https://automation-wizard.com Wed, 22 Jul 2020 01:42:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9 https://i0.wp.com/automation-wizard.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cropped-Logo-3-10-30-19-2.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 https://automation-wizard.com 32 32 194868699 10 Tips for Using Microsoft Teams https://automation-wizard.com/10-tips-for-using-microsoft-teams/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10-tips-for-using-microsoft-teams Mon, 20 Jul 2020 03:40:30 +0000 https://automation-wizard.com/?p=274 Many of us are having to work from home or can’t meet in person as we once did. Microsoft Teams is a great utility that ties in well with Outlook. If you haven’t tried Microsoft Teams, it may be worth a look. Everything in this tutorial will be on the desktop version of Teams. When […]

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Many of us are having to work from home or can’t meet in person as we once did. Microsoft Teams is a great utility that ties in well with Outlook. If you haven’t tried Microsoft Teams, it may be worth a look. Everything in this tutorial will be on the desktop version of Teams.

When I got started with Microsoft Teams, I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to get things set up. I’m so used to typical (Old School) Windows software that I couldn’t find anything and got frustrated very quickly. That in my opinion is the only downside to using Microsoft Teams. Since I’ve learned my way around the software I wanted to share my experience with everyone. 

1. Get Everything Working Before your First Meeting:

Even now that I’m accustomed to working with Teams, there’s still the occasional glitch in the setup. The best thing to do is set up your meeting prior to your big meeting with your managers. Consider asking a friend or co-worker to help you test out your setup. You’ll save a lot of time and headaches in the end. Follow these tips to get you up and running.

2. Getting your Camera Setup:

 The easiest way I’ve found to set up your camera is to create a test meeting. To get started, Open up Teams and sign in to your Microsoft account. Select the Teams tab.

Select the teams tab

Next select the 3 dots under Your Teams

Click the 3 dots.

From the list choose “Add Channel”


Give your channel a name and be sure to change the privacy setting to Private. Click Next.

When the next window opens, click “Skip”

Now, in the list under “Your teams” choose your test team. At the bottom of the page, choose the Camera icon.

Choose the Camera icon

Now Click “Meet now”, make sure the camera is set to on.

Adjust your camera as needed.

If you need to change either your microphone or your camera to another device, click your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen.

Then click Settings, and finally Devices. At the bottom you’ll find the camera.

Click Devices
It’s the Wizard!!

3. Test / Setup your Audio

Setting up your audio is pretty simple. While you’re in your settings your default Windows audio device will probably be selected. If you have an old pair of earbuds with a microphone is a quick and cheap way to get going. Remember though, if you buy or use and extension cable, make sure you get a 4-Pole headphone extension. Otherwise, you won’t have any audio input. Most newer laptops will accept 4-Pole Earbuds. If you’re using an older computer, be aware of this. If your laptop has Bluetooth capability, you could possibly use a set of Bluetooth headphones or even a headset that you’d use with your phone.

This is a 4-pole extension. The reason it’s called a 4-Pole is due to the 4 connections on the male side. You have L-Audio, R-Audio, Mic, and Ground.
This is a 3-pole connector. This does not have a microphone connection only L-Audio, R-Audio, and Ground.

Follow the steps from #2 to get into the settings. Click to make a test call and follow the instructions. You’ll be able to listen back to what you recorded. If you’re having trouble, click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner of the screen and type in “Control Panel”. Once open choose “Hardware and Sound”.

Now Choose “Sound”

Click the “Recording” tab. The default audio device will have a green check next to it. You can also check your levels here. Right-click to make a different device default.

You can also use the Windows 10 settings, I prefer using the older control panel. It’s a bit easier to follow.

4. Custom Backgrounds

Here’s where we can have some fun. Unfortunately, this option may not show up for you. If not, your device probably isn’t supported. 🙁

Start your test meeting, click on the three dots for more actions.

