mettelus

A couple quick things with this. First, lower frequencies have higher power, so recessing the top end of the pickup is a good way to equalize the power distribution for all of the strings. Using an AI/DAW combo works great for this, since you can check levels real-time while tweaking. You really want the cleanest output possible and distribution across the strings as even as possible. Second, like you, I have an older Saffire that is easily overdriven on INST settings with my main guitar (too sensitive and far too little wiggle room to work with... can even hear it on zero gain), so I actually use the LINE setting when recording that guitar (the gain needs to be at roughly the 3 o'clock position in LINE mode). That gives much better control of the input gain, and zeroing the gain actually mutes the guitar. I would start by shifting to LINE mode first and see how that works, then while at it tweak the pickup height to even out the power across the strings (my pickups have a visual tilt to them because of that tweaking).

I wouldn't recommend something physical for ear wax removal due to the risk of rupturing the drum. They also sell liquid kits. Debrox uses carbamide peroxide, but hydrogen peroxide works just as well (although the spray bulb from a kit is useful for rinsing). H2O2 actually dissolves the outer wax layer (can hear it fizz), so if there is a physical plug in your ear it will come out in one lump. It is also a good way to monitor buildup (no fizzle, no wax), but not something to daily or even monthly (depends on the individual). As that really falls in the medical realm, it is worth asking your doctor about. Physical instruments make me cringe, and I have not seen one designed yet that would remove a plug against the drum without risk. Just be cautious with products out there

Correct. I am not sure why they chose "notch" to describe it since notch has a specific meaning to anyone that uses EQs. Here is a brief article on it and success rates for a few studies that have been done. Quick edit: Just realized there are various methods that employ this same term, and some are, in fact, "notched." There seems to be no definite answer to which works best for whom, so tailoring to what works for you specifically is always best.

I agree, part of that was the time involved with the production (which also included some life-altering events along the way), but was definitely reflected in the studio bill and why they had to sell so many albums to break even. That record in particular has a very complex story behind it, but the video hit on the major points. They didn't mention that "Women" was the first track released and they were worried to even get air time on release (to pay off the studio bill). Flip side on the "time in production" (but also Mutt Lange) was AC/DC's "Back in Black" which was done in 7 weeks. Hysteria was 4(ish) years in the making.

Definitely start with this. The latency adjustment being to a different ASIO "device" is worrisome. If you have lost all audio output and the meters are moving, another thing to check is that the Master Output is assigned to the Focusrite... you can click-drag the bar at the bottom of the left pane of the Track View (or hit that button that looks like an eject button on a DVD player) to expand that section and check where your busses (specifically the Master Output) are assigned.

Cakewalk's AudioSnap functionality includes things like quantization and stretching audio, so when doing those functions even outside of the AudioSnap palette specifically, they may still be registered as such. The cwb format was really more intended to share projects (or archive) without audio edits in them, basically MIDI/tempo data, then all of the audio tracks butted end-to-end. Even things like Melodyne edits (if not bounced) will not be saved in a cwb file, so the cwp format is highly recommended in all things. Back in the day, cwb's were more like "zip files" to conserve space for both saving and sharing, but that need has fallen by the wayside with computer storage and internet bandwidth improvements. There are tricks to reduce cwp size and make collaboration with them easier, but cwb files are no longer considered for that. If you have cwb files now, it is better to open them and save them in cwp format to preserve them. cwb files also had the liability that corruption in the file would make the entire project unrecoverable.

Melda's MNotepad has also been around for years and is part of their MFreeFXBundle.

