Another output issue.

[irpacynot]

At some point in the mix, I noticed one of my guitars dropped in volume. I have three acoustic guitars on the tune, a main fingerstyle guitar, and two other acoustics. So, I soloed just the three instruments, and discovered it was the main acoustic. I went back to previous project saves, and it was the same. So, I'm guessing I must have moved away from the mic during recording (I'm a stander -- can't sit and play as accurately).

But...

When I turned off the solo button for each track, there was no output for anything (the two vocal tracks, the shaker track, bass drum, snare...). Put the acoustic guitars back in solo, I could hear 'em again, took 'em out, nothing.

I keep thinking I'm learning this DAW, becoming more comfortable with it, but stuff like this just baffles me. I feel like I'm using it in the most simple and cautious way possible. I just don't know what's causing this kind of stuff. I'm sure it's again something simple to fix, but not apparent visually onscreen.

[Watchful]

Make sure all other tracks aren't in solo, or that all tracks aren't muted. It is possible to mute the tracks for total silence, and then hit solo on one or more tracks to hear them. What can happen in these cases is that if you turn solo off, they return to a muted state (as ALL tracks were muted).

You should be able to see this if the M or S icons are flashing.

I'd like to think it's this simple, but I'm sure you'll tell me that, no, you've already checked that and that's not the cause!

Or are you saying you can't hear the vocal, shaker, and drum tracks either unless the guitars are soloed?

By the way, if you can slice the point in the clip where your guitar fades (simply put the play head at the start of the volume drop and press / (slash), and do the same where the level comes back--basically isolating the volume drop), you can adjust the smaller clip's gain level and possibly get the level back where you need it.

Alternatively, if you hear the audio cuts too much, you can automate the track's output level to increase for that section and jump back to its normal level. Pretty sure you can save that acoustic clip.

[Peter Widdicombe]

Yeah, you can select the solo behavior in settings, I believe. However...

IF you happen to have SOLO on ONE track (i.e. 15 or 1 that you might not be seeing) it will still take effect, similar to what you're seeing. You'll only see the tracks that are SOLO'd.

Other thing - how many tracks are you really using (shaker, bass drum, snare...) and why would they pop in and out when you solo the guitar tracks. Unless they happened to be recorded on the same track (either as another clip, or as background of the guitar tracks). Are these acoustic guitars that have been mike'd (or do you use a piezo pickup like the Fishman or other and "plug it in). If you mike a guitar, easiest way to listen to the track and record is to use headphones @!

[irpacynot]

Well, I just reloaded the last save, and left it alone. Don't wanna mess with it anymore. However, another issue cropped up afterward. I deleted an automation (for volume) track for the snare (and these percussions are all on separate tracks), but it's still adjusting the volume.

And...

(And this issue has been from the start since I created this MIDI clip) The bass drum disappears (volume-wise) whenever I reloaded the project save. The input is showing (it blinks green on the side of the track each time a note activates), but there is no volume until I reselect the instrument plugin and select another set.

Some crazy navigation that seems to go on in this software.

[pough]

Well, I just reloaded the last save, and left it alone. Don't wanna mess with it anymore. However, another issue cropped up afterward. I deleted an automation (for volume) track for the snare (and these percussions are all on separate tracks), but it's still adjusting the volume.

Click on an automation button (the "A") on a track and go down to "Active parameter curves in Edit" to see if there is still active automation for that volume. It doesn't need to be visible to exist.

You might also want to investigate your MIDI clips to see if they have CC data being sent out.

[irpacynot]

Well, I just reloaded the last save, and left it alone. Don't wanna mess with it anymore. However, another issue cropped up afterward. I deleted an automation (for volume) track for the snare (and these percussions are all on separate tracks), but it's still adjusting the volume.

Click on an automation button (the "A") on a track and go down to "Active parameter curves in Edit" to see if there is still active automation for that volume. It doesn't need to be visible to exist.

You might also want to investigate your MIDI clips to see if they have CC data being sent out.

First of all, thank you for informing about this. I know it's a simple mechanic, but knowing little things like this will definitely help in sussing out simple problems like this going forward. Unfortunately, though the volume automation track is there (and already visible), it only shows the intended curve -- at the beginning of the song where there was some background noise I wanted to mask. The volume issue I'm looking for is about eight minutes in.

Regarding the MIDI clips, how do I check for the CC (?) data being sent out?

[Peter Widdicombe]

Put MIDI monitor as the FIRST VST on the right, to display all MIDI events coming in from either clips or the live input device, to see all note and MIDI events coming through.

[pough]

Regarding the MIDI clips, how do I check for the CC (?) data being sent out?

Open the MIDI Event List (something I had asked for for years and - HOORAY - we finally got). It can be very useful.

In the main menu (which is found in slightly different places depending on whether you have the Control Panel in "Useful" or "Mostly Useless" mode. Anyways, under the View menu you can find "Show MIDI Event List". It will list all MIDI events in any selected MIDI clip and you can choose which event types are listed, so it's easier to find the controller data.

[Peter Widdicombe]

I hadn't upgraded from 12.1.6 Free yet, but I can't find that "Show MIDI Event list"?
(Actually just upgraded now, and still can't find it, at least not in the free version)?

It might end up being "less complete" than the MIDI monitor, as the MIDI Event list will be all the noteOn/Off messages plus "normal" controller data; while the MIDI Monitor will have the "all notes off" and similar messages not specific to a clip (and can affect things like loops).