More Actions

Next choose “Show Background Effects”

You’ll see many options, the first of which will just blur out your background. Try out a few to get a feel for it. You can also choose “Add New” to have some real fun.

5. Setup a Private Group

Your Teams account may be controlled by your IT department. However, you can still create a private group and invite your co-workers as needed. Follow the steps in #2, this time Give your group a name and add the co-workers you’d like in your group.

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6. Mind your Microphone

Don’t be that guy or gal. When you put your microphone on, be mindful of what you say. It should go without saying, but if you’re say early to a meeting and want to chat with your co-worker keep in mind that you’re on a hot mic. Don’t say anything you don’t want the whole crowd to hear. Lol. 

7. Mute your Microphone / Mute all Mics

Again, you don’t want to be the guy or gal eating potato chips and crunching loudly during a meeting. To mute your mic, click this icon. Just remember to un-mute yourself when its time to talk. 


If you’re an admin for the meeting, you can mute individual or mute everyone. 

8. Use the Calendar 

This is a very useful and simple feature. This calendar will tie into your Outlook calendar. Make sure that you set up the meeting in Teams. Otherwise, your “Team” may not get a link to the meeting, just an invite. 

Click the Calendar Icon and then “+New Meeting” to get started.

Click the Calendar Icon

Next Click “New Meeting”

Add your details and click save when you’re finished.

9. Share your Screen

Sharing your screen is easy to do and very useful for showing the “Team” your presentation, schedule, or document. Once you’re in a meeting, click on the share icon. 

Choose the share icon


You’ll have a few selections to choose from. You can choose to present a window or share your screen. If you have multiple monitors you’ll be able to choose the one you want. When you share your monitor or window, a red outline will show around the screen you’re currently sharing.

To stop sharing click on the “Stop Sharing” icon on the top of the screen. 
Keep in mind when sharing your screen not to show anything you’d consider to be confidential, like an email for example. 

Click the Stop Sharing Icon when finished you’re sharing

10. Using the Mobile App

This article has dealt with the desktop version. However, even if you don’t have your work laptop or phone, remember that all you need to do is install either the desktop or mobile version and sign in with your work account to be able to join a meeting quickly.

I was running late for an evening meeting with Japan and I was able to install the app on my phone, sign in, and be up and running using my phone and Bluetooth earpiece. 

Conclusion

I hope you’ve found these tips useful. If you’ve enjoyed this content, check out some of our other articles.

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How to Use the AirTV USB Tuner on Windows https://automation-wizard.com/how-to-use-the-airtv-ota-usb-tuner-on-windows-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-use-the-airtv-ota-usb-tuner-on-windows-10 Sat, 25 Apr 2020 13:59:18 +0000 https://automation-wizard.com/?p=231 I was recently working in my office and made the decision to try and use my AirTV OTA USB tuner on my PC again. I had tried a few months back and couldn’t get it to work. I had soon a few forums here and there that made it seem like it wasn’t possible. I […]

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I was recently working in my office and made the decision to try and use my AirTV OTA USB tuner on my PC again. I had tried a few months back and couldn’t get it to work. I had soon a few forums here and there that made it seem like it wasn’t possible.

I bought the AirTV back in 2017 when it was first released. At the time it came with 3 months of Sling TV for free. I was also an early adopter of Sling. The AirTV was interesting because they’d integrated OTA TV into the Sling interface using this OTA adapter.


Spoiler Alert: I got it working…

Problem to Solve

I have two old 32″ TVs thatI’m using as monitors. I also have a coaxial cable run from my antenna to my desk. I wanted to be able to watch the news and not use up an entire monitor. Let’s get started!

Equipment I’m Using:

  • AirTV OTA USB Tuner (The Original version pictured above)
  • Thinkpad E530 8 GB ram 500GB HDD Windows 10 Pro
  • Outdoor Antenna
  • PVR Tuner Software

Getting the USB Tuner Working

First, let’s get the USB tuner working. As it turns out, the AIRTV turner is a Hauppauge- tuner in disguise. Their website has the drivers for Windows 10 available here: https://www.hauppauge.com/pages/support/support.html#win10 I used the Xbox One TV tuner (ATSC) driver.

