mettelus

There are tab sets at the top for product groups as well as installed and update pages. Has been that way for a while now.

I guess I should have watched that video before I even started. It never occured to me about new project templates or demos (nice bonus), I just grabbed the first old project that came to mind.

Hey Dana! Wow, long time, no see here. I hope you are doing well! I need to take a look at that video still, but I have not delved into using surround for probably 10 years now. Back then, surround files were truly MASSIVE (over 1MB per second), so I am curious how size and format capabilities are measuring up these days. I have been eager to see this hit more main stream as well, since so many people have surround systems that are doing little more than manipulating a stereo image on the back speakers to "fake" surround rather than actually using it. Gaming engines have taken advantage of this for years (on the playback side), by simply using mono sources and applying distance (dB level) and direction (panning) to get that immersive 3D effect. Pretty simplistic from that perspective. I am still not sure on the best playback mediums for using surround work, but I exported what I just did messing around and VLC Media Player played it back flawlessly. I went with a wav format (still rather huge), so need to explore that further. Then there is the added fun of "collapse to stereo" that I never really thought of before. For things you have done, the surround will definitely add ambience to things for you.

This is interesting, since I didn't catch it sooner, but Studio One used to play back no audio if a surround device was connected to it. If I happened to be working with Windows Audio, I would have to back out and set the system up as stereo then come back in. The system has been set up with surround and I never noticed (maybe a fix with SO6, but not sure here?), BUT I was still using it in stereo. I went in specifically for this piece, and you first need to have a surround system connected, then go into Studio One->Options->Audio-> Song Setup (at the bottom of that page). In the "Spatial Audio" tab, you can choose a Mode of "Surround" or "Dolby Atmos." My system doesn't support Dolby Atmos, so I used Surround, and then simply choose your system (5.1 for me). From there, automation lanes need "direction" added if you want to control pan, and if you want something to pass BEHIND you, it requires another two nodes (vertically added) to go from right to left right behind you. This is because the top/bottom of that automation lane are both directly behind you (i.e., you need to go right->behind (at the top of the lane), vertically jump to the bottom of the lane, then from behind you (bottom of the lane)->left). I actually have a piece that is more like a back-and-forth interaction, so having the other person pacing around (even going behind me) during that is rather nice.

Quite a massive investment into the surround sound world there. Makes me wonder if movie studios are starting to switch now.

True, but that would also require competitors to play nice in the sandbox. You do not see that very often anywhere in life.

Also, please consider taking a look at the Piano Roll View (PRV) mentioned above. When working with virtual instruments (VSTi), many focus their work in that view since it provides easy visual and editing access to the note information that is driving the VSTi. Recording (and editing) in that view will allowing you to capture, modify, and add performances (notes), especially with a mouse when you get into fine editing. Each time you run the transport (hit play/space), Cakewalk is using those notes to play the VSTi(s) you have set up. It is a very complex tool (many, many functions to it), so is something to get familiar with. There are some folks who compose exclusively in that view, and it can be set up to allow you to edit tracks while viewing data in others, which is efficient for building harmonies, etc.

Can you expound on this a little bit please? When you say: do you mean audio that was recorded from your keyboard? MIDI data is only note information, so if you recorded audio from your keyboard that information is not captured (so cannot show up in the PRV). Most keyboards allow both audio and MIDI data to be recorded (highly preferred going forward), but if you have only recorded the audio, other solutions mentioned above are options. You can also try dragging/dropping your audio track onto a MIDI track (if you have Melodyne installed), which will also give you the MIDI notes, but realize that is not always 100% accurate. If that conversion does work, the PRV on that new MIDI track will now have note data for you to see.

Do you have a controller connected? There are snap (and latch) features available, but I have not used them often enough to know where to check them offhand. Hopefully someone will chime in on that specifically. @Promidi had the answer about the audio.

Another thing to check with TH3 when used on an audio track is that the In Source (Master button at the top, then In Source on the left). If actually used to a guitar (mono input) that should be set to match (often the left channel in most cases). It defaults to "Stereo" which will nerf the output in that situation because the missing input is still considered. Be sure inputs are routed properly, and as Byron mentioned, TH3 is an audio FX (it should be on the audio track associated with your VSTi output).

Carl has a good point, and that is something I try to remind folks with subscriptions. If you are making revenue from it, then it is a little different than it falling into the "entertainment" bucket (disposable income). I know a lot of business owners who use Adobe CC to make their business function, but folks who are not going to pull revenue from its use need to weigh its "value" to them. Granted, there are a lot of expensive hobbies out there, so much of this simply falls into "to each, his own." Switching gears (pun intended), I worked next door to a pair of guys into drag racing that were talking about filling an engine with concrete before use (one of the fads there). I just chuckled and said that is a pretty expensive and time-intensive venture for 15 seconds of use, but whatever.

