Mad Musicologist Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Hi dear all, in "good old times" Cakewalk (not yet by Bandlab) used to have a fine softsynth called "Pentagon", which could create a lot of nice timbres which I had to search for endlessly with more recent synths. What I am up to, there's a (historic) description of that thing: https://www.kvraudio.com/product/pentagon_i_by_cakewalk Does anyone know: Is that still somewhere available after the Cakewalk (by Gibson) store had been closed? Or any recommendation which could replace that thing? Thankx. Not that I would want to say the times of Cakewalk @ Bandlab were bad ones - ! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 I do not recall the last time Pentagon I was sold separately. It was bundled with SONAR 5 Producer through X3 Producer. To get the plug-in run an advanced install of the 64bit version of any of those DAWs. The registry was never updated so it is one of those plug-ins that must be run as administrator or have its registry permissions modified to give Users full control of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\rgc:audio Software\Dxi\Pentagon I 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Musicologist Posted November 2, 2019 Author Share Posted November 2, 2019 2 hours ago, scook said: I do not recall the last time Pentagon I was sold separately. It was bundled with SONAR 5 Producer through X3 Producer. To get the plug-in run an advanced install of the 64bit version of any of those DAWs. The registry was never updated so it is one of those plug-ins that must be run as administrator or have its registry permissions modified to give Users full control of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\rgc:audio Software\Dxi\Pentagon I That looks fine, but where do I get the download from, please? I do not recall having such a file in my PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fogle Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 @Mad Musicologist You can access your Sonar online account here: https://www.cakewalk.com/My-Account/Login Once you've logged in you can access "My Products" to download products and retrieve serial numbers or registration codes. You can also download the Sonar Command Center software management application to manage the installation of newer products. If you do not have an online account you will need to use whatever Sonar installation media you have on hand. Since Pentagon is a plug-in accessory you'll need to install a software package that contains the Pentagon plug-in. Once it's installed you can uninstall the package and keep the plug-in. Another point of concern is if the plug-in is 32 or 64 bit. It will need to be 64 bit to work with Cakewalk unless you use bit bridge or Jbridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 7 minutes ago, Jim Fogle said: Since Pentagon is a plug-in accessory you'll need to install a software package that contains the Pentagon plug-in. Once it's installed you can uninstall the package and keep the plug-in. Another point of concern is if the plug-in is 32 or 64 bit. It will need to be 64 bit to work with Cakewalk unless you use bit bridge or Jbridge. An advanced install of SONAR X3 and older permits installation of individual plug-ins. No need to uninstall anything. It is necessary to run the 64bit advanced install to get the appropriate plug-in as Pentagon I is a DX plug-in. Bridge tech only works with VST plug-ins. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user 905133 Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) @scook Out of curiosity, I tried to insert Pentagon I from the DXi plug-ins and got an error. Which fix would you suggest? registry permissions edit? reinstallation from X3? other? Thanks. Edited November 2, 2019 by User 905133 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 This is the message thrown by the permissions problem. Either run CbB as administrator or perform the registry edit detailed above. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Musicologist Posted November 2, 2019 Author Share Posted November 2, 2019 1 hour ago, Jim Fogle said: @Mad Musicologist You can access your Sonar online account here: https://www.cakewalk.com/My-Account/Login Once you've logged in you can access "My Products" to download products and retrieve serial numbers or registration codes. You can also download the Sonar Command Center software management application to manage the installation of newer products. If you do not have an online account you will need to use whatever Sonar installation media you have on hand. Since Pentagon is a plug-in accessory you'll need to install a software package that contains the Pentagon plug-in. Once it's installed you can uninstall the package and keep the plug-in. Another point of concern is if the plug-in is 32 or 64 bit. It will need to be 64 bit to work with Cakewalk unless you use bit bridge or Jbridge. Thanks, tried this, but did not find rgc pentagon in the list. If I had to reinstall Sonar x3 to have that, I think there should be easier options to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user 905133 Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, scook said: This is the message thrown by the permissions problem. Either run CbB as administrator or perform the registry edit detailed above. Yup. Setting the permissions in regedit did the trick. Thanks! Edited November 2, 2019 by User 905133 to fix typos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 9 hours ago, Mad Musicologist said: Thanks, tried this, but did not find rgc pentagon in the list. If I had to reinstall Sonar x3 to have that, I think there should be easier options to get it. It is not necessary to reinstall SONAR X3 but it is necessary to run the X3 installer, select the 64bit and advanced install options then use the pick list in the installer to get Pentagon installed. Checking the X3 Feature Matrix both Studio and Producer included Pentagon. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Musicologist Posted November 3, 2019 Author Share Posted November 3, 2019 Ok, got it working now. It is a phantastic instrument. Very different colors available. But I also had to do the registry trick. Now there has been another very nice instrument in Sonar X3 studio, that was the "dreamstation". Alas, only in 32 bit. How I wish they'd give that a rebirth in 64 bit version. It was a very handy application with a lot of modulation and filtering options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.L.I.P. Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 On 11/2/2019 at 8:23 AM, scook said: The registry was never updated so it is one of those plug-ins that must be run as administrator or have its registry permissions modified to give Users full control of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\rgc:audio Software\Dxi\Pentagon I Thanks as always, scook! I've been missing this for a while. I forgot how great this thing sounds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Be careful browsing the presets. There is a bug in the plug-in that can cause it-in to generate an extremely loud noise when loading presents containing the Valleys settings in the Simulator. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user 905133 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 (edited) 24 minutes ago, scook said: Be careful browsing the presets. There is a bug in the plug-in that can cause it-in to generate an extremely loud noise when loading presents containing the Valleys settings in the Simulator. Now you tell me. ? Seriously, not sure I stumbled onto this particular setting (Valleys), but I discovered a number of other (possibly related) issues about 4-5 hours ago--super hot resonance in spots, varied loudness from patch to patch, changes from an other versions not reflected in manuals or release notes, etc. Fortunately, almost every time a patch/setting pinned Cakewalk's virtual LEDs miles above the top, it must have been above my ears' cutoff frequency. I did hear a few, though. I think Cakewalk's audio reset button cleared the peaked meters. Also, I learned not to change patches until the sound of the current patch was quite low. BTW, when looking for a manual online that matched my Pentagon I, I stumbled onto an old trick I had read and tested ages ago--using Pentagon I as a Vocoder. On the positive side, some of the patches made me not "hear" my tinnitus--perfect for some projects I had been thinking about. Edited November 3, 2019 by User 905133 to fix spelling error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Depends on the interface. Some don't create the loud blast, some do. It is unmistakable and if your interface made the sound you would know it regardless of any hearing deficit. It also pegs the meters with an insanely high level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacab Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 (edited) For a cool virtual analog synth, take a look at Waves Element 2.0. On sale now for $44.98 with coupon code "FALL2019" https://www.audiodeluxe.com/products/waves-element-20 https://www.waves.com/plugins/element P.S. this thing occasionally goes on sale for $29, so if interested, keep an eye out for upcoming holiday specials! Edited November 4, 2019 by abacab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Musicologist Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 12 hours ago, User 905133 said: (...) BTW, when looking for a manual online that matched my Pentagon I, I stumbled onto an old trick I had read and tested ages ago--using Pentagon I as a Vocoder. On the positive side, some of the patches made me not "hear" my tinnitus--perfect for some projects I had been thinking about. That Vocoder thing might be interesting, User 905133, please, could you kindly furnish some details where to look and click? Sorry to read you are being harrassed by Tinnitus. That's really an annoyance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 https://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2007013086/Using-Pentagon-I-as-a-Vocoder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Musicologist Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 Wow, thanks a lot. I have the chance to check this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user 905133 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 (edited) Also: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/programming-sonar-5s-pentagon-i-soft-synth. Note: the manuals I have say midi learn = shift+left click, but it is indeed shift+right click as in the SoS article. Edited November 4, 2019 by User 905133 to add "shift" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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