Ronny.G

Offline computer, always offline...so go online it's not an option as also sign in. I have my system already activated. When the latest 2024.02 update was released I also activated again my system using the new cakewalk product manager using a different online computer (offline activation). No problems but now after only 14 days I have this activation reminder to close at every start of CbB. Like I said my system is always offline so I have no doubts that now the activation last only 30 days (but after 14 you start to have this reminder popup). Even before we had to refresh the activation (online or oflline) as a requirement but not every 30 days...

Hi, here we go again with this nonsense activation/reactivation scheme. I have activated CbB only 14 days ago and now I have the "beautiful" activation reminder popup at every start of CbB: Activation required Cakewalk must be reactivated within 13 day(s). Update activation status before time runs out. So at least we know that NOW the activation last only 30 days. Worse, 14 days in reality because after these there is again a popup to close at every start of CbB if you don't reactivate soon. From many months before reactivation was required to...14 days...

The problem it's exactly the same also for me. The problem is related to instrument maps. They can be assigned to external midi instruments output but not to an internal vst instruments midi output (only drum maps can be manually assigned to an internal vst output). You can partially bypass the problem as msmcleod suggested using the patch browser. In any case consider that default patch browser have only a GS instruments definition map that is equal to the SC-55 map of Sound Canvas VA. To fully have all the 1600 patches of the SC-8820 module emulation you need to import the 8820 map from the roland.ins file. For doing this you need to have an active midi out device (that can be removed after) then you can "define" an instrument and import from roland.ins the Roland SC-D70 and D70 Drumsets. You have then to remove all the other roland sc that are imported (don't know why...) and leave only the sc-8820 sets or you have double names in the patch browser. If you want you can change the name for the instrument from sc-d70 and also export the new created .ins You can also open it with a text editor and change some names like "88 series controllers" if you want. After this you can select the SC-8820 and SC-8820 Drumsets from the Patch browser. Unfortunately default patch numbers order are from 0 to 99 with 100-127 after the number 10 and everytime you open the patch browser, you have to reorder the patches for have them displayed from 0 to 127. You can remove the midi out from devices if you don't need it anymore and you use only internal vsts. Obviously the best would be if we can manually assign these maps easily also to software internal vst instrument output in some way, to show and select them also in the midi track parameters, when there is some problem in receive patches and banks from the vst instrument (and with vst instruments is pretty common) like in this case where the vst don't expose correctly all its bank and patches and we are left with only bank0 and empty patch names.

@John Vere Exactly, no other DAW can open and play a midi file as fast and with quality comparable to CbB. As I said the TTS-1 is not the most accurate gm/gs module but is, or better say was, integrated, free, fast and soundwise well balanced between instruments and due to this I don't remember a pre midi file that was not good with it. I have to say that from my tests the Roland sound canvas plugin is also as good as TTS-1 or better. Unfortunately it is not free and more important it needs some little user work before play midis (change output and manually send all sysx) but at least is a real VSTi the TTS-1 not so you can use it with every DAW. I know that it will be difficult but let's hope there will be some chance for letting the user select a GM VSTi module to auto open when you open a midi file. In fact at the moment is true the opposite...you can't load a midi file without TTS-1

Are you sure? For what I can see the sysxs can already be sent to a VSTis if the output is a VSTi. What we need in future is an option to auto load a preferred VSTi when you open a midi file so we can for example use the sound canvas plugin or others exactly as it was for the TTS-1, and so also auto send sysxs at load.

If you still have the TTS-1 after you open a midi file, if you have also installed the sound canvas plugin, you can change all the tracks with right click on TTS-1 then "replace synth for all tracks using this synth". If you don't have the TTS-1 anymore you can select all tracks then open tracks menu and select "selected track outputs", here you can choose your vst (sound canvas). The problem is with the auto sysxes. Now when you open a midi file that have these data they are auto sended to TTS-1 for configure or reset various GM options before start to play. But in future this could be a problem. You will have to "manual" send these auto sysxs after you have open the midi and assigned its tracks to the sound canvas plugin. Or when it's possible use an event option on the track alternative to sysx. This is the point in where you sought the old TTS-1 where you didn't have to worry about this passage. I tried all the various vst options to replace the TTS-1 during the years, but TTS-1 was still the best as resources/quality and fast access. Then there is the sound canvas plugin. You can use some .sf2 soundfonts with vsts also but then you have problems in find and setup the right reverbs or choruses for the tracks as most of the time the included one doesn't sound right. Something never sound right with pre midi files and you have to do a lot of small fixes and so you lost a lot of time. I had a system with a perfect .sf2 midi player but was not a vst. In the past I had also a Yamaha DB50XG, that was better than TTS-1 unfortunately it needs a waveblaster soundcard and now it is installed on my master keyboard piano to give it also sound... I think that we need to ask the bakers if there will be an option to choose a default vst plugin (gm multitrack compatible) for midi files to open with. In this case it should work exactly as the old TTS-1. But we need this option to be added. As a note remember that the gm vst must be multitrack compatible as it is the sound canvas plugin or all these suggestion don't work. Example xv-5080 (plugin not the real device) is better than sound canvas but it lacks multitracks.

