mettelus

I had to dredge this post up because I couldn't remember when exactly I bought this guitar! I have had some major projects going on, so it has primarily been sitting in its box and only played once or twice a week, but was still on the "to do" list for final setup. The action on the upper frets was still higher than I prefer, but the neck profile has grown on me from what use I have done. I hadn't glued the nut back in, so loosened the strings to check the neck... straight as an arrow (zero relief)... I had a lot of height still on the bridge (can see in the above picture) so set the saddles visually to the fret radius after bottoming out the saddles for the E strings (lowest they would go). Updated: I actually went the "proper path" with the final setup (so replacing what was originally here). The high E was still 0.008" high and the low E was still 0.006" high at the first fret. I had done this because I was worried about the tremolo being bottomed out, but decided to set it up like is should be. I sanded the bottom edge of the nut to give me 0.020" clearance on the low E and 0.012" clearance on the high E at the first fret (like I normally would), then tested the tremolo and no issues. She is now fully set up and ready to go. This model (IP-300-TSB) has already gone back up in price (is $250 now), and tariffs might tear into it even more in the coming months; but for the $216 I paid for it, it may retain the "best bang for the buck" award forever. Again, the frets being properly done when it was made (let alone the wood used) made this guitar stand out as soon as I inspected it. I am going hold off on any electronic mods until I get a chance to fully test this for "what it is" first. It is a challenge to disengage "tinker mode" for me, but the reality is I often go into extreme overkill with things too! ******** Quick edit: Since the guitar is "physically" done, I happened to think of the vine and had a whole set of permanent markers I never used (and forgot why I even bought them!). I went with a three-tone green, and the yellowest of them is actually luminescent in the right light. I wasn't sure how much time I had with the amount of ink in the pens, so went for speed coloring it and didn't even remove the strings (just pushed them out of the way). In case anyone is interested, light coats always go first, then darker colors. After the fact, techniques like this can be lightened/blended with either fine sandpaper (600+, wet sanding preferred when possible) or even Brasso. I just wanted to get an initial coat of color on the vine and can touch it up during a string change at some point. The below pic is at night under incandescent lighting, so is not the best to show off the effect, but it gives an idea of what can be done with it.

That is definitely something to report to Cakewalk support, and it looks more like a font issue when I see that. Years ago I had Staff View go kerflooey and the underlying reason was the font that Staff View was dependent on for notation was missing from my machine. The proper font got posted (on the old forums) and that fixed it. If a font is missing from a machine, Windows (or a browser) will substitute its "best guess" as a replacement, but if that is totally off the mark, you will see things like what your screen capture is showing (in my case, Staff View was populated with Wingdings!). Only someone who can look at the installation package (bakers) would be able to see those details, so that is something to report back to Cakewalk directly.

I can definitely understand the minefield that YouTube can become; all tutorials are certainly not created equal. The number of ways you can destructively edit a recording are fairly limited inside a DAW (but using external wave editors will unless you save as a new file). More often (but not 100%) inside a DAW a new file is created, leaving the original file untouched (and also unused by the project). Regardless, the truest "safety net" here is to make a backup project folder with the original audio so you always have that to fallback on for major oopsies. Another idea that came to mind is have you ever shared a project with someone so they can modify it and send it back to you so you can see what they did (and why)?

Roger that, and thanks for the feedback. Chopping up clips into sections/phases that have similar volumes make using the clip gain (CTRL-drag up/down) easier, but when you mention screams/whispers, those very much should have different levels IMO (see second item below).... A couple quick items here... first is you mentioned compressors in the OP, so setting aside time to learn/understand compressors will pay for itself 1000-fold in years to come. They are basically ways to tame dynamics in a more automated fashion than manually adjusting faders (aka, "riding the fader"). Understanding their function, when to use them, how to use them, and when NOT to use them is important knowledge to have in your tool kit. Second is the dynamics of your song. When you mention "whispers," it is common practice to have repetitive elements lower in volume (sometimes as much as 3-6dB), because the listener has already heard them and can still "hear" them at a lower volume, but that also gives "space" for new elements to be introduced and have focus. A massive dynamic like a break in a song (or outright "ducking") puts immediate focus on what is left... in the case of "whispering" you want the listener to know it is a whisper, but also gain their attention so they listen to it. Essentially, repetition can get boring (always keep this in mind), so movement/changes in a piece can help keep the listener engaged... the advice here is more not to focus 100% making the the vocals "the same," but also realize that you can also make the song conform to the vocal track. The adage "if you want to get someone's attention, just whisper" is true... they shut up and focus on listening, so definitely use that to your advantage.

A couple quick questions for our clarification. Are these multiple clips from multiple sessions? What is the underlying cause for the variation in your assessment? To add to the above, one thing I harp on with folks is repeatability in the production phase. Identical setup and positioning for every session, but even then there can be variability between sessions (although as minimal as possible). In addition to the above options (just another option to try), when I am doing such "for time," using clip gain (CTRL - drag up/down) on the clip will give a visual redraw of the entire clip's waveform (may need to split clips to use effectively), but only the clip being actively hovered over will be affected... one at a time. From there, a compressor (or multiple passes of a compressor, you want to keep them subtle <2:1 per pass) at the track level will be more effective since the gain insertion/removal process will make the compressor threshold much more consistent for each clip. If things are noticeably different, the clip gain mentioned above is preferred (for me) because of the automatic waveform redraw feature and can be done quite quickly visually once you get the hang of it.

