Starship Krupa

I'll ask the big question here: why should BandLab give us the option for offline activation? What benefit is it to them to accommodate this use case and what is the use case in the first place? You talk as if it is automatically understood why someone would not want to connect their computer to the Internet, but I don't understand it at all. Can you please explain it to me? Why is this so important? Why is it "damn terrifying" to you to have to connect your computer to the Internet for a few minutes every 6 months? You're obviously not afraid of or forbidden to or unable to get on the Internet in general or you wouldn't be able to get Cakewalk in the first place, and you wouldn't be able to post on this forum, so what is it? What's so freaking important about being able to have a DAW computer that's so completely isolated from the Internet that it can't be connected even for a few minutes twice a year?

I said that it is not recommended. I didn't say that they say "don't do it." I misspoke with the "expressly" I suppose. I meant it for emphasis, but that was a misuse of the word. My point was that they tell us what to do to successfully install and register the product. You and others that I have heard from that went through similar misery didn't follow those instructions. It's not meant for someone to download a bunch of files to one computer, try to puzzle out which files are the right ones, copy them to another computer, run them, then connect to the Internet for registration. That's not how the software installation is designed to work. Where is that said? I never read about that! ? You mentioned you copied "the installation files." I did not see where you said you installed the latest version of BA. My apologies for making the incorrect assumption. Still, it's not designed to work like that, and no surprise, it didn't. Just because you ran what you thought were the "installation files" and it looked like the installation completed and you were able to start Cakewalk doesn't mean that it was installed correctly. It is probable that BandLab Assistant does things other than just downloading the executable, running it and then doing the validation. When I've looked around in my file system during download, it downloads other small files which may be key files, unique identifiers or whatever, that are necessary for the validation process. I'm truly sorry that you went through so much hassle, and my tone was harsh, but you're not the first one to go through this thing of copying files around, having the validation fail, then come to the forum blaming the software. Cakewalk's license is free, but it does have a license which is enforced and administered by the BandLab Assistant app. If you try to circumvent the operation of BandLab Assistant, it won't be a surprise that the program doesn't work properly. Installation managers with Internet-connected licensing are common. Waves, Native Instruments, iZotope, Spitfire Audio, Plugin Alliance, BlueCat, HOFA, ImageLine, UVI, Adobe, countless others. BandLab doesn't make us install iLok/PACE or other dongles or save serial numbers or have anything running in the background, all they ask is that every 6 months have their little app talk to their server. And if we want the latest version, use the little app to update it. This is not burdensome. People who try to circumvent this process and then complain that it's the software's fault when they run into trouble are being silly. As for "blind townsfolk," I helped a rural user on the old forum figure out a way to get and maintain CbB via mobile phone data. He bought a "burner" just for this purpose. Otherwise, for heaven's sake, if one is living in a really remote area, save up for a portable computer that can be carried in to the nearest public library to use their Internet connection. It's going to be one of the challenges of living in a remote area, if they want to use Cakewalk, how to get their computer into civilization every 6 months. It's a problem for the user to figure out, not BandLab. If someone can't get their computer 15 minutes of broadband access twice a year, then Tracktion 7 is probably a better solution, or drop $30 for Mixcraft when it's on sale or $60 for Reaper.

