Keni

2 minutes ago, pwal said:

tbf, i think rain should still grow a beard and a poney tail, wear thick glasses, sandals, and tye dye shirts, and smoke weed

I never stopped! But the pony tail got so thin that it's now just a horse's *****! ?

15 minutes ago, Shane_B. said:

Saying these bands sucked on my part was a bit overboard. The long version of my point of view is, while I can appreciate these people as musicians and their talent, I personally can't connect with their music. I guess that's a more PC way to put it.

As I get older I appreciate a wider variety of music based on how well it was recorded rather than the actual music itself. Hope I'm explaining that clear enough. I'm getting more in to the ear candy part of it rather than the actual musical aspect of it. That's why I pick up old LPs of people I've never even heard of, just because I know that the label they are on took great Carr to make a great recording. 

I picked up a mint condition box set of Liberace last year. It was pressed on heavy vinyl and was released as a high quality recording. They went in to detail where it was recorded and how. It was from the late 50s early 60s. Do I like his music? Some of it, but it "sounds" amazing.

I don't normally have those experiences with hard rock or metal. I can listen to that and get the same feeling from an MP3 or beat up old cassette. But back to my point, I have to connect with the music in that case and a lot of these bands that have truly great musicians I just can't connect with.

Apologies for typos. On my cell in the car waiting for someone and I forgot my glasses. lol

Not to worry... We all suffer the issues of typos! ?

This is true for all forms of art. It is very rooted in the actual living experience of the times it was created and trying to feel that is truly difficult if it hasn't been experienced. So as for scientific examinings, again we face the changing/evolving of technologies. So many people still vie for vinyl... Me? I've got a fairly large vinyl collection which I never listen to or plan to. I grew up with 78's before LP was invented! ? I have all the pops and crackles and skipping etc. that vinyl suffers as well as understanding the RIAA curve and it's reasons for existing as well as the horror it places on quality reproduction.... Not a great technology but I was thrilled with it when it was all there was. Each medium has it's good/bad aspects. Early CD tech suffered when they thought to get away with a single DAC converting the audio and the incredible loss of depth that resulted... But it was overcome and continues to improve. Maybe one day we'll have "natural" digital recording where it's analog-style continuous?

Who knows?

I just hope that in your musings you find the good in things always!

For me, being old enough to remember these artists first appearances and seeing most of them live...

Some of the appreciation of these is understanding the times and what existed before.

The Beatles performed with no monitors through most of the band's live performances! Things were different on many levels!

BTW, Not "defending" something that needs no defending.

I can’t count how many songs/artists I dissed over the years only to find hindsight provided a very different perspective. So many styles/genres which each contain interesting elements even if I’m not attracted to such styles. Time changes everything!

I've managed to love all of these in their' time and continue to find and enjoy new artists and things. They are each additional, not replacing and uniquely tied with the times they flourish.

Sometimes I find myself seeking to remember/imagine the mindset of my avatar in those times/places. Some of which I did live through. Sheesh! Drum hardware became more solid and stopped shaking all over the sad flexing risers! Ha!

Now everyone accepts stomp boxes. They all bitched at me for all the gadgets and wires...

are things better now? I don’t believe so. Only different. Much has improved, but so have our expectations increased.

2 minutes ago, Jacques Boileau said:

I read that UAD does not allow tweaking R37 on this LA2A, but that they have it fixed at a useful setting. Whatever that is.

Then why leave it in the UI? Bad decision in my opinion...

I guess this is a reason some might op to upgrade to the full la2a collection. It's cheap enough if this is important to you?

45 minutes ago, Tim Elmore said:

One difference is that the Cakewalk PC2A (in Pro Channel) includes the R37 control to add gain reduction above 1kHz:

The Universal Audio LA2A plug-in appears to have the R37 control, but it is actually just part of the GUI image, not a settable control:

I haven't tested the LA2A yet to find out how their compression responds to higher frequencies.

Interesting...

That's strange. Why put it there if it's not gonna work? Maybe a bug?

