bitflipper

No need to feel stupid. This may change in the future when everyone's implanted with knowledge chips at birth, but AFAIK nobody is born with an understanding of either expression pedals or MIDI. You can buy an inexpensive adaptor that converts the variable resistance in your pedal to MIDI data. Works for any resistance-based or switch-based analog pedal. You'd then be able to keep the pedal you've already paid for. For just a little more money you could get yourself a cheap synthesizer/MIDI controller that has an analog input for an expression pedal. That would open up even more possibilities for data input, even if you're not a keyboard player. You could, for example, pound out drum beats with your fingers. And of course, use the expression controller without the need of an adaptor.

Error 3 means "path not found". Nullproxy.DLL or one of its associated dependencies is missing. Looking at nullproxy.dll's dependencies, I see that most of them are standard Windows files, which aren't likely to be an issue. It does, however, also have the expected dependencies of the C++ runtime libraries. michheld's intuition regarding the C++ distribution may be on the mark. Normally, if the runtime libraries need installing, the application's installer takes care of that automatically. Sometimes, though, it fails, and it's usually a Windows permissions issue. I would suggest starting with a re-installation of Cakewalk as Administrator.

Something about the layering of many voices just turns my crank. It's a form of crowdsourcing. Doesn't matter if you've got a bunch of great singers or not. Some might be flat, some sharp. In the aggregate they sound great.

The reason I asked whether they were encoded files is that importing a wave file should not alter it in any significant way. Because you can not only see but actually hear distortion means it's not a subtle process. The fact that the source files are not actually clipped indicates that something unpredictable is happening to them on the way in. There are only a few processes that might conceivably be applied on an import: conversion to 32-bit wave from some other format, sample rate conversion, wordlength expansion, or conversion from stereo to mono. I can't think of anything else. Converting to 32-bit float from 24-bit integer wouldn't do it. Even though the imported file would technically not be the same data, you'd never hear the difference. SRC could also be eliminated as a suspect if the source files were already at the project sample rate. You didn't say if that was the case. But even then I'd expect any distortion to be inaudible. Wordlength expansion isn't the problem, either. Even though fc would show the imported file is not identical to the original, you wouldn't hear a difference. So my best guess is that the source files are stereo and not mono-safe, and you're importing them as mono. Just a guess, based on the process of elimination.

Are these 24- or 32-bit wave files, or are they in a compressed format?

I don't see any significant downside to sticking with an older DAW, as long as it does everything you want it to do. X1/2/3 or even 8.5 isn't likely to suddenly stop working, especially if you freeze your Windows version. A perfectly do-able strategy if you intend to always dedicate the machine to just that purpose. Tape machines from 1974 still work if you take care of them properly. That said, X1 is not the version I would have chosen as my forever DAW. Because it represented a fundamental rewrite, it predictably had more problems than any other version prior or since. Yes, obsolescence will eventually be forced upon you. But as Kalle notes, it'll be because some hardware component has failed and no compatible driver exists for a its replacement. Still, an old computer can be kept running for a very long time. Just keep it clean, keep it off the internet, and keep your backups up to date. And don't toss all of your old disk drives - store them someplace dry, in electrostatic bags.

Just automate the plugin's Mix or Wet/Dry setting. Same result, and it'll be consistent regardless of what plugin you're using. Unless, of course, the plugin has no mix control. Fortunately I've yet to see one that doesn't.

I do recall having that happen to me once, back around SONAR 7 or thereabout. It's no big deal to fix, though. Just create a new bus the same way you created the other two. There's nothing special about the master bus other than it's (usually) routed to the hardware outputs.

Sadly, I don't think the Sampletank kit is the one featured in the documentary. They say it's the kit he used on the Snakes and Arrows record and tour. That's my favorite Rush album, though.

There is actually some truth to that in my case. At age 14 I begged my parents for a drum kit. They declined. Oddly, when I told them a local rock 'n roll combo needed someone to play organ, Mom went out the very next day and bought me one. And thus this frustrated drummer became a keyboardist. I thanked her years later.

Can't believe I just sat through an hour-long commercial for DW drums - and I'm not even a drummer - and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It's encouraging that in today's world of cheap mass-produced crap there is still a place for craftsmanship. Yes, I would gladly pay for a sample library of those drums. Preferably as an SDX, as I'm confident the Toontrack people would do it right.

