We will have to wait and see!!! 
We shall see how V6 turns out. If it’s just as good as Reaper I might considerate!!! 
Nice waiting.
hey bill! 
sorry man I just now saw yer reply.
Ya, it’s been a while. A long while. I’m on the road as an IT consultant, so everything I do has to fit in a laptop bag and a hardshell guitar case 
CC traffic finally dwindled to the point that Sully didn’t see the point in writing the check every month, so he let the domain expire. By that time I hadn’t been involved with the site for a few years, but I’d have done the same thing. I’m honored to have ever been associated with the thing, but the truth is you guys made it what is was. I still do some hosting, but only for friends and I don’t provide any support these days. We’re all just temporary entities, aren’t we?
I see some names I recognize, lots more I don’t…I’m still using N-track. I confess trying that other multitracker, but found no real forehead slapping functionality differences. My MT life is pretty simple though, compared to some others. I don’t use MIDI much, VST instruments give me a rash…pretty much I just want to record the input and then do a mixdown after applying some effects, and N still serves that purpose. I have tried really hard to focus on the songwriting and performance “this time” - it’s so easy to get obsessed with how the reverb sounds that you forget the point of the whole thing - writing music that makes you happy.
I’m looking forward to v6.
Quote: (hux @ Apr. 28 2008, 12:25 AM)
I have tried really hard to focus on the songwriting and performance "this time" - it's so easy to get obsessed with how the reverb sounds that you forget the point of the whole thing - writing music that makes you happy.
I'm looking forward to v6.
Hey Hux, nice to see you around again.
Your point is excellent. I think that sometimes we become techno-junkies rather than focussing on capturing the actual performance. I guess that some forms of music are built upon the technology, but where I'm from we still strum things, hit things and yell into things.
I only dabbled with the CC thing a little but thanks to you and Sully for the work you put into it.
I just had to jump back in here…
I decided to use a drum prog I have (Jamstix, for those of you who haven’t tried it, WOW! You should definately check it out).
Anyway, as I reported in my earlier post, I do most of my recording nowdays on ProTools. But, I never got around to running jamstix on protools, so whenever I want to use it for mixing and editing drum trax I use N-track.
So…fired up N (haven’t touched it in quite a few months) spent about 3 hours getting the drum tracks all dialed in (I’ve used this exact same procedure quite a few times previously), hit “mixdown to wave” and BINGO…BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH. PC restarted okay, but guess what…? Drum tracks gone to the great harddrive in the sky.
This is exactly what I hated about n-Track, numerous and unexptected crashes that the PC coudln’t recover from. Has happened on 3 different machines I’ve tried to run N on.
Screw it. I’ll use a different drum prog and run through ProTools. This was the “killshot” for me. I’ll wipe N from the PC and say good riddance.
Only my personal opinion, but anybody who really wants a dependable recording platform will avoid N like it was the plague.
thanks for letting me vent.
gunner
I think that comparing n-Track to Reaper is a bit like comparing apples to oranges.
This is only a theory, but I run a programming team as a day job so I come at this with a real-world view that I would like to offer for discussion.
Fundamentally n-track (currently on V5) is an “old” app. When I started using it (V2)the FAQ mentioned that it was better to run it on Win NT rather than Win 98. In otherwords, its foundation was built on technology that was available around 10 years ago. Subsequent versions are built on the same foundation but the underlying Operating systems keep moving on. As a developer this means that you are chasing a moving goal post to keep “current” and possibly the “I wouldn’t start from here if I were you” syndrome would apply sometime into the development.
But you are where you are. (We have apps here at work that were written for NT platforms that we have had to “hack” to make work on newer O/S. I’m sure in an ideal world a rewrite would be the best bet, but that’s not always possible.)
Also, 10 years ago, DAW programming was somewhat in it’s infancy. Some of the things we take for granted were not invented yet or were only just coming into existance. (eg WDM, ASIO)
Reaper, on the other hand, is a “new” application. It is built on an architecture that is much newer and works with the current OSes. The compilers do a lot more of the donkey work for the programmer, DAW programming is better understood, and things like WDM and ASIO are “mature” technologies. I wonder if Reaper will suffer the same issues as n-track when it is 10 years old?
