mettelus

We just like to argue. Hopefully the OP did come back and tried his Realtek output. For his situation, there is no reason why the onboard audio wouldn't work (as a permanent solution). Games take full advantage of that chip, panning and fading sounds (based on position and motion) even in surround mode without complaining about sample rate or playback mode. DAWs seem to be behind the curve on audio engines in that regard.

The PRS McCarty 594 is probably the most versatile guitar you can buy. PRS essentially took the best features from Gibson and Fender then built upon that. PRS has always been focused on materials, sustain and ergonomics. It might be overkill for what your intended use is though. I wouldn't buy something online without playing it first. For that kind of money, it is worth a day trip to a place that carries what you are hunting for in stock. Reading specs versus playing the instrument (just like MIDI controllers) can mean different things to different people. How something plays can be more important. There are also options to replace Strat single coils with humbuckers. Using the neck/mid or mid/bridge settings on a Strat is basically a "humbucker," just a different tone than side-by-side. Tone is another consideration, so the humbuckers actually installed can make as much difference as the feel of the guitar. They are also replaceable, but for something like a 335, that is a royal PITA to do.

+1 to getting your system specs listed. The NVidia HD audio driver has been problematic in the past for some people since it can conflict with other drivers. For audio playback only, the onboard Realtek chip should suffice, but would need speakers/headphones connected to use it. WASAPI mode would probably be the best mode to try first. You could actually check that even without speakers by shifting sound playback in Windows to the Realtek, run CbB (won't hear it without speakers/headphones) and see if the mouse motion causes the same dropout in the video. Since you do not intend to record audio, an interface may be overkill (most output through 1/4" jacks, so you might also need cables/speakers to use properly). I use the Realtek quite often without issues.

^^ GPU RAM would only be useful for the rendering of an audio file. The latency for real-time playback would fall short in most cases. Reducing CPU load/increasing RAM are better to focus on for real-time usage, and will also depend on the intended results. Example, if not tracking, increasing buffer allows for audio to be processed and assembled for playback when CPU-heavy plugins are in the mix. For the OP, it may be easier to explain your situation and issues. Most folks here have probably already experienced it and can offer solutions.

This could have been a MF pricing glitch and iZotope did come back with "WTF are you doing over there??"

That is basically what IR loaders are doing, convolution reverb. MConvolutionEZ is part of Melda's free bundle that seemed to be released to fill the "IR loader" spot. The paid for ones can be more heavy-handed, but are overkill to simply "use an IR."

Where are you playing on the fretboard? If near the nut, touching strings with even the same finger fretting an adjacent string will effectively mute it (you will find harmonics as you go). Higher on the fretboard you can "cheat" by lightly wrapping a sock between the nut and first fret. It can save on distractions, but you want to learn muting techniques as you go too. I actually dropped a string guage a few years ago because I literally could not mute certain chords without pulling harmonics. The tighter a string is (and pickup sensitivity), the less tolerant it is for unintentional touching.

With patience, the Editor->Studio upgrade often hits $150.

351C, was 11 mpg but I put oversized tires on the rear... now 12.5! LOL That would be it... 14" rims... need to spin the hell out of small wheels to get any speed. Older vehicles are only really good for the "cool factor"/nostalgia of them. Don't stop/don't steer is pretty accurate of many... the mustang is 4-wheel MANUAL drum brakes (71 was the first year disc brake showed up on the front end, and this wasn't one of them) and only a lap belt... if it weren't a stick shift, it would have already been destroyed... brakes cannot stop it, and you will eat the steering column if you run into anything. Growing up my dad never got rid of old cars... I had asked about fixing up an old 55 Chevy he had and his response was overly practical... "Made of bad metal, heavy, and would under perform pretty much any car sold today (mid-90s)... why go through that trouble??" You want to see a scary video... everyone thinks old cars are "like tanks" but for the 50th anniversary of crash testing, they off-centered a 1959 Bel Air against a 2009 Malibu, and the results were horrific ☹️

Getting a new credit card (number) issued on a semi-regular basis (like annually) is more effective than trying to keep accounts straight, passwords changed, etc. Anyone who doesn't get a monthly CC payment from you have ZERO reason to keep any CC information. Most CC companies will issue a new card number (same account, just different card information) upon request (or just tell them your card is damaged and want a new card/number). Especially in this day in age when you create an account and make a one-off purchase, there is no reason for that CC information to stay active until its expiration date (especially for those that love "doesn't expire till 2040"). Someone hacking a site and stealing your account/digital purchases is another matter, but there is no reason to leave CC information active indefinitely.

It is definitely worth logging into your account to check other products you own. I had three that have been updated since May that I was not aware of. I suspect there are other May-July updates that I do not own (mine jumped from either v3.0 to v3.1, or v3.1 to v3.2). Also check the OP if you need to download the new library as well to add the pick/finger library if you did not previously own them. As Jason mentioned above, so be sure to log in while you are looking at things if you already own AS products. The member discount (at the top of the page after logging in) is pretty much in line with the annual holiday sale (possibly better), so I ended up grabbing 3 more instruments while I was in there.

Jeff made reference to that several times in the old forums and discussed it in detail at least once, but I cannot readily find it. This is one of the references he made that calls out the DAWs he used (Logic, ProTools, SONAR, and Studio One). There is also a lengthy thread called "Comparing SONAR to Studio One" that he chimed in a few times on. This topic gets resurrected off and on, along with others.

