Tracktion tryout

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bulls Hit
  • Start date Start date
i have to give the traktion designer lots of credit for coming up with a different type of user interface. i like it very much. it will be interesting to see what improvements they put in version 2.0. i agree with the need for a mixer window. i also wish everyone would put score-type midi editing capabilities in. i like to put my drum and bass tracks in first on a score notation (started with cakewalk) and then play the other stuff on the keys/mics, etc.
i believe they are hooking some of us with the free version and then will release killer 2.0. for $
 
ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok manning - we get the point. You love Powertracks. Please give it a rest.

Either that or start a thread - "Manning on Powertracks"

Thanks
 
And back to the tracktion discussion....

I have been doing some minor tinkering with it and was pretty impressed (definitely worth the 'pricetag') :D
But....

I decided to really put it through some paces with the latest HR.com mix contest... 29 tracks...
It seemed to be doing fine, but today I noticed that a few of the tracks were a bit... askew... from each other... At least 4 (I didn't dig too deep once I realized there was a problem...)

I started loading the same wave files into Cakewalk to see if maybe there was an issue with what I downloaded and they all synched up perfectly.

I'm not really sure what happened, and I'm not saying this was a limitation of Traction since I haven't revisited the project once I decided to just continue mixing the tracks in Cakewalk and spent the afternoon making up for lost time.

Just a heads-up... I'll post more if I find out more...

:cool:
 
BentRabbit said:
I noticed that a few of the tracks were a bit... askew... from each other...
Click to expand...
Down in the lower left hand corner in the Edit screen there is a 'snapping' option. This is the Tracktion term for quantizing. Click it and you will find 3 options related to snapping - the ones that I find useful are 'enable snapping' and 'snap cursor movements'.

Then click on the clips that are misaligned. The edges will turn red and the location of the clip will show in the clip info panel. You can either drag the clip to it's proper location, zoom out to bar resolution and just click on it or click on the number and set the start and end points numerically.

You must have imported the wav files into a Cakewalk template with quantization already applied for them to line up on the first try.
 
ssscientist said:
Down in the lower left hand corner in the Edit screen there is a 'snapping' option. This is the Tracktion term for quantizing. Click it and you will find 3 options related to snapping - the ones that I find useful are 'enable snapping' and 'snap cursor movements'.

Then click on the clips that are misaligned. The edges will turn red and the location of the clip will show in the clip info panel. You can either drag the clip to it's proper location, zoom out to bar resolution and just click on it or click on the number and set the start and end points numerically.

You must have imported the wav files into a Cakewalk template with quantization already applied for them to line up on the first try.
Click to expand...

Well whadayaknow...

Once again, you come to the rescue... :D

Turns out that only 4 tracks were actually starting right at zero... the remaining 25, gave a telling "-0/0/465" when I adjusted them to the left...
Not a real big misalignment, but when the bass, keys and vocal double tracks were not sitting at that +465 mark, things sounded a bit goofy in spots....

Once again, thank you ssscientist for donnng your red cape and keeping things safe in Studiopolis.... :)
 
Bulls Hit said:
Yeah when I open it up, it says 'unregistered'. Strange they never sent me the rego code.

If you move to a new PC, you should be able to get an updated code form them. This happened to me with Drumagog. I emailed them, told them I was migrating to a new machine & they emailed another code right back
Click to expand...


I too had the problem where I didn't receive the license file. What I eventually figured out was that Mackie is sending the file with a return email of store@mackie.com . Well, the anit-spam stuff in Verizon DSL was blocking the email. I went back to Mackie and changed my email to my hotmail account (Microsoft will let just about anything into a hotmail account) and I got the file almost instantly.

Jim
 
I downloaded it. While the UI was slick looking, I couldn't stand not having a mixer. I think I'll stay with N-Track for now. Maybe if I'm bored one day I'll fire up Tracktion again...
 
fraserhutch said:
ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok manning - we get the point. You love Powertracks. Please give it a rest.

Either that or start a thread - "Manning on Powertracks"

Thanks
Click to expand...