  1. Connect the tuner to your PC’s USB port.
  2. Go through the prompts to install the driver.
  3. Reboot your PC.
  4. Once complete go to your Device Manager to check that the device is recognized. You may need to connect and disconnect the adapter. It should show up under Human Interface Devices.
Device Manager Tree

Installing and Setting up the Tuner Software

Next, we need to install some tuner software. For this tutorial we will using NextPVR. Go to this link and download the latest version: https://www.nextpvr.com/download.html

Follow the prompts and install the software. This should be a straight forward process.

To set up your tuner and scan for channels, you’ll need to open up the settings. You can do this by right-clicking anywhere in the window. Be sure that your antenna is connected at this point.

Right-click anywhere in the window and choose settings
  1. In settings, go to the “Devices” and choose the ATSC Hauppauge tuner. At the bottom of the page select “Device Setup“.

On the next screen choose “Scan“, Go make a sandwich, it will scan up to channel 69.

Choose “Scan”

Once the software has finished scanning click “OK“. You can click “OK” in the Device Setup Window also. You’ll get a message “Would you like to do an EPG update? Click “Yes“. This will update the guide information.

2. Go to the Decoders section and setup your decoders. This is what my settings are. Your results may vary. I used this tutorial: https://matthill.me.uk/tutorials/install-windows-10-dvd-player-free/

There is also more information here: http://www.nextpvr.com/decoders.html

Click “OK” to close the settings window.

3. On the Main menu select TV guide. Choose a channel and double click under the current time column. Click “Watch“. That’s it!

Conclusion

This tuner is apparently the HVR-850 USB OTA Tuner. I could not get this to work with the Raspberry PI at all. I wanted to use it for my Plex Server. If anyone did get it working let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

You may also like:

https://automation-wizard.com/index.php/2020/02/15/10-things-to-get-started-with-cakewalk-daw-and-1-you-may-really-need/

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10 Ways to Create a Winning Resume for Industrial Maintenance https://automation-wizard.com/10-ways-to-create-a-winning-resume-for-industrial-maintenance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10-ways-to-create-a-winning-resume-for-industrial-maintenance Sat, 11 Apr 2020 10:57:37 +0000 https://automation-wizard.com/?p=226 Over the years I have read a lot of resumes and participated in many interviews. I’ve seen all kinds of resumes from terrible to outstanding. I wanted to share some tips to make your resume stand out amongst the rest and get you more money. Although this article is aimed at Industrial Maintenance Technicians, it could be […]

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Over the years I have read a lot of resumes and participated in many interviews. I’ve seen all kinds of resumes from terrible to outstanding. I wanted to share some tips to make your resume stand out amongst the rest and get you more money. Although this article is aimed at Industrial Maintenance Technicians, it could be applied to almost any profession.

1. Keep it Short

I recently read looked at a resume that was 6 pages long! That’s way too long. If you how a long job history, only show your last three jobs. The main format should be, name, address, Objective / Goal, Special skills/experience, Job History present to Past, Education / Military Exp. and if needed hobbies and interests.

Your resume should be no more than 2 pages. Try not to leave a lot of blank space. Think about it, most sales brochures have no blank space. They’re usually only one-page front and back.

2. Don’t Go Overboard with 20 Years of Work History:

It’s rare that anyone wants to read all of your work history. No matter how many years you’ve spent working, only include your last 3 or 4 jobs. You can include a sentence like: More work history available upon request. Failing to do this could actually cause you to look bad. If you’ve worked at 10 different jobs over 10 years you could look like a job hopper.

Most of the interviews I’ve been involved in we only review the last 3 jobs unless something jumps out or is interesting. If you’ve had some interesting experience along the way, include that in the Special skills/ experience area.