The steering on my vehicles are all different, some oversteer more, tire size is different, and speed variation is unique to each. Ironically, I adapt and drive them all without issues. Not much different for most things in life... if you can achieve the end goal/product with the tools you have available, you win (best to leave it there, since that is what matters most). Digital analysis (i.e., computers) is an Achilles's heel in some respects... thinking more and doing less is not always the best trade-off. "Analysis paralysis" is a proven method to keep competition at bay.

Melda FXs flagged as "unique" are often the ones to check the teasers on (they either don't fit into a generic category, or go above and beyond traditional FX of that type). MCharacter continues to be one of my most-used FX simply because harmonic content is often the defining component of an instrument and you cannot manipulate 3rds and 5ths of baked/recorded monophonic material real time with any other FX that I am aware of (even after the fact, many are clunky). Plus MCharacter is one of the cheesiest ways to make "ho hum" samples usable, so reduces the "need" for multiple libraries of the same instrument. I totally forgot MSpectralDynamics has a capture/reduce noise print feature... another feature I use way often. I just prefer to record quickly and do destructive noise reduction after the fact... saves on expensive treatments that tend to need noise reduction anyway. I have just never used Melda for the noise reduction part (doh!). Melda really needs to do a marketing push on their Multiparameters... you see those in action in many teasers (the dynamic shifting of the plugin), but there is no visibility to the person watching as to what is going on (or how it is done). Probably the most powerful underlying feature of (almost) every Melda plugin, but rarely talked about ?.

The sound sets are pretty capable as is, with the ability for SO to drill into their own patches. If you want "cello" (or whatever), you can search and find fillers quickly in the browser and keep composing... then either tweak or replace the VSTi as you go. For composition "speed" that has been handy for me; getting distracted with searching while composing tends to wreak havoc on workflow.

ProAudioStar also has 5% more off sale items using JULY5 in cart. Roughly $95 each for the two advanced upgrades (and Ozone qualifies all the way back to v5).

Thanks for the heads up. I have never heard of them before, but even at full price it is roughly 1/4 of the initial Camtasia purchase ($60 versus $249). Even after that, Camtasia charges $50/year maintenance fee to keep the software current. For FREE, this is something everyone should grab, even if they "think" they don't have a use for it now. Granted, it is the old version (I cannot find a link to this without using the OP), but it has green-screening and looks pretty capable. With a name like Smuckers... er... AC/DC.... er... ACDSee, it has to be good!

The VST plugin was 2019 IIRC. That made BIAB much more usable IMHO.

SO5 doesn't come across to me so far as very earth-shattering (most of the heavy hitters dropped in 4), but I did hear them make mention that they spent a lot of time recoding Notion to get the current implementation inside of SO5. I have not gotten to use that feature much yet (so not sure what Notion stand-alone has over SO5), but it seems that a good chunk of their SO5 effort was to get Notion embedded. The bridge has been there since acquisition, I think, but tearing the code down to put it inside of the DAW must have been a intensive venture. I still think PreSonus spends time reading other DAW forums... it seems a lot of features requested or complained about with other DAWs just magically show up in SO.

To add to the "learn what you have now," there are guides for just about everything now. iZotope has Mixing and Mastering guides specific to Ozone (and it modules), but concepts in them can be applied to any VST with the same functionality. Conversely, items you come across in videos may very well be available in things you already own (Mid/Side processing, side-chaining, etc.); so when you come across something new and cool, take a step back and see if you already own it. Videos can be a bit tricky, since you almost need to have them open side-by-side while you are working them (dual monitors), and some are not as concise as they could be (but you can also play back YouTube at double speed). Dan Worral did a video for FabFilter Pro-Q that I have shared the most with people who are new. In 10 minutes, he covers a lot of ground but in a way that new people can understand readily. Again, the same results can be achieved with other plugins, but his presentation is exceptional for someone new to mixing.

The iZotope Standard versions cannot be split apart and used as their modularized components, so the only real gain with Advanced is lowering CPU hits from using them. Matthew's advice is solid... just starting out, you need to learn tools before having "great" ones do you any good. The standard versions you have now are more than adequate, and the assistant feature will teach you more starting out. An upgrade to Music Production Suite 3 would yield more bang for the buck if/when you get to that bridge. I have not used FabFilter, so cannot speak to their quality versus cost. A couple upgrade cycles and you could own Melda Production's CompleteFXBundle (for life). The AI similar to iZotope is not there yet with Melda, but the FX are (and more tweak-able than most programs).

Focusrite should get their act together... BandLab has a "Master Volume Knob"!

This would definitely be something to pass along to PreSonus since they are the only ones who can address it. That functionality should actually be handled by the VSTi, not the DAW, and it seems like the note OFF is not being sent. For a VSTi that must be in a "mode," the note OFF is ignored (by the VSTi itself) until it sees the articulation switched; but for VSTis that do specific articulations on key press only, the OFF doesn't seem to be relayed to it. I haven't gotten too deep into trying SO5 yet, but even saving a prior project immediately as an SO5 version still causes SO4 to warn you that a "newer backup is available." Since you dirty files almost immediately on opening, the folks who simply save often are going to lock out files.... for those who are only doing the trial, they can end up locking out their own projects if they go back to SO4.

And their pictures show just how excited some can get playing violin!! (I wonder what people were thinking when they come up with marketing materials like this.)

4 brought a lot to the table and dug its heels in with ARA2 integration (chord track specifically), so you will be busy for a while with new features.