ptheisen

I was referring to the TBProAudio channel strip. I see now that the others were referring to the Toneboosters Equalizer Pro, so that is my mistake. Sorry for the confusion.

By clean in Plugin Doctor I am referring to its ability to show things like noise and aliasing introduced by the plugin. Under conditions that tend to introduce these things, such as saturation and compression, the TB Pro channel strip introduces much more noise and aliasing than the Fuse Audio channel strip. For most intents and purposes, but certainly not all, noise and aliasing are unintended consequences of the saturation and compression. In most cases, the levels are low enough so as to make them inaudible, but in some cases, the levels for the TB Pro channel strip were definitely in the audible level range. Whether that sound is desirable or not is up to each person to decide. People should prioritize sound over measurements, and sound is very subjective, so I am not making any claim as to which one sounds better. I just said that the Fuse Audio channel strip is cleaner, and that is something I personally appreciate. There was someone else claiming the opposite in a different forum with regard to noise and aliasing shortly after the Fuse Audio channel strip was released a few years ago, but my recent testing did not confirm this at all.

Another alternative channel strip to consider is the Fuse Audio Labs VCS-1. Not as many features as the Kirchhoff or TB Pro. As far as how it looks in Plugin Doctor, it is actually much cleaner than the TB Pro. I don't have the Kirchhoff to test, so I can't compare it to the Fuse Audio. I purchased the VCS-1 because it feels like the right tool for me, and it's selling for $15 right now at Plugin Boutique.

For what it's worth, the Kirchhoff-EQ is currently available at Plugin Alliance for $59.99. It doesn't specify for how long.

Update: both S1 and Sonar Free report a total input/output latency of 253 samples at 96khz and 64 sample buffer size for the Saffire Pro 40, which equates to a round trip latency of about 2.6 ms. That is probably what the interface is reporting to the DAW. S1 also reports a separate audio round trip latency of 3.3 ms, which may be what it actually measures.

I don't have resource heavy projects, so most of the time I run at 96khz and 64 samples. If I recall, the latency is 2.9 ms I'm on vacation at the moment, so I can't verify. I switched to S1 about 2 years ago for new projects. I'll check that and Sonar Free when I get back.

My Saffire Pro 40 is working great on Windows 11 and a Texas Instruments firewire card here. I hope it never dies, the latency is lower than pretty much every USB interface out there.

I can also assure you that at least one person (me) and probably many others, have used Kontakt in the various Cakewalk related DAWS for years without issues. It is very commonly used around here. As Amberwolf said, if you indicate the specifics of the issues you are having, it is likely that others can help you become one of those that use Kontakt without issues.

When I was looking for a good de-esser a while back, and thinking that SSL should make some of the highest quality plugins, when the Vocalstrip was on sale for about $7 back then, I bought it. I like to test plugins in DDMF's Plugin Doctor, and I was disappointed to discover that the de-esser and de-ploser knobs were nothing more than EQ under different names. There was nothing about the plugin that made it more appealing than anything else I already have sound-wise. I'm glad I only paid $7 for it, I don't think I will ever use it. I don't have any experience with the Drumstrip or Guitarstrip.

Unless you happen to have a legal copy of SONAR Platinum (from 2017) or an even earlier version of Sonar such as X3, X2, X1, 8.5, etc.

While this isn't a bad price, during the last UAD mixtape bundle deal (10 plugins for $99), the two individual SSL plugins (not the bundle) were included as options, so if you were willing to spend $99 you could get these two and 8 more for about $10 a piece. They'll probably do another mixtape deal towards the end of the year.

I'm guessing that the reason it seems those users can be counted on one hand is that most of the many like-minded people have either left completely, or realized that it is indeed futile to continue the fight. I realized this almost two years ago and started using another DAW. I see many former Cakewalk users on the other forum. I also tried out several other DAWs, and there is ample evidence of former Cakewalk users for each of them. I think Bandlab has lost way more than just a few. In spite of this, Bandlab may still be financially ahead using the subscription model, good for them if it is true. They certainly have the right to do things the way they want . But it doesn't change the fact that they have inadvertently alienated many longtime users in the process, and each user has a similar right to do things the way they want, which may mean choosing a different DAW.

LOL At least you're being honest and up front about it! 😉

I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but when you installed Sonar, did you use the custom install, and if so, when it asked you which file extensions to associate with Sonar, did you include ".mid"?

I have also recently reverted to Sonar Platinum for opening any existing .cwp files. I have not encountered any issues so far, other than the warning message mentioned by CSistine. For what it's worth, I started using a completely different DAW for any new projects starting in November of 2023. Another member, azslow3, has made a utility program that can for the most part convert .cwp files and assets into files that open in the other DAW. I have used it a few times already and will be using it to convert any .cwp files as required in the future. It takes a bit of preparation as far as copying the necessary files to an appropriate location, but I have made a .bat file to simplify that part a fair amount.