OK, so this isn’t an excuse for n-track not behaving on some systems for sure, but it may well be the reason.
So what to do?
Well, I think Flavio’s doing the right thing.
I don’t know if V6 is a ground-up rewrite or not, but I’m sure he’s spending a considerable amount of his time looking at the architecture to make sure that things are more appropriate for the modern platforms that we have. We also have a programmer who has 10 years (plus) of DAW software experience. That’s a pretty good thing to have on the CV for the guy writing the next generation.
So, I applaud Flavio for keeping n-track alive during the plethora of changes that Microsoft have thrown at the world and him, and I look forward to V6 which, if my theory is right, should be a Reaper-beater because it will be “new” and Reaper will be “old”.
Long live n-track!
Hi Hux and All You great n-Trackers and CC/Creative Musicians:
I don’t know what I’d do if there wasn’t a place like this to visit on a daily basis…
See and Hear the going’s-on and what you are struggling with your music… AND…
What makes you Tic in the part of the world you live…
You know, we should be pretty fortunate to have a Message Board like this to visit…
Thank You Flavio…
Anyway, it’s off to see the Kidney Specialist…
I hope he’s got some good news for me…
I’m in need of a Cat Scan…
The sooner-the-better…
Bill…
All good points Mark except for one correction;
Quote:
Reaper, on the other hand, is a “new” application. It is built on an architecture that is much newer and works with the current OSes.
It runs on 98/NT/WIn2K/Vista as well. Some dude even hacked up a Win95 install and got it working smoothly.
I have a theory, but since programming for the PC is really not my bag, I may be full of shite! My woes with n-Track started with the introduction of .NET. I think Flavio may have embraced .NET a little too quickly. Subsequent revisions and .NET updates actually made problems worse on my machines. Go figure… hooray Microsoft.
The Cockos guys (Justin and Christophe) on the other hand develop in raw C++ code and compile with the latest, proven compilers and writing their own libraries where necessary. The user interface avoids “standard” Windows GUI and API calls wherever possible keeping the code small and fast. It is somewhat akin to SAW Studio which is written in assembly language. Good LORD… can you imagine writing an app like that in assembler? Holy cow… however, one has to admit SAW and Reaper are lean and mean and fly like the bejeebies on any decent PC. The big difference is I HATE SAW’s GUI and I couldn’t ever justify it’s extremely high price.
All that to say, I am keeping the faith. I don’t think for a minute that Flavio is anybodys fool. He can see what is going on what needs addressed. I am hoping for a rewrite from the ground up to slice out the junk. n-Track has a whole host of “gazinga’s” I NEVER used while on the other hand there are some things missing that Reaper has that I am finding it difficult to do without. But first, I’d like a stable, efficient audio engine while keeping the excellent GUI design n has enjoyed for some time now. It really is a great looking and functional interface.
Later…
D
Quote: (XonXoff @ Dec. 14 2007, 4:23 PM)
Quote: (adamius @ Dec. 14 2007, 10:15 PM)
Where can I find a manual or instructions on how to use ntrack???
Pop over to the Download page and download the manual from there.
For tutorials etc, try audiominds.com or the n-track Wiki.
This here answer is why I like to come to this forum. It's evidence of a right spirit around here between the people who use this app. Pretty good.
Alright, continue the discussion...
Quote: (Diogenes @ Apr. 29 2008, 9:00 AM)
...I am hoping for a rewrite from the ground up to slice out the junk. n-Track has a whole host of "gazinga's" I NEVER used while on the other hand there are some things missing that Reaper has that I am finding it difficult to do without. But first, I'd like a stable, efficient audio engine while keeping the excellent GUI design n has enjoyed for some time now. It really is a great looking and functional interface.
Later...
D
Yeah I agree here- all the notes on Reaper are interesting and telling. A re-write- getting out the brambles with .NET and all the ms complication- sounds like the right idea. I'm less of a programmer than anyone, but common sense is common sense. Audio engine, "straight-line" code (you know what I mean).
And me too on the interface. It just doesn't take itself that seriously, which is excellent. None of that "Professional GUI" posuerism. Now if it were "lean and mean", as Diogenes says, it'd be the killer-diller app.