mettelus

I had seen this video a few times then it popped up again this morning, so decided to dig into it deeper since the design of the electric lute she used last always intrigued me (is in the video thumbnail). Turns out that it gets even more interesting. That instrument (she dubbed a Dao Yu, or Jade Sword) was actually a kickstarter project that was set up so that fans could help her make it. The project page is interesting because the guy who took it on describes more behind the story of its design. Bottom line, her fans helped pay for the instrument before it was featured in the AGT audition. I always thought that design had a little more versatility since it gives easy fretboard access, but can also be supported on your leg sitting (unlike a Flying V). It is a technically a 4-stringed lute (electric Pipa* really... the very first instrument she played in the audition), but the body design always caught my eye when I saw it in passing. There are several shorts of her playing it when she first received it (even an unboxing one!), but she only had it about a year before it got on national TV. *More technically, it is a Ruan, since they are specifically sized for the register they can play.

Check this out quick to make sure your Sound Control Panel options jive with what you are using in Cakewalk. Some programs install at a default rate, and that install might have changed them on you. Also, if you are using more than one app for an ASIO device, make sure every app is set to the same settings (and that Exclusive mode is disabled in Windows Sound Control Options). Even with multiple ASIO drivers loaded, they should not be an issue as long as the proper one is in use and Windows doesn't give exclusive control to any apps. I would drill into the preferences on Vegas first and make sure they match Cakewalk, then check Windows. Cakewalk can only use what Windows tells it is available, and if locked, cannot change the audio settings on it.

The only issue with Hellrazer I have had is that the notes do not follow hand position at times (which is okay as a VST, but not if was a real performance). That was why I had asked about the "Strings" feature that was recently released for the Ample Sound basses making it into the guitars. Ample Sound also is a little less obvious with shutting off all of the internal FX; so in a re-amp situation, it is possible they carried forward some of the internal FX into whatever VST they were using. The other niggle that some have had is that it only has one pickup position sampled (bridge only), but I have not had an issue with that.

As with a lot of VSTs, there may be an option to install it via iLok (I honestly cannot remember now), but I have no iLok VSTs loaded on my machine either.

I am not sure where that came from? I have had H7S installed for years and it doesn't require iLok.

Thanks for that. I didn't think about the customized/clear tubing/colored coolant part until after I asked. As someone who goes through keyboards every couple of years, I wouldn't go to the trouble of tearing apart a cooler, I would just swap it out. Once seating surfaces show wear, getting a seal to seat properly can be iffy so you might get the chance to repeat the job. I agree that maintenance part is pretty much out of the question for me.

Out of curiosity, where did you find this? Water coolant systems are closed systems and shouldn't require anything other than cleaning dust from the heat exchanger (radiator end). In a way it is similar to a HDD, if you break the seal on it, you void any warranty (that operation must be performed in a clean room to prevent damage to the heads). Not to trigger your fear of water cooling here, but the first water cooling system I ever had (15 years ago now) ruptured (was a cheap POS that came with the machine)... thankfully I was at the computer when it did, but that coolant stank to high heaven (no idea of what chemicals were in it). Breaking a water system isn't something I would recommend to anyone to "just do," since the seals and sealants especially (thread locks) are often designed to be "non-breakable," so you will damage the components trying any disassembly (enough that they cannot be re-used). Some of those sealants cost more than some water coolers out there (which is something I would keep in mind if seeing a cheap water cooler). Fast-forward... the system I am on now has not had the water cooler touched in almost 8 years (other than to clean the radiator).

The comment about putting his pic on the single cover affecting air play gave me a chuckle. My hair was similar in high school, so after getting called "Billy Idol" numerous times "Mony Mony" got picked up half because of that... but also because audiences seem to love to participate in the explicit lyrics for some odd reason 🙄The writing of "White Wedding" in 15 minutes was rather cool. Oddly.. after that White Wedding video, one popped up about "Take on Me should not have been a hit"... long story short, was a Bridges song carried forward and flopped twice... then enter two animators and MTV. When he mentioned the iconic video aspect (which it was), I had to look that up and... OMG... 2.1B (yeah billion) views (posted in 2009)!