Let's hope that the 2024.02 early update fix the popup screen problems for all the offline users. And thanks to the bakers for listen to our reports about this problem

Yes, as I said I used it a lot in the past for solve the problem that some midi files have "words" saved as text and not as lyrics and this plugin is the only one that works. You have to apply the effect not insert it. You have to: - select the track with "words" - right click - Process Effect - MIDI Effects... - Uncategorized - AZ Text2Lyrics - OK Conversion done, now you can view the lyrics tab of the track and the "words" are there. Not perfect as page layout and margin but the syllabs are preserved. This is the best that can be automatically done by the plugin. Consider also that CbB isn't a dedicated fine tuned program for display midi lyrics, so it's limited if you need to display lyrics on screen in a live situation.

I don't know if you want or need to use a CAL script to solve this problem, however if you want to solve the midi text/lyrics problem you can also use this MFX plugin Text2lyrics. I had the same problem as you and I solved with this one. Thanks again to AZSlow for this plugin!

Thanks for take your time for all these tests. What I can confirm for sure to all (as you know I'm an always offline user), is that it's not possible to activate anymore and older version (no matter if online or offline). The activation server was changed. You have only the option to install and activate the newest version. I don't think this is a big problem. Maybe some user has some new bug introduced with this newer version but in my experience it's stable (as before naturally...CbB has still some problems to fix...) and it's a little better than the 2022.11, it has a lot of small fixes and also it still works on every windows, so why not use it... it's pretty much the 2022.11 but with a lot of fixes. Even this newest version will have soon the offline activation option. Trust me, the bakers are working on this. However this post is about Sonar popup screen, that is a different matter. Add this was a "tragic" decision! It's impossible that you have to wait everytime you start CbB when you are offline. Also from what I read it causes a lot of different problems. The solution is not try to find a procedure to activate an older version, but ask to remove this popup nonsense from the latest version. Really, like I said it's a very bad decision to include this nag screen without the possibility after some time of disable it. This is my opinion.

Please do the right thing, it's evident that this popup is only a problem, release an urgent fix update to CbB for remove it. It's the only logical solution to solve this mess...

Exactly, and also CbB situation is little different as is only now that there will be an upgrade path and this message is introduced, not from the start. I mean, I would like to use a product that I know that in it's free version has a reminder screen? Good it's my choice, if it's ok and I'm ok with this limitation,no problem, I'm using a free product with this limitation but I can live with it and who knows maybe in future I choose to upgrade to the paid version. But I know this before... Maybe also consider that CbB has never had a requirement to work online. I understand the speech "we want to add a reminder to make everyone know the new Sonar" but in this way it doesn't make sense, it seems only an introduced limitation of usability (introduced only now) that you can remove by switching to the paid version...the crossing line is thin. CbB only asked to renew the activation after a fairly long time and in two ways:put online the PC on which it was installed and renew or alternatively use another PC through the offline procedure. It shouldn't have been similar also now? Why 20 seconds of wait at every start for being offline? At least as others have said, add the option to remove it after a number of views. It is clear that we say after 20,30,50 views I have already been informed that the new Sonar also exists, why continue "remember" me? Then leave enough long time for renew the activation as it has always been, moreover it does not seem to me that this have created problems for anyone.

Exactly. This nag screen (also with time counter) it's a total nonsense. I think pretty much everyone that uses CbB knows that soon there will be also again a reborn Sonar. It's a reminder that popup also when you are offline, so it's certain that I can't "know more" from that splash screen because I'm offline. It's only an annoying splash screen useful for disrupt workflow and creativity if I would like to rapid start CbB.

