bitflipper

MMCSS is a feature of the Task Scheduler, the part of Windows that decides what the CPU should be doing right this millisecond. Windows is constantly juggling multiple tasks, and it's up to scheduler to make sure that tasks that need handling right away get their shot while low-priority tasks don't get ignored. It's a tricky business, and entire books have been written about the subject (which I have read so you don't have to). By default Cakewalk uses an MMCSS profile that favors audio. This could reduce dropouts and/or allow smaller buffers if you're pushing the CPU hard. You would only disable it if some non-audio issue cropped up as a result. For example, it can hurt network performance, but that's not going to be an issue for most DAW users. Apparently, some ASIO drivers like to tweak thread scheduling themselves, which is why applying MMCSS to ASIO is optional.

I am not even a guitarist, and Jeff has been an inspiration for me most of my life. He could play anything, in any style, knew when to show off and when to back off. He and Tal Wilkenfeld were such a great duo.

ValhallaDSP's UberMod does it all - chorus, phasing, flanging, reverb, delay. Anything from subtle thickening to out-there wackiness. It isn't always the one I end up using, but it's always the first one I try. Price is always 50 bucks so you don't need to wait for a sale.

And now for something different. Japanese Funk. Although I'm not convinced the bass player is Japanese. Looks Filipino to me, but that may just be my love of all things Filipino talking.

My problem with Baby Metal is it's so...corporate. Which, in fact, it literally is. A business formed by a management company, it is about as organic as Circe du Soleil. But damn, the band is tight! And you can't hate on those girls, who exude a cuteness factor on the level of a box of puppies. Here's their big hit. You can find a video of them performing it at Glastonbury, sans lasers and fog, but the spectacle is an essential part of the show.

Sheesh, I can't imagine relying on batteries for anything at a gig. Well, we do have one wireless microphone that takes a 9V, but worst-case scenario we jam awhile while the singer replaces the battery. Or hook up a corded mic if she forgot to bring a spare battery. It wouldn't stop the show. As Mark and Noel said you can disable the battery-saving mechanisms to prevent poor CPU performance, but that's also going to greatly accelerate the drain on the battery. I doubt my laptop's battery wouldn't last a 4-hour gig. I'd also suggest making a profile specifically for gigging which has no unnecessary processes running. Definitely disable wi-fi.

I've been enjoying this band lately (thanks YouTube mystery algorithm). They're out of Argentina. It's all in Spanish, so as someone with only middle school Spanish skills I understand little of the lyrics. But the interesting guitar work is universal. Sometimes reminiscent of a laid-back Abraxas-era Santana, before Carlos started phoning in his performances.

OK, now we're making progress! Please try this: increase your buffer size to the maximum value, set the sample rate to 44100 and open a new project. Throw some audio in there and see how it sounds.

Let's start at square one. Do you see other sample rates offered in your Preferences? If so, then we can assume that the interface driver has informed Cakewalk that it supports them. If you choose a higher rate, does it "stick"?

I'm always reluctant to tell people to spend their way out of a problem. Sometimes, it's the only answer, but not always. That particular interface isn't one I've ever heard of. It could be fine, or it could be garbage. I'd stick with known brands such as Focusrite for entry-level interfaces. But again, I'd prefer to figure out what the problem is before throwing money at it. I'm still confused as to why you're "stuck at 8000". What happens when you try to set the sample rate at 44.1 KHz? Does the interface refuse, or does it let you set the rate but sounds bad?

I just got around to watching the Smokin' vid you posted. Holy Crap, those guys were good. Imagine the hubris needed to gather some guys in a garage with the intention of doing Boston material. If I was going to form a tribute band, I'd choose something easier! Like The Ventures.

Even the cheapest generic onboard audio interface should be capable of 44.1 or 48KHz. What happens when you set the sample rate to 44.1KHz? Does the driver refuse to do it, or does it accept the higher rate but sounds bad (e.g. clicks and pops)?

I didn't know who The Shadows were until I moved to England in 1969. I was listening to the radio and they were doing a game where they'd play a record and listeners could call in and identify it for a prize. Everybody guessed it was The Shadows, and everybody was wrong. It was in fact The Beatles doing a tribute to The Shadows, who they were big fans of. This despite nobody in The Beatles having guitar chops equal to Hank's. Like The Ventures, The Shadows remained popular in Japan long after their glory years had passed elsewhere. And to take it full circle, here's The Ventures covering The Shadows:

Cakewalk also has a MIDI plugin called MIDI Event Filter that, iirc, can filter out just about any MIDI events, including those from the pitchwheel.