I have not delved into the Riffer much, but @Jason Morin would be able to steer you in the right direction. Ample Sound has put a lot of effort into importing and working with Guitar Pro files, so I do any intricate tweaking in Guitar Pro. You can also set up Guitar Pro to output to an (or multiple) Ample Sound instrument(s) (instead of its default sound set) which I made a post on a few years ago. Because I am used to that setup, I would recommend trying the demo of Guitar Pro if you cannot get Riffer to streamlined to your taste.

I was thinking the same thing with real time from a stream, since any pitch shifting would most likely be adjusting playback speed, but then I was curious with shifting up if the plugin would choke (run out of data to speed up). Even shifting down, eventually the buffer is going to have issues with filling up. If you have a select set of songs you are interested in, 4K Video Downloader (or similar) would allow you to have the entire file resident on the computer, which opens the doors to a lot more pitch shifting options.... simple, single wav file, so any VST can use look ahead on the data as you fiddle with pitch.

Are you talking about pitch shifting a streaming source or a file that is resident on the machine? I cannot think of one for a streaming source offhand. For files resident on your machine there are a lot of pitch shifters available, but some are not as lightweight as others. For example, Melodyne is heavy-handed in its analysis and takes a long time to process when opening a file; whereas something like RiffStation is quick to open files and adjust during playback (that is not a VST, but a stand alone app).

Even if not overclocking and something is running "within spec," electronics in particular are subject to dielectric breakdown which is exacerbated by heat (i.e., the longevity of the CPU). This is why aluminum substrates are commonly used to get heat from the source to "whatever" heat sink is used. From a heat transfer perspective, Q = mcΔT is the driving equation and liquids can not only absorb more heat per volume, but can also be driven through a system without noise (if designed properly). To achieve the same with air would require significant airflow (and noise). While there are some engineering feats that have been forced to rely on air (or more often heat dissipation to a larger (highly conductive) metal mass), modern CPUs have a very concentrated heat generation that should be accommodated accordingly.

Now that one is interesting. Back in the day you could actually watch SONAR paint itself with a fast enough machine (each child window would draw). That looks "almost" like the Now Time from the Track View is still being drawn on top even though the Track View is hidden, but more likely a re-draw issue since it is not functional. From the OP's description, it sounds like he has duplicate Aim Assist lines in play (they both follow his mouse), but not sure. I picture would definitely help there. For either draw issue, closing/re-opening Cakewalk should probably fix it.

Gotcha, thanks for that. It seems the computer is running better for you now, correct? **** Below is just babbling about storage in general **** Regarding storage, when working with multimedia files, temporary files can build up quickly. Every time you bounce a file, a new one is created, but Cakewalk doesn't delete the old one (in case you do want to keep it). For projects you have worked on a long time, it is always good to keep the entire folder as a backup (on another disc), and you can pare down the project folder by doing a "Save As..." to a new folder, and checking "Copy all audio with project" at the bottom of that dialog box. When that new folder is created only the audio actively in use by that project will copy (and only works for the open .cwp file). This is not urgent, but something to keep in mind if you notice project folders getting HUGE on you. Windows also creates temp files that never purge on their own. While you can get some of them with "Disk Cleanup" and checking the "Clean up system files" in the pop up, the ones that seems to build up quickest are in the following 2 directories: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Temp (Windows Explorer needs "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" enabled in the Folder Options->View to see the AppData folder) C:\Windows\Temp When those directories fill up you can safely delete the contents... anything that won't delete is in use, so just skip those (those directories will fill back up over time anyway). One thing that did catch me off guard a few months back is that Windows maintains the Hibernation File even if you don't use it, and it re-enables itself with some Windows updates. I posted about how to disable that here, and the reason it caught my attention was the hiberfil.sys file was 43.5GB (and I keep my C drive running at roughly 200GB). Disabling that frees up the resources that Windows is using to maintain it (a total waste if you never use Hybernation).