A sticky thread!! That's a good idea. Actually a sticky buyer's guide. And we'd list Power Tracks like this:

DAW Software under $100 --

Tracktion -- $80 (or free, before 12/31/04)
Cakewalk Home Studio -- $90
Power Tracks -- $49*



* Manning's favorite.
 
jimkal said:
I too had the problem where I didn't receive the license file. What I eventually figured out was that Mackie is sending the file with a return email of store@mackie.com . Well, the anit-spam stuff in Verizon DSL was blocking the email. I went back to Mackie and changed my email to my hotmail account (Microsoft will let just about anything into a hotmail account) and I got the file almost instantly.

Jim
Click to expand...


I think you can download the file on the page where they tell you they will send it by email. If I don't remember incorrectly. Strange, but that's how I remember it...

I got my mail, but then I already had been registered a few days.
 
Polaris20 said:
A sticky thread!! That's a good idea. Actually a sticky buyer's guide. And we'd list Power Tracks like this:

DAW Software under $100 --

Tracktion -- $80 (or free, before 12/31/04)
Cakewalk Home Studio -- $90
Power Tracks -- $49*



* Manning's favorite.
Click to expand...

Cubase SE is $99.99....that would fit here, no? ;)

I downloaded Tracktion after hearing about it here...not a bad piece of software. It's purrty and it seems to work pretty well. It's not the be all and end all like.....but it's on it's way to being a really decent prog.
 
I noticed today that I am getting hotter levels when I record in Abelton Live than when I record in Tracktion. The signal chain is a SM7B into a 1010LT, the only variable is the sequencing software. How bizarre is that? :confused:
 
BentRabbit said:
Once again, thank you ssscientist for donnng your red cape and keeping things safe in Studiopolis.... :)
Click to expand...

As one of my old bosses used to say, thank you for thanking me.
 
I've been using Tracktion for about a month now and I really dig it for many reasons.

It has it's problems, but the pluses out-weight them all. It's very stable as compared to N-track (for me), it's efficient on my crappy old computer, it was simple to learn, tracking is a breeze. Mixing is easy enough.

I agree that a mixer would be nice, but my mixes in Tracktion are better than they used to be in N-track, maybe it has to do with something else, but tracktion really causes me to listen more rather than look at numbers and meters. It used to be that when I recorded tracks two guitar tracks I would pan them the same number value, opposite ways, and have them at the same level, at first the volume adjustments in tracktion bothered me, but now I'm used to it. I know this is my problem to begin with, but I do kinda feel like tracktion just makes me concentrate more on listening rather than seeing. Things that used to bother me about it, I now like after a month, like for example the waveforms, they kinda suck (they were great in n-track), but this just causes me to get away from trying to fix things in the mix and track better.

Keep in mind I'm purely into recording bands, I have no desire to use MIDI, and although I guess it would be nice to know more about it, I just can't see myself ever wanting to. Most complaints I hear about tracktion are due to MIDI stuff. The tracking is tracktion rocks, enable the inputs, point them to the track you want to record onto and do it. Not that N-track was rocket science, but it took more thought and time.

Editing seems a little different, but I don't do that much either, if I need to edit something I'll generally just re-record it now.

I hate to sound super cliche, but tracktion ain't about the features, it's about making music easily.
 
4 - MAN - I too have been using N-Track and had the same initial impressions when I tried Tracktion. I think I'll go back and re-visit it, keeping in mind some of your thoughts.

traidma - Thanks for the link to the mixer!
 
I downloaded the free Tracktion. Unfortunately, I'm having a problem registering and cannot unlock the software. It seems to want a NFR number that i don't have. Even though it was suppose to work with just my machine number. I keep getting told " We're sorry, this Tracktion NFR code is invalid or has already been used." Anybody have an idea what might be wrong? Or a way I can work this out. Sure would like to get it working! Thanks.
 
I've given Tracktion a secon chance.
The reason, it's free. But man, I wish they made things a little easier.
Too many clicks, and I seem to be unable to playback if I making a new project.
I'll keep working at it.
:confused: :o
 
Does everyone use the ASIO option on Tracktion?

I gotta go read Harv's mixing document, 'cause I'm either doing something wrong or .... later
 
I'm gonna fool around with it tonight, I've been hearing alot about it and I want to get in on the action.

I will be using Asio and also using NI guitar rig.. Is Guitar Rig supported?

I am in awe of Manning's PT stance. He has to work for them or something, I mean, I love cheescake, and I think it is far better than any other pie/cake out there, but I'm not trying to force it down anybodies throat.

Geez.
 
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