Jerry Gerber

I was having several problems after upgrading to Windows 10. Both involved drivers; an ethernet MIDI over LAN driver (ipMIDI and MIDI over LAN) and a MOTU microlite MIDI interface driver. The culprit, I am 99% certain, is a feature called "fast startup", which I didn't know about as I was using Windows 7 for many years and this feature wasn't implemented until Windows 8. After doing some online research I learned that this feature can cause problems with updates, drivers and other problems. If you go to your power settings in control panel, you'll see the function. Turn it off. Power Options-Choose What the Power Buttons Do-Change settings that are currently available-uncheck fast startup. If you find drivers are not loading correctly and if you do a restart (not shutting off the machine, just restarting) fixes the problem, it's most likely because of fast startup. Your boot time might increase by 1 second or so (no big deal) but your system will be stable and drivers will then load correctly from a cold boot. Jerry

Hello, (I posted this onthe Q&A Forum but I think this is the better place to ask this question) I am still running the final version of Sonar Platinum because, in the staff view, I can select a passage and right click to get the menu which allows me to make changes to the MIDI data (velocity, transpose, slide, etc.). In the newest version of Cakewalk I have to press CTRL-right click to do the same thing. I work almost exclusively in the staff view and event list and this one extra step will add a lot of time to my workflow. Any chance you can have the program revert back to the right-click only to call up the menu? Thanks! Jerry Gerber www.jerrygerber.com

Hello, I am still running the final version of Sonar Platinum because, in the staff view, I can select a passage and right click to get the menu which allows me to make changes to the MIDI data (velocity, transpose, slide, etc.). In the newest version of Cakewalk I have to press CTRL-right click to do the same thing. I work almost exclusively in the staff view and event list and this one extra step will add a lot of time to my workflow. Any chance you can have the program revert back to the right-click only to call up the menu? Thanks! Jerry Gerber www.jerrygerber.com

I'm not certain yet, but it may have something to do with Windows 10 "fast startup". I've been reading that it causes far more problems than it's worth, saving a second or two on boot up. Apparently it might cause problems with some drivers loading correctly. I'll know in a few days whether this is the culprit. I'll put the ipMIDI monitor on the taskbar and see if it reveals anything new. Thanks for the tip.. Jerry www.jerrygerber.com

Yeah, I checked. It may be that I need to allow my interfaces (audio and midi) and their USB drivers more time to load before booting up the DAW.

I send MIDI data via the Ethernet with a program called ipMIDI. It's been working flawlessly for 4 months. Suddenly it doesn't work. I've determined through troubleshooting that it's not my DAW, I've tried both Sonar and Digital Performer. It's not my MIDI interface (hardware); when I send midi data through the MOTU Microlite it works fine in both playback and from the keyboard. Audio also works fine. My slave computer and its audio interface also work fine. I've uninstalled and reinstalled ipMIDI and made sure that it can pass through the firewall, but this didn't resolve it. I've also checked my Ethernet cable, and it works fine because I can send files back and forth between the master and slave computer. It seems to be only MIDI over Ethernet that isn't work. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks! Windows 10 32 GB RAM 2 fast SSD drives

Hi Bjorn, I am always extremely reluctant to give feedback or advice to others. You've made a good effort. If I may share my experience (please take it with a grain of salt!) I would say listen carefully to the attacks and releases of your strings. Your bassoon sounds fine. Sampled wind hardly ever need the work that strings need to get that "singing feeling". The first thing I do is try find the right string sample for the passage. This might involve going through a half a dozen or more of samples to find the one that works the best, taking into account dynamics, tempo, phrasing, etc. After choosing the best sample-set, then comes the midi controllers to make sure the attack and releases also fit the phrasing. In the opening, the releases of the strings are too short; the phrase can be made more musical simply by making them a little bit longer so they don't' sound as though notes are being cut off too soon. I hope i am not overstepping my bounds, I am really hesitant to be critical of another's work and I don't generally receive constructive criticism often enough myself. But I think with a few tweaks of the string attacks and releases you'll get a better sound. String attacks are always slower than wind, percussion or even brass attacks, and certainly much slower than crisp synth timbres. Best, Jerry www.jerrygerber.com

Thanks Andy!

Thanks Paul, much appreciated...

Haha! Yeah, I used the melody from "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and the main theme from "Rebel Without a Cause" to follow the poet's references to these. Same with the reference to The Rite of Spring.... Thanks for listening!

Thanks Douglas and Tom, Glad you enjoyed Raga! Jerry

Hi Amicus, Thank you for the kind comments, glad you liked the 1st movement.. Jerry

Thanks Max, I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. Jerry

Thank you Bjornpdx! Glad you appreciate my composition! Jerry

Thanks Wookiee! Glad you enjoyed listening.. Jerry

I wrote Rhapsody as way to utilize only synthesizers and some vocal samples from the Roland XP-30. There are no orchestral instruments in this piece, it's my version of electronica, or perhaps in a genre closer to classical electronica. PLAY

Thanks everyone, it was automation that was causing it. "Delete Special" resolved it. I have no idea how automation got in the file as I didn't put it there... Jerry

I have a project with about 35 MIDI tracks, no audio yet. I've checked the event lists and staffs for every track and there is no data after measure 89. There are no markers and no meter or tempo changes after measure 89 either. Although I have checked "Stop at Project End", playback continues long past measure 89. I've checked other project files and they behave as expected, they stop at project end. I can't figure out what's causing this. I've tried "apply trimming" and "bounce to clip" but this doesn't work. There are no hidden tracks. What could be causing this? Thanks! Jerry www.jerrygerber.com

Hi Tom, No, I did not play the music into Sonar. I programmed it, note by note, in the notation editor. Thanks for the comments! Jerry

My 14th album, Earth Music features my 10th symphony and two shorter works, including Three Short Piano Pieces. Here's a link to these pieces. They are programmed for a piano that is constructed using physical modeling, not sampling. Here's a definition of physical modeling: Physical modelling is a process of recreating the physical reactions and unique interplay of both physical and electronic components using mathematical models and algorithms to create a realistic reproduction. This scientific process is used in many fields, from seismology to the automotive industry. Interestingly, the same principles that create accurate earthquake predictions and more efficient engines and vehicle design can also be used to give vintage instruments a new lease of life in software. PLAY

I know, of course time is valuable and should not be wasted. And the generally accepted meaning you gave is right. But still, from my perspective one can be replaced, the other cannot, so for me personally time is more valuable because while money can be gained and lost, time only moves in one direction...

The saying "Time is Money" never made any sense to me. The huge difference between them is that money can be replaced. Time cannot.

This is a short piece for this album: http://www.jerrygerber.com/virtualharmonics.htm PLAY It's scored for string orchestra and 2 instances of Z3TA-2. I hope you enjoy listening! Jerry

Oops! I forgot to mention the singer and lyricist's names! I wrote and produced the song, Lee Gregory is the tenor and Lisa K. Buchanan wrote the lyrics... My error...

My friend Art Austin is one of the few classical musicians that I know who is a fantastic improviser. We get together from time to time, when there weren't any pandemics, just to play. Nothing memorized, nothing notated, nothing agreed upon, not even tempos, keys or chord progressions. We just listen to one another and respond. I find that improv is the time to give expression to the spontaneous musical impulse, the most direct and immediate form of musical expression. As a composer, improv often serves as the place where ideas are discovered and turned into composition. Composition is about structure, refinement, development and organization, improv is about music-in-the-moment-- and nothing else. I hope you enjoy listening. Art Austin, clarinet Jerry Gerber, piano PLAY