong.

Oh, the Cakewalk MIDI gods. Just when we men of science think we have it figured out, they go and start demanding the sacrifice of chickens again. These must be dark times indeed, dark times indeed.

Ah, thanks Dzi. I didn't see instructions to go to serialcenter.de. Also, I got the p. 46 word right, but now I notice that there are two "d's" in it, I only typed one, so I blew off the IK Multimedia One, which I already have a license for. ? All this to read a magazine and putz around with Waves Element.

Even after reading all the instructions and advice in this thread I'm still in the content-go-round. Current progress: have accessed the English-language pdf, have followed the link given in it to a download site, registered yet again for yet another account with the download site, still being told by the download site that content is for Beat subscribers only and being redirected to the German language Falkemedia page where I can subscribe to Beat. It ain't that big a deal, I have enough soft synths and I'm more interested to finally be able to read Beat's editorial content, but still, volks, get your scheisse together. Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance around in circles!

Curious: the Falkemedia site with the German edition mentions licenses for 2 AAS soundpacks. Is this also something that comes with the English-language pdf version? I do love my AAS soundpacks.

Dang, Use, that is quite a collection of MIDI interfaces! I'm imagining that you have some cool old hardware to plug into them. The only ones I can claim around here is that my main controller is a Kawai K1 and the other a Yamaha CS6x. With only the information that the ChucK probe reports, I really believe that CbB can do better than it currently does. Even in your case, I looked closely and your many E-MU interfaces each have slightly different friendly names as (I presume) reported by Windows 10. How did you do that? If you were somehow able to alter the friendly names at the OS level, it might account for why your system is different. But as far as why you actually don't need to exit and restart to see the MK-249C, well, maybe the feature request can be that it improve from being able to do it some of the time to being able to do it all of the time, or even most of the time.

Justin rips a not-to-be-missed Sitelecaster solo at 2:10

You must be speaking of performances that didn't have PA systems with a FOH mix, unless you interviewed the sound mixer after each of these shows to make sure they weren't using a compressor or limiter on the main bus or individual instruments. It's common enough that many consoles designed for mixing live shows have compressors built in to each channel.

Again: why does this matter? All it needs to know is whether a device is present. Two questions: First, why can Cakewalk (presumably) only enumerate MIDI devices when you first start it while other Windows programs can do it whenever they wish? Second, Cakewalk will keep track of which MIDI port(s) you had mapped in your project in the event that one of them becomes disconnected if you answer "no" to the remapping dialog. If you then exit the program, reconnect the device, and restart the program, and open your project, the mapping will persist and you will be able to use the device as before. Why does that process require exiting the program (I believe it has to do with the answer to the first question)? I emboldened "Cakewalk will keep track" because you seem to be convinced that for this to be possible requires the OS to hold Cakewalk's kite string for it. What's so important about maintaining a record of USB port travels? I know that some cases plugging a USB device back into a different port than the one where it was originally recognized could mean loss of contact between the device and its driver, but there's nothing Cakewalk can do about that and I haven't had that happen since I've been on Windows 10. I'm not a programmer, but I once held the certification of Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and as far as I know it works like this: I'll restrict myself to talking about USB. The user plugs a MIDI I/O device into their system, and it communicates with the OS via the device's driver. Thanks to the driver, the OS will know that it's a MIDI I/O port and it will have a "friendly" name, usually including the manufacturer and model. The OS reports this to programs that are interested in such things. 'Gotta "Whizzo MIDI In" "Whizzo MIDI Out" for whoever who grabs 'em first.' So Cakewalk comes along and claims Whizzo MIDI In and Out and then all Cakewalk needs to do is tell the OS "I have a note on 33 for Whizzo MIDI Out's Channel One" and the OS and driver take care of the rest. Do I have this right? Cakewalk keeps track of what MIDI ports it's been talking to using friendly names in at least one way I know of, TTSSEQ.ini, probably other ways that aren't as exposed to the user. It doesn't need the OS' help with this (except of course discovering them and supplying them in the first place) because as far as I know, Cakewalk doesn't dirty its hands with talking to USB ports. It talks to MIDI ports, which have friendly names that it can keep track of in a simple plaintext file. I mean, I could sit here with a scrap of paper and keep track of the MIDI ports Cakewalk is being shown by Windows, I don't need to know about the underpinnings. Now even if I'm completely wrong about this and there's some reason that Cakewalk must play pin the USB on the MIDI every time someone disconnects and reconnects their interface, I think it's still fine for Cakewalk to keep track of MIDI ports using friendly names. That's because the likelihood and the consequences of Cakewalk getting something mixed up after a multiple hot swap are both low. It's not of the utmost importance to be able to cover every different scenario, CbB only needs to cover the scenario of a fixed set of interfaces that a user has and is likely to disconnect and reconnect during a session, also the possible connection of a new interface, all with friendly names supplied by the OS. Why Cakewalk should care any more than I do which specific USB port that MIDI interface is plugged into escapes me, so please tell me. Even if it didn't work perfectly, the user would be no worse off than they are now (with needing to exit the program anyway), and how often would someone have the sort of setup required for Cakewalk to get confused? Maybe the user has two MIDI interfaces, both with the same friendly name, which is right away, a less likely scenario. So what? They see it's not working properly and switch the plugs or just restart Cakewalk like they do now. Reality check me: are there hardware and use cases I'm not considering where it would be more likely and the consequences more dire? @User 905133, that's interesting, I did a test and it worked pretty much like @DamianAdams says, Cakewalk maintained the mapping, but couldn't recognized the fact that the port had reappeared until it an exit/restart.

No doubt so you can use as a series effect on a stereo track. Now you've made me curious: I want to see if MNotepad has any of the usual Meldaproduction way-too-many features like mid-side or oversampling or multiparameters. Maybe I'll try putting it on a bus and using it as a send effect.

Forgive my own ignorance of Windows programming and so forth, but why is it necessary to know "what devices are connected to which ports?" Acoustica Mixcraft runs on Windows and if I plug in my Midisport UNO while it's running, a couple of seconds later it throws up a dialog telling me that another MIDI device has been added to my system. Then I go into Preferences and the Midisport is listed along with my Korg and PreSonus. Cakewalk itself seems quite capable of enumerating my system's MIDI ports after it's been closed and relaunched. Is there something that occurs to make it lose that capacity after it runs for a while? If so, can it be reversed?

Got nothing to add to this feature request save agreement, but I was wondering if you, my fellow notez nutz knew about other places you can make annotations in Cakewalk. I ask because I keep stumbling upon them, to my delight. So far I know about of course the Notes panel you are discussing, the big box in the Take Lanes headers, and my most recent discovery, Track and Bus Inspector/Properties/Description. Got any more? I guess having an entire separate Lyrics Track that can be linked to a MIDI track is pretty special. I'm used to DAW's not having places to make notes and using MNotepad.