Before getting carried away with re-recording with some oddball setup, you very much can use pre-recorded tracks and do pretty much anything you want with them. Firstly, anything recorded from a single point (microphone, guitar jack, etc.) IS mono. Secondly, even mono tracks (one single wave form) get processed as stereo as soon as you put a stereo effect on it (just how DAWs work, they need to accommodate the stereo output an effect produces). Couple quick things: Is your track hard-panned to one side? Seems that way, and if it is you can bounce the track (in Track View, menu at top of left pane... "Bounce to Tracks") and choose "Split Mono" in the options to separate the left and right channels into individual tracks. One of them will have nothing in it (because your imported file was hard-panned to one side), so you can just delete that one. That will leave you with the remaining channel as a mono track. Side note: if recording directly into a DAW, the input (often "mono/left") and interleave (mono versus stereo) will affect what the track looks like as you record it. Again, you can change that even after the fact if it is truly a mono signal in the first place. Mono tracks will be processed "straight down the center," unless you pan them or add effects that change the left and right channels (reverbs, stereo FX, there are a lot that do this... most FX have a stereo output, not nearly as many are "mono"). The track can be left "mono" (often preferred) but the output will be in stereo (even if straight down the middle, since both sides will be the same). Easiest way to learn is to try extreme settings with things (knobs all the way to the right or left) and hear what it does. As you get more familiar you will understand things better that way. It might help us to get better clarification of what you are experiencing (both what the original files are, and how they look when you import them). I may have misconstrued what you said, but I also wanted to point out that it is more how you are working with what you have now and learning how things work (some things are "under the hood" as they say, so not always obvious to new folks).

The apex of the zero nut is in line with the tang of the fret, so if it is constructed properly it should be exactly on the end of the fretboard (no change). The StewMac link @Glenn Stanton posted above was the reference where he got it, but in that pic the tang is rolled forward slightly from back pressure by the nut (so is sort of a hybrid between perfectly vertical and the video in the OP). The zero fret has no barbs on the tang, so you can still fiddle with the shelf on the nut to adjust as needed. With softer fretboards, be careful cycling a nut in and out though... you can reinforce it some with superglue just to harden the nut face (I wouldn't glue that fret in, maybe a couple small drops on the nut; the strings do the grunt work holding a nut in place).

I am pretty sure that is a permanent license for last year's version. In the past, when it was a "6 month subscription" only, that was stated pretty clearly in the product description. Corel has made offers of last year's version of things frequently in the past in hopes to get them to upgrade to the current version (so they are definitely valid serial numbers, but for last year's version). Side note: it also seems the "upgrade" to 2025 is subscription only... I cannot find a "one-time" upgrade price for 2025 (might be buried someplace, but not easy to find).

Having to reinstall Windows is very rare these days. Windows has built in tools to verify system files are intact and will repair them as needed. I would always start there first if you ever have concerns that the system itself may be having issues (across multiple programs). This is a good reference article for using both SFC and DISM. Read down through that (it explains how to open the command prompt in case you are unclear). The two commands most important are for SFC (system file checker), which will auto-repair (it it can): sfc /scannow And DISM, which verifies your installed version of Windows with what it should be from an online version. To automatically fix any discrepancies the "RestoreHealth" switch will repair any discrepencies (you need to be online for the image to be compared): DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth That is also typed into the box insert in that article. That article has been useful, so they archived it, but also converted its formatting to "just text" which might confuse you, but it is still readable as an article. I boldfaced the actual commands you would type into the elevated command prompt window for you above (can copy/paste those into the command window also to save typing). **** I would start with the above first before digging into other things, or "deleting everything and starting again" (that is RARELY ever needed) *** Side Note: Going forward, a "disc image" of your OS drive is a better recovery method many times. Something to research when you have the time. It basically makes a Xerox copy of your C drive that you can restore if needed. There are free programs that will do images, and more accurate than Windows variants (rather than try to "undo" system changes, it actually replaces the C drive with a Xerox copy of itself when you knew it was "good").

Just to be sure, did you check all of the plugin paths listed in 8.5 to ensure that they are also listed in CbB? Once those match, you may need to force a manual rescan (or even reset and rescan) to make sure they are accounted for. If they are installed on the machine, I am assuming CbB is just not seeing the proper paths.

That is more likely a "safer" assumption, since a discharge will occur through the path of least resistance (and the conductor heights matter). I live in the woods here and had a strike that hit one of the tallest oaks on my property (about 75ft from the house) that left a 6ft tall gash near the base and has caused it to lean over the 15 years since. What you absolutely do not want is the tallest conductor to be an antenna (Little House on the Prairie scenario is bad one), or in the absolute worst case to be the tallest thing standing....

If you search around, there are videos with varying degrees of accuracy with the solo. Even playing live Eddie embellished it over the studio version. This is another that is pretty spot on and done to a backing track of the song (is also YouTube, so easy to download). Quick edit: Sorta funny, but the very next video that came up after that one walks through the finger spread you mentioned above. He actually focuses on just that section and walks through it in detail.