3. Don’t Lie on Your Resume

Be prepared to explain anything you put on your resume. If you are interviewing for a professional position, someone in the room will probably be able to tell if you’re full of it. Make sure that your application and resume match up as much as possible.

Avoid using jargon or buzzwords, remember you’re creating a document to give you a chance at an interview. Your resume is the first glimpse of you that the interviewers see. Make it count!

4. Curb Appeal / Consistancy

 I usually read resumes at least twice. The first time is when I get the invitation for the interview and again prior to or during the interview. The resume gives me a picture of the candidate before I see them, good or bad. Not only is the work experience and information important, keeping your resume consistent and looking good helps.

Get someone to help you if needed. Think about it like a sales brochure, you’re selling yourself here. This isn’t High School, you can pay someone to make a resume for you. Just make sure you don’t lie and know it backward and forwards.

This means headers should be capitalized properly. No big paragraphs, use bullet points. Use other examples and pick what fits your style and experience. Even though it seems like a pain to create one, this could affect your pay coming in the door. Take your time and do it right.

5. What Format to E-mail?

A friend of mine Dave H. gave me this idea years ago, shout out to Dave!! It doesn’t matter what program you use to write your resume, you need to e-mail it in PDF format. It’s that simple. Everyone can open a PDF, and you won’t have to worry about weird formatting issues that come up with word processors or incompatibility. Windows 10 has an option for Print to PDF in your printers. In some ways, this goes along with #4.

Oh, if for some reason you actually hand in a resume, pick out a nice heavier weight paper. Hand it in with a report cover or a folder.

6. Spell Checking and Phrasing

This should be obvious, but use your spellchecker! There are also apps to help you with your phrasing like Grammarly that helps you in real-time.

7. Sell Yourself

As mentioned before this is a sales brochure for you. It needs to sound and look good. You need to ham it up a little bit, not too much. Be careful with the ham level. Too much and you sound like a show-off. Not enough and you sound generic. If you’ve accomplished something during your career or life, now is the time to show it off.

Again, this resume is how you grab peoples attention. Sometimes you may need to make it past an HR person for the hiring manager to see your resume.

8. Let Someone Review Your Resume

You need to have someone review your resume before you send it out. If you know a maintenance manager or someone that reviews resumes, that would be perfect. If it is your significant other or parent, that would work too. It would be best to have multiple people to review and get a consensus on this document. It’s also good to have someone who is not in your profession read your resume. You may get some of the same questions you would get in your interview.

9. Be Professional

I have said it many times in this article, this document sells you! It has the power of giving you a chance to get to the next level in your career. Having a professional resume gives you a professional image before you ever do an interview. Using these tips could help you do that.

10. Keep it Updated

No one does this, but it is a good idea to keep your resume updated. You may need it at a moments notice. I never expected a pandemic to send me home from work for over a month, I may need one myself! If you have spent the time to create a winning resume, keep up with it and keep it updated.

Conclusion

I wish you this best of luck in creating your resume. Using these tips will guarantee you a winning one. Good Luck!

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How to Add Most Recent Blogs Automatically from Other Websites using RSS Feeds https://automation-wizard.com/how-to-add-most-recent-blogs-automatically-from-other-websites-using-rss-feeds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-add-most-recent-blogs-automatically-from-other-websites-using-rss-feeds Fri, 28 Feb 2020 01:43:29 +0000 https://automation-wizard.com/?p=209 Since the launch of Automation-Wizard.com, I’ve wanted to link my websites together similar to how the recent posts work but from another site. Like most things, we come up with the idea and proceed to execute it. The problem was, as in many cases, that I wasn’t sure what to actually search for. The word […]

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Since the launch of Automation-Wizard.com, I’ve wanted to link my websites together similar to how the recent posts work but from another site.

Like most things, we come up with the idea and proceed to execute it. The problem was, as in many cases, that I wasn’t sure what to actually search for. The word Feed came to mind and it got me to thinking about RSS Feeds. This was something I’ve seen for years, but never utilized or even really knew what it was for. My conception was that it was basically for Podcasts.