You are complaining about a "painful" process that doesn't exist for people who use the product as designed. It only goes wrong for people who try to use it in the wrong way. All of this business of downloading the installation files on one computer, copying the installation files to another computer, running the installer on the second computer, then trying to authenticate using an old copy of BandLab Assistant on the second computer is using the software in a manner that is expressly not recommended by the manufacturer. BandLab Assistant is there for a reason. Its job is to check with the server to see what the latest version of Cakewalk is, then manage the installation/update/validation process. Before it starts that process, it checks itself to make sure it's up to date and ready to perform those tasks. You had what you thought were the latest install files (maybe they were, maybe they weren't), ran the executable manually, then tried to validate using an out-of-date copy of BandLab Assistant. So the program that was supposed to be managing the process found a version of the program that from its perspective, came from the future. BandLab Assistant not surprisingly couldn't validate a version of Cakewalk that was newer than it was, so the process failed. And it was your fault that it did. It's not supposed to work the way you were trying to get it to work and it didn't, so you have no grounds for complaint. I am sorry to be so blunt, but it's the truth, and I want this out here for other people who might try to "outsmart" the installation process: follow the instructions. The instructions say to download BandLab Assistant and then use it to install and validate Cakewalk by BandLab. No other method of download and installation is approved by BandLab except when there is an Early Access build available, and in that case, I would recommend you make sure your BandLab Assistant is up to date before running the EAP installer. Participation in the EAP means the user is willing to accept a bit of risk anyway. Last time I did it, downloading and installing a Cakewalk upgrade took about 5 minutes. If you had followed instructions, you would have been done with the task of updating Cakewalk in under 15 minutes. I don't know what you were hoping to gain by guessing at what installation files were needed by the Cakewalk installation and copying them over from another computer instead of just connecting to the Internet for the download. You were going to connect to the Internet anyway in order to validate the license. If you don't want Microsoft to install the latest security updates and patches for Windows, you can tell it to defer those. Unless you are using an older audio interface, there is no reason to defer Windows updates. Even my antique Firepods still work on the latest Windows 10. Whatever, you blew 4 hours trying it your way, so maybe next time try it BandLab's way and see what happens. Companies these days design and build their software with the assumption that the systems it runs on can connect to the Internet in order to apply updates if necessary. That is just how it is, and if someone chooses to operate outside that, they accept a risk and inconvenience that is not the fault of the software vendor. Why is there such a big deal about connecting a DAW to the Internet anyway? Is it to remove the temptation toward distraction? If it's about fear, I can say that I have yet to read on this forum of anyone suffering a virus or malware or hacking attack as the result of having their DAW connected to the Internet. I have, however, read about many hours of time wasted by people trying various stunts to avoid connecting their DAW to the Internet to let BandLab Assistant update and validate Cakewalk. The greater risk seems to be in not connecting.

Feature, not bug. Seriously, Tim, I can't imagine what SONAR LE could possibly have to offer at this point when you have access to the full version of Cakewalk (most of the features of SONAR Professional plus another year and a half of development) for free. Unless you're on a 32-bit OS, don't even bother, Cakewalk will open your old projects just fine and you'll be up and running.

My point was more that I've seen many ways people try to invalidate others' music, whether it be due to their target audience (jam bands and pop divas get hit with this), production methodology (use of pitch correction, etc.), lack of knowledge of music theory (none of the Beatles could read or write a note), use of found material (despite this being a long established technique in fine art) and on and on and on. As far as I know, nobody in Three Dog Night ever wrote a note or a lyric of their massive number of hits, nor ever moved a microphone or a fader. Most of their career consisted of doing other people's material. Does this make them not one of the all time great pop acts? I don't think so. Maybe the $20 copy of Acid Pro is like the $99 Squier Strat. Something you can have a lot of fun with for very little money, and that's great. Not everyone acquires a DAW with the goal of "going pro." I don't delude myself that my efforts here in my dining room are somehow going to result in money rolling in or even anything other than my friends' polite compliments. If I get something together enough to be played on the local college station's demo show, I'll be very happy.

I'd read the comments on that YouTube video, try the demo first. People are complaining that Union's CPU hungry. If true, disappointing, because SoundSpot's FX typically are not so.

Yes, Native Instruments and Meldaproduction I'm looking at you. They'll also put in AAX plug-ins when you didn't ask for them, etc. There's a thread over in Instruments and Effects about how to clean up unwanted plug-in installations. The first time I went through and deleted all the 32-bit and AAX stuff I freed up about 2G on my precious SSD system drive. Native Access complains that I now have a damaged installation but everything still works just fine.

Shucks, I'll pop for just about any Pluginboutique freebie deal. The only things that hold no interest are sample packs. I keep a cache of low-cost items in my Wish List just in case I can't find anything else. SoundSpot plug-ins and Hybrid 3 preset packs are good for this. I'm just about full up on AIR and SONiVOX instruments. I held out hope for a long time that iZotope would eventually put RX Elements up for the giveaway, but finally caved for a $9.99 deal. Glad I did, RX Elements is a great tool.

