BBC-SO Discover Template: Cakewalk by Bandlab

Jemma

Yes - Cakewalk still exists and is still a very capable DAW. It went dark for a bit when Bandlab acquired the IP but they're still iterating on updates and bug-fixes at a decent cadence.

I've had a crack at putting together a basic BBC-SO Discover template for CbB. Why? To prove that I could, but also because the versions of BBC-SO templates for Cakewalk are either for the Core and Pro versions, so they contain stuff that might lead you to think you're using features in BBC-SO:D that you might not actually have.

One neat thing that also created a minor inconsistency is the Drum Map feature I implemented using some of the same paradigms from the full BBC-SO template for Cakewalk. All untuned percussion instruments accept input via Middle C on the keyboard of your choice. (Cakewalk - being American - believes middle C is labelled C5. I've documented the Drum Maps that do the Middle-C thing according to Cakewalk's internal naming scheme, but we all know Middle C is C4!)

Anyway - in order to make that key-mapping trick work, I've had to split the MIDI tracks away from the BBC-SO instruments. If anyone knows of a way for me to keep everything in its own instrument and maintain the same key-mapping functionality, please let me know!

There's mix-buses for each instrument group (Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, Un-tuned Percussion, Tuned Percussion), sends on all tracks to Reverb and Delay buses, and I've set up articulation maps for the 5 articulations available in this library.

Any questions - please ask. Any suggestions and advice on how I can make this better, let me know!

Cheers

Jemma

BBCSO-Discover.zip

Rumen

I use Cakewalk . Sonar X2 .

Jemma

I'm pretty sure the template should work in X2... But other than the licensing on the instruments, you won't lose much functionality going to CbB. You won't LOSE the licensing on the Cakewalk instruments by upgrading either.

calebjtoth

https://community.spitfireaudio.com/discussion/1631/bbc-so-discover-template-cakewalk-by-bandlab

Always lovely to see stuff for Cakewalk! I especially appreciate the integration with BandLab's site. Thank you for the template - I can't wait to check it out!

Bramley_Studio56

Brilliant Jemma. Thank you so much. This made it very straight forward for me to copy and make extra tracks for each articualtion. Much appreciated.

GusSosa

Thank you so very much Jema! It's a fine job, it looks great.

I have been using Cakewalk and its ancestors (Sonar) for ages, and I feel so comfortable with them, that I am sorry when it's left aside... You have filled the void!

JBarronComposerVGM

Thank you so so much for this! Would this also work with BBCSO Pro?

Jemma

Just a quick note to say thanks for the feedback folks! Nice to hear you're finding the template useful.

@JBarronComposerVGM T

There's another BBC:SO discover template that had Core/Pro in it, created by Matthew Sorrels and shared on the Cakewalk forum. https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/topic/15484-simple-bbc-so-discover-template/

The only think mine lacks is the score generation tracks - not quite sure how that was all supposed to hang together but I've never really managed to make it work.

That's on my ToDo list, along with some CAL scripting to generate MusicXML files that can be imported into Sibelius. Others might want to adapt that for other export targets (e.g. Finale, MuseScore, Dorico) once it's done. I'm also thinking of doing a version with a track for each combination of instrument and articulation - it's a big task, and will take a while to load, but it's apparently a common expectation for higher-end composing teams who use divisi groups to sound multiple articulations at once, or to blend articulations together.

Jazzer

New to Spitfire and I'm running Cakewalk by Bandlabs and this is exactly what I was looking for to get started. A big thank you, Jemma! Quick question... now that I have a template is it possible to do patch changes within an instrument/track? For example, I would like my violin section to use different attacks (e.g staccatto, pizzacato, legato etc..). Is there a way to change attacks on the same track or do I need to set up seperate tracks for different attacks?

Thanks!

patalex2020

Fantastic work Jemma and very well done. I was looking for a BBC SO Discover template for Cakewalk by BandLab but couldn't find one anywhere. You have done a fantastic job. Hopefully Spitfire will include this on their template links sometime soon.