mettelus

It still activates every 6 months. The activation window (and pop ups) are scripted into the app version. Only the final releases had that window shrunk and the pop ups embedded.

That was my assumption as well but not sure(?). The last version of CbB was pushed with such ferocity that I cautioned a few about installing it. The shortened activation window and advertising was baked into that in preparation for the NuSonar release (even with a timer for that pop up before it was released). I never updated CbB past 2022.06, so not seen either of those issues.

Are you planning to post them as MIDI? If so, a word of caution... Windows (and browsers) have been phasing out GM support, so it is possible someone will click on a MIDI file without being able to hear anything. If they then import that into a DAW, the VSTi(s) chosen can get you back into the same boat of the playback not matching. I haven't touched Win11 yet, so not sure if there is any default player available. Some sites do have a default player embedded into them though, so is more a consideration.

All MIDI is dependent on the VSTi playing them, so you are going to run into a wall of sorts trying to keep things 100% MIDI. Even with different players, the bank/patch information (i.e., the actual sound) from a MIDI file may be interpreted differently. I understand why you are doing it, but you can only go so far with making it "universal."

Be sure you are logged into Melda when checking prices as well. A lot of bundle pricing is updated to reflect what you already own so you are getting credit and not buying something twice (Melda is the only vendor I know of that specifically prevents you from buying the same thing twice).

This is most often the case by far; it is the middle-man, or end seller that is pawning them off as "real." I did get a chuckle with the $6000/guitar though... everyone wants to overplay what they did... even the nicely made ones are roughly $400, but $1.2M! wouldn't make the headline as catchy. The luthier who PLEK'd my main said the guitars he PLEK'd most were new Gibsons because they "really needed it"... I will always remember that. The kit I made (roughly $300 with added elbow grease), I was initially going to logo with "Not Gibson" or similar but didn't want Gibson associated with it in any way. Instead dedicated it to Tigger... the only cat that came running to guitar and would sit in front of the amp (he also spent time watching me make it). China has some of the best mahogany preserves in the world, so even kits from that wood are worth it (the wood is most important, everything else can be bought elsewhere). I have had Tigger out and about a few times and it is quite the conversation piece just because everyone wants to get a better look at it.

Wow, that is a rather brutal assessment IMO. Bandlab ignores him (i.e., "help me to help you"), yet Bandlab's competitors are reaching out to him.

TL/DR version... the "mapping by default" is internally hard-coded into Cakewalk to TTS-1 if no MIDI output is selected. Because that is hard-coded, you can only get this feature with TTS-1, but you can carry TTS-1 forward from any Cakewalk version that included it. The solution (feature request) would be to have that coding mapped to a generic/free sampler, but getting agreement on "which one" may be more of a challenge.

Most kits without a specific driver are going to be sending GM so they are "plug n play," but check the manual for the MIDI map just in case. Depending on the VSTi you use, the chokes may need to be set manually. While the headphone out "can" be used to record the sound module (not really necessary with the VSTis available today), it can also be used to "bypass" the DAW latency (if needed). Muting the drum track in the DAW while recording your MIDI and monitoring the kit via the sound module headphone out may give you the best MIDI performance.

+1, right after I posted that I took a look at the newer starter kits and the Alesis Nitro Max caught my eye quick. For $400, that is ideal for a beginner (comes with BFD Player and a kit, and 3 months of Drumeo) and there are loads of reviews on that model. I am at the point where I would never set up or mic a standard kit and "small yet functional" gets much more priority. In this age of really nice VSTis where you can swap kit pieces willy-nilly, you just need something to fire them off with the proper feel/playability to it.

Depending how much you like to tinker (BIG if), there are quite a few videos of folks converting cheap kits (like Guitar Hero stuff) with new piezo sensors and Arduino controllers. Evan Kale had one from probably a decade ago that I cannot find now with the code he used to make them velocity sensitive. The folks heavy into Arduino usually have the coding supplied and detailed build descriptions in their videos (what to really look for if searching them). The actual parts are fairly cheap for such projects, but the coding and soldering can be challenging (why the videos are nice resources when they are converting something or building from scratch). Those guys take things that have basic pads and turn them into something more usable. Complex kits have more sensors on the pads/cymbals (rims, bell, etc.) so a cheap kit is likely to have only one dead-center on the pad and less things you can fire off while playing.

I think everyone already hit on what I was going to say. MIDI and audio are separate devices, so if "MIDI compliant" there may be no specific drivers for it, it may just output GM. Unlike audio in ASIO mode, you can connect multiple MIDI devices, easiest to sort them on tracks by what channels you want to use if you have multiple MIDI controllers connected. Also be aware of the controller limit (10?), so if you get carried away with this you may get new devices overwriting the oldest ones (probably not applicable in your case, and not sure if this was changed for newer OS's). For devices that have audio and MIDI running down that USB cable, they will show up as separate devices as well in preferences.