The hit count boost thing is really weird, especially given the theory about the Italian piano maker that I'd never heard of! Perhaps that piano maker intends to remedy that. Successfully in my case. And thanks for all the updates on some of my favorite "dark" themes, Canopus. The ability to switch themes, and the availability of such great-looking ones as the ones that you do really add a great deal to the Cakewalk user experience.

In regard to Cakewalk by BandLab, it is. BandLab has promised that Cakewalk will remain free, and to the disappointment of several doomsayers, they have kept their promise with no sign of changing the policy. So if your DAW experience must include paying for the license, you must indeed look elsewhere.

As long as there have been people inventing newer methods of creating music, there have been grumps to grouse about them, often with some claim that the newer method mostly exists in order for the people using them to attempt to attract ***** partners. Those who look down upon looping and digital sampling as methods of song creation might be amused to know that Steely Dan used a tape loop for rhythm tracks as early as Countdown to Ecstasy in 1973 and their engineer purpose-built a 12-bit digital audio sampler to use for drum tracks on Gaucho in 1980. As for stealing other people's work, one need look no further than Led Zeppelin's long history of plunder-for-profit, but since Jim and Bob took the trouble to work the chords out on guitar before becoming millionaires rejiggering other people's songs, maybe they get a pass? I've argued with people who claimed that Frank Sinatra wasn't really a talented musician because all he did was sing other people's songs. Maybe some would make a similar claim about Sir George Martin (although he did do a bit of composing) as a producer. Hey whatever. I think Fatboy Slim's "Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You" were freakin' brilliant pop songs that I would LOVE to have had anything to do with creating. Who cares whether they were all made from samples or what? Same with Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds." "My Kid Could Paint That!"

It says in the description at Pluginboutique that it's for voice, as in podcasts and the like, makes no mention of singing. I'm considering it because I have interest in such a plug-in.

Indeed, it is. "....use the new ERA Voice Leveler to normalize the volume levels of speech or dialogue recordings." I do a bit of voice recording and I'm thinking that for $9 it might be a handy tool to have around. This trinket caught my eye as well: https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/3-Studio-Tools/72-Utility/5046-Reverse I can do it with clip manipulation in any DAW, but just hitting a button has its appeal.

This v11 update encouraged me to open up Super Tap and get a reminder how outdated and Windows-for-Workgroups 3.11 butt-ugly the UI still is, poor thing. Lovely company, though, always handing out a freebie every year, and their products seem to be rock solid. I even like the way they make my cursor briefly turn into a spinning 3-D "W" when they are loading.

Purchased Firefly bus compressor, thankee kindly. I loves me some SoundSpot plug-ins.

This. Not to diminish the complaints of any specific user, but as has been pointed out before to other users who have claimed that Cakewalk must have suddenly taken a turn for the buggy/slow/crashy because it suddenly stopped working on their system, this forum would be exploding with complaints if that were the case. The original post contains ad hominem attacks and negative speculation as to the competence and intentions of the management of the Cakewalk development staff, and nothing specific about the actual troubles the poster is having with the software. As such, it is a mystery what they intended to accomplish with it. I can only add that I, too am a veteran of both software development and IT and have seen no degradation in the quality of the Cakewalk product over the last few builds. Quite the contrary, it has continued its overall upward path of bug elimination and feature enhancement. I would suggest that the OP be patient and allow the support staff to do their job or do as suggested and begin with a Windows 10 fresh install.

I'd love for the Split to have an option to go to the nearest zero crossing or to add a micro fade. As it is, I snapping to the nearest zero crossing and then splitting is my answer.

There's not an official mechanism for doing that, but it's quite easy. @scook even has a utility for doing it. All you need to do is copy your Cakewalk Core folder, as many versions back as you wish to archive.