A different approach to what you are doing (learning the solo): You can download videos (or extract the audio from one) with 4K Video Downloader (FREE version, or similar). Using a video player like VLC Media Player (also free), you can adjust playback speed (Playback->Speed->Option of your choice). While this doesn't allow for fine-tune dialing in of a speed, it is usable. With audio only, RiffStation can still be downloaded (link is in the OP, that was unlocked for everyone when they discontinued development), and it not only has fine tuning with speed, but also an audio microscope on the one tab to allow you to zero in on the frequencies you want to hear (so separating stems is rarely necessary). A couple additional notes... tabs are not always accurate... I had someone playing Def Leppard's "Rocket" once and asked what they were doing... "The tab has pulloffs in it!"... "Um, those notes ring, so they are not pulloffs... adjust those first two notes up a string and try it." Lightbulb moment for them. Especially on slow speed you can hear nuances in performances... let your ears and fingers guide you. Also... a video of the performance is prefered for slowing down... Orianthi has a nice one done adhoc in a radio station that shows her playing well. She was slated to play guitar for Michael Jackson's final tour (but didn't because he died), and he always commented on her playing that particular solo.

+1, that was my reaction with the price too! I was already looking at Triple Shots for mine, but not sure they truly fit either since Seymour Duncan has nice spec sheets on them and the installed rings are a smidge wider... just enough to make the screw holes not match but close enough that filling/re-tapping could be an issue. I need to take a contour gauge to the top of it on my first string change against their spec sheet first (not sure on the arch either). No real rush, is more that the guitar is so nicely made that upgrading the electronics would be fitting. Mine had a little too much relief when it arrived too (was just a quarter turn adjustment). Were the electronics okay in it when it came (the f-hole design again... a bit harder to check them)? Side note on mine... that pickup switch is HUGE... like .5" x 1"... I saw that and thought, "You gotta be kidding me!" Yours may be identical... with an F-hole design working on the electronics can be a PITA, but if not modifying it, no worries.

+1 to this! I still have (multiple copies) of PSP 5 and have it set as my default editor. It has 90% of the features I use as is, is so small (17.4MB!) that is can be put on thumb drives to fix things on a work laptop, and opens instantly! The guy who coded it (JASC) was my next door neighbor when I was in MN, and the fact that it was "future-proofed" to access available memory made it even faster as computers evolved. It is funny how you can look at a 30-year old piece of software and suddenly realize how few of the added features actually get used. I never get excited about updates to Word! There have only been a handful of bug fixes I miss when I happen to sit down at a version of 2003 (not seen a version earlier than 2003, but that was when the major file format change occurred anyway).

Rebelle just announced yesterday that they are going to the same model that Splat had (1-year window of updates from purchase point). The downside of that model is folks can wait for a feature they actually want before buying in and catch up to everyone else in one go. The bean counters need to get a better grasp on reality sometimes. They almost gave away Rebelle 7 Pro (even to new users) for $30 (normally $149) and seem lost about "what happened??" A couple problems with that model is developers feel compelled to release "something" each month, and keeping track of who is on what version just becomes a circus. We all know how that turned out with Splat...

Ouch, that is why they chose version 12 then, I guess... I didn't catch that aspect of it

CorelDRAW and Pinnacle (I think) are the only two apps still being developed by Corel. PaintShop Pro, Painter, and VideoStudio all got put on "hiatus" after the 2023 edition "while they figure out what to do going forward." Not sure if anything has been done with WordPerfect or Roxio, but AfterShot Pro has been unchanged for years now. The Humble Bundle for MOHO struck me as very odd, since that is version 12 (is now 14) and that version was before it it was bought (back) by Lost Marble in 2020!! I am not even sure what is going on with that one, but it "should" be able to be upgraded. It is not even close to being current though.