3 hours ago, mettelus said:

Quick follow up on this guy. In practice, running this enabled can cause some latency issues, so I am not sure about the feasibility of running this in a tracking situation. I got it to cause its own phasing issues, so be conscious of the algorithms used and how much tweaking you are doing. It definitely raises issues with plugins that have look ahead embedded in them, so its best use is as first pass for post production, then bake that into a track bounce so it can be removed from the process chain completely.

Yeah, I noticed the latency as well as flanging or phase shifting that sometimes occurs. I only use it much as you describe. Remove the noise and get rid of it! I do sometimes duplicate the track, archive and hide one copy, then apply the noise reduction and remove it from the active track/copy...

58 minutes ago, fitzj said:

Universal Audio are offering the CA2 for free until the end of October. Doesn't require the Audio PCIe card to work.

Yup. Got it. They are "comparable". I like different qualities of each but they are very similar.

Note that the UAD free release (called La2a Tube Compressor) is the same algorithm as the la2a Silver from the UAD La2a Collection, but sounds different than the silver anyway.

 I’m still very satisfied with the Ca2a most of the time, but glad to have the choices!

I've gotta go back and read the thread through... Not that it matters to me personally, but I like to know things...

I have had the CA2 since it was originally released and use it a lot... It is excellent ac is the PC75

I recently acquired the UAD 1176 collection and the Free UAD La2a Tube Compressor which are excellent as well. Just as with hardware I've owned, they're all similar, but different, so knowing/choosing your gear is a matter of taste.

I have others as well, but these two sets are my go to most of the time for these devices.

The CA2 has been invaluable to me so I hope more people get to appreciate it!

4 hours ago, 57Gregy said:

Yes, and don't forget the puffy ascot.
Congratulations!

Thanks Gregy!

I could never forget my ascot!

On 10/15/2023 at 5:37 AM, Andres Medina said:

Same here.

I found awful the Discord page, cluttered and very confusing. 

Next was unusable in my system for the same reasons Keni explained.

I decided to quit.

AHA!

A surprise!

I just got this from melph on the discod forum and it made all the difference...

I clicked on the keybaod "P" to open preferences;

Then selected the Display tab on the left

Middle of right area under the heading Graphics I enabled Use Standard Title Bar

and voila....

Now my menu buttons are active! I'm off to see what Next is actually like on Windows!

Good luck! I hope this works for you too!

5 minutes ago, Clint Martin said:

Yeah, Meng has earned my support for sure!!!

 

He seems to exude a confidence too! I admire him as well. Between this and Bandlab itself, he set out to help the world have access to good music making abilities!

I hope his many endeavors bring him much joy and rewards for all he does!

4 minutes ago, Clint Martin said:

As far as games of patience, I play chess daily.

Can't wait for the new Sonar...instant buy for me!

I'm hoping they restart development of the Pro-channel.

I always thought the Pro-channel was unique and set Sonar apart in many ways.

Update the tape sims and console emulations, I'm sure they have many plans. 

I'm with you here too Clint!

My apology for derailing the topic. It was unintentional. I have used the denoiser for quite some time...

I think the team did a great job maintaining and updating Cake since Gibson dumped us and Meng made that all possible... Now with the addition of the return of enterprise to the product, I hope we have even more good stuff coming down the line soon!

1 hour ago, Jimbo 88 said:

Hey so we should have an After Party right here...digitally.

We can post pictures of us walking down the red carpet all dressed up to celebrate Keni!

While we're at it, let's create some new categories for Cakewalk related topics! ?

Who's gonna supply the eats?

8 hours ago, PavlovsCat said:

I really enjoyed that bit of wisdom. I do need to work on patience -- it is a virtue. Thanks for the encouragement and I wish you the best with your music and in life. You're a very interesting person and I enjoy your posts and those little tidbits of wisdom you share.  Maybe I can pick up some tips from someone much better than me at patience -- I'm game to try.  All the best, Keni!

Thanks PavlovsCat, but I don’t know how much wisdom it contained. More simply the observations of an old man!

It's easy to grow less patient and more intolerant with age as we are all continually cowered with the repeated actions that never cease. There is always anger and disagreement of same/similar issues and it gets tiring.

Sorry, I digress again. Lots of alone time! ?