That is a tough one. A window is shimmed into it's frame, so they are not really "rigid" to begin with, and the sill/molding just covers that gap. More permanent solutions require mass, so a wall insert to replace the existing window would be ideal, but certainly not easy and would need storage for the window to put it back in. Like you mentioned, if you remove inner molding and fix your temporary panels to the frame inside, that would be the best alternative. That would only disturb the molding and easier to install/remove. Sheet rock (even thickened to be more "wall-like") as mentioned above would be more effective and cost effective too.

I do not remember the details of the event, and don't think I changed anything from the default settings to be honest. Some had been wrk files carried forward from other machines. IIRC, the default pops up to scan projects on all drives versus the global audio folder (has been 15+ years now so no clue), and some older Cakewalk versions named audio files limited to 8 characters (so they were not track names). Prior to per project audio folders this was quite a mess, but the lack of track names also made them impossible to visually verify during the process. Fortunately I back up things prior to testing file utilities, but it only takes a single event never to trust them again.

Memory stretch here, but IIRC the .prog files between Rapture and DP are not interchangeable (not sure about Rapture Session). I totally forget how the apps react to .prog files they cannot read (if you consolidate them). I tried that 10+ years ago with Rapture and DP, but backed out of it and kept them separated from then on.

I have used that utility only once and the results were catastrophic for me. It decimated projects from older SONAR versions the same as what you mentioned in the OP. I had everything archived to backup drives so was just the pain to copy things back, but that single experience made me never open it again. I have seen people swear by it, but even if "operator error" can reproduce what I experienced, the tool is not trustworthy.

Cakewalk doesn't delete audio files, so missing audio would imply you ran a cleanup utility. Write down the name of one of the missing audio files and try searching your entire computer with Windows Explorer for it. If you moved it or changed folder settings that will find it (so you can recover them). If you cannot, did you run any cleanup utility since you opened those projects last?

Try hitting F5 (refresh) in the program browser. If that doesn't work, you may need to dig into the files to be sure that they are pointed to the proper sample set.

Out of curiosity I checked to see if S1 Toolbox is still up (Lukas is a dev), and it is. Ironically, the forum link in the upper right is already pointed to the new forum mentioned above. The last Wayback capture was in April, so it has quite a bit but I didn't dig into it. There was also mention of others intending to pull the site, but I am not sure if that happened.

There is a clear distinction between using an FX (especially one that that is technically a host) as part of an FX chain versus "changing an existing plugin." FX chains are part of DSP, so it is easy to isolate and process to your heart's content (with the right tools), but you are still limited by what the tool is capable of on its own. The real reason a lot of plugins have mid/side internally (also preferred) is that they are self-aware of what processing they are doing (and to which components), then reassemble that into a stereo output that the next FX will understand. When using an FX to split something apart, the content of the output is something you would need to track from that point on. Some are fairly simple and generic, while others are definitely not. Melda's MXXX is probably the most extreme example... it will host any other Melda plugin, so the processing capabilities are intense, but once you get too far in, the onus is on the user to track what it is doing. On paper MXXX sounds impressive, but in practical use, so many setups tend to be one-off scenarios, so it is very easy to lose track of things, especially after taking a break from what you did.

If this is your focus, you are not going to find it. Only the developer that made software is going to be able to patch it (at machine code level), and that is after they recompile the new version and compare it with the old one. The best you can do is split content with another plugin, then feed a follow-on FX chain. Another example (of what you are asking), is many single-band Melda plugins are free, but the multi-band versions cost money. There is no utility to "convert all my single-band plugins to MB" either.

A lot of those designs remind me of the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona (or 1970 Plymouth Superbird). When growing up, there were two of those sitting next to a barn about 200 yards from the road for years (in hindsight I think one may have been a Superbird). I considered them a bit fugly; but due to the one-year run and history of those models, they sell for close to a quarter mill nowadays.

There are quite a few EQs (and other plugins) with mid/side capabilities, but if looking at a higher level (for the entire track content), Voxengo's MSED has been a long-time freebie worth checking out.

I personally find sitting in front of a computer the antithesis of playing music, especially with guitar where I prefer to stand (and look at anything other than a computer screen). Several years ago I got a wireless transceiver so I could walk freely around the house or even outside to play, and my only major "FX" purchase in the last few years has been for hardware (HELIX Floor), which I typically only connect to modify programs. I have very little interest in updates (unless substantial) or a DAW becoming a "cheesy video game." Time is the most precious commodity and the one you will never recover, so sitting on my butt doing (relatively) nothing is way low on my priority list. A real instrument is something you can just grab or sit down with, tune if needed, and use... there is a lot of freedom in that, especially when you just want to play.

This isn't to shut it off permanently (I leave mine connected 24/7 when the computer is in use); it is more to see if you have a phone home app causing you grief. From your screenshots... apps like Skype, MuseHub, Microsoft Edge, and Driver Booster are all collecting data and phoning that information home... those should not be running unless you are actively using them (hence the Manual start for those). Here is a handy Microsoft post that walks through SFC and DISM (DISM is good to run even with no errors found). If you are ever in question about a Windows install, this is a good reference (since you can copy/paste the commands into the CMD window).