The feature will be re-enabled as it's clearly stated in the release notes, the problem is when. "• Version 2023.09 currently does not support offline activation, so your computer must be online to activate it. Offline activation will be available soon." That is precisely why I was asking, if maybe the reasons for this delay were known, given that two months have passed, and I pointed out the inconvenience. I repeat what I have already written, I think that in any case it was a wrong decision to release this update with the feature disabled. It was probably thought that the problem would only affect a small number of people, but that was the wrong reasoning. It's not just the numbers that matter here. For example, a few times, in these years of CbB, when I could, I tried to contribute to making it a better product by reporting bugs and proposing suggestions, but I am an "offline" user of the program. So it was really necessary to temporarily disable the feature just now for changes? Couldn't it just be postponed? maybe at the time of the release of Sonar so you now allowed everyone to update the "old" CbB that had been stopped with updates for a year. How many times in the last year have been asked "when does the new update come out?" since we have been stuck with version 2022.09 for many months. Now I, like many others, although I have never and I emphasize never solicited anything, I waited patiently like many others to be able to eliminate some of those bugs still present (as indicated in the release note at least 60). You will understand that you are a little disappointed.... As for suggestions, they would certainly be appreciated if they would indicate procedures to temporarily circumvent the problem and allow offline activation such as for exampke moving something manually from an online system to an offline one. But not a suggestion like "connect the system offline to the internet". Sorry but what suggestion is that? Don't I know like everyone else that if I connect it to the internet it activates? It is logical that this way you solve, but it seems equally logical to me that if I could have done it without problems I would have already done it... I understand and appreciate who would like to give an help or suggest something but also read what I wrote and why in my case what you would like to suggest to me is not possible.

Don't take it badly but what all of this has to do with what I wrote or my question? "Scary" of going online and use internet?? I'm starting to believe that someone hasn't read what I wrote or didn't care much and the only thing that interested them was to expose their enlightened thought to all the alleged imaginary terrapiatists (notoriously also retrograde, anti-change and progress?)? Everything some have written has nothing to do with what I have mentioned. Then let's do some clarity. I remind you that CbB has always had offline activation. And I would like to see, since it is also present in many other daw including the most recent Studio One 6 and Cubase 13. Even the bakers have written in the release notes that the offline activation option has only been temporarily disabled. So it seems legitimate to ask why it's not still been restored or not? I also pointed out that in my opinion too much time has passed without having news about when it will be available again. A problem was created for those who had their own systems offline and after a year of waiting for this last update this is worse too. I added also that I found absurd to have released this last update with the option disabled. Keeping in mind that this update had to be the latest version for CbB in any case (with over 60 bugs fixed) and released after a year of waiting. If the new offline activation system (I think in common with the future Sonar) wasn't yet ready to manage the activations of the "old" CbB wouldn't have been more sense to leave the old system active for CbB and not cause this limitation? In case this was impossible because it had to be removed for technical reasons, why not completely remove the activation from the "old" CbB, rather than releasing it this way. In any case, CbB would have been withdrawn shortly, as well as the Bandlab Assistant and being CbB always been free would not have been a big problem. If I, as others think, have configured my own daw system for offline use (and I emphasize one of my daw systems...not all of them...) in your opinion now, to receive on this PC the latest update of a product that will still be withdrawn, I should reinstall from scratch the whole system that works perfectly only for CbB and only because there is no news on when, what has been temporarily deactivated and that has always been present in the program for five years, will be restored? and it will be restored as the bakers also wrote.. It's seems logical for you? It isn't more logical to ask, as I did, WHEN the missing function will be restored since we are in November, highlighting that a problem has been created for some CbB users? Just my opinion...

@Byron Dickens maybe for you, it's your opinion, my system works perfectly and is a lot more faster and with less latency with these mods. Also I think this it's not a debate about DAW pc online vs oflline. Both solution have valid arguments on their side anyways but these are arguments for another topic. Here the problem is another, offline activation suddenly removed from the last update of a retired product and why it takes so long to be restored.

@Byron Dickens I have removed many services from windows as also firewall, browser and so on. Internet on this system is a no option. But more important is the reverse of the question, why I have to connect to the internet now? activation of CbB never required internet active and it's now a retired product so...

@John Vere I agree with you and I would like to be patient. The only problem is that this "last or near last" update was in the works for at least ONE year (the last update was the 2022.11). They collect bug reports for one year and when finally release this update the offline activation option was disabled. I as many others had to deal with all these bugs for over one year and now I can't even at least fix them. Also consider that we are in november, the update was released in september and still nothing... If they are not ready to change the offline activation scheme also for this product, leave it as it was (it's a retired product in any case) or remove it but don't change it and push out an update knowing before that there will be people (don't matter how many) that can't use it.