What is an RSS Feed?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. It can be used along with software to create your own aggregated feed from various sites. In my opinion, it seems like a leftover from the old-school internet. Think of it as a playlist with the most recent info from your favorite sites.

Check out the long version here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

RSS Feeds and WordPress

If you’re using WordPress to run your site, it automatically generates Feeds for you. In short, just add /feed to the end of your website’s domain. For example: http://example.com/feed/

Here’s a more detailed article from the WordPress website: https://wordpress.org/support/article/wordpress-feeds/

With this in mind, let’s set one up on a site.

Plugin or not to Plugin?

It’s possible to do this without a plugin, however, I chose to use the plugin Feedzy. I prefer the formatting better with this versus the standard widget. As you’ll see there are many options to play with to get what you want. The rest of this tutorial will be using the Feedzy plugin.

Download the Feedzy Plugin

Time to get to work. On your WordPress menu, go to Plugins and click add new at the top of the page. Search for Feedzy. Install it and then activate it.

Follow these steps

Connect your RSS Feed to Feedzy

Now open up the Feedzy plugin. Click Add Category. Give your feed a nickname and drop the url in the bottom box.

Point Feedzy to your RSS Feed

Add your RSS Feed to a Webpage

I’m using the Elementor page builder, so your results may vary here. I’ve placed my feed in a sidebar. Click the Widget icon and type in Feedzy. Grab the Widget and drag it into the area you’d like to place it.

Go to the Widget Icon, Type Feedzy, and Drag it into place

Add your RSS Feed URL to the Feedzy Widget

Next, you need to give your feed a title. Something like “Latest from Blah Blah” will do just fine. Put your feed address into the Feed Source field.

Give your feed a title and input the feed’s url

Other Settings

Here are the settings that I’m using. If it is not pictured, then it is set to default. Play around with the settings until you get what you want.

The other settings I’m using.

Conclusion

This should get you up and running. If you’re having trouble with your feed, you can check out Feedburner and input your URL. If it is working there it should be working on your site.

I spent hours trying to get my featured images to show up in my feed at first. As it turns out, they were working just fine. Elementor for some reason wouldn’t show the image in the preview mode. I guess that goes to show that you need to check your site in a non-preview window while you’re working on format changes.

That wraps it up for this tutorial. Thanks for Reading! Leave a comment below and sign up for more tutorials! Here’s a related topic you may find helpful.

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10 Things to Get Started with Cakewalk DAW and 1 You May Really Need. https://automation-wizard.com/10-things-to-get-started-with-cakewalk-daw-and-1-you-may-really-need/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10-things-to-get-started-with-cakewalk-daw-and-1-you-may-really-need Sat, 15 Feb 2020 13:35:57 +0000 https://automation-wizard.com/?p=148 Last week we took a stroll down memory lane with the Boss BR-8 Digital workstation. This week we’ll take those same audio files and start piecing together some songs. We’ll be using Cakewalk by Bandlab. Since April of 2018, this excellent software is free. Some of the plugins are harder to find now, but if […]

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Last week we took a stroll down memory lane with the Boss BR-8 Digital workstation. This week we’ll take those same audio files and start piecing together some songs.

We’ll be using Cakewalk by Bandlab. Since April of 2018, this excellent software is free. Some of the plugins are harder to find now, but if you’re just getting started you don’t need them.

Get the Software

Go to the link and get the software:

https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

The Bandlab assistant will start to download the software. This may be one of the more frustrating things about downloading the software. I recall this taking quite some time to download.

Open the installer

Create an Account

Now you need to create an account. Don’t worry, they won’t spam you to death.

Sign up…..

You may get a warning about your firewall. You should be okay to install it. Use your own judgment.

