Bub 
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/11 16:39:02
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Brandon Ryan [Cakewalk]
Bub
I'm waiting to hear if anyone from Cakewalk is interested in the solution seeing how this has been such a major ongoing problem for so many users.
So far ... no takers.
I'm interested.
Usually I encounter unresponsiveness from the Pro Channel at least once every time I work on a project, some projects even more than others. So far this has worked flawlessly for me after about 25 hours in to a project that normally the Pro Channel kept becoming unresponsive in after about 5 minutes of working on it. I made 4 presets: 1 Track preset with all the modules of the PC on 1 Track preset with all the modules of the PC off 1 Bus preset with all the modules of the PC on 1 Bus preset with all the modules of the PC off The difference between the Track and Bus preset is the compressor. I have about 25 hours in to this project and I haven't had a single problem after loading the presets before I start working with one of the modules in the PC. I'll load a preset with all the modules on, then if I end up not using anything in the PC, I'll load the 'all modules off' preset. The only pain about it is, if you are using it on an existing project like I did you'll have to redo your settings once you load the preset. But well worth the trouble if it keeps making the PC stable IMO. Hope this helps those who have been having Pro Channel problems. So far it's working great for me.
"I pulled the head off Elvis, filled Fred up to his pelvis, yaba daba do, the King is gone, and so are you."
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Bub
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/11 20:37:41
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I wanted to add to my above post that I got this idea from reading on the forums here that some people had to load one of the presets for the Pro Channel to get it to start working. So basically, I just made my own custom blank presets that turned the all the modules of the Pro Channel on and off for both a track and a bus and load one of those before I even start adjusting anything.
"I pulled the head off Elvis, filled Fred up to his pelvis, yaba daba do, the King is gone, and so are you."
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AT
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/11 21:04:47
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mike_mccue
Here's what I do. Instead of worrying about having some proper emulation in "post", I just send non linear tube amp sound into a non linear microphone thru a non linear pre amplifier... and then I enjoy the pristine clear digital reproduction of that as I blend all that good sound together.
mike
hear hear Mike. Use each type for its stregnths. Good analog in, pure digital out. best of both worlds. Unfortunately, I do a lot of soft synths and have been experimenting porting them in and out through analog hardware stuff. I think emulations are getting better, including saturation (a digital devil dog), but if you get saturation going in you don't have to worry so much about it in mixing. the reason, I suspect, me and you and others like the sonitus so much. @
https://soundcloud.com/a-pleasure-dome
http://www.bnoir-film.com/ there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
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Eric Beam
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/11 22:29:55
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konradh
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/11 22:37:39
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For heavy-duty margarita production, skip Waring and Oster and buy a VitaMix.
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M@ B
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/11 23:11:05
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I was having the same old problem with PC, this time it was the master buss comp that was sleeping on the job. Eventually, after closing sonar a bunch of times (which sometimes works) to no avail, I tuned on the EQ section and compressor woke up... go figure. I wonder if that will work every time? Wishful thinking...
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Jeff Evans
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 00:03:28
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Have a read of this: http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2282782 Rather than test two compressor plugins why not just test one plugin against the same track with no processing at all. What you hear is silence except for when the compressor is working. It is very interesting and quite revealing. Few people have taken the trouble to do this experiment. You can hear lumpy and jerky operation and once you tweak a few things you can smooth this out how the sound comes at you and goes away. Once you get this smooth, when you remove the null and listen to the music again then it usually sounds better as a result. Some plugins are never right in this area and then you can tell the inferior ones. Others can be tweaked into smooth operation. And Jim isn't the SSL buss compressor based on the Alan Smart C2 design as it was him that designed it correct? I have just used a C2 during mastering on material that was not aggressive at all and you can in fact with care set this compresor up to very light and subtle duties no problem. It sounds fantastic doing it too. It does not have to be agressive or hard.
Specs i5-2500K 3.5 Ghz - 8 Gb RAM - Win 7 64 bit - ATI Radeon HD6900 Series - RME PCI HDSP9632 - Steinberg Midex 8 Midi interface - Faderport 8- Studio One V4 - iMac 2.5Ghz Core i5 - Sierra 10.12.6 - Focusrite Clarett thunderbolt interface Poor minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas -Eleanor Roosevelt
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Anderton
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 03:06:32
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Jeff Evans
Have a read of this:
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2282782
Rather than test two compressor plugins why not just test one plugin against the same track with no processing at all.
