where to begin

i'm old to mixing but very new to midi studios. that's why i chose the v studio... i like all the manual inputs. apart from all the expected probs, i'm having a few i didn't expect. like... why do i only see my meters light up on the consol when i split a channel up from it's midi? is it possible to see the leds when the midi is together with the audio? i see them on the screen why don't they light up on the consol... i'm running 64bit vista on a very new very fast computer... is it too advanced for cakewalk. should i have gone with the old dual core instead of the i7... when i run the 40 channel demo it says it's only using 30%cpu and 38%disk i should think this would be well inside normal perameters? and finally... is there a book... with pictures and actual step by step instruction somewhere (no offence to you guys on you tube... but instructors your not...i'm sure your very good at what you do but as far as teaching... don't quit your night jobs.) i need the basic 101 coarse for idiots. also is there some one (cakewalk guru) who also understands pc's and is willing to look at configsys snapshots and such to tell you if you have internal conflict probs with your pc.

Hi Smoochy,

You wrote:
why do i only see my meters light up on the consol when i split a channel up from it's midi? is it possible to see the leds when the midi is together with the audio? i see them on the screen why don't they light up on the consol...

This is a known issue. I suspect it will be addressed in a future update to VS-700 and Sonar. In the meantime, splitting tracks is a good solution to viewing the meters on the console.

I can recommend 2 great sources for learning Sonar: SONAR 8 Power! By Scott Garrigus or taking the Sonar Course at Berklee on line. Here are the links:

http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/Books/S8Power.asp

http://blog.cakewalk.com/study-sonar-online-with-berklee-college-of-music/

These learning tools are great for getting to know all the tools Sonar has to offer as well as the right amount of computer knowledge you'll need to keep your system in tune. Once Sonar is mastered, the console and audio hardware should be a piece of cake.

Good luck!

Daniel

wow.... it's kind of funny aint it... i've actually owned three versions of cakewalk in the the last two months.... starting with sonar 7 home studio and now ending up with 8producer and v studio... i just found out that on top of all the crap i've been through with this thing i find out that cakewalk would like to take me for a few more bucks with an mp3 encoder that i need to mix down. ok... my behind is kind of sore already but whats another 20 bucks after you've already been through the ringer right? if they are going to hose you for a few extra dollars they could at least make it easy to find... nope i can't even figure out what the hell it is that i'm supposed to be begging for. i tried the phone.. pretty much the hole day and the email with it's twenty five million lines you have to fill out to even ask a questune? sorry i didn't happen to have all my disk keys and registration codes with me when i decided to ask the questunes. oh well... what do you want for $6,000.00 bucks i guess.

You wrote: ...when i try to use the digital out in a project(digital1)from my master buss using a coaxial cable into my 5.1 logitech 550 digital surround i get lots of drop out.

Most likely this is a clock mismatch issue. When using a digital signal like SPDIF, AES/EBU or ADAT, you need a master and a slave. I recommend using the VS-700 as the master device. Set it's sync source to internal using the VS-700 Control panel (Tools - VS-700 -1 - Mic Pre Tab). Configure the 550 to receive clock (refer to the 550's manual for this operation). Set the sample rate to match between the two devices (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 or 192khz). The slave device should respond to the sample rate of the master, but some devices need this configured.

ORIGINAL: smoochy

the download for the mp3 codec activation doesn't work... glad i spent $20.00 on it. hope the guys at cakewalk are enjoying their free coffee on me. perhaps when your done some one could tell me what magic set of balls i have to rub to get it on line?

Hi Dave,

The 20 dollars pays for the encoder license, not for anything else.

Have you called tech support regarding any of these initial issues?

of coarse the issue with not including the full software for the mp3 codec is because cakewalk doesn't own it and i guess the company who does makes them do things this way... my question being... they can make a program like sonar but not a simple codec program? oh well issue solved. after finally getting a hold of the techs(which by the way is a brand new number just for v-studio owners # 1-617-423-9021) they sent me the real unlock that is meant for 64bit sonar 8producer only. the one on the cakewalk store is for all the rest running on 32 bit... if are running 64 bit with any of the other programs you have to use the new fix. i must thank ryan on the other end of the phone. he was a great help with everything.

so i am beginning to understand.... things are never as simple as they first appear. i know that everyone there is trying their hardest to make all us delicate geniuses happy(kind of like running up a hill backward with a knife in the crack of your ass) bur like the bunch of spoiled brats we are... "you promised"