bitflipper

I have no inside information to offer, but my educated guess is that there is a good chance Z3ta+ might make a comeback. As you know, much of the bundled content included with classic Sonar was licensed from third parties (e.g. TruePianos). Most of those are gone for good. In some cases, the companies behind them don't even exist anymore (e.g. Kjaerhus). However, some third-party products were purchased outright by Cakewalk (e.g. Sonitus Suite) and would therefore have been part of the intellectual property that BandLab purchased. Those plugins stand the best chance of revival. Z3ta+ falls into that category. Z3ta+ was developed by one René G. Ceballos under the name RGC:Audio. René also created the immensely popular Dimension Pro and Rapture. About the time Dim Pro appeared in Sonar, Cakewalk bought RGC:Audio and hired René. A couple years later, Rapture and then Z3ta+ came along. Now, this is all from memory so I could be fuzzy on the sequence of events, but it would appear that Z3ta+ is owned by BandLab now, hence my optimisim.

I didn't link that one because I did embarrassingly poorly on it.

If volume is the only automation on the track, you can temporarily disable it by clicking the "R" button (Read Enable) in the track header..

My sample libraries just won't fit on a single 1-TB drive, much less on C:, so I have two 1TB drives, a conventional drive for my less-used libs and a 1TB SSD for the ones I use most. These contain not only Kontakt libraries but also Spectrasonics instruments, Superior Drummer, Cakewalk samples and anything else that's big that I don't want taking up space on my C: drive. The problem is that installers often have their own ideas as to where that stuff should go, and it's not worth the headache to argue with them because in some cases you'll have to make the same argument again with the next update. Worse, you may click through prompts without thinking and end up with duplicate installations. Fortunately, Windows offers a fairly easy solution to this problem with a feature called "symbolic links". Directories are entries in other directories, just like files are. Symbolic links let you change where a directory entry physically points to, while still maintaining the original directory entry. Because this trick works at the file system level, programs are fooled into thinking the directories and files are still at the old location and are able to find them easily. For example, my c:\program files\cakewalk folder looks like this: Volume in drive C is OS Volume Serial Number is 566F-D73B Directory of C:\Program Files\Cakewalk 06/15/2023 05:34 AM <DIR> . 06/15/2023 05:34 AM <DIR> .. 10/15/2016 03:52 PM <DIR> CA2A Leveling Amplifier 05/06/2023 11:32 AM <DIR> Cakewalk Core 06/10/2023 04:45 PM <SYMLINKD> Dimension Pro [e:\cakewalklibs\Dimension Pro] 06/09/2023 03:06 PM <DIR> Next 07/26/2017 12:17 PM <SYMLINKD> Rapture [e:\cakewalklibs\Rapture] 09/12/2016 10:36 AM <DIR> Shared DXi 05/16/2023 12:40 PM <DIR> Shared MIDI Plugins 05/06/2023 11:33 AM <DIR> Shared Plugins 06/03/2023 02:00 PM <DIR> Shared Surfaces 06/03/2023 02:00 PM <DIR> Shared Utilities 06/03/2023 02:00 PM <DIR> Sonar 10/26/2017 05:18 PM <DIR> SONAR Platinum 07/26/2017 12:18 PM <SYMLINKD> Studio Instruments [e:\cakewalklibs\Studio Instruments] 06/30/2018 05:49 PM <DIR> VST32 06/01/2023 05:21 PM <DIR> VstPlugins 09/12/2016 10:36 AM <DIR> z3ta+ 0 File(s) 0 bytes 18 Dir(s) 137,609,318,400 bytes free Note that the Dimension Pro, Rapture and Studio Instruments folders say "<SYMLINKD>" rather than "<DIR>". That's because those folders have actually been moved to the E: drive, with symbolic links left behind in the original folder that redirect to their actual location, also shown in the directory listing. CbB/Sonar is none the wiser, and opens them normally. I did not have to reinstall or reconfigure anything. This works for any files or folders, including other large data such as video games or databases. And it's easy to do. The only wrinkle is that the command to create a symbolic link, named mklink, is a DOS command, so you have to open a command prompt to use it. First, copy your folders to wherever you want them to be moved to. Then delete the original folder(s) and create a new symbolic link with the same name. In my case, I put all my Cakewalk samples on the e: drive in a top-level folder called "cakewalklibs". So to create the link for Studio Instruments, I navigated to the real Cakewalk folder and typed in the following: mklink /D "Studio Instruments" "e:\cakewalklibs\Studio Instruments" The /D option tells it I'm creating a directory (folder) rather than a file. The quotes are necessary because the folder names contain spaces. And that's it. Cakewalk now happily opens the instruments and finds their samples, thinking they are still on C:. Kontakt finds any libraries I've referenced in previous projects (even though Kontakt itself is still on C:). Even Windows' File Explorer plays along with the deception, so if I ask to see what's in c:\program files\cakewalk\studio instruments, I get a listing that shows everything's still there: C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Studio Instruments>dir Volume in drive C is OS Volume Serial Number is 566F-D73B Directory of C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Studio Instruments 07/26/2017 12:11 PM <DIR> . 07/26/2017 12:11 PM <DIR> .. 07/26/2017 12:11 PM <DIR> Documentation 07/26/2017 12:11 PM <DIR> SI-Bass Guitar 07/26/2017 12:11 PM <DIR> SI-Drum Kit 07/26/2017 12:11 PM <DIR> SI-Electric Piano 07/26/2017 12:11 PM <DIR> SI-String Section 0 File(s) 0 bytes 7 Dir(s) 259,174,551,552 bytes free The only indication that it's not a real folder is that Windows Explorer changes its icon, adding a little arrow like you'd see on a shortcut. To all the world, the Studio Instruments folder is still there, but in reality I've just freed up 1.3GB on my C: drive.