NOT SURE THAT'S POSSIBLE, BUT NOEL WILL KNOW...damn, I'm having the same problem with caps-lock. Must be that 5G virus. Implementing this assumes that plugins report back to the DAW when it's been internally bypassed. Bypassing is more complicated than you might assume, and bypassing within the plugin versus by the DAW are not at all the same thing. Furthermore, plugin makers are not required to implement every VST function. Although a mechanism is defined in the VST spec for notifying the host of state changes, it incurs a great deal of overhead and is therefore may be impractical during playback. From the VST3 specification (emphases are mine):

I used to experience this every time I used Melodyne. I first noticed it at version 3 and it continued to be an annoyance with version 4. Version 5, however, does not seem to have this issue. My assumption is that enough users complained about it (I was one of them) that Celemony decided it would really be OK if your selected data scrolled off the screen - just like every other piece of software on the planet, from MS Word to Google Chrome. As far as the question of bounce vs. region render, I wouldn't expect to hear any difference in quality either way. More important is to only render once if you can, because even though Melodyne does a spectacularly good job of it, a small amount of artifacts is unavoidable and those distortions are cumulative with each re-render. As others have said above, I like to split my vocal tracks into small clips and work on each one individually, rendering as I go. timboalogo, yes, you can re-edit a rendered clip, but it's not a practice I'd recommend. Whenever I notice a phrase that needs tweaking but is in an already edited and rendered clip, I'll split out that phrase into its own clip and apply Melodyne just to that. Chances are it was never actually edited by Melodyne to begin with, so there are no artifacts to compound.

I usually reach for OTS' Stratosphere, a Strat sample library, for that kind of thing. Here's a cover of Sleepwalk that I did with that guitar. Not surf, but from the era when surf was most popular. https://soundclick.com/r/s7wj1l

Panning audio gives you the option to use true stereo panning. It also assures consistency by not depending on how the instrument vendor implemented panning, even if you later substitute a different synth. It means you can adjust the panorama while mixing, even after the synth has been rendered. You are able to visually see pan settings in either track or console views without having to open the synth's UI. But if you never plan on rendering your synths to audio and prefer to keep the project as solely MIDI right up until the final export, then use whichever method you feel most comfortable with.

I did not know that. Well, I like Gouda cheese, so there ya go.

Maybe not. But there is a Holland, TX and a Nederland, TX. This is the state where German is spoken by many, where there are more tigers than there are in Africa, where 85 MPH is still a legal speed limit and dead little walking tanks litter the highways. It's the only state where your Hammond B-3 isn't guaranteed to be in tune. Happy, Smiley, Zipperland and Muleshoe are real places in Texas. As are Bonham and Bowie.

The cowboy boots are a nice touch. The photo may have been taken in Amsterdam, Texas.

Ah, so that's what's been happening! Fortunately, my glaucoma is totally under control. Unfortunately, font size is often dictated by the amount of screen real-estate available. You can't just make everything bigger without sacrificing some other information. And Cakewalk has no control over plugin vendors' font choices. Just don't get your expectations too high is all I'm saying. I hate to say it, but for those of us with sub-ideal eyesight the best solution is indeed a bigger monitor. I just replaced two 22" monitors with a single 34" screen. Even though the total display area has been reduced, I can now read the text much better. No more sliding things down to the main monitor just to read them. Pretty happy now with two matching 34" displays. Unfortunately, they are mounted one above the other rather than side-by-side (not practical, as they'd block my speakers) and my neck gets sore after doing a long editing session on the upper screen.

