any new soft synth i create gets routed as a midi track

[Zack Neil]

anytime i try to spawn in any new soft synth track from insert > soft synth (for instance serum which i use as my standard synth from pretty much every testing) instead of creating an actual soft synth track it just makes a new midi track that plays no sound and only registers my midi controller's inputs without pretty much doing anything. i tried checking all my drivers and apparently there's nothing wrong with them, on old projects i made the soft synths tracks work perfectly as they did before but as soon as i insert a new one that one completely doesnt work, the other ones still do though. i think i know the problem which would probably be the fact it wont let me route the output bus to master (it just doesnt show up for whatever reason), i had an insane creative spike today n i just cant do nothing about it cause my daw isnt working, did this occur to anyone too? anybody know how to fix this ? ty

[Glenn Stanton]

check the dialog to ensure the audio track is being created along with the MIDI track.

[John Vere]

I stopped using that method a few years ago I use the Add Track Dialogue. 
I find it odd that no one seems to be using the Add Track dialogue and still use the old method.  
Everything is there. All the options. And a huge improvement is choosing input and outputs all at once. 
Between that and Replace Synth I rarely use the options in the browser.  
I hope they clean that all up in the new version. Do we really need 10 ways to insert an instrument? 

[57Gregy]

1 hour ago, JohnnyV said:

Do we really need 10 ways to insert an instrument?

It's kinda like the kama sutra; try them all and then use the one you like best. 

[user 905133]

2 hours ago, JohnnyV said:

Do we really need 10 ways to insert an instrument? 

Alternate routes to similar results fit different work flows.  Sometimes right-clicking the track header pane is far more convenient than other methods.  I find most of the times using the Menu Bar > Insert menu is more work, but (1) sometimes it's convenient and (2) some people prefer using menu bars as a preferred workflow.  

There are two type of people in the world, those who say there should be only one path to inner peace and those who believe there can be many acceptable paths.

One person might advocate for 2 or 3 favorite ways to insert plugins and those ought to be the only ones available for everyone. Another person might favor 2 or 3 different ways. Yet another person always uses a browser to choose what's presented in hierarchical dialog and never uses the menu bar or the right click methods.  One person might favor dropping and dragging; someone else might favor other methods.  

Do "we" really need to risk alienating users by eliminating their personal efficiencies for the sake of simplification?  If you prefer one or two methods, you are free to use them exclusively. 

1 hour ago, 57Gregy said:

It's kinda like the kama sutra; try them all and then use the one you like best. 

YUP!  ? 

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by User 905133

[Glenn Stanton]

since my synth rack is almost always open, i just click on the + and pick my synth and select my options off the dialog.  maybe i would use the add track for an audio track as it has the add bus option. but most times i'm using my project templates.

[John Vere]

Figured so. I'm possibly the only person who likes it and uses it. And yes I have a couple of project templates I use but those don't have any tracks. Just my buses. I add audio tracks either using a track template or the add track which as I said can choose which interface input I'm using and the bus. And like for vocals I tell it to insert 3 tracks which is another weirdness of mine as I hate take lanes so I use 3 tracks instead. 

[Max Arwood]

3 tracks instead of take lanes  - Me too. I tried them, but regular tracks with folders is fine. I do like take lanes for multiple vocal takes.

Old insert - Me too

Why learn a new way to do something when everything is working just fine?? 

I would rather spend time on music that relearning something that is already ok as it is. ?

[Glenn Stanton]

for me - my vocals or other non-singers - i just use the take lanes with comping on. for other people who can actually sing? i switch to "store in separate tracks" and then comp from there. i find the separate tracks provide me with more safety and re-use options. easy enough to switch settings but a definite workflow change...

[Starship Krupa]

On 8/30/2023 at 8:53 AM, JohnnyV said:

I find it odd that no one seems to be using the Add Track dialogue and still use the old method.

I think you'll find that to be more true for people who have been using Cakewalk for a very long time.

For people like me who started relatively recently ("only" 5 years ago), it may be different. The only time I've ever paid any attention to the Synth Rack was when working on themes.

To add synths, I use the button above the Track Headers or drag and drop from the Browser.

[user 905133]

On 9/3/2023 at 6:22 PM, Starship Krupa said:

On 8/30/2023 at 11:53 AM, JohnnyV said:

I find it odd that no one seems to be using the Add Track dialogue and still use the old method.  

I think you'll find that to be more true for people who have been using Cakewalk for a very long time.

I could be wrong, but I don't think it's an old v. new, either-or thing. Personally, I like having multiple methods. Each has advantages and each has disadvantages.  Sometimes one method fits the current workflow; sometimes a different method fits better.

Having said that, it might be that veteran users know multiple methods and new users only know one.  

JMO: Making it into an "old, outdated"  v. a "new and improved" bipolar debate seems bogus to me. 

 

[John Vere]

I actually ignored it for the first few years and just added synths using drag and drop from the browser. I hid the synth properties dialogue cause I always used the same settings which were a split instrument track, a midi and instrument pair. 
Everything slowly changed for me as I poked around options when making the beginners tutorials.  
I soon figured out that for a new user the most straightforward method was the Add Track and it’s default settings. This includes a simple instrument track. 
I completely switched over to this and have used it since. But I do use the advanced dialogue to choose a bus. 
And now when I open older projects and find split midi tracks I replace them with the streamlined one track does it all now.
My workflow most definitely changed over the last 2 years and I really find it’s sped up my productivity 10 fold. 

[msmcleod]

Although the Add Track button does have some options that will override those in the dialog, for the most part the options from the Insert Synth Options dialog will always be respected (and remembered for next time).