37 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

I have tons of experience,  but I don't have patience! The older I get the less I have (maybe it's the sense that I have less time left to get things done!). 

I’m finding patience is a learned skill. I must first decide to be willing to be patient and that was/is the hardest part.

I work very hard in a continuing effort to think before I act. At the most minute level. Far from always able, but more so, the more I make the conscious decision.

It's funny but this always brings to mind a "game" I often play and suggest to others.

Exactly what position was I in when I woke. Down to the minute again. Not just, on my back, side, or such, but where was each hand and which way was my head facing etc.. No matter how close I come, I find yet another smaller level of uncertainty and the challenge continues. This is an approach I use to help train myself to be more aware and more quickly. Translating that into actions makes me a much more calm person than before.

Not that I’m good at it as I also suffer the impatience of the elders being tired of the repeated beatings we each must weather to survive...

...but I/we digress here. No matter what we each feel or say regarding Sonar, only time will tell the story. 

I am anxious to begin working with the new Sonar having no idea how I will find the cash, I intend to purchase it immediately.

It's funny, but I'll feel better working with a paid DAW than I do with the free version of same. There is no real security, but reality has a way of manipulating dreams.

I am releasing my 14th solo album this November. The last 11 have all been created entirely in Cakewalk/Pro Audio/Sonar/CbB and I am well underway on my 15th as we chat. Just remembered... back 12 albums. It was made using Cakewalk as a sequencer in sync with a Soundscape Hard Disk Recording System (defunct but I worked for the British company back then in the early 90’s)

47 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

Maybe that's why most of this group is so dang friendly? Maturity.  Not like those mouthy whiper snapers at some other forums!

I guess that might be true. Maturity might be a word to describe it. I’m thinking patience. Something I never had before. That and experience. Working with the Cakewalk team since Greg H days has also developed a level of trust and understanding beyond the spoken words. It’s a level of honesty and commitment I feel in the words of the Bakers!

I want to believe!

????

1 hour ago, craigb said:

Just not into Grammy's...  I like 'em younger!  ?

 

(But, good luck to you just the same! ??)

Thanks Craig...

It'll take a lot more than luck to get me into the finals.... Say around a hundred thousand votes? ?

38 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

A heck of a lot of us in this group are middle aged. It especially strikes me that when someone doesn't post for a week there seems to be an assumption that they died. 

Especially for those of us long passed middle aged...

1 hour ago, PavlovsCat said:

I wouldn't attribute the change to the population, but to technology. A larger world population would actually translate into increased sales revenue if all other things were equal, not less. The change that led us to this situation is technology what strategists call digital disruption, in this case. First, it was Napster, then Apple (iTunes) then Spotify, etc. that caused the public to transition from buying physical product  like CDs to either buying or pirating digital product online. I knew the head of marketing for Napster back in the 00s, just after they changed their model from piracy to paid MP3s, and we had some interesting chats that probably would have made for a good book.

So the public (that wasn't engaged in piracy) went from paying for physical product to paying for digital product to streaming services (of course, there are small numbers of Boomers and Gen X that still will buy CDs, but it's a very small percentage of the total market and most households (over 60%) in the US do pay a monthly subscription fee to a music streaming service. But that revenue model really only provides enough to make a good living on if your music gets a very very high number of streams. I know someone through a friend who had a hit I loved in the 80s and a lot of us here might recognize it, but he doesn't make enough annually to buy a used economy car from his streaming royalties and is a director with Meta today, handling music. But that's the reality. The streaming model only creates significant revenue for artists with a very high volume of plays. So it's extremely difficult for an artist that doesn't have mass appeal to make it in the current world beyond working their tails off doing live shows. Whereas a couple of decades ago or more, artists made most of their money from record sales and toured to promote record sales. Today, most artists make the majority of their income from live shows and I love live music and that was what I did back when. But it makes it extremely difficult for the next very creative non-commercial artist to make a living from music. It's not an environment where you could see the next Jimi Hendrix, Beatles, Radiohead, etc. succeeding and I wish that wasn't the case. 

Absolutely! The technology is another major player in the shifting landscape.... Neither by itself would have been half as effective!