It's funny - I take a minimalist approach to everything except vocals. If I have more than two plugins on an instrumental track I worry I'm doing more harm than good. In a typical project, half my instrument tracks will have no effects at all and most of the others only EQ. But when it comes to vocals, I exercise no such restraint. It's not unusual to have 5 or 6 effects on a vocal track or bus. My first priority is always dynamics, trying to keep vocals level. So the first plugin on any vocal track is a gain control, specifically Blue Cat Audio's Gain plugin. This I automate to smooth out large volume changes, plosives, sibilance and excessive breath noises, lip smacks and background noise. This always precedes any compressor. I'm a fan of EQ early in the chain, since more often than not I'm high-passing the vocal. Doing this before any compression makes the compressor's job easier. If the vocal was not recorded in a neutral space, I'll pull out Meldaproductions' MDynamicEQ to address things like room resonances and window reflections. Otherwise, it's almost always Pro-Q3 from FabFilter. Next in the chain will be a FET-style compressor, usually PSP's FETPressor, often followed by an opto-style such as Cakewalk's CA-2A. Sometimes with a lot of scrunching, sometimes with very little, depending on whether the vocalist used proper mic technique or whether it was me singing. After that, if it's a lead vocal an optional extra will be some kind of distortion. That'll usually be Noveltech's Vocal Enhancer or FabFilter's Saturn, but there are no hard and fast rules. If it's an aggressive rocker I might go with Redopter from D16. Next are modulators. For BGVs, I like to use a subtle chorus. Which chorus plugin almost doesn't matter, but Valhalla's UberMod often gets the nod. I love BGVs because you can have a lot of fun with them, effects-wise. Last in the chain are delays and reverbs. I'm a fan of delays, especially on lead vocals, but delays are usually very subtle and tempo-synced to remain subliminal. Delays can often negate the need for any reverb at all. Notably missing from my list is any kind of de-esser, which I use only in the most extreme cases. P.S. My newest vocal effect is Melodyne. Oh, I've been using Melodyne for years and years, but this latest version introduced a new leveling feature that's quickly become a standard step in my vocal processing.

I was a college student in the late 60's, when the hi-fi movement was reaching its apex. Stereo was still a new thing (I still have a vivid memory of hearing my first stereo recording - Magical Mystery Tour) and every kid wanted at least a Kenwood bookshelf system in their dorm room. I couldn't afford one, having spent all my excess pennies on a guitar and a mandola. And drugs, of course. For the next 30 years, owning a high-quality stereo system was not a priority. I bought synthesizers and amps for them, PA systems and vans to haul it all in. I spent the price of a decent used car on reel-to-reels for recording. Multiple $4k computers, then more keyboards and guitars. I would never have predicted that my first truly high-fidelity playback system would come in the form of a computer accessory.

If you think about it, no stereo system can sound better than the gear employed to make the record in the first place. Any content that might be revealed, which is to say sounds that had not been audible to the engineers, isn't likely to be good information. The extras you're going to get will be pedal squeaks, trucks passing by, conversations from the control room, horn spit, footfalls, gurgling stomachs and hum from the fridge next door. A more realistic goal is to hear it like the engineers heard it. That's doable and it won't take you 30 years and a quarter-million to achieve it. Respect for his determination and appreciation for music, though. Sadly, that's dying out. As I am reminded every time I see a teenager rocking out to a single Apple earbud.

Homeland of my ancestors. All of whom collectively cried "F*ck This! Let's go to England."

Any plugin that fully conforms to the VST3 spec is expected to implement preset folders as described by Steinberg: [Users/$USERNAME/Documents]/VST3 Presets/$COMPANY/$PLUGIN-NAME/ (user-specific presets) [Users/$USERNAME/AppData/Roaming]/VST3 Presets/$COMPANY/$PLUGIN-NAME/ (per-user factory presets) [ProgramData]/VST3 Presets/$COMPANY/$PLUGIN-NAME/ (global factory presets) [$APPFOLDER]/VST3 Presets/$COMPANY/$PLUGIN-NAME/ (DAW-specific presets) Note that many (most?) vendors ignore this recommendation, preferring to keep their pre-VST3 scheme for backward compatibility. Personally, I would surrender and let them go where they want to go. I long ago gave up trying to impose my will on software vendors because it only causes complications such as redundant copies and missing dependencies. I let vendors install files wherever they want. They're small, so it's not like I'm wasting a lot of disk space by making such a concession. My exception to this policy is large files such as virtual instruments that reference samples. Even then, I let the main DLLs go to their default destinations and just relocate the samples to another disk. The original paths still exist so the software doesn't get confused, but the sample folders are links (created with the mklink command). You could do the same for presets, but it's probably not worth the bother.

^^^ Agreed. Then stack that amazing voice three times and layer her sibling's voice, and you've got Enya before Enya was a thing. She was a pretty good drummer, too. As you listen to this, keep in mind there is no Autotune, no thickening plugins or exciters. Just some plate reverb, LA-2A and a vintage Neumann. This song was originally recorded by the Toronto band Klaatu, who many thought were the Beatles incognito. They weren't, but clearly were Beatles fans as evidenced by the Mellotron flutes, slapback slide guitar, Lennon-esque vocal backed by some "whoa whoa yeh"s.