How to turn Metronome Volume up?

If your metronome is from your soundcard, increase the volume for the MIDI/SW Synth fader on the souncard playback mixer. Also, go to Options - Project - Metronome make sure that Use MIDI note option is checked and that the first beat s and other beats velocities are at least at value 100.

Papa2004,

I agree with you regarding the posting style of briankou. Obscenities are not required and do nothing to help with the problem.

However, I agree with him that this is a serious issue ESPECIALLY for those of us new to the DAW world. (you might note this is my first post to this forum) I just spent a lot of hard-earned money on Cakewalk HS2XL because from what I found during my research it was the best option out there short of buying a Mac.
I'm going through the tutorials to learn the program and I come across the Metronome Issue.

How can such a sophisticated program such as HS fall FLAT ON IT'S FACE with something as BASIC as a METRONOME?? Personally, I'm shocked!

Yes, I know there are 'workarounds' for it, but for someone as NEW as myself, trying to LEARN the program, the workarounds seem daunting at best. I wish to start having some fun and being creative with the program. Not troubleshoot something as simple as a Metronome. When I took my first guitar lesson at 8 years old one of the FIRST THINGS I LEARNED was how to work with a simple Metronome. Since that time, I have taken Metronomes for granted just 'assuming' I would always have ready access to one when needed - until now.

The folks at Cakewalk should be ashamed of themselves for such a blatant oversight that can do nothing but leave a bad taste in their customers mouths. Especially NEW users.

Sounds like you have issues. Did your mother shame you all the time?

Home Studio was originally designed for people who had external synths (before the days of softsynths). Its easy enough to work around. How hard is it to make a MIDI track with 4 quarter notes in it and cut and paste it with 1000 repetitions? If that's too much trouble, get Ping DXi (audio metronome plug-in) for $13.

Papa,

I was trying to setup the Metro through the PC Speakers, however the volume is insufficient.

So I have to figure out another way to do it. I am following the tutorials included with HS but they offer no advice other than the PC Speaker suggestion. It simply is not loud enough.

So, I have to figure out another way. Being new to Midi and Cakewalk this presents a challenge for me.

My equipment list is as follows:
Dell 4700, P4 - k3.2Ghz, 512mb RAM, 160GB Serial ATA HDD
M-Audio Audiophile 2496
Cakewalk HS 2XL
Yamaha S90 synth
Korg CX3
Alesis 16USB Mixer
and some other stuff, studio monitors, guitars, etc....

I have succeeded in all the steps of the basic tutorials EXCEPT for the Metronome issue.

Any suggestions on a 'simple' workaround would be greatly appreciated.

Please keep in mind that I am an idiot.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone for my very first post on these boards being so negative. It's generally not my style.

HS works fine. Keep in mind that you bought some professional multi-track recording and MIDI sequencing software that is designed to work on a lot of different systems with a lot of different equipment. There are extremely good reasons for why things work the way they do. As you gain experience, you'll learn these reasons. Maybe Cakewalk should include something like Ping DXi, but they don't. You still have options, and they aren't "work-arounds".

For example, you could use your S90 as a metronome. Or even your CX3. The "MIDI Port" in the metronome settings refers to the order of the MIDI output devices in Options->MIDI Devices - the first device in the list is Port 1, the second is Port 2, etc.

Or, you could use the Session Drummer. The Session Drummer does not require an external device. There are many, many posts in this forum about how to use the Session Drummer.

Can I fix this by assigning a separate midi channel to the "metronome voice" on the S90 and then subsequently in the track setup of HS?

You should be able to do that.

By convention, drums are generally put on channel 10. So, make sure your keyboard has a drum set (or whatever patch you want to use for the metronome) on Channel 10, then configure the metronome to use Channel 10. You should be able to use other channels for your other tracks, up to a maximum of 16 total simultaneous instruments.

Sheesh everybody, stop acting like HS is some god-like software incapable of containing a flaw. The truth is the metronome it quite difficult to use, especially for new users, but even for experienced ones.

Strange. I've never had a problem with it, and find it quite easy to use. The only thing that I found confusing at first was that "Use PC Speaker" option. That was resolved once I figured out that by "PC Speaker" they meant the thing that used to beep when the user pressed CTRL-G on the keyboard. Many PCs don't even have that speaker anymore, or at best make some sort of pathetic clicking noise deep in the computer chassis, so this option is generally useless these days. It's a holdover from the early days.