Probably the easiest solution is if they fix the problem and restore the offline activation (or maybe as I said remove the need for it since it's now useless). Thanks for you suggestion but even if I plug an external wireless dongle, it's not only CbB that goes online, it's the entire machine, so it's not a solution. Also it needs a browser installed that I have removed from my pc as firewall, antivirus and all rest that is not necessary for fine tuning latency and have better performance. Incidentally there was always an offline activation option and I supposed due to this, people with fine tuned and streamlined OS versions for optimal perfomance that have removed services from their systems. Why it's not working now?

Hi to all, I have my CbB installed on a pc that is not connected to internet and I can't install the last update because you suddenly removed the option to activate offline. from the last releases notes: "If you wish to continue to use CbB, you must update to the 2023.09 version. Earlier versions will cease to activate in the future." "Version 2023.09 currently does not support offline activation, so your computer must be online to activate it. Offline activation will be available soon." You can agree that we have a weird situation here...I "must" update but I can't really update because you removed the option...so? You stated "Offline activation will be available soon." but weeks are passed from the update 2023.09 and the offline activation is still disabled, I have invested lot of time and resources for setup and configure my DAW, as I think many others, and now not only I'm forced to stay with 2022.11 version as you don't let me update it but probably soon even this one will stop working. WHEN offline activation will be available again? I think you can agree with me that there is a problem when you release a "last or near last" update to a software that can be activated offline and JUST with this update (after five years the people are using it...) you remove the option to activate it. What can we do? Sorry, but since you decided to announce a new payware Sonar and dismiss CbB it wasn't more easy to remove the activation at all from CbB last updates since you decided to retire it and it was a free (in any sense) and will remain (as it is) a free product anyway? It's simpler than what you have done. Again I don't want to be rude but just remind that there are also people with machines not connected to the net and that we are suddenly left alone without any options. Thanks to all

@Mark Morgon-Shaw and the others Exactly so, many times I too find myself in a situation of trying to remember (most of the time try...) the actual range of notes available to me for individual instruments in use on the various midi channels. Most of the time it varies not only with respect to the "correct" range of individual instruments (violin,viola,etc), but also with respect to the fact that different libraries can also have a narrower or wider range than the one of the "real" instrument, making it even more complicated to remember the available ranges. Also, just last week I was using a sections type library and not only there was this problem but since it had also multi-intruments patches , in the single patches there were in practice 4 or 5 ranges for the different instruments loaded, and the ranges were always different depending on the patch. Using more than one patch translated in a situation that was even more complicated. A further example of how it would be really useful to have a visual feedback through colors and writings customizable on the keys as an additional guide when working directly in the PRV panel on single notes or chords to orchestrate what has already been composed. There are also all the cases in which an NKS keyboard or multiple monitors are not available, for example if you are traveling with a laptop but want to try some corrections or changes on the fly. As you write, this addition would have zero impact for those who are not interested, but I'm sure that if present it would be a function that would be used by many in different ways. A bit like the arranger or expression maps that are born with a purpose but being flexible they can also adapt to other needs than those for which they were designed. Even to me it does not seem a complex addition (on paper...maybe it's on the code...I don't know). Especially if implemented with only the possibility of "manual" configuration " for now, as I explained above, and therefore without having to recover data directly from kontakt through VST, which would complicate the things, it would increase the risk of incompatibility or errors in the event of future updates of kontakt or vst protocol and would also not allow the insertion of "custom" text (very important too as I explained) or assign the same saved configuration to different midi channels with different patch loaded (I think of when changes made in multitrack mode in the PRV panel with focus on active track). I also hope that my little suggestion will be taken into consideration and examined regarding its feasibility for a future update of CbB. Let's hope too maybe in @msmcleod consideration, if he has some time to examine this suggestion and thanks to all!