So as with all things (everything changes) we adapt or perish. Luckily for me either option is just fine as I'm retired anyway!

18 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

Yep. I don't envy young musicians these days. Twenty years ago it was much easier to make it whether or not you were on a major label. These days people aren't buying CDs, you need huge volume of streams to make decent money. If your music doesn't appeal to a wide audience you're going to have a very hard time making a living from music. While my mother was a musician who encouraged me to be a professional musician, even though I am madly in love with music, I'm glad that my kids aren't pursuing music for a living, the odds are incredibly tough for anyone who isn't a child star the labels want to back. 

Whereas the reality a lot of indie developers face is to have to do a deal with the devil AKA influencers to shill their products to get noticed. Advertising alone doesn't cut it, so you are really forced into having to deal with the industry of professional and semi-professional shills in order to get your product the attention it takes to be successful. Folks here who haven't seen all of my posts might be surprised that even with my disappointment with influencer marketing, I just recommended to a developer to use influencers last week. Why? They reach an audience and have a level of influence over their followers that you just can't attain as inexpensively or as quickly through traditional online advertising and promotions.  Throwing free products and cash at someone with millions, or at least thousands (which is the way this industry works), of followers who see them as authoritative aspirational figures is unquestionably the cheapest, quickest way to sales growth in this industry -- and most other industries.  And back to your comparison with musicians and record labels, in that business, it's all about list curators and synchronization these days (like getting your songs in ads, placed in tv, movies and games). There's not a lot of opportunity in radio and the audience is largely boomers, and even they're not paying for music these days. In fact the last study I found, only, less than 15% of Boomers even pay for a music streaming service.  So if you don't have big backing behind you and your music doesn't have wide appeal, there's little chance to become a successful new music artist these days short of playing live shows -- and even those opportunities are limited. 

Well stated.

It was difficult back then. My Dad always reminded me how few succeed though he fully supported me. He suggested I keep it a hobby... which I never could.

Most of my life I made money making commercials as well as albums. Getting connected with Ad houses, A&R personnel, commercial producers and maintaining them was the game. Now they use 3rd party screening being too overwhelmed with the sheer number of people applying for such. Now you have to pay for each submission and get passed the screeners before a producer even hears what you have to offer. ? If you’re lucky!

The incredible increase in population changed things big time.

World population essentially tripled from 1950 to 2000!

5 minutes ago, OutrageProductions said:

Best of luck! It's an exclusive club, but I'm a voting member, so I'll see if I can add to the tally.

Meantime... get your tux cleaned & pressed.

Thanks! Outrageous to have friends!

I've been a voting member for more than 30 years. It's about time some votes come my way! ? Now I've got 3 votes!

I won't worry the tux. Don't own one anymore so I'll have to rent.... Is purple/gold still in fashion?

43 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

Given that there are known issues with EastWest and CbB, one thing you could try out is BlueCat's PatchWork, which is a VSTi that can host other VSTi's:: https://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Product_PatchWork/

Basically,  you insert PatchWork Synth as your synth, then load EastWest inside PatchWork. 

This means that EastWest is no longer talking to Cakewalk directly, but instead talking to PatchWork.  There may be sufficient differences in the way that PatchWork leverages the VST3 API to keep EastWest happy.

It's not a cheap plugin, but it does allow you to do a host of parallel processing that you couldn't otherwise do in Cakewalk natively.  

They provide a demo download, so please try that out and check that it works before committing to buying it.

That's an interesting approach!

Quite an idea for many things... Something to look into further...

Thanks Mark!

26 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

Man, I hate seeing talented devs go under. It actually compelled me to advise a bunch of small devs at no cost in return for them giving free NFRs to low income musicians (something I didn’t publicly share back then because I was already too busy with paid work).  It's tough for indie devs to make it,  even if they're really talented,  they need to know how to successfully run a business and its rare for one person to be great at both things.  

Yeah, like musicians trying to do all the jobs a major label does after first creating their' art?

Now we don't need them, huh?

1 minute ago, Clint Martin said:

Maybe I should put noise reduction in the title?

Might attract additional interest?

I've used this plugin a few times over the years. Sometimes with success and others not so....

Handy to have around!