+1, no experience with it personally, but the unit looks nice. The only concern I had was with the touchscreen and a search says that is glass (I am assuming Gorilla Glass, doesn't specify thickness, but it is recessed into the unit)... just something to be mindful of as a potential impact area (if using at home only, that shouldn't be any issue). If you get one, it would be good to hear thoughts once you get to try it out!

He has done so many iconic roles. "Sneakers" (1992) is one of my personal favorites because of the off-the-cuff humor in it with very serious undertones. All-star cast, yet seems quite a few have never even heard of it. RIP

Most likely not, that is a 32-bit DXi and I do not recall there ever being a 64-bit version of it; but someone might have more insight to help you.

Boy, that is a good question. Historically only Standard was perpetual and the Suite was subscription only (from Humble). A few years ago the sub they gave you was only for 6 months, so better clarity on what this is would help a lot.

I had to look that up in their manual as well. There may be a couple reasons behind this... it will allow for stereo signals as input (on one cable) as well as connections to unconventional devices (smartphones and tablets). As the impedance and output levels are different for LINE versus headphones, it may be required to use the headphone out as recommended (LINE may be too weak to drive it "properly").

LOL, @Bass Guitar Off Topic never happens here! That is definitely a looker, very nice! Tim Allen once made a joke on late night, "Typical muscle car... don't stop, don't steer..." and that is so true for mine... 1971 Mustang with 4-wheel manual drum brakes ('71 was the first year disc brakes were used, and mine ain't got 'em (let alone power-assist)... if it wasn't a stick shift it couldn't be stopped properly). But it absolutely brings a smile to people's faces and people love to talk about "the good ole days," so seeing that reaction in others is always a good feeling and reason to run it around from time to time.

This is really the conundrum IMO. Why go through the pain of a loopback when you can simply loop a portion of the song and play to it on the amp (matching volume levels as needed) to make your adjustments? If you are not using that recorded loopback (so not really re-amping) in the final project as you intend to "actually record it," there are much simpler methods to adjust tone (and a sizeable chunk of them can be done in post-production). I have a friend who runs "his tone" (never modifies it for that genre) from a Blackstar amp and all adjustments are made in mixing/post-production.

I am pretty sure that recording to a new track and monitoring it real-time is the OP's intention and original question. Essentially he is looking to match tone to the project for that recording pass, but there would be additional post-production involved as you suggested.

Zowie, just had a power blip after typing up a detailed routing and lost it, so will make this routing version short and sweet. It sounds like the OP's intent is a hardware re-amp (out to amp, in to Scarlett), so the "monitor mix" would be outputs 1/2 (including all tracks (including the mic input), but SANS the amp out (output that to 3/4), 3/4 would go to only the amp, and input 1/2 (mic) would go to a new track (and included in the monitor mix). This pathing will insert some latency, is more if that is "tolerable" to you. But to the more important part.... That said, any time I hear "re-amp" I am assuming a Direct Input (DI) signal is involved as @Bass Guitar mentioned above, simply because re-amping an already processed signal is not ideal (that is an understatement). The use of a guitar amp sim VSTi (TH-U, TH-3, TH-2, Guitar Rig, HELIX Native, whatever) from the get-go only records the DI signal so makes re-amping either way (hardware or VSTi) simpler. Alternatively, some amps do have a DI output (rare), but this can also be achieved with hardware pedals that focus on that. As you are just getting your feet wet with physical re-amping, going the VSTi route might be simpler (record just the DI, "re-amp" with the VSTi as well, then shift to the physical re-amp to get a feel for that). The real point I am getting at here is that "DI track" is a must if re-amping is your intent, and by starting with a VSTi, that DI track is what you will be recording (guitar straight into the Scarlett on the first recording pass). Guitar amp sims are their own little playground, and there are tricks to getting them to sound realistic (another topic unto itself), but my concern/caution is more to having an unprocessed DI signal readily available since "re-amp" got laid on the table with the OP.

As @Bass Guitar mentioned above, reloading SONAR Platinum (or just focusing there if already installed) may be your quickest choice (and remove any confusion from GUI/workspace updates that have occurred since you last used CbB). That will give you full access to what you remember having and allow any exporting you need. There is also a free tier of the new Sonar if you want to try that out (the subscription version has more features enabled). But again, if you want to jump back into things quickly, SPlat would fall into the realm of "what you already know well" (and CbB is going offline in roughly 2 weeks, so no point in focusing there).