I have never used Cubase, but it has the reputation for being the best for MIDI. I pretty much use a DAW as a glorified, digital, multi-track recorder, so a lot of "new features" are not going to get used by me personally. One piece of advice I have been giving folks is to pay attention to support for VST3 and ARA/ARA2 (the new kids on the block, and needed to use third-party VST(i)s), and one needed Track Templates for their workflow. I had joked with them and said all they would "need" is SONAR X3, but the real problem is getting your hands on a copy. I still use Adobe Audition 4 (from 2011) as my default wav editor as it is quick, one of the best SRCs, batch processing, and built-in iZotope plugins (from 2011, mind you). Studio One 6 didn't introduce anything special for me, so SO5 would be more than adequate; but again, how to get a copy of an older version. Younger generations are in a bad place with subscriptions becoming the standard. Unfortunately, folks who were 15 when the last Platinum version was released probably do not have a copy to "fall back on."

Do you have access to a computer/DAW? If you rename a ".cwb" file to a ".wav" file, it just daisy-chains all the tracks together. Here is a very old post on the format, but if you have access to any DAW, you can split the tracks apart that way.

A friend in high school cracked me up saying similar when I was at his house once. I totally forgot what the subject was leading to it now, but distinctly remember him standing up and saying, "That's it! I am running away. I will be back when I am hungry!"

I use a VPN and clean the registry often enough that it locks out the Product Portal (comes up blank). The way to force that into a log-in cycle is to hold down the SHIFT key when launching the Product Portal. I basically have to log in every single time now; it does not remember anything. Quick Edit: I got that "blocked" message at one point too, and the shift-launch reset that as well. The account wasn't "blocked," it was the Product Portal settings.

That is a good point. My initial take on that was there was no endorsement or gratuities associated with them.

It is not an overly complex plugin either, so not a lot to update there. It just does what it does. The only "nuisance" with it is that it introduces noise even with the transport stopped; one of those things to be aware of before you start troubleshooting your audio interface.

Boy, the very last line in that article is rather painful... "And there are big-name players who don’t play them onstage, but on their records, you hear them."

You can use the Wayback Machine website to view older versions. SoundBytesMag has been "Saved 243 times between November 25, 2013 and September 18, 2023," so includes some after the ownership switch.

This isn't browser based, it is in the forum software. I actually got a new phone last month, and the forum software caused the phone to reset late last week (through a VPN using DuckDuckGo). After reporting that, the phone's App Loader snagged another instance next go-round, so I sent that off to Google asking them to kindly notify me of which app this site is trying to install/use that got intercepted.

A good portion of products use modules from others, so that is something to be aware of when looking at things. MXXX is a beast that is so complex that I have only used it to play around (it will tap into every Melda FX and even synths) and is difficult to track afterwards on what is being done; but this comes across as a very tailored version of MXXX limited to guitars only (which is actually a good thing to keep perspective on what is going on).

They have both gone on sale for roughly 40% off during Black Friday's in the past, but I cannot remember if that happened last year(?). The trial on Pro is 30 days and definitely something to try out to see how you like it (be sure to run through the tutorials as well to see what it can do). A lot was added with 14, so for just dabbling you may never need another version of it (MOHO is a perpetual license).

Only the complete kits show up in the "Drum Tornado 2023" directory and they are the same list for all three sets. The individual kit pieces are actually added to Drum Empire 2020 (since this is really an update to that). I had a very odd bug from loading into an existing project. First, the load and play lag is very noticeable, and second, there is a massive sample rate mismatch between the project and MDrummer (but only for these added kits). I backed out of that and created a new project to check them and they played fine, but there is still a noticeable play lag within MDrummer when using those kits.

This is the only the only part of the reply that addressed my concern. The rest sort of confirmed it (hence the cynicism).

+1 on the bass aspect. Lower frequencies have more power to them, so not only watching the kick/bass, but also applying HPFs to instruments to remove the unnecessary low end can give you more headroom in the mastering part. Many (most is probably accurate) limiters/saturators operate in broadband mode (across the full spectrum), so intense low end content will make it reach its limit settings first. Some limiters do have multi-band (MB) capability, but be very careful with crossover bands with these... I have noticed over the years that the lower the fidelity of the playback system, the more obvious crossover bands become (in any MB FX).