Huh. More fun. Turns out the MIDI Monitor wasn't a Waveform built-in but another tool, by Insert Plz.
And MORE fun... Seems my default setting was MPE rather than single channel mode, and I get the following on a quick test... (And that MIGHT be something I set, possibly even in version 10 or 11, while testing pressure)

Single channel mode...
0 41 5B Ch.1 Note On: F3 (65), Velocity: 91
80 41 00 Ch.1 Note Off: F3 (65), Velocity: 0
90 41 69 Ch.1 Note On: F3 (65), Velocity: 105
80 41 00 Ch.1 Note Off: F3 (65), Velocity: 0
90 43 4B Ch.1 Note On: G3 (67), Velocity: 75
80 43 00 Ch.1 Note Off: G3 (67), Velocity: 0

When set to MPE, the EXACT same clip plays back
D1 00 Ch.2 Channel Pressure: 0
B1 4A 40 Ch.2 CC #74 (Sound Brightness), Value: 64
91 41 5B Ch.2 Note On: F3 (65), Velocity: 91
D1 00 Ch.2 Channel Pressure: 0
E1 00 40 Ch.2 Pitch Wheel: 8192 (Center)
81 41 00 Ch.2 Note Off: F3 (65), Velocity: 0
E1 00 40 Ch.2 Pitch Wheel: 8192 (Center)
D1 00 Ch.2 Channel Pressure: 0
B1 4A 40 Ch.2 CC #74 (Sound Brightness), Value: 64
91 41 69 Ch.2 Note On: F3 (65), Velocity: 105
D1 00 Ch.2 Channel Pressure: 0
E1 00 40 Ch.2 Pitch Wheel: 8192 (Center)
81 41 00 Ch.2 Note Off: F3 (65), Velocity: 0
E2 00 40 Ch.3 Pitch Wheel: 8192 (Center)
D2 00 Ch.3 Channel Pressure: 0
B2 4A 40 Ch.3 CC #74 (Sound Brightness), Value: 64
92 43 4B Ch.3 Note On: G3 (67), Velocity: 75
D2 00 Ch.3 Channel Pressure: 0
E2 00 40 Ch.3 Pitch Wheel: 8192 (Center)
82 43 00 Ch.3 Note Off: G3 (67), Velocity: 0
E1 00 40 Ch.2 Pitch Wheel: 8192 (Center)
D1 00 Ch.2 Channel Pressure: 0

[nowgad]

Oh, I swore off writing about the problems of version 12, but I read others and ... Yes, there is a problem EVEN with some native tools of this daw, let alone third-party ones. I periodically use the wf drum machine, but as described above, after opening the project, in order for the drum machine to start working, you need to rearrange the preset again. The presets are reset. There is no automation! By the way, the SuperTron synthesizer from Solcito musica has the same behavior. After working through the session and saving, the next time you open it, there is no sound or a barely audible sound. Once again, no automation has been set up for this tool. In version 11 everything worked fine. Waveform with SuperTron behaves like this all the time. Developers, you can reproduce this bug with it. And with my drum sampler, this always happens too, so you can reproduce this bug on it too. I'm wondering if everything is so bad with midi and even with native built-in instruments, then how do our works, our music actually sound? Apparently it will be necessary to sign: "WF arrangement", or "Waveform Remix"))
Upd.
By the way, about midi. There is such a useful plugin Ripchord. He can record midi in real time in his memory. So, for example, a midi recording in Ripchord, and a midi recording with built-in native Waveform tools, of the same arpeggiator fragment, what do you think? Of course it's different! You look at a piano roll and you can't understand how it is? Who's messing up?) The answer to this question is shrouded in mystery))

[irpacynot]

Regarding the MIDI clips, how do I check for the CC (?) data being sent out?

Open the MIDI Event List (something I had asked for for years and - HOORAY - we finally got). It can be very useful.

In the main menu (which is found in slightly different places depending on whether you have the Control Panel in "Useful" or "Mostly Useless" mode. Anyways, under the View menu you can find "Show MIDI Event List". It will list all MIDI events in any selected MIDI clip and you can choose which event types are listed, so it's easier to find the controller data.

Thank you!

I am curious, though. Why are these things (like automations) getting hidden like that? I was working on another song the past couple of days, and sure enough, automation tracks started to hide again.

Is there a way to prevent that from happening? And when it does, though I now know how to at least view the automations, they only show up on top of the track they're automating. Is there a way to pull them back out onto their own track(s)?

EDIT: Using the free version, and it doesn't look like access to the MIDI events list is available in that version.

And sure enough, all of my MIDI tracks now have no volume in playback.

[pough]

I am curious, though. Why are these things (like automations) getting hidden like that?

I can't answer that. It has never happened to me. My best guess is that people are doing things without noticing. Buttons get pressed. Things happen.

Check out the + button underneath the A button. "Add automation tracks for each active parameter on this track" might be what you're looking for.

[irpacynot]

I am curious, though. Why are these things (like automations) getting hidden like that?

I can't answer that. It has never happened to me. My best guess is that people are doing things without noticing. Buttons get pressed. Things happen.

Check out the + button underneath the A button. "Add automation tracks for each active parameter on this track" might be what you're looking for.

Nah, I use that regularly, often having several automation tracks for one track to bring effects into the mix, bring volume up or down etc.

But I do think you're right. I'm probably accidentally hitting a hotkey, hiding it unintentionally. Might be time for me to go into the settings and turn some of that crap off (if possible). I don't typically use hotkeys. I'd rather use the command buttons or a mixture of Alt + [button] or Ctrl + [button]. etc., since they're safer ways for me to operate without doing something I didn't want to do.

In any case, thank you for all your comments and help.