Now, on the top row click Apps. You’ll see Cakewalk. Click the install button. Depending on your connection this may take a while. Don’t get in a hurry at this point. I recall this took quite some time, however, I have a slow internet connection. My image says update since I’ve already installed it.

You’ll probably have time to go and bake a cake.

Since this isn’t a tutorial on installing the software, you’re on your own. If you’re having trouble, leave a comment below.

Equipment Needed

Now depending on what you plan on doing, you may need to purchase an audio interface. I’m using a simple 2 channel USB Interface that I picked up. The audio latency (delay) isn’t the best, but with a few tricks, you can get the job done. See below for the affiliate link.

PreSonus AudioBox USB 96 2×2 USB Audio Interface

Let’s assume you already have an interface or you have .wav files from last week’s article. If you have an audio interface, go ahead and plug it in.

1. Starting a new Project

Now that you’re up and running, you’ll be greeted with the start screen. Click the 4 or 16 track option, and a new project will automatically open.

This software may look overwhelming, to begin with, but don’t fret. It’s easier than it looks.

Look at all that stuff!

2. Importing a .wav file

Last week we extracted a bunch of audio from the BR-8 digital audio workstation. Here’s how you can import those files into Cakewalk for mixing.

In the upper left, click File -> Import. Choose Audio. Navigate to the file you’d like to import.

File -> Import -> Audio

Note that you can import multiple files at once by highlighting them. They will import to separate tracks.

Choose your Destiny

If everything worked correctly you should see audio in your tracks.

Ready to Rock!

3. Adding a New Track

If we’re going to say, for example, add guitar to our imported tracks we need to add a new audio track. Click the big + near the track counter in the middle of the screen.

Click the Plus Sign to add a new Track

In my case, I’m using the left channel of my audio interface. I’ve also chosen record enable. In order to record a track, you’ll need to arm the tracks for recording. Either arm when you add the track or after. Just don’t forget to turn it off, otherwise, you’ll record over your take.

Almost There…..

You should go ahead and name your track. Trust me, it’s better to do this now and be in the habit of doing it versus doing it when you’ve got 30 tracks. Your track should look something like this:

The Square with the red circle is the Arm button

4. Sound Check / Level Set

Plug your instrument into the proper channel and set the level with the knob on your device. Most interfaces have a clip LED if your input is too loud.

Go ahead and connect your headphones. Any pair will do, but keep in mind that you may need an adapter to convert from the 1/4″ to 1/8″. You should avoid Bluetooth headphones as they could cause latency issues. These are the cans I’ve been using for years. They’re tough and I also use them in the yard when I do yard work. This pair also comes with an adapter.

Vic Firth Stereo Isolation Headphones V2 (SIH2)

5. Make a Test Recording

Let’s see if everything is working. First with your track armed, see if there is an audio signal coming into the software. Look on the right side of the track when you play for a green audio bar to be moving along with your playing. It should be rising to about 80% or so of the level. If it turns red you may need to back down the input knob on your interface.

Now let’s try a test track. With your track armed, find the record button with the red circle. Go ahead and click it. If everything is set up correctly, you should begin recording. You should see your level on the right going up and down and audio showing up in the new track.

Press the Record Button

Once you’ve got a few seconds in click the Stop button. The track should go back to the start. Now press the play button to make sure everything is good. If you hear popping or skipping, go to the troubleshooting section at the end of this article. I’ve been through this pain so you don’t have to.

6. Using the Metronome

Hopefully, you’ve got everything working now it’s time to get the timing down. Let’s get the metronome working. Let’s start by looking at the controls.

By default, the metronome is on during recording and set at 120 beats per second. You can click the bps to change it.

It’s also useful to turn on the Record Count-in, this will start the metronome before the recording starts. In this case, having a 2 in the count in will give you 8 clicks of the metronome before the recording starts. Click the metronome icon just below the tan button. This will open the metronome menu.

You’ll find many options for the metronome here, experiment with the settings to figure out what suits you.