Few quick comments after fiddling a little more. While the CC tracks allow you highlight a note and insert a CC curve for that note's duration (nice feature), the curve is both independent of the note and universal. What I mean here is that if the note is moved/adjusted the CC information doesn't move with those edits (independent), and if two notes are played but only one should be bent, they both bend anyway (universal). Because of the "independent" aspect, getting timing down first is crucial before any CC information is added, so that time is not spent editing the CC info twice. Because of the "universal" aspect, bending a lower note to be in unison with an unbent note on the next higher string (I have always called these "blue bends" so not sure the real name) is not possible, at least that I can find(?). While AS4 still allows transfer from the Tab view to the Riffer, there is still no reverse option, and the only export option from the Riffer is as MIDI. Even with that said, the AS4 update carries a lot of nice new features/capabilities, with the majority of them in the Strum and Riffer areas.

I do not have the telecaster, so cannot speak to that directly. Hopefully someone who does have it can chime in. Overall, "most" of the new features are universal, and only a handful of them are dependent on "new samples" (very few actually). The reason I say this is the "Another Brick in the Wall (solo)" I zeroed in on once I found it... the "raking" fx only exists in the LP and Strat (so far, the ones with new samples)... if you open that Riff up in any other guitar, the raking and fx do not sound the same (the raking actually comes up as a "scratch" fx for other guitars). That said, there have been a LOT of additional presets/riffs in V4. Most riffs have an associated guitar preset (if you load a preset at the top, you get them both at once). As I do not own the telecaster, I cannot see presets, but most of the riffs have a preset associated with them, and the riff list for the telecaster is below so you can see what is there:

+1 to this. It not only makes working much more manageable, but also accommodates time signature changes. The Riffer still cannot accept time signature changes from the host, so any "snap to grid" functionality can cause a serious headache if you have time signature changes in a song and try to use Riffer for an entire track.

I just got to delve into AS4 for a couple hours, and been working in the stand-alone ("Rectangles") screen thus far. When the app is full screen, the only sub-tab that will fill it is the Riffer so a massive amount of effort went into the Riffer, and it is possibly even tailored to the stand-alone app(??). Even maxed, I am finding myself hiding the instrument panel (upper right) to get the most out of the work area. I have not delved into the manual one iota yet (not needed to), but the updates are rather nice. Side note: The Les Paul (AGLP) and Strat (AGSC) libraries were updated, and with just cycling through presets/riffs, the introduction of the raking effect became obvious when I happened upon the preset for the "Another Brick in the Wall (solo)" for the AGSC. Loading that full preset (at the top) is probably the best example of all of the new Riffer features (and new samples for AGSC). If in the PRV, you may need to scroll down to see the "FX" row at the bottom, but the use of the raking, up and down strokes in that are great examples of how to use them effectively. As I mentioned in another thread, it seems ALL of the riffs are loaded with any AS4 guitar, so the "Another Brick in the Wall (solo)" riff can be loaded (at the bottom of the Riffer) into whichever guitar you choose. It won't sound the same, but still the best example I've come across so far.

@Roy Slough, quick question for you. Which guitar and version are you running? I have had to do other computer upkeep and only loaded a couple updates (HellRazer and Vintage Cherry) thus far, but it seems that a single version 4 guitar update installs ALL the riffs for ALL guitars (defaults to C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Ample Sound\Riff4\Guitar4). The v4 Riffer will not load prior riffs (I checked that switching to the C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Ample Sound\Riffs\Guitar and v4 doesn't even recognize them), but the Riff files that get installed with a single v4 guitar update appear to be "everything."

Sort of reminds me of the VSTIs that have volume linked to the Mod wheel... since the A-PROs are all spring-loaded, as soon as you move the Mod wheel you better not let it go or the volume dives to nothing

I always send curt messages when on my phone, so sorry about that. Delving into AS4 is on my to do list for this weekend, so I have not downloaded the updates yet; but to Glenn's point, even the "rudimentary" ones you have may be a better start. The reason I say this is that building a riff from scratch would be the best way to learn the ins/outs of the workflow rather than trying to manipulate something pre-existing (both have their pros and cons). It was mentioned in the Deals thread that Riffer got beefed up so much that it has its own manual now, so I looked that up (seems this is a work-in-progress as some sections only have headers). As for me, my plan is to tear into Riffer "from scratch" since things that existed prior may no longer be applicable. This way I will be able to catch the changes as well as the new capabilities. Regarding the gpx files (or gp3/4 depending on version), those are made with Guitar Pro, which has a lot of detail capabilities, but is not the most intuitive in some respects to a new user. Some workflow aspects still bother me with GP, so another thing I am seeking this weekend is the workflow speed between the two and if files can be transferred back and forth between them (I am not sure if that functionality has been added though - you could always import them to the Tab page as you mentioned, but not the Riffer). As Riffer got a lot of attention with AS4, I would assume this is coming at some point if it doesn't exist yet, especially since you can do something like 264 bars in Riffer now, which is enough duration to do an entire guitar track for a song.

Ample Sound has also put a lot of effort into being able to import Guitar Pro files over the years, so sites that have .gp3, .gp4, gpx files (often entire songs) are another potential source. For multi-track files, you can import them and select the track you want to work with.

In the Tack View itself, the View->Navigator Show/Hide. ALT-N was the default keybinding.

Yay, the String Visualization Mode arrives for the guitars! I won't be able to delve into the new features until the weekend, but looking forward to testing this out.