automatically mute input echo when opening a project (option)

[white flowers]

I'm working with a lot of live recordings right now, where I monitor myself through headphones using various effects within Cakewalk - so I have to use input monitoring while I'm recording. I record for a while, then take a break, then record for a while. Sometimes while I'm doing other things, I use my monitors. Sometimes I forget to turn off input monitoring before I save the project, and then sometimes I forget to mute my monitors before I open the project. As a result, I'm getting massive feedback from my live mic, which upsets my dog.

I'd like Cakewalk to check to see if any live inputs are being monitored, and disable them, when I open a project. It would be best if this was an option, just for the odd case where it's necessary to save the state with the project - perhaps someone has a large live-recording template that they need to load up quick to record rehearsals while monitoring the mics, for example. Personally, I would just make it always turn off input echo when opening projects, and if I had some special case where I wanted to easily have a bunch of tracks' input echo enabled when I start up, I could group the input echo buttons so that it would require only one click. But I generally think it's better to have more functionality than less, so the optional approach would be good.

I've noticed that with Aux Tracks, when you change the input of an aux track from the "aux" to an audio input, Cakewalk turns off input echo. Then, when you switch the input back to an Aux, Cakewalk automatically turns on input echo. On the other hand, it's logical to turn off input monitoring when you switch to a live input, precisely because there could be a live mic on that channel. By the same reasoning, I think it would be smart to have Cakewalk disable live inputs when opening a project.

Thanks

 

[Josh Wolfer]

If you (Cakewalk) do this, please make it a toggle option. I purposefully leave input monitoring on and expect my instruments to all still be live and ready to rock when I open my project. 

If you don't have one, I recommend you get a monitor mixer, like the Presonus Mix station2, that way your volume levels and selected monitors are quickly and easily controlled. 

[Jonathan Sasor]

20 hours ago, btbrock said:

I'm working with a lot of live recordings right now, where I monitor myself through headphones using various effects within Cakewalk - so I have to use input monitoring while I'm recording. I record for a while, then take a break, then record for a while. Sometimes while I'm doing other things, I use my monitors. Sometimes I forget to turn off input monitoring before I save the project, and then sometimes I forget to mute my monitors before I open the project. As a result, I'm getting massive feedback from my live mic, which upsets my dog.

I'd like Cakewalk to check to see if any live inputs are being monitored, and disable them, when I open a project. It would be best if this was an option, just for the odd case where it's necessary to save the state with the project - perhaps someone has a large live-recording template that they need to load up quick to record rehearsals while monitoring the mics, for example. Personally, I would just make it always turn off input echo when opening projects, and if I had some special case where I wanted to easily have a bunch of tracks' input echo enabled when I start up, I could group the input echo buttons so that it would require only one click. But I generally think it's better to have more functionality than less, so the optional approach would be good.

I've noticed that with Aux Tracks, when you change the input of an aux track from the "aux" to an audio input, Cakewalk turns off input echo. Then, when you switch the input back to an Aux, Cakewalk automatically turns on input echo. On the other hand, it's logical to turn off input monitoring when you switch to a live input, precisely because there could be a live mic on that channel. By the same reasoning, I think it would be smart to have Cakewalk disable live inputs when opening a project.

Thanks

 

I can understand your point, but at the moment this is how Input Echo is designed because the track states are always saved as part of the project, and if Input Echo were to be turned off, it would cause Aux Tracks to stop working as you mentioned. 

Also it's a common use case to have monitoring kept if you're working on a project and want to pick back up where you left off. 

[white flowers]

Yes, well, it would be best as an option. Even a moment of feedback can damage equipment or cause other problems. The difference between Input Echo and other track states, such as Record or Mute or whatever, is that none of those settings have the potential to create problems on startup if the audio system has been changed in the meantime. This is an issue with other DAWs as well, but I happen to use Cakewalk for most of my recording work, so it's where I encounter the problem, and I do appreciate that you listen and develop with the users in mind.

The point about Aux Tracks is that when you change the input from the aux to an audio input, the input echo state is actually changed to off. Then when you change it back to aux, the input echo state is changed back to on.  So this is a case where the input echo state of audio tracks is treated differently from aux tracks. In the same way that Cakewalk recognizes when the input of a track is switched to an Aux, it could recognize on startup when tracks are monitoring an Aux and leave their Input Echo state unchanged.

Anyway, it would be helpful to me, and I can imagine that other people encounter huge amounts of feedback from time to time when they open a project with their monitors up and a live mic, so it might be helpful as an option. There's a difference when the mics are in the same room as the monitors, as is true for me, versus a conventional studio where there's a control room and a live room. I'd guess many of Cakewalk's users have everything in one room.

Thanks for listening.