Thanks for posting the specs, that helps us understand a lot better. I am still confused with the hub/external drive. Are you actively using that external drive or just for backups? Your motherboard has 5 internal drive connections (4 SATA3, 1 M.2), and with a desktop they are better choices (if actively using the data from the external to work). I use external drives for backups, but also unplug them when not backing up data (not really "necessary" but keeps the machine from trying to keep active communication with a device that it doesn't need to run). As mentioned previously, Windows needs to have USB ports tweaked so they are not allowed to go idle, and hibernation mode has always been flaky in Windows... either of those can cause an interface to disconnect/not come back online properly. Also, when working in DAW mode, if all of your computer audio is passing through your audio interface, be sure that Windows is not giving exclusive control to apps (right click and do properties in Windows Sound Control Panel on the device, and makes sure those are unchecked on the "Advanced" tab at the top... while in there, also disable the "Enhancements" and "Spatial Sound" at the top, as they feed into the Windows mixer an with interfere with DAW usage).

I read through this thread and didn't see specs on your machine. Are you running a desktop or laptop, and what are the model/specs for it? The external hard drive stands out for me, since depending on exactly what you are pulling/sending to that, it can be a choke point by itself. Sending that data through a hub just adds to the computer's confusion and increases the throughput concerns (the interface will have buffer issues if sharing any connection). If that is a USB2 connection, every time the disc is reading/writing it can potentially consume the port it is connected to (so the interface can "go offline" or the buffer choke while the drives does its thing). Windows does try to track USB connections, which is why using the same one helps. When Windows gets confused on what is plugged in where, disconnecting/reconnecting a USB connection will force Windows to check the device. If that has to be done repeatedly to make something work, dig into your hardware profile and see what USB devices Windows is seeing.

I have also defaulted to Melda products unless there is a reason I cannot. Since I posted about this in another thread on aligning live drums, I wanted to make sure that owner's of Melodyne Studio (only Studio does this) realized this was available. The Melodyne video posted in that (I just inserted it below for this post) has a very specific way to "feed" Melodyne, not only to get proper alignment performance (per the title), but also to maintain phase coherency (this might slip under the radar for some watching it, but is massively important). One neat trick with Melodyne is at the 7 minute mark (end of the video), where he changes the beat around using another reference track for timing. Melodyne Studio has some hidden gems buried deeper into it, but the phase coherence is sort of an "under the hood" perk with the proper setup.

This is something to definitely share with the bakers. The handshaking between the interface and Windows is everything. AFAIK, Sonar relies on Windows to properly see the interface, so I am not sure if there is a resolution short of the Control 2 being fixed, but the bakers might very well have insight as to the "why." I didn't even realize until someone posted a few months ago that MixControl got "dumbed down" to Control. They said something to the effect of, "If I could see what the videos of MixControl show, I would be a happy camper, but that is not there in the Control software." Even in the days of MixControl, the very last update to that was for a Mac issue, which made Windows usage do wonky things, so I had to back out to the previous version. I got spooked from that and saved multiple copies of the last driver that worked so that mine doesn't turn into a doorstop (that "Mac fix" was, in fact, MixControl's final release).

Cakewalk is one of the few apps that lets you set almost all of those in the application without needing to edit the registry. Edit->Preferences->File->Folder Locations allows you to set all of the ones that are listed right there. Simple directory junctions will accommodate the rest.

