Display problem in Home Studio 2 XL

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bambi Busboom
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Bambi Busboom

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Mates,

I'm using HS2 XL to record simple two track live recording or to edit transfers from LP to CD:

RECORD: Oktava MC012s> Peavey VMP-2 mic pre> Dell 8400 P4 3GHZ> M-audio 2496> 120GB dedicated HD> edit in Home Studio 2 XL> CD-R

[Computer is three weeks old, 512MB RAM, Radeon 128MB PCI EXP video, monitor is 22" NEC CRT]

PLAYBACK: Toshiba 3960> Audio Research SP-8 > Audio Research D-130 > Spectrum 208A's

The problem is, I can't get HS2 to display anything while recording. I start TRACK view, ARM for recording, and when pushing RECORD, it will sometimes show the cursor moving, but one out of three of four times, it is not actually recording. If it records, only AFTER the track is recorded, when I click on the waveform window, will the waveform will appear.

A few times, recording has ended at seemingly arbitrary times of 3-5 minutes.

This is really inconvenient! I need to be able to see the recording as it happens! How do I set this to display recording in waveform in real time?

The unpredictable reliability is disconcerting- I'm beginning not to trust this programme as I can't predict if there'll be a recording "waiting".

I've been quite disappointed in HS2. If it is impossible to see it recording- my copy will be available next week on Ebay. Given the other quirks and problems with this programme, perhaps I should do the decent thing and bury this (to date) wasted $150 in the garden.

Any suggestions very welcome! I've not gotten a response from Cakewalk on this.

Cheers,

Bambi B
 
This is really inconvenient! I need to be able to see the recording as it happens! How do I set this to display recording in waveform in real time?
Click to expand...

You cannot. The new version of HS (Sonar Home Studio) which ships on 7/27 adds that functionality:

http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/HomeStudio/overview.asp

Recording any instrument is easy. Just plug in, check your levels, and hit record. Confidence Recording will draw the wave shape on to your screen as you record so you know you are getting the take. Hear internal effects on input, even while you record. If you need help getting a project started, choose from hundreds of preset sounds that will help ignite your creativity. Once you have recorded your tracks, you can visually arrange, edit, and mix your music with point-and-click ease—all in one view.
 
Bambi Busboom said:
The problem is, I can't get HS2 to display anything while recording. I start TRACK view, ARM for recording, and when pushing RECORD, it will sometimes show the cursor moving, but one out of three of four times, it is not actually recording.
Click to expand...
That doesn't seem right. Are you saying that the time bar (line down the screen, in Sonar anyways) doesn't move smoothly? It should.
If it records, only AFTER the track is recorded, when I click on the waveform window, will the waveform will appear.
Click to expand...
And that is quite normal for audio sequencers - very few in my experience actually render the waveform while recording.

A few times, recording has ended at seemingly arbitrary times of 3-5 minutes.
Click to expand...
That seems quite long.

This is really inconvenient! I need to be able to see the recording as it happens! How do I set this to display recording in waveform in real time?
[/QUOTE]I don't think you can.

Sounds like you have computer or soundcard driver issues. Although you didn't give cpu specs, I would suspect that given how new it is, it should be able to record 2 tracks.

Are you using recent drivers for the MAudio card?

One thing you could do is find a demo of another application (Cubase, N-Tracks, Traktion, etc) and try it out to see if you get different results.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.
 
Amazing timing

Brzilian,

Thanks for your very fast reply- that hits the matter between the eyes!

My FREE 1996 version of Cool Edi Pro SE 1.1 had this real time waveform feature- why was it ommitted on an expensive 2004 product? I'll bet Sonar doesn't onit this.

I'm not pleased that HS2 was sent out unfinished- for months until the patch was arranged I could not use any audio effects- "destroy beta version" message. I was annoyed as I did the rare thing for me of buying a full retail version locally. Now I have to decide whether I should throw another $59.00 after the original $150.

Thanks again .

Cheers,

Bambi B
 
fraserhutch,

Yes, the time bar does move over the recording window, but there is no waveform displayed. Sometimes, as I mentioned, the cursor moves as though it's recording, but there is either nothing at the end, or it will record a few minutes and stop. I need to be able to record up to one hour per track in order to do LP transfers.

The Dell 8400 is a 3Ghz 630 (64 bit OS) chip, a 40GB programme and 120GB music file HS HDs- both fast SATAs. Video and the M-Audio drivers are the newest.

The suggestion to try a trial version of something else is a very good one.

TA!

Cheers,

Bambi B
 
Bambi Busboom said:
My FREE 1996 version of Cool Edi Pro SE 1.1 had this real time waveform feature- why was it ommitted on an expensive 2004 product? I'll bet Sonar doesn't onit this.
Click to expand...
What the people at Cakewalk call "Confidence Recording" (i.e., the ability to see the waveform drawn as you record, rather than afterwards) was not available in Sonar until version 3, which was released in the Fall of 2003 I think.
 
Bambi Busboom said:
My FREE 1996 version of Cool Edi Pro SE 1.1 had this real time waveform feature- why was it ommitted on an expensive 2004 product? I'll bet Sonar doesn't onit this.
Click to expand...

That is not a valid comparisin. Cool Edit (Adobe Audition now) still only supports WDM drivers, not ASIO. Sounds like an unfinished product to me...

If you are looking for sympathy, this is the wrong forum. Most people here, myself included, have been using HS and Sonar for years. Heck, most of us proabably started in the Cakewalk Pro Audio days. Cakewalk makes good software and is MUCH less bug prone that software from the likes of eMagic and Steinberg - look up the amount of issues related to the release of Cubase SX 2.0 a few years back. Cakewalk is also very responsive when they do itentify bugs and provide patches on a regular basis.

Sorry to say but $159 is not an expensive product when Sonar Producer Edition retails for $900+. Of course Cakewalk is going to devote more of its support resources to the product which makes them more money.

I started with HS2002, upgraded to 2002XL and then 2004XL and probably spent less than $200 in the process.
 
Brzilian,

Of course, this is "home recording" so I was looking for something with wide capabilities, but that was still intuitive and relatively easy when doinf simple tasks. But from the beginning, it was trouble-e.g., the effects were unavailable until the patch was created that removed the "beta exprired" message. That to me was a serious oversight considering Home Studio was available I think for about three years already.

I bought HS-2 just for the reasons you mention- it's reputation for versatility, and the excellent plug ins and effects possible, but I've been thwarted in trying to useit inthe simplest way possible. I know it's partially my frustration through inexperience with HS2, but better controls and display options would help those of us moving from other ones. I finds the skimpy manual and the internal help to be less helpful too.

Perhaps I need the Big Book of Cakewalk?

No, HS2 is not expensive given the proportion of features it pulls form the upper series, but if it works unpredictably, e.g. the arbitrary termination of recording tracks, I just can't use it with any condidence-yet.

The mention to CooEdit 1.1 was only that this much older prgramme, running on a P200 did have the real time recording display, the recording window did not flicker when selecting portions to edit, nor did it display "beta expired" messages and make all the audio effect unavailable on a retail packaged- two years later.

It's complex. I'm prepared to keep at it, I appreciate your help and the others here.

Cheers,

Bambi B
 
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