Some of the metronome options

A note on using a metronome: Looking back years ago, I wish I would’ve taken advantage of the metronome in the beginning. That would’ve saved many recordings. If you’re doing live recordings with a band, this isn’t as critical.

7. Trimming your tracks

Quick basic edits are really easy and intuitive with this software. Let’s start with trimming. Note that some of these commands can be done with multiple tracks. Hold the control key and click the track numbers to select multiple tracks.

To trim a track hover near the edge of the track, you’ll see a symbol pop up like the one below. Click and drag to trim the track to the desired location.

Click, hold and drag when you see this symbol…
and drag to the desired location.

8. Fading your tracks

To fade a track hover over the edge of a track near the top, a different symbol will appear. Click and drag to fade your track.

Click, hold and drag when you see this symbol…
and drag to the desired location

9. Splitting a Track

Splitting a track is useful if you’d like to move or delete only part of a track when editing or touching up.

To split a track first, click in the area where you want to split. Then right-click and choose split.

Choose the area you want and click….
Right-click and choose split
If you need a precise split, turn off snap and choose split at selection, otherwise click OK.


You’ll probably notice that you cant click the exact spot you want. This is due to the snap feature. To turn it off find the icon pictured below and click it.

Click the orange square to turn snap off.

10. Fixing Audio Driver Problems

I could write an entire article on this. However, there are a few things to try that will usually get it working for you.

A Word on Troubleshooting

Remember when you’re troubleshooting to note your original settings so you can put them back if needed. In addition, only try one thing at a time. Do something, try it and put it back if it doesn’t work. It could take a combination of adjustments, but if you do 10 things you’ll never know what fixed it. Finally, make notes of what fixed it. This could apply to anything you’re working on.

Typically the type of audio problems I’m referring to is clicking or stuttering. This section isn’t really for no audio or latency problems. If you need help with that leave a comment or send me a message and it could be a future article. Moving on…

Adjusting the Buffer Size

Click Edit, then Preferences. Choose Driver Settings. Adjust the Buffer Size slider and try playback and recording again. You may need to restart the software. This setting can cause latency issues, so be mindful of that.

Choose Edit, Preferences
Under Driver Settings, Adjust this slider. Pay attention to where it was to begin with.

Adjusting the Driver Type

In the Preferences menu, under Playback and Recording, you can change your driver mode. Choose one of the different driver types and click Apply and OK. Usually, you will need to restart the software. Your results will vary depending on the hardware you’re using. This can be tedious, but hang in there.

Under Playback and Recording click the Driver Mode dropdown
Try the different drivers until you get one working

Again, you may need to restart the software and check to see if it is working.

Conclusion

I’ve been using this software since 2004, I wish I had this article to get me started. Now you’ve got enough information to get going. There is so much to the software beyond this. If anyone is interested in more articles like this one, comment or reach out to me. Thanks for reading!

The post 10 Things to Get Started with Cakewalk DAW and 1 You May Really Need. appeared first on .

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How to Convert Audio Files from the Boss BR-8 Workstation to .wav https://automation-wizard.com/how-to-convert-audio-files-from-the-boss-br-8-workstation-to-wav/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-convert-audio-files-from-the-boss-br-8-workstation-to-wav Fri, 07 Feb 2020 12:41:14 +0000 http://automation-wizard.com/?p=85 This article is dedicated to the Invincible Robojo-talbotron. I hope you enjoy getting to listen to your old tunes again. This is not only a tutorial but a love letter to a time long past. My friends and I made so many good songs with the little BR-8. It was amazing! I thought it fitting […]

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This article is dedicated to the Invincible Robojo-talbotron. I hope you enjoy getting to listen to your old tunes again. This is not only a tutorial but a love letter to a time long past. My friends and I made so many good songs with the little BR-8. It was amazing! I thought it fitting to make the first blog on this site about the BR-8.