I have had instances (and even done it myself) where finish had creeped into the truss nut cavity. Freaked myself out because I had bound one nut (and later thought it was a rod issue and was afraid to torque it enough to break it loose), then a luthier laughed at me and said, "It is damn near impossible to break a truss rod, you worry too much!" Have you tried backing that nut out all the way with no tension on the strings (this will also let you see the max relief you can get sans string guage)? If I ever pull the nut out completely I do the beeswax thing to the threads and outer surface just so it functions as expected afterwards. They shouldn't require undue torque to move for sure. The one I just got did have some overspray on the end of the nut, but it hadn't creeped into the cavity (was recessed); seems the ones that give me grief have a portion of the nut barrel exposed.

A few quick pics for those interested. How it is shipped, plain old cardboard box: The fret access (why I bought it!). The heel of my hand is against the cavity cut on the back of the guitar, so my pinky it parallel to the 24th fret: The front/tremolo - A couple things with this pic... first, you can see the bow on the pickup mounts (they are flat-top mounts on an arch-top guitar)... and second, after actually playing this, I am not so sure that tremolo is a knockoff, but rather a "special buy" from the Wilkinson factory in South Korea. The arm on that tremolo is unique to only two models of Wilkinson that I could find (no plastic end cap). I have never been a big fan of trems, but this one is tight and keeps tune even through some pretty serious usage (that shocked me actually): Have a few others of the front, back, and fretboard, but they are identical to the advertisement. I couldn't get a good picture of the cap edge, but the "binding" IS the flame maple cap peeking out the sides. Overall review of this from getting to run it through the ringer just a bit: Construction - Surprisingly nice, for the price this is extraordinary! A flame maple cap alone (raw) costs more than half of this guitar. Frets - Exceptional.... first guitar EVER I have not had to touch the frets on at all. Pickups - More than adequate. They have "average" output, but also have all 4 coil wires exposed, so could be coil split easily. For tinkerers, the cavity has enough room to work, so mods and pickup replacements would be straight forward. Fret Access/Playability - Exceptional. The neck is slightly thicker than I prefer (just me), but the access, sustain, and playability (because the frets are done RIGHT) makes this stand out right away. Nut - Average. The nut is bone, but was (fairly) high on the low string side. It "could" be played as it was, but not ideal. Fortunately that nut came out without needing to do much more than run a utility knife down the headstock edge (I didn't even need to tap it out). Hardware - Average overall. Tuners are fine. Mounting rings "should" be arch-top variants and they are not incredibly rigid; i.e., the pickups can be moved around inside that mount more easily than they should be. Knobs are plastic, but also easily replaced. The mounting rings, knobs, and tuners are a straightforward upgrade if desired. Tremolo - Above average (not quite sure how to rate tremolos TBH, since I do not cater to them). Again, not quite sure now that this is a knockoff. It has three springs installed (makes the initial tuning a lot of fun), but once tuned it stays there. Definitely usable, but not run it for extended periods yet. Since it comes back to expected tuning, I guess that is all that really matters. Finish/look - Exceptional. Some of the details are taken from the PRS line (exposed cap edge). The fretboard is not finished, and this may very well be intentional, since it would let folks stain that ivy inlay as they see fit. If the fretboard was finished, modifying/customizing that vine would be a significant challenge. Issues - The only issue I had was the bad coil connection on the one pickup (so I may very well own a RETURN, no idea). The "salt environment" (if true) means to check/verify everything (even in the cavities) if you get one. As my issue was something I couldn't see (under shrink wrap tubing), I would advise pulling shrink wrap off so that EVERY solder connection can be visually verified. Although this manufacturing defect was easily fixed, it would be catastrophic to some.