Thank you all for your interest I usually use the articulation pane function massively and I love it. This additional feature that I have indicated, as far as I am concerned, does not serve as much to indicate the key switches on the piano keys, as you rightly write for that there is already the articulation function, but rather to write down other things on the piano note keys. I'll give you an example, the first one that comes to mind. If you don't have in operation for various reasons (for example because you are outside with the laptop) a lighted NKS keyboard and you are doing notes corrections and insertions through the PRV, it would be useful to have the colored indications of the range extension that you have available for the instrument. In addition, you could also create various piano keys templates for orchestration in which you can indicate instruments range according to the ones used using different colors and also add on the piano key a text indicating which instrument the color zone is (copy this "customized piano roll definition" on multiple tracks and you can use it in PRV multitracks editing too, etc. These are only a few ideas there would be many other examples. You can adapt it to very different needs in a flexible way as you have colors and the two custom text zones (the maximum available in the tiny space) on the keys. We already have this, maybe add a third option that open a configuration panel (as in my screenshot demo example) where you can create save and reload your piano keys settings (similar to the articulation pane) The drum map is a totally different thing, also notes don't have duration but maybe you mean drum map in "note names" this could partially solve the name problem but even this is different from what I proposed, there aren't anymore the piano keys layout and the assignable color zones.

Hi everyone, in the past, a similar request has already been made, however I would like to propose it again with some variations as I think, a new feature like this on the PRV, if it will be implemented, could be very useful. Personally I found myself many times in the condition in which it would have been enormously useful for me to have a customization of this type of the notes pane in the PRV view. First of all to have a quick visual indication of the extension available to me for each VST instrument used in the various tracks, but not only, even an additional personalized text would have allowed me to insert useful additional "reminders" on the individual keys. This customization should be done per single track and not a global. In practice, a custom instrument definition can already be assigned to a single track through the appropriate menu. It would therefore also be a matter of adding an additional "custom text and colors" option to the menu already present. This option should open an edit window similar to that already in use for the articulations in which to be able to enter and save as a preset also, the personalized data. The keyboard notes names would obviously be fixed instead text1, text2 and color would be customizable. Text1 and Text 2 fields should be displayed in different areas of the piano keys and it should be possible to use them both or not to allow better management of the limited space available and to have maximum flexibility according to use (in some cases it would be visually more linear to use only the text1 field, in other cases only the text2, or a combinaltion of both,etc). I think an image can explain very simply what I mean so I insert one as an example. The possibility of entering the personalized data manually would also be relatively simple and fast so as not to require automatic retrieve from the VST instrument (for example I think kontakt note colors) which would probably create some more complications with VST data exchange . Also if we insert manually the data through CbB in this way, we can also insert the custom texts which are very important too. I hope my suggestion will be taken into consideration for a future release. Let me know what you think. For now I thank the developers once again for their work!

@florinko Unfortunately that's exactly how you write. With time I learned to use some "tricks" to eliminate or minimize this problem. Some are helpful, others don't help that much. Unfortunately something is not working properly in saving inputs / outputs in the presence of VSTi routing. You never have the certainty that reopening the project or the track template, inputs have remained in place. Connecting and disconnecting the various external MIDI peripherals it's not the only cause of the problem that occurs even without touching anything, as well as Windows... Some small improvements have been made recently (thanks again to the developers for this), but unfortunately we are not there yet. For those who need to make a routing between advanced VSTi (mine is like this...) it's still a pain. As far as I'm concerned this VSTi routing is the CbB's real problem. It is a pity that we cannot solve the problem (or better say the problems) with it once and for all after so many years. I tried several times to explain it. More and more you are also dependent on internal VSTi to make music and not only external gears and therefore the internal routing between these must work and it should be possible to recall the saves perfectly. It is not possible to waste time every time you reopen a project (and maybe you're in a hurry because you got an idea) because you are in the condition of having to correct and reconfigure what had already been saved properly previously. I still do not give up hope (although due to this problem I am forced many times to use other DAW for large projects). I repeat, a lot of useful improvements have been made in the last two years (articulation maps, nested folders, automation envelopes, arranger,etc). And it was an extraordinary growth! It still remains this routing issue at the "heart" of the program though... For me that's what CbB lacks (maybe even the chord track...) to be among the "big ones". Let's hope...

@Variorum Hi, the new version of CSMultiCompanderV2 is great! very useful for rapid velocity adjustment. if I can, after trying it for a while, I would like to kindly suggest you some improvements. The "start" and "end" points (0,127) should be adjustable also on the horizontal axe and not only on the vertical one. This is a very important improvement. It would become possible to correct the absolute "minimum" and "maximum" values of the velocity. Add maybe the possibility for the user to add more "points" to better tune the curve or if it's difficult, at least change from 4 points (as it is now) to lets say 8 for example. When you select the "velocity mode" it would be very helpful if the indicator panel on the bottom of ctrl chng that do nothing in this mode could display the two velocity value numbers. Before and after the curve adjustment. Just my suggestions for improve this even more. And thanks again! for your time and work on these MFX plugins, they are all very useful on some situations.