Cakewalk Problem with Recording

[Mattie P]

If anybody could help me out, I would greatly appreciate it... I have a Cakewalk 2002 Home Studio program, and am trying to record my mixes (I am using a Quattro USB Audio Interface as well). I can record the ENTIRE mix into a .wav file, but I want to splice the tracks up for my users to be able to skip back and forth from tracks. How do I do this? Cakewalk records the entire mix into one big mix, i.e. it looks like one song on my Windows media player.

The other problem I have is that Cakewalk records my mix, but only 18 minutes is actually recorded onto the Home Studio Track. When I think it's only recorded that much of the whole mix, I go into my C drive under Cakewalk Projects/Audio Data/ and the whole mix is there with some funky saved name ("RCTG122990" for example). I click onto play this, and my whole mix is saved but (once again) it's all saved under one big song.

Is it possible to make a mix just off of one track, then go back and splice the tracks up and save them under different song names while not having any skips between songs?

Thanks!
Matt

 

[moskus]

1) You need something like CD Architect by Sonic Foundry (now Sony)

2) I'm not sure what you're saying here. You record one track for a looong time, but only the first 18 minutes show up?

 

[dachay2tnr]

Mattie P - you've got your terminology all mixed up, which makes understanding your question a bit confusing.

In recording, a track is one component of a song. For ex., the lead guitar track, the bass track, the snare track, etc.

A mix is all of the tracks of a particular song mixed down into a single, stereo file.

You seem to be using Tracks to describe mixes, and Mixes to describe an entire CD?

How do you record? How did you get all of your songs into one Cakewalk file? Most people just record one song at a time, and then start a new file for the next song.

You can split this up in Cakewalk by splitting the file before and after ONE song. Then delete everything before and after the one song and save the file under a new name. Reopen the original file and repeat the process for each song - giving each one its own name.

You should end up with a Cakewalk file for each individual song. Then you can export these into separate wave files and burn them to a CD. Each will show up individually this way.

 

[Mattie P]

Response to Moskus

Thanks Moskus for the quick reply,

That's right, on my Cakewalk track the recording light will stay on and will look like I am recording 70 minutes worth. When I am finished with my mix, I disengage the record button and then go back into Track 1 to see if all has been recorded. Usually, only 18 minutes show up as recorded (i.e. I see the sound wavelengths for only 18 minutes). When I go into Cakewalk projects/Audio Files the entire mix is there, but saved under a funky name ("RCTG 133109", for example). I click on this windows media application, and I am taken directly to Windows Media player 9, which plays the entire mix as just one track. What I want to do is split the track up.

I do have the Screenblast Sound Forge Deluxe from Sonic Foundry, could I record the mix in this?

 

[Mattie P]

Thanks for your help,

I think I do have my terminology mixed up. I have been recording the entire DJ mix (70 minutes) onto one "track" in Cakewalk. I don't want to split the songs up because it's easier for me to make the entire mix and then go back and cut it down into individual tracks. Is this possible?

If I could, I would make a continual 70 minute mix, then go back and "push a button" whenever I wanted to separate one track from another while in the process not allowing for any pauses between tracks (songs).

Thanks again,
Matt

 

[moskus]

If I could, I would make a continual 70 minute mix, then go back and "push a button" whenever I wanted to separate one track from another while in the process not allowing for any pauses between tracks (songs).

If you're just recording one stereo track, I wouldn't use HomeStudio at all. I would use a dedicated program, such as SoundForge. And then to make the track marks (on the CD) use CD Architect or Wavelab.

HS cannot split the tracks on the CD. It just makes wavefiles...

 

[AlChuck]

That's right, on my Cakewalk track the recording light will stay on and will look like I am recording 70 minutes worth. When I am finished with my mix, I disengage the record button and then go back into Track 1 to see if all has been recorded. Usually, only 18 minutes show up as recorded (i.e. I see the sound wavelengths for only 18 minutes). When I go into Cakewalk projects/Audio Files the entire mix is there, but saved under a funky name ("RCTG 133109", for example).

Uhhh... are you scrolling to the right in the Track view?

Did you ever export the Cakewalk HS project to a WAV file? Or are you expecting it to magically just be a WAV file?

The HS project file has the raw material (the WAV files that represent what you have recorded or imported) plus all the edits that get applied to them (fades, splices, panning, EQ, effects, etc.). Project files are a set of pieces and the information to use in constructing a distributable audio file -- one that can be played by audio players or burned onto a CD. When you Export, the stuff you want gets rendered into a WAV file or an MP3 or whatever available audio format you want.

The "funky-named" file is Cakewalk's way of packaging up the audio pieces of your project. If you made any non-destructive edits, they wouldn't be there.

I don't want to split the songs up because it's easier for me to make the entire mix and then go back and cut it down into individual tracks. Is this possible?

Again, the correct terminology in this environment would be separate songs rather than tracks, since "tracks" means something more specific in the world of recording. And yes, it is certainly possible. You can split the tracks in Cakewalk wherever you want. You can introduce a couple of seconds of silence between the songs, or rearrange the order of them, or turn them all into separate project files, one song apiece. Then you would export the pieces one by one to finished WAV files, and then use a CD burning application to assemble and burn the CD.

If you make separate songs, you get a little space between songs and listeners can drop in to the beginning of any song by default.

If you export it as one solid 70-minute file, then you need to put special markers in the file at the points you need, as others suggested. Lower-end burning software usually doesn't have this feature. I'm not sure if Sound Forge Deluxe can add these markers or not.

 

[Mattie P]

Thanks Al Chuck,

Basically I will need something like CD Architect in order to get the 70-minute mix (that I recorded on one track) in Cakewalk to make the compilation studio quality. I can't have any seconds between the songs, and recording in realtime works better for me (beat-matching wise) because I am distributing the compilation to clubs, other prospective clients, etc.

I have been exporting the single track in Cakewalk, and make into a .wav file in order for it to play on Windows.

Any other tips-advice would be greatly appreciated... thanks again.