UmixIt—FAQ

General

How-to

Technical

Basic Set-up

UmixIt email support page

General

Q: What is UmixIt?

A: UmixIt is an exciting new way for consumers to more fully experience the joy of music.  UmixIt delivers an artist's music in a format that provides 8 to 16 discrete channels, allowing the user to mix and remix the individual instruments in a song.  Don't like the keyboard part?  Take it out or lower it as much as you want.  Want to emphasize the vocal or bass?  Crank it up!  Plus there are open tracks for you to record new instruments or vocal parts.  Create an instant remix by replacing acoustic drums with the included dance loops.

Q: UmixIt sounds fun. Is it safe for me to install?

A: UmixIt is remix software included free with certain music CDs. You use it to remix, rearrange, or add parts to the special multi-track mixes of the songs on the CD. UmixIt is not, in any way shape or form, any kind of copy protection for the normal tracks on the CD. Nothing is installed on your system, except for ordinary MediaMixer application software. No hidden files are installed. An uninstall process is provided if you chose to remove the program. So have fun and try UmixIt today.

Q: What's included as part of the UmixIt content?

A:  A UmixIt disk will contain, in addition to the artist's original audio tracks, an 8-track version of a song, a 16-track version, a collection of royalty-free ACID-format loops, and the Cakewalk Media Mixer application.

Q: What's the difference between UmixIt and Media Mixer?  Are they the same thing?

A: UmixIt is the name of the company which puts the technology and artist content onto disks.  Media Mixer by Cakewalk is a component of this technology which allows you to mix and edit the content.

Q: What are the system requirements?

A:  To run the included Media Mixer software, you will need: 

• Windows 2000 or  XP
• 1 GHz processor (Intel or AMD)
• 256 MB RAM
• 200 MB free hard disk space
• 1024 X 768, 16-bit color
• CD-ROM drive (for installation)
• Windows-compatible sound card

Q: Can I share the songs from my disk with a friend?

A:  UmixIt songs use secure licensing so that only the owner of the disk may install and use the included songs.

Q: Can I download new songs from the internet?

A:  At this time, UmixIt songs will only be available as part of commercially released CDs and DVDs. 

Q: What if I want to share my remix with a friend or burn it to a disk?

A:  Finished songs can be exported as 128 KBPS Windows Media files to be played on media players, portable devices, or burned to a compact disk.

Q: This is fun, I want to do more.  What's the next step?

A:  An upgrade is offered to users who want elevate to the next level.  By taking advantage of the upgrade, users will receive access to the 16-track songs on the disk, and also receive additional effects for processing tracks.  In addition, genre and instrument based loop libraries are available, allowing the user to bring in new instrumentation like drums or synthesizers.

How-To

Q: How do I use the included UmixIt content?

A:  Simply place the disk in your computer's drive and you will be prompted to install the included song and application.  Once you agree, the material will be installed and automatically launched inside the Cakewalk Media Mixer.  Here you can rework and remix a song in a replica studio environment, including a mixer, effects processing, editing, and recording tools.

Q: How do I use effects such as Reverb in my UmixIt project?

A: You can use the included Cakewalk SpectraFX plugin which is capable of creating several types of sound effects to change the style of your tracks.

To use SpectraFX, go to the Mix View and click the 'FX' box on the desired track.  Next, select 'Cakewalk > SpectraFX' from the effects to launch the SpectraFX window.

Q: When I open the effects menu I see additional effects listed besides SpectraFX.  What are these?

A: These are effects installed by other programs on your computer such as video editing or mp3 creation software.  We do not recommend attempting to use these effects in UmixIt Media Mixer.  However, any additional Cakewalk effects or DirectX type effects may be used with the UmixIt software.

Technical

Q: I can not open the 16 track songs after I purchased the upgrade?

A: You may be running XP Service Pack 2 with Windows Media Player 9. You will need to install the hotfix. The hotfix can be found here http://www.cakewalk.com/owners/umixit/hotfix.asp

Q: When I try to open a song in Media Mixer I get a Windows Media Error.

A: You may need to install Windows Media Player 10. If Windows Media Player 10 is already installed you may need to reinstall Media Player. Download Windows Media Player 10.

Q: I am using the Tranzworld 9 disk and when I try to install umixit I receive an error “cannot install DMR licenese”

A: Unfortunately there is no fix for this problem. There was a problem when manufacturing the disk.

Q: Nothing happens when I insert the disk into my computer.  Now what?