Somehow it worked out that my meagre collection of Waves plug-ins were all eligible for update to v11 except for the much-loved VU Meter. I sprung for the Waves Update a while back, I think it was $15 for the stuff that I had, turns out it's about to crap out next month. I like the look of the new Waves Central, it's more like the NI version. Looking forward to the sleek new resizable GUI and slew of presets they've no doubt added to TrueVerb. ?

https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/64-Virtual-Instrument/1560-Xpand-2 For 13,50 euro you will be amazed. This instrument is very popular among Cakewalk users.

1. The developers at BandLab continue to take steps to integrate Cakewalk and the other BandLab DAW's. It is possible to start projects in one and transfer them to the other and back and forth, but so far only as audio stems. Plug-ins and automation do not transfer. 2. Not sure what you mean by this. Keep project files on a network folder and launch them in Cakewalk? Cakewalk needs to stream audio files directly from the drive, so network latency would preclude this, if that is what you mean. If you mean keeping a single installation on a network server, I believe that Cakewalk must validate to each local system via BandLab Assistant, and again, loading plug-ins and loops and so forth might be slow over a school network. 3. If you post the specification range of your "fairly old machines," we can answer this question. RAM, processor, processor speed, hard disk type and RPM are most critical. A feature that makes Cakewalk especially suited to the educational environment is Lenses. They allow you to select what elements are visible/available to the user. They can be used to hide more advanced features that would be confusing or superfluous to your coursework. So for instance, if you don't want to see the Inspector, you can hide that, or the Matrix, or many other features that might be distracting. They can be hard to get your head around at first, but quite powerful once you grasp the concept.

Be sure to try the different instruments that are available via the browser in SI-String Section. Some of them may have the extended range that you need. I don't know what version you have, but CbB is actually less resource-hungry than the last version of Splonar. If you post the hardware specifications of your DAW computer (as I have done in my signature), we can tell you whether it's up to the task of what you are trying to do. OS, processor, processor speed, RAM, what kind of hard drive (spinny, SSD, if spinny, what RPM). As for being able to use the plug-ins that came with whatever version of SONAR you own, AFAIK the best way to do that is reportedly to install the newest version of SONAR you have a license for with all the trimmings, then install CbB. At that point, you'll have the best of both worlds, the stability and features of CbB and the bundled software and content of SONAR. Congratulations on your first composition! Next bit of fun is learning how to mix, which I also love and see as a creative process in itself. There are so many resources available these days, here in this forum and on the web, YouTube, etc.

I think you're in for a treat when you sit down with Xpand!2. TTS-1 ain't a bad entry in the "GM player that comes with my DAW" sweepstakes. Xpand!2 will do everything that TTS-1 does and a whole lot more. My only complaint is that my cursor keeps slipping off the preset menu when I'm browsing presets.

You may have covered this already, but I had a bear of a time getting Drum Maps to work, understanding them, figuring out where the commands were to add them to a project, get them to show up in the Piano Roll, etc. My batting average for having it work the first time was ZERO for 6 months. Something always went wrong. I'd bat it all around and think I had it ready to go and then....no sound, or no drum pane, or whatever, and I'd have to go back and fix something. And sometimes I'd have to start over completely. Finally I found the time to sit down with a blank project and the Reference Guide and drill over and over and ask questions on the forum and tried and failed until I finally understood what was going on and how to add them to a project and assign them. My hope is that someday we will be able to set up and assign Drum Maps entirely from the Piano Roll View, but for now, we set them up from the Console or Track View. Those savvy with Track Templates can skip all that hassle, but why is it such a hassle? Anyway, Drum Maps For The Uninitiated would be most welcome, and if it also included a how-to on getting the drum note names to appear on the notes in the PRV, that would be splendid.

AIR's Xpand!2 wins this category by a mile. 2500+ sounds, and it's usually available at Pluginboutique for $14.99, sometimes less if you look around. As far as which sounds get replaced, as with most such instruments, piano and orchestrals will usually get replaced by larger, slower to load instruments down the line. Basses, ambient pads, organs, drum machines, synths, percussion and so forth can hold their own and often stay in the mix.