I just went through this last week. I noticed there was an update to Replika, a plugin I'd completely forgotten I even had. But when I tried to update it, it said the installation failed because the installer couldn't delete the previous version. I verified there weren't any permissions issues and ran the installer as Admin, even went so far as to delete Replika myself to save it the trouble. I went to the FAQ which explained that a registry key needed to be deleted. Welcome to 1980, NI. This reminded me of installing UNIX applications back in the day. After all that I had to try Replika to see if it was worth the effort. It wasn't. I will say this about Native Whatever They Call it Now - I do like being able to get a list of everything NI that I've got, just as a reminder of how much $$$ I've blown on stuff that never got used. It'll be worth a chuckle if it now starts reminding me to update Trash.

To quote the immortal Will Rogers, If at first you don't succeed try again. If you fail the second time, let it go. No sense bein' a damn fool about it. Words to live by.

Oh, yeh. That became a meme around here for years afterward. For historical accuracy, I maintain a file where I collect funny forum posts, and the entry I have in there reads "I find the audio engine to be 20-40% better in Nuendo". Ron Kuper then offered to test his test files, saying he'd done null tests against Cubase/Nuendo and found no differences. The poster sent him two MP3s. When others suggested that they needed to be lossless files, he came back with this retort: "i dont see the point in you coming back with a lot of useless scientific information about the difference in extraction of two wavefiles.Surely its what we hear that matters. Any wavefile will sound much the same even if played through windows media player,". IOW, a null test means nothing if *I* perceive a difference.

He said a lot of things that were, um, not well-reasoned. "And how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?"

Sheesh, this thread sure took a somber turn. Sorry about that, I only wanted to share an enjoyable experience. In a couple weeks we're playing a 25th-anniversary high school class reunion. We'll be playing 50-year-old songs to people who hadn't even been born yet when they were current. Fortunately, rock 'n roll is timeless. To quote Homer Simpson: "Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact."

Can't sneak anything past Steve! iirc that image was likely lifted from wikipedia's article on the sampling theorem. I adopted it as my sig in response to a heated debate on sample rates (remember when those were the kinds of topics we kicked around? More innocent times, I guess.) Once any subject has reduced down to subjective matters of opinion, it's hard to argue for or against any particular point of view. One guy loves distortion, the next guy goes out of his way to avoid it. There isn't a correct answer. It's easy to feel like there are no hard truths. But physics and mathematics are not subjective. Harold Nyquist figured out how many samples would be necessary to accurately transmit a specified frequency range, when he was working at Bell Labs. But smart as he was, he could not come up with a mathematical proof. That challenge was ultimately conquered many years later by a fellow by the name of Claude Shannon, arguably one of the smartest math dudes to ever make the rest of us feel hopelessly dumb. Claude was the guy who originated the idea of using binary numbers and Boolean logic in computers. So none of us would be doing what we do without those guys and their big brains. Confidently incorrect forum posts like this one (from Gearslutz) actually piss me off: Sure, it's silly to get angry because "somebody on the internet is wrong". But it's not fair to the novices who read nonsense like that and then perpetuate it. There's plenty of room for opinions in the digital music space, but real fundamental truths are at its foundation.