I recall the first time I had to take it apart to do a repair. Tensions were high, it was working but the play button was very intermittent. I think I took an old switch out of a VCR to fix it. Over time my friend Joe used over 40 discs! Those things were expensive. At the time we were in our late teens and didn’t have much money. We had no way to offload the discs or any way to back them up.

The year was 2008, I was doing a PC repair for a co-worker when I found it. An IDE/ATA Zip drive! I offered to trade the work for the drive. My co-worker agreed. Now I had to see if it was possible to back up the discs. I called Joe immediately and told him the news.

Some time later my friend came over and we started backing them up. One by one. It was very tedious. I had found the BR-8 .wav converter software and was stumbling my way through it.

At the time I thought I had to use the Zip disc to extract the files and convert into .wav files. I. WAS.WRONG. I feel like a dummy for not noticing this.

We converted a few over and left the rest. We knew they were safe. Afterwards I formatted a few for Joe. The Zip discs were becoming scarce in stores.

The Bad News

I didn’t think about them for years. Until I found out the Joe’s BR-8, all the discs, and a bunch of his other belongings were stolen. Talk about priceless, there were songs that were irreplaceable. Hours of work gone.

Fast Foward

Fast forward to 2020. Joe and I have been saying for years that we would get together and transfer his songs back to him. A few months ago I got my hands on a USB Zip drive and was going to send it to him. Then I realized, we didn’t need the drive at all.

I talked to Joe on the phone last week and thought about that again. I dropped what I was doing and burnt his stuff and a bunch of our music to discs. Last Saturday I had a few minutes and decided to drop off the discs. He was at work and I visited with his Dad. Amazing how time flies. Over 12 years had passed since we made the copies. At least the music wasn’t lost.

Brief History of the Boss BR-8

The BR-8 multitrack recorder was released in 1999 by the Boss company. This was compact digital recorder that used the Iomega Zip Disc as the recording media. At the time of it’s release it was a good quality portable recording unit.  The only real limitation was the size of the ZIP disc. With a full blown 8 track song, your song could realistically only be about 5 to 6 minutes. I can recall getting down to the wire with space.

The BR-8 in all of it’s Glory

Here are some of the features from the Boss Website:

How to convert the BR-8 files into .wav files

Now it’s time for the meat and potatoes of this blog article.

Step 1: Download the conversion software

Go to this site and download the BR-8 wav convert software.

https://www.boss.info/us/support/by_product/br-8/

Since this is a .exe file, installation is not necessary. Navigate to your downloads and double click this .exe file.

Step 2: Prepare the data

Things get a little weird here but stay with me. The software wants to see the data in the root of a folder. Unfortunately, you cannot navigate through subfolders. If you are using a zip drive, you can go straight to the drive. If not, follow the instruction below.

Open up your disc and highlight the data, right-click and select copy.

Your data should look similar to this, right-click and select copy

Paste this data to the root of a USB stick or an SD card. The definition of the root is the top folder of the drive. When you go to “This PC” and open that window, double-clicking, for example, the SD card would be the root or top folder. In my case, I’m using a USB stick and it is designated as the E:\ drive.

Here is the data pasted into the root of the USB Drive

Step 3: Convert the data into .wav format

Open the conversion software, and where it says BR-8 media drive choose your drive. Again, in my case it is the E:\ drive.

Choose your destiny……

Your screen should look similar to the one below.

Success!

Notice the dropdown box labeled song. If you had multiple songs on the disc, this is how you’d change songs.

Chose the track you’d like to convert and click it. You can choose 2 tracks simultaneously. In my opinion, however, it may be best to convert them independently unless you know it was recorded in stereo. It’s easy enough to fix that in recording software like Cakewalk or Protools.

Select the track to convert

Now select BR-8 Track to Wave file in the lower left. Navigate to the folder you want to store the output file in.

Repeat this process until you get what you want.

Conclusion

That’s it! It’s that easy. Now import into your favorite DAW and pick up where you left off. Thanks for reading. Leave a comment below and sign up for more updates.

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