Okay, she is done (yay). @DeeringAmps the PUP issue was sort of a manufacturing "oopsie" and not obvious, but what was very obvious was (very isolated) corrosion in the cavity when I popped the back plates off. Nothing major, but was on the threads to the tremelo spring plate screws (2) and pot stems (I pulled one and seemed to be on the aluminum only). Something to check when you get yours. Mine might be a refugee that swam to the US to get here, but my only assumption from seeing that is that the IYV factory (or wire harness assembly) is in a salt-air environment (near the ocean). Anyway... there are both positives and negatives from me delving into the guts: The humbuckers are 4-wire, so can coil split them if desired without replacing them. Without punching more holes in the body (very little room for extra pots anyway), either push/pull pots or Seymour Duncan Triple Shots (my preference) would be the way to go. The humbuckers are potted and nice and shiny, so no issues with them. The soldering was all done properly to the pots (no corrosion on anything but the pot stems and trem screws). Way more ground connections than I would do, but no harm, no foul. I start checking resistances and was getting flaky readings on the pots and the PUP... so was going to pop that PUP out and do coil/polarity checks... BUT... The coil connection (white to green) on the PUPs was shrink wrapped (I thought that was a nice touch actually), but then pulled the one off to the bad PUP and it was not soldered, only twisted. Of course I untwist it and aluminum oxide rains out of the wires. Grabbed the soldering iron, snipped those ends off (not a "lot" of extra wire in there for playing, but had enough), and soldered them. Checked the other PUP and that one was soldered, but I resoldered it anyway just for good measure. I ran it to the amp before buttoning it back up to check, and all is now GOOD. Bottom line, between that one connection not being soldered and the salty environment, it was causing massive (and erratic) resistance spikes. None of the rest of the guitar shows any salt damage whatsoever, so this could be that they "prefab" the wire harnesses where the salt can get to them. No idea, but wanted to bring your attention to that. Will post pics when I get a chance later but she is DONE (at least till I get a wild hair for some mod)... ZERO fret work required (that alone is worth an honorable mention).

Stroke of luck, setup got completed tonight (neck PUP still outstanding): Nut - The nut had finish against the headstock side, so I ran a utility knife down that to separate it (is also the lower side). Fretboard side is unfinished, so I turned it around and said, "Now if you will just bend over for me..." and it flopped right over! Wasn't expecting that (never works on women), so I figured fine, I will finish the setup tonight. The nut is actually bone (was obvious once out), and was only too tall on the on the low E (0.031") end, the high E was fine (0.012"). I took the low E side down to 0.022" and put the nut back in without any glue for now. Truss rod - I actually added a 1/4 turn of tension before measuring the nut. This link is a good reference for the proper order with things, but I don't quite agree with the values given 100%. Intonation - The saddles were actually loose (weird), so set intonation and tightened them down. Set the pickup heights to where they should be. Played it for a bit after and got another kicker with the electronics... On the bridge PUP (only now), the volume and tone knobs work as expected (tone knob was obvious with the PUP at the right height). With the switch on both or neck, the tone knob also acts as a volume knob. Maybe I didn't fully test the mid position previously (more than likely), but the neck pickup is definitely wired wrong. The neck output is higher raising that PUP height, but that wiring needs to be redone. Ran out of steam for the evening so will tackle that one later on.

I fall into this bucket for sure. Mocha Pro is also a subscription-based product, and Premiere is almost reliant on them.... another nail in the coffin since Resolve Studio includes both (essentially) as a one-time buy. This is akin to owning Melda's MCompleteBundle... how many new plugins entice you after owning that? Just a word of caution with making assumptions over industries being siloed (this is very rare actually). More complex ones will often absorb/overtake others, especially if they fall into a subset. A couple stupid anecdotes... I have worked with DSP in the GHz range, so engineers in that field consider audio frequencies "child's play." Similarly, I asked for a driver update to a system once and the guy said "I can get those to you tomorrow." I followed up with, "Damn, you should help the folks with audio interface drivers." Very few people I work with know my hobbies (and most only remember "cars"), so he gave me this "As if" look... that made me chuckle and say, "Yeah, keep your day job." I just thought that event was particularly comical because he redid drivers to a complex system in a day, when some audio interfaces cannot even make their own. Audio will always be a subset of video in terms of complexity. You can have audio without video, but it is very rare to have video without associated audio. As things flesh out, do not be surprised by what happens. FairLight already includes... ARA , VST3 (and AU), multi-track recording (even instrument tracks) but ONLY 2000 of them!, ADR (people buy ReVoice for this), track layers (aka take lanes), automation, audio repair tools (people by RX/SpectraLayers for this), Dolby Atmos, and video<->audio synchronization tools (how many here have complained about that one?), amongst others. I often tell folks to focus their money wisely, so when debates on DAWs occur, I typically steer towards, "And you 'need' a DAW... for what exactly?" New (especially younger) folks I steer down the video path instead... they are going to gain more marketable skills on that road for the future, including audio skills.