For the two years my dad was in a "memory care" facility, I'd go in and play piano for the residents during their evening meal. Great gig; free pudding and you can repeat numbers all you want. Interestingly, most of them reacted very positively, even those who would otherwise spend their days staring off into space. One lady had been a classical pianist, and I had a conversation with her about what it was like performing in the 1920s. Afterward, her caregiver told me she hadn't interacted with anyone in months. So I totally concur with your assertion that music appreciation lingers to the end, even after losing basic mental facilities such as recognizing your children or feeding yourself.

Yup, it's sure looking like something weird happening within the plugin. Still a puzzle why others haven't experienced the same thing, e.g. OutrageProductions saying he's used it "for years" with no problems. I don't have it myself, so am unable to test. At this point I'd be inclined to just substitute a different plate reverb and move on. The Rev-140 is a very good one but fortunately it's not unique and there are plenty of alternatives to choose from. Q: just for thoroughness, does it misbehave in the same way when used as a track insert rather than on a bus?

And you're certain it's just this plugin? If you bypass it and add a different reverb plugin the problem does not persist? If it does persist, what happens if you delete the Rev-140 and leave the alternate reverb in?

I agree that it's underhanded when a company slyly sells a product that's about to be discontinued or deprecated, but only if they're being deliberately deceptive. Even then, I've gotten some good deals that way. Sometimes, an unexpectedly good deal, e.g. finding out later that I qualified for a cheap upgrade because I already owned the retired product. For example, I bought Kontakt 2 a month before it was superseded by Kontakt 3 and was briefly miffed about it. But it turned out that I'd bought K2 at a discount that was nearly equal to the upgrade price to K3. Native Instruments was more customer oriented back then, I think.

Yeh, it sure beats golf for an old-guy hobby. Although I suppose both teach you patience. The youngest member of my band is about to turn 30. He rarely gets stressed over musical things, mainly because he's got the deserved confidence of a superb player. But he does stress out over his non-musical life, e.g. girlfriends, roommates, inconsiderate bosses, and of course, money. The rest of us are all over 50. We mostly only stress about which part of our bodies will fail next.

The flaw in that theory is that Jacques says it sounds normal up until he exports the project, after which it continues to exhibit lower output. If that's accurate, then I am stumped because the act of exporting should have no impact on a plugin's behavior that wouldn't also be heard in normal playback. The test project he's going to do will be illuminating. It'll be interesting if the behavior can be reproduced with a minimal project (one audio track, one bus with the plate on it, both routed to a common master bus and then to hardware outs). I'm guessing it won't, and that the issue lies within the specific project.

On the upside, dementia does allow you to enjoy your old record collection as if they were all new. Wouldn't you like to hear Dark Side of the Moon or In The Court of the Crimson King for the first time again?

What's the big deal? That software compressor is a model of a piece of hardware designed 70 years ago that hasn't had substantial revisions since. And the emulation is pretty good. It's not going to stop working. There was an update earlier this year to my longtime go-to FET-style compressor (PSP FetPressor). Cool, I thought. Maybe they're adding some modern features such as a dry/wet mix knob. Nope. The "update" was that they were making it dependent on Pace. Big Nope. I backrevved to the previous version. If they never update it again it won't bother me at all. It's great as-is.

I'm putting a lot of hope into that being true. My father, his mother, his sister and my mom's mom all died from Alzheimer's. Every time I forget where I left my keys, I panic a little.

Last night I met a fellow who's been playing piano for 32 years, with a penchant for honky-tonk. He's the bartender and owner of last night's venue. 32 years on the keys, but get this: he only took up the piano at age 60. I can only hope that I have as many intact brain cells at 92. Interesting guy. I suspect he has mob ties. Meeting him was the highlight of the evening. Lake City Way used to be a major highway into and out of Seattle. Nowadays it's one of those too-busy "stroads", a daily rush hour traffic jam and site of many accidents. Reminds me of Hayward, CA with a few more trees. But sandwiched between the chain retailers and car dealerships there sits an anachronistic anomaly that bills itself as "Seattle's Last Roadhouse". Built in 1932 and looking like it hasn't seen many major improvements since then, it's a local landmark. I've driven past it hundreds of times and never really given it a second thought beyond "you don't see places like that anymore". There's no readerboard, just a small hand-made sign out front that reads "Live Music Tonight". This place is unusual for several reasons. They're only open one day a week, from 7:30 till midnight. They don't serve food or mixed drinks, just beer and wine. It exists solely for live music. Guests pay $10 to get in. There's a large dance floor but most of the patrons sit and listen to the band, and applaud enthusiastically. As well as generously feed the tip jar. It was a treat. Looking forward to going back there. Owner John Spaccoratelli:

Software written for a specific operating system can take advantage of any and every feature that O/S offers. Windows has made great strides with low-(kernel)level audio support, much of it based on solicited input from expert users such as Noel. This is why WASAPI Exclusive Mode is a viable alternative to ASIO. Cakewalk's close association with Microsoft meant, for example, that classic Sonar was always immediately ready for each new version of Windows on Day 1. When you write cross-platform software, you have to take a much more generic approach and are often forced to make compromises in order to maintain a common code base. Optimization is harder. Testing is harder. You are going to have to hire experts in each of the supported operating systems. Development generally takes longer, so you're less able to turn around quick fixes and enhancements like we've become accustomed to.

That's a pretty good summation. This is pure speculation, but I can imagine Next far exceeding Sonar in the size of its user base and the two products having a similar relationship as Cubase is to Nuendo. It will be a long while before Next has a comparable breadth and depth of features to Sonar, but over the next couple years it'll cover more and more of the same bases. By then it will have become a viable alternative to Sonar for the majority of music creators who have no interest in becoming audio engineers, at a lower price point and gentler learning curve for new users.

Yeh, you just missed it. There have been many pleas, not for new plugins, but for the return of old favorites. Some that come to mind from recent posts (as recent as last month) are CA2A, Dimension Pro, Adaptive Limiter, Z3ta and LP-64. Most of us old-timers still have them, but the user base has expanded greatly since the demise of classic Sonar. Some of the old bundled plugins were licensed from third parties (e.g. PerfectSpace, Pantheon, Breverb). Couldn't sustain that with a free DAW. Some of the old favorites were made by now-defunct companies (e.g. VC-64), so they're out. However, Cakewalk actually owned the code for some of them, or they were developed in-house. Those are the ones most likely to return, now that Cakewalk's hiring. Cakewalk, I believe, outright owns the Sonitus suite (having bought Ultrafunc, its developer). It'd be nice to see those great plugins spiffed up with bigger UIs and a few bugs ironed out. Oddly, no one has asked for Guitar Rig LE. (C'mon, it wasn't that bad!) A legitimate argument can be made that nobody really needs those, given the cornucopia of free and cheap plugins out in the world today. But they were a good value for someone just getting started.

Logic and Reason have left the chat.

I'm not battling anyone, nor am I blindly defending my preferred DAW. Just basic troubleshooting while trying to avoid a classic causation vs. correlation logical fallacy. Let me explain my reasoning, and feel free to correct any logical errors I may make in the process. Let's start at the beginning, by looking at what a c0000005 error is, and how it comes to be raised. This particular error code represents an access violation, which means the software has attempted to write to an address location that it does not have permission to write to. Usually, this is the result of an uninitialized pointer, a variable that contains a memory address but that hasn't been given a value. Because all variables initially default to zero, the pointer is pointing at address 0. Although 0 is a valid memory address, it's in a part of memory that's reserved for the operating system kernel and cannot be written to by user applications. The O/S protects itself by refusing the operation and raising an error so that the offending application can deal with it. How does a pointer get initialized? That's up to the programmer who wrote the code. That's why it's safe to assume that a c0000005 error is a bug in the code that raised it, and ultimately human error. I apologize if you knew all that already, but it's important to understand how this error happens and why. The key concept is in your statement that "...This is not the only plugin that has generated a c0000005...". The salient point is that it was the plugin that attempted to write to protected memory, not the DAW. The error was raised by the plugin, not the DAW. Granted, the plugin may have been referencing an invalid pointer that the DAW supplied it with, that's not impossible. However, any pointers passed to the plugin (e.g. input and output buffers) would be the same pointers the host passes to all plugins. If they were invalid, the DAW would crash every time you attempted to use any VST plugin. From a software developer's perspective, it is always the module's responsibility to validate arguments, and to never assume that the caller guarantees they are valid. Usually, that means the plugin will refuse the invalid pointer and notify the host that the call has failed, in which case the host would be tasked with processing the error. When this is the case, it won't be the plugin that was identified as the offending module in the dump, but rather the DAW. But if the stack dump shows a plugin's DLL as the failing module, then that's where the problem originated.