It would appear to be a problem with your controller. Try this: physically disconnect the keyboard, open a new project, add a soft synth and manually draw in a note in the PRV. This should play back in tune. Make sure you're using an external reference to gauge the tuning, e.g. a tuner app on your phone. Because of their mechanical nature, pitch wheels are the most common point of failure on keyboard controllers. See how hard it will be to remove the wheel. If it's convenient to get to, have a peek inside. They vary a lot in construction. Yours may be a simple potentiometer that can be cleaned with a spray solvent made for that purpose. Or it may be a mechanical issue where the wheel isn't returning to zero because it's binding or sticking. There will usually be some kind of adjustment in there to let you zero the controller. Or just buy a new controller.

First thing I do when inserting a new track is to rename it. My memory just isn't reliable enough not to. Given your handle, I'm guessing the question may be in the context of mastering. There, I can see the value of using numbered track names and why it would be inconvenient if you re-order the tracks on an album. But I can't imagine a better default naming convention. Adding the number assures that each default name is unique, which is more important than any implied meaning of that number.

If you didn't see the band and know they were Japanese, you could easily be convinced that Stay Gold was a Green Day track that didn't make it onto American Idiot. That's meant as a compliment, since imo American Idiot is one of the finest pop rock albums ever made. I think it was in Ikutaro Kakehashi's autobiography where I read an observation that the Japanese have always been particularly adept at absorbing foreign art and music and making it their own. Much like the British consumed American blues in the 60's and then sent it back to the US as something simultaneously new and familiar. I am reminded of a song that was released in the US as "Sukiyaki" in the early 60's. An idiotic title that had been chosen because it was one of the few Japanese words Americans would recognize. It was very much in an American style, although it was a style that had already become unfashionable in America by that time. It was a HUGE hit around the world, even though few outside Japan had the slightest idea what the words meant. (My understanding is that most Japanese didn't, either; it was actually political, according to WIkipedia.) Enjoy this bit of musical history:

That's a helluva deal. Insight alone goes for $200. Not that I'd actually pay 200 bucks for it, but since they're not offering a loyalty discount for version 2, I'm considering this deal just for the Insight upgrade. Don't need any of the other stuff.

That's good stuff, QM. Reminiscent of Green Day. Got any more like that?

I've long enjoyed the Japanese take on jazz, classical, prog and metal music, and wondered why it wasn't more widely appreciated outside of Japan. Here's some quality commercial pop rock from that country. This band's been around for awhile and has made a bunch of records, but I only discovered them thanks to YouTube's mysterious suggestion algorithm .

btw, if you're curious what Chet Atkins' version of Walk Don't Run sounded like:

When I moved to Seattle in 1972, I was pleasantly surprised to find a lively and long-established local music scene. There were literally hundreds of live music venues to play at and dozens of recording studios. Today you'd have to go to Austin or Nashville to find an environment like that. But in the 60's every city had its own circuit and its own superstars. A few of those local favorites managed to bust out of the Pacific Northwest and go national and international, which is how I knew who some of them were before coming to town. One of the biggest was The Ventures, although by '72 they had already relocated to Los Angeles and their style became mostly associated with Southern California and inspired many copycats there. Playing in my first bands in Nebraska, we assumed The Ventures and the Beach Boys were neighbors who grew up surfing. Neither of them actually did. The main thing I took away from this documentary was the realization that The Ventures, for all their innovation, was really a cover band. I'd been unaware, for example, that Walk Don't Run was originally lifted from a Chet Atkins record. Another interesting snippet was the criteria for being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: At least 25 years since first release Possess a significant body of work Significant influence on the development of rock 'n roll I couldn't help wondering how some of the more recent inductees qualified under those criteria, e.g. Eminem, Run-DMC, Madonna, Tupac. Meanwhile true rock innovators like The Ventures had to wait almost 50 years for their nomination. I think 250 albums qualifies as a "significant body of work".

I have it on good authority that the author of that review remains a fan of MSpectralDynamics and still uses it regularly.