There are numerous posts in the forums with the same question over the years, and I only remember one that had detailed usage outlined (was very well done), but I cannot readily find it or remember who posted it... but is also probably 10 years old. Barring that (potentially futile) search, there have been quite a few tutorials posted, and the newer ones will include new features and bug fixes that have been done (this can be important). A tutorial from 2022 that seems to have a fairly detailed walk-through for 2 methods is at this link, but there are many others... tutorials are probably the best path to start on. Audio Snap tends to fall into the category of either you love it or you hate it; rarely is there middle ground. Also, depending on which version of Melodyne you are using (this requires Melodyne Studio) there are methods to quantize live drums there (this is a good starting tutorial for using Melodyne Studio for live drums - any tutorial by Rich Crescenti is usually the best go to for Melodyne-related things). Personally, I have shied away from Audio Snap due to past struggles, and I much prefer something "third party" so I can get the work done regardless of DAW (as long as it has ARA capability).

That file has a common name to numerous programs (each is different, but its purpose is the same) and it is embedded into the app directory which needs it. The one you reference is probably for the Cakewalk Start Screen, and defaults to being in the C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Shared Utilities\StartPage directory. It is possible you have a corrupted installer for CbB. Did you use an installer you had previously downloaded or download the last version released? The re-installation recommendation (or even repair if available) would be your best route to correct that. As an aside, the Shared Utilities are as the name implies, so installing older versions of software over newer versions can replace files that the newer version needs to run. This is why during re-installs that it is recommended to start with the oldest Cakewalk version first and install them in order of oldest to newest.

Quick side note with the OP database specifically. The "file creation date" is embedded in the files, and I am assuming they are the server upload dates (since there are numerous ones in massive "slugs"), but cannot verify. While the gp3/4 format was used to keep files backwards compatible (Guitar Pro 3/4), I found this interesting: Only 9 files have a creation date after 1/29/2006, and only one after 2006 (11/12/2012). 67 files are in gp5 format (Guitar Pro 5, released NOV 2005). Only one file is in gpx format (Guitar Pro 6+, GP6 was released in APR 2010). That is "Blackbird - Beatles White Album.gpx" that was uploaded on 11/12/2012. Bottom line, that database is relatively old but also unmodified. Much like MIDI files from the period, many are "as is" renditions that have carried forward in time.

I admit I was a bit confused by that comment as well. Just a word of caution... the whole purpose of the timeline is so you can visually track when events occur... if you start using other methods to "nudge" them, you will need to drill into each one to find out what is going on. Far better to be able to look at something and know when it starts and stops in relation to everything else. Here is the documentation on configuring Nudge Settings (you can easily set one of the 3 options to 50ms). Nudge physically moves the event, which you will actually prefer long term. To drill in (and set) Nudge preferences: In CbB... Edit->Preferences (default shortcut is P)... on that pop up, be sure "Advanced" is checked at the bottom, then on the left pane... Customization->Nudge. By default, the nudge commands are assigned to the number pad (1, 4, and 7 to shift things left/earlier (by nudge 1, nudge 2, nudge 3).... 3, 6, and 9 to shift things right/later (by nudge 1, nudge 2, nudge 3)). The values you set in preferences will be the default, so 50ms for "nudge 1" will shift the selected event 50ms earlier (with NumPad 1) or 50ms later (with NumPad 3). Visually you will have a much better time tracking things if they land on the timeline precisely when they start/stop.

+1, I highly suspect that the intro price was to bring the harder-core folks online to help beta test. Their forum is a better way to track progress with things going on than here. After I had jotted down several things from the initial release, I saw a post there about the modals being all wrong, then a response admitting that they were blindly pulled in from Scaler 2 and will be fixed in the 3.1 release. After seeing that one, I set my list aside and will check things out again once 3.1 hits the streets.

Like @bluzdog mentioned above, I also spot checked some files for the two links posted AFTER the OP, and they appear to be duplicates of what is posted in the OP. The advantage to both of those is that you can instantly download all the .gpx files, but by letter. Since they have to be extracted anyway, you can easily "assemble" the entire database on your own from either of those sites as well. Given this, the only "advantage" to the OP (if the other two sites are true duplicates) is that the assembly part is already done for you. I had half-considered assembling one of those other sites and running a duplicate file finder against it over the weekend; but for $9 it wasn't worth the effort, and I have wasted way more than $9 on things I never use anyway.