Well, this thread was in response to a question of how closely the Cakewalk compressors emulated the same compressors from other companies, so that's why the premise was testing two compressors against each other. I use the other test you mention quite a lot, although it's a little harder to interpret the results where you've evaluating a difference as opposed to just trying to minimize any differences as much as possible. Ultimately I think a lot of where people get into trouble with compressors is the attack and decay controls more than the threshold and ratio; the test you describe can help people better understand the effect those controls have on the sound.
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Freddie H
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 06:47:20
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The SONAR X1 Pro Channel Rocks! I have all the compressors and all the expanded all modules, all are in high end quality.
I use Pro Channel with SONAR X1 x64bit daily. It use low CPU and I have no problems with it because I use Intel CPU and NVIDIA graphic card. More expanded modules will come and what I like to see is a LA2 and a Slater Digital VVC on board that makes you choose the sound of classic consoles SSL, NEVE, API...
If you use AMD and ATI you will experience problems because many SONAR API calls are based on INTEL and NVIDIA + SKYLIGHT use INTEL AVX technology that doens't work so good with AMD and ATI.
-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
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codamedia
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 08:46:34
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If you use AMD and ATI you will experience problems because many SONAR API calls are based on INTEL and NVIDIA + SKYLIGHT use INTEL AVX technology that doens't work so good with AMD and ATI.
Freddie, where does this info come from? This is a curious question, not argumentative  What I find odd about this is two things.
AVX was introduced (in wide scale) with Sandy Bridge Processors in early 2011. X1 was released in late 2010, and the development obviously earlier that year. Sure, they could have had all the documentation on the specs (and possibly a test machine or two) but for a small developer (Cakewalk) to put faith in a new technology before wide scale release seems odd to me.AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) implies better manipulation of vector graphics. Skylight is anything but this. From what I see - it's just a bunch of bitmaps.
EDIT: I found the Cakewalk Technical White Paper on the Intel website regarding this (I'm sure it is here somewhere to).
Don't fix it in the mix ... Fix it in the take!
Desktop: Win 7 Pro 64 Bit , ASUS MB w/Intel Chipset, INTEL Q9300 Quad Core, 2.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, ATI 5450 Video Laptop: Windows 7 Pro, i5, 8 Gig Ram Hardware: Presonus FP10 (Firepod), FaderPort, M-Audio Axiom 49, Mackie 1202 VLZ, POD X3 Live, Variax 600, etc... etc...
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FastBikerBoy
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 08:59:51
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You could well be correct about the Intel/Nvidia claim Freddie but I can report that the PC and all add-ons that I own work perfectly well with my ATI 5450 card.
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Freddie H
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 10:05:32
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FastBikerBoy
You could well be correct about the Intel/Nvidia claim Freddie but I can report that the PC and all add-ons that I own work perfectly well with my ATI 5450 card.
Great but do you use AMD CPU aswell? Its know that AVX doesn't work so good with AMD cpu's.
I have a friend that use AMD cpu and ATI and SONAR X1 x64. Many bug problems with Pro Channel for a start. that I don't have on Intel and NVIDIA...We both use Windows 7 x64 Ultimate version. Also he has problems regarding spreading CPU on all available cores..etc...with X1
-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
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FastBikerBoy
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 10:12:59
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Bub
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Re:Interesting Compressor Test
2011/11/12 11:54:48
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Freddie H
FastBikerBoy
You could well be correct about the Intel/Nvidia claim Freddie but I can report that the PC and all add-ons that I own work perfectly well with my ATI 5450 card.
I'm running an Intel processor and an Nvidia video card and the Pro Channel doesn't work properly on my system. So the 'Intel/Nvidia' theory is debunked. Great but do you use AMD CPU aswell? Its know that AVX doesn't work so good with AMD cpu's.
I have a friend that use AMD cpu and ATI and SONAR X1 x64. Many bug problems with Pro Channel for a start. that I don't have on Intel and NVIDIA...
Ah ... so he finally admits there are problems with the Pro Channel on some systems. Glad we had this breakthrough Freddie. ;) We both use Windows 7 x64 Ultimate version. Also he has problems regarding spreading CPU on all available cores..etc...with X1
As for your friends problems regarding spreading the load across CPU cores ... that's a long dead issue Freddie ... What I'm curious about is, was X1 written to use AVX or has that functionality been added via a patch? I ask because the Intel article says AVX was slated for release in 2011 ... X1 was released in 2010. Could this be part of the problem that people are seeing with the Pro Channel? It did say there was a problem with Visual Studio and it needed to be updated for Sandybridge processors ... but I wonder if that causes problems with Lynnfield processors? Lynnfield, like I have, are the predecessors to the Sandybridge processors and do not support AVX.
"I pulled the head off Elvis, filled Fred up to his pelvis, yaba daba do, the King is gone, and so are you."
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