mettelus

Seems he is stuck in the Audio Profiler during launch and the app is crashing before he can get to the preferences, but not sure.

Go into Windows Sound Control Settings and disable the NVIDA HD audio device. That will force Cakewalk to find another driver.

Nothing like exorcising the support that creates the community that brings customers. It has been happening here too... you reap what you sow. When money is tight, the last thing you should do is bite the hand that feeds you.

Is reverts to demo mode, so you lose the ability to save any changes without renewing the subscription.

Very nice. You are definitely too critical of yourself IMO. After hearing this, I think a lot of your concerns fall into the bucket of "who will recognize or care about that?" You see every detail of what you do and focus on rectifying bad; listeners observe from a higher level typically and focus on the overall piece. Very different perspectives. Another thing to consider is how many songs do we recognize as "originals" when they are actually covers? Side anecdote here, since it reminded me of an old Thai teaching. A monk decides to make a brick wall (first time ever), and as he goes, he notices two bricks that are obviously not aligned properly, but begrudgingly completes the job. When finished, another monk praises him for the work he did, and he replies, "But don't you notice those two bricks??" The other smiles and says, "Of course, but they do not affect your achievement in any way. Only you think they do."

The best place to start is with the manual for Ozone which walks through the modules. There is also pdf from 2015 called Mastering With Ozone that is hard to find, but also walks though more detail of what is going on for each process. That 2015 manual has better explanations of things IMO. There are also some starter guides on the Ozone page as well as tutorials online. Unfortunately there isn't a "cookbook" answer to your question. Generic advice with FX in general: Know what is going into the FX and don't send things in you do not want processed (to be audible). Know what the FX is doing, and make sure there is a reason for it to be there. Order FX so they are tailoring the sound to meet the above criteria (removing things you don't want, then embellishing things you do). Time-based FX (almost) always go last (echos, delays, reverbs), so that you are not running the tail through another FX. Unfortunately, the Mastering Assistant defaults to a specific FX order (or used to), and the targets were somewhat generic. It is sometimes better to learn by deep-diving each module separately, so you know what it does and how to use it for a given situation.

I interpreted it as you intended; more to demonstrate the idiosyncrasies that may have put the OP in a tailspin (especially the #2 you included).

Everyone's voice is unique, so it is a true feat to emulate another's voice, even without accent differences. It is sometimes more prudent to be intimately familiar with your own voice (pros and cons) to leverage that instead. Don't lose sight of the fact that even a cover work has a vast amount of "you" in it.

Did you try playing a suspect file with another app? It is possible the conversion to FLAC did have an error. Any media player would help verify that. You might want to also check converting one that doesn't work back to WAV using the same converter.

That is weird to me. This is an ARA handshake between the DAW and Melodyne. I am still running an old version of CbB and that options setting locks the Melodyne window for me (i.e., it doesn't scroll if you play passed/before the clip). I am wondering if there is a limit to clip duration (if too long to fit) in play with that. The bakers may need to chime in to clarify the detail of that ARA handshake.

Sometimes the "Picture Cache" folder (inside your main Cakewalk Projects folder) causes drawing issues that go away when that folder is purged. Without that data present, it forces Cakewalk to redraw wav forms.

In the Melodyne window, there is an Options->Follow Selection in DAW. Right below that is also a "Zoom to Selection in DAW" which basically fits the region into the Melodyne window (if desired). I thought that "Follow Selection in DAW" was the default, but may be mistaken there. Quick Edit: That option only shows in the Options if Melodyne is launched from a Region FX, it does not appear in Melodyne running in stand-alone mode. I am not sure what menu items are different between versions, but "assume" that one would be there for them all.

The pointers are in Preferences->File->Folder Locations, so is easy to do what you want. Just be sure the pointers match what you move and you may need to close/re-open CbB/Sonar afterwards to make sure those new pointers take.