A: It may be that you have Window's Autorun functionality turned off.  Navigate to 'My Computer' and double-click the CD or DVD drive.  (Hint: You should see the UmixIt Icon)

Q: Installing the program and songs is taking a long time.  Do I need to do this every time?

A: No.  The first time that you use a UmixIt disk, the Media Mixer software and songs must be installed to your hard drive.  Once installed, you will not need to repeat this process.

Q: How do I launch the Media Mixer application again without reinserting the disk?

A: Once you've installed the application on your computer, you can launch it by clicking on the Start button and selecting 'All Programs > UmixIt > Cakewalk Media Mixer > Cakewalk Media Mixer'

Q: While playing back a project, the music stops and the CPU light turns red.  What causes this?

A:  This problem can generally be fixed by going to Options > Audio and adjusting the buffer size slider.  Also, make sure that you are not running any other audio or anti-virus software in the background.  The programs can be usually be found and turned off in the 'System Tray' (next to the clock on the lower right of your screen)

Q: Why can't I open the 16-track version of the song?

A: In order to access the 16-track version of the included song, you must obtain the UmixIt Upgrade.  In addition the upgrade includes three additional effects.  The upgrade can be obtained here.

Q: I purchased the UmixIt Upgrade.  How do I access the new effects?

A: From the 'Mix' view, you can click on the blue FX bin for a track and select from the 'UmixIt' menu.  New effects include a Filter, Delay, and Chorus/Flange.

If you still have questions or need further assistance, please visit UmixIt Email Support page.

Basic Setup

How-To: Basic Walk-Through

1. Launch Cakewalk Media Mixer application
   
   
2. Select File > Open and browse to a .umix file on your hard drive or CD
   
   
3. Press Enter and the file will be automatically decoded and opened.  Once the file is opened, you can save it and open it as a *.CWMM file, which only requires a few seconds.
   
   
4. Press the Play button (Spacebar)
   
   
5. As the song plays, adjust the volume levels for the different instruments.
   
   
6. Solo the vocal track by pressing the square green 'S' button above the pan knob.
   
   
7. Insert the Cakewalk SpectraFX on the vocal track by right-clicking in the FX bin and selecting Cakewalk SpectraFX.  Select some of the included presets.
   
   
8. Un-solo the vocal track by pressing the round green 'S' button under the transport (see image below).
   
   
   
   
9. Mute the Drums and Bass tracks by pressing the square yellow 'M' button above the pan knob.
   
   
10. Launch the Loop Explorer (see image below) by selecting from the View Menu or pressing Alt-4.  Browse to a folder containing ACID™-format loops.  Select a loop or loops and press play.  Turn on the 'Auto' button to automatically hear a selected loop.  The loops will play in sync over the current song.
    
    
    
    
11. Go to the Edit View using the View Menu or Alt-2.
    
    
12. Edit a clip by clicking on the edge of a clip and dragging inward to 'hide' the audio.  Only waveforms displayed on screen will be audible.  Select Edit > Undo or press CTRL-Z to undo the change.
    
    
13. Draw a fade-in or fade-out by clicking and dragging on the upper corner of a clip.
    
    
14. Zoom in and zoom out using the magnifying glass tools in the lower-right corner.
    
    
15. Open the Lyrics view (see image below) from the View menu.  If lyrics are present, they will be highlighted and scroll automatically with the song.
    
    
    
    
16. Scroll to a blank track.  Double-click the track name to enter a new one.  Press the 'R' button to arm for recording.  With a microphone plugged in, you will now see the input meter move.  Press the 'Record' button in the Transport (or R) to begin recording.  Waveform will be drawn as the track records.

How-To: Screen Overview

1. The screen consists of the following;
   
   

   a. View Mode.  The primary mode is the Mix View which resembles a studio mixer.  Other screen modes include Edit mode and Navigation Pane.
   
   b. Transport Control (Rewind, Stop, Play, and Record)

   c. Playback State (M/S/R) These buttons light up when a track is muted, etc.  Pressing the button will turn off this state for all tracks (unmuting all tracks for example)

   d. Project Information (Song Name and current 'now' time).  Clicking this screen alternates between viewing Measures/Beats and Hours/Minutes/Seconds

   e. Tempo/Metronome controls

   f. Loop Start/End time and Loop Enable buttons

   
   
2. Navigation Pane (if active): This shows an overview of the tracks (as seen in the Edit View) and where various tracks start/stop.  Right-Clicking will set the 'now-time' (see image below)
   
   
   