I am always hesitant to mention things like the ZEP Industrial Purple. If you ever try that, be sure to use pre-diluted (can even dilute it more if desired). Be sparing/judicious with its use and don't get it on skin. One reason why powerful acids/bases feel slippery is they are destroying the skin cells too. Old lye soaps had the saying, "One rub, no dirt; two rubs, no skin." Even though that sounded funny, it was 100% accurate. Sorry I cannot speak to coated strings directly. I think part of their marketing leads people to the assumption they are impervious to finger oil acids, but everything mechanical wears over time.

I have only used coated (Elixir) strings a few times in the past and didn't take to them due to the timbre change. I have consistently used D'Addario Phosphor Bronze for the brighter tone and harmonic content, but also (rarely) use the piezo pickup, (infrequently) use a Dean Markley Pro Mag in the sound hole, and (more commonly) use a large diaphragm condenser for recording. Finger oils can be highly acidic (very dependent on a specific person's genetics and diet), and cause most of the damage to untreated strings. Washing hands with (blue) Dawn prior to playing is a habit of mine, and I use ZEP Industrial Purple degreaser to clean strings (as long as they haven't rusted). ZEP may actually take the coating off Elixir/XS strings (it is highly basic), so keep that in mind. A pre-mixed 32oz bottle will last for years (never use that stuff full strength), and a simple squirt on a paper towel, running each string, then leaving what residue is left in place to counter finger oils while playing. Most metals corrode significantly faster in acidic environments and very little in basic environments. Generic (non-coated) strings will last for months doing this. That said, strings are the only consumable for guitars, so a lot comes down to personal preference, style/technique, and the habits employed to keep finger oil damage to a minimum.

Did you try using the number row on your keyboard? It is possible that field does not accept negative numbers (not sure), but if it will, the - in the number row (not the NumPad) should work. If entering -3 comes up as 0 (totally different number), it is quite possible that field will not accept negative numbers 😞

Low frequencies carry more power... and that increases the lower you go. Try something aggressive at first, like a low shelf set to -12dB and slide the value up the frequency spectrum... the buzz should disappear at a certain point (like 125Hz or so). Just get a feel for where that is and shut it off. To rectify that, you want only the crux (usable portion) of the bass/kick to poke through that spectrum range. To find the "crux" of the instrument, use a parametric EQ bell curve (highest Q it will do, high gain) and scoot frequency around till you are getting the sound that best fits your piece. That is the focal frequency you want to keep (kick is simpler than bass). The term "frequency microscope" is often used for doing this. Once you know that value, you can use a combination of HPF (to remove all low end below that frequency), roughly 10-20Hz below the focal point you found. Then adjust the bell curve Q/gain down to bring back in frequencies to fill the sound out (roughly 1 or 2 dB gain, but keep the Q above 1 so you roll off frequencies on either side). Many instruments have low end frequencies that do not contribute to the sound, yet add power to that low end (adding to the buzz). For this reason, a lot of instruments that are not kick/bass have a HPF applied to remove everything <100Hz (roughly). You can isolate that region with a LPF to listen for yourself as to what is there to check, but that "unnecessary power" removes overhead room for the kick and bass to be adjusted. That said, don't blindly apply "generic settings," the above is more how to find/rectify them. Basically removing frequencies from things not adding to the piece lets you raise gains on frequencies that do without making speakers rattle. I am pretty tame with bass settings for playback, but every once in a while I will get even commercial tracks that cause my subwoofer to "rattle the room." Quick edit: The below video is by far the one I have shared most over the years. It is 14 years old now, but highly relevant, and he covers a lot of techniques in 10 minutes. The beginning of that video specifically demonstrates what I typed above (you can do the same with any EQ).

Did you try using the - in the number row on your keyboard? IIRC, the - on the NumPad is hard coded into the program and 1) highlights a cells contents and 2) decrements any existing value by a single whole number (with each press). You have to watch the cell contents to see this behavior, but entering "-3" with the NumPad will often come up as "3." For years I thought all of those affected cells wouldn't accept negative numbers.

This gave me a chuckle. I seem to do similar with MDrummer from time to time, and have a file somewhere with notes on all of it. The "Random Loops," which defaults to ON causes a lot of grief being buried in one of the sub menus (Quick Setup tab->Additional button in the middle of the right side->Shut "Random Loops" off). ALSO... in that same window (the Additional button is also on the Rhythm Editor tab), shut off "Sequencer Mode" in the Advanced section if you are working on a specific rhythm and don't want it to change when previewing it, i.e., previewing an Intro or Break will jump to a beat once it completes otherwise. I think those two settings are the biggest stumbling blocks for new folks. What I have learned with MDrummer (my preference) is to do all kit/beat work inside the VST (so can easily save/manipulate them), and focus on using the DAW via a Drum/Articulation map to trigger the rhythms (Intros, Beats, Breaks, Long Breaks, Outros, you get 12 of each). The Tutorial #2 on MIDI Command Method sorta jumps straight into that one. Grace notes you can fire from within the DAW. You "can" also do the entire kit this way, but that undermines the internals of MDrummer (which is best to think of as its own DAW TBH). Once a kit is set up (which alone can be complex, since you can layer/FX just about anything internally), I tend to spend most of my time in the Rhythm Editor tab, but MDrummer is insanely complex with what it can do. The internal "Song" tab I find superfluous if running within a DAW, so be sure to also shut that off (another thing that defaults to "on"). The play buttons can make the DAW and MDrummer play simultaneously.

^^^^ this pretty much nails it. In a studio environment, there are so many tools available to streamline this process post-production (comping, automation, Melodyne, etc.). Because of post-production, the "one take wonder" isn't a requirement, but the "best product possible" remains a goal. Live is where the best rendition possible comes into play, and they are definitely two different beasts. This statement immediately makes comping come to mind. We are always our own worst critics, and perfectionists tend to invest too much time in the details, when often an observer would not even notice. The trick is knowing when "good enough" is the place to stop (and many things can be revisited later). I have a lot of hobby projects where I see every square inch of something as I work (cars, house, guitar work, etc.), and always have to rein myself in with a couple of questions: 1) "Is anyone but me ever going to notice (or even care) about that?" (especially if there are hours of additional effort involved to fix something), and 2) "Does the 6-foot view apply?" (with automotive work, this if often used to distinguish view from a distance versus having one's nose planted on the paint in a specific location, but is akin to hearing/seeing something in passing versus trying to dissect it).

Are you using a VSTi that is actively pulling samples "as needed" at that point in the project... such as a VSTi that first comes online at measure 69? Once those samples are loaded into RAM, they will persist for the session, but when first loaded that glitch may be from pulling the samples into RAM.

@Jim Roseberry might have some insight on that. He has experience with the Kemper, but not sure if he did re-amping with it.

If you did a screen capture on the from prior to submitting, but some text boxes need to be scrolled if you put a lot of material in them. Many forms let you log in to see the submission, with those you can copy/paste text or use the screen cap (if it fits). Just be careful of any PII you may not want to share. Consider re-evaluating that situation to close projects down if needed. Some plugin vendors (and DAWs) already idle FX that have no audio passing through them, but if you are getting CPU loading with an idle project, that is something to address. Way back when, I OC'd my 2600K and as it degraded I benchmarked it both OC'd and normal. While OC'd ran faster, it threw more page faults as it got older, so was gaining no ground performance-wise and was just subjecting it to undue heat. Dielectric breakdown accelerates dramatically with heat/voltage. Windows can also play a part in a crash if any sleep/hibernation schemes are in play.

LOL... AD3 is coming next week! The 2.5 update was just a check to get marketing pings on everyone.

Yeah, for a product with nearly 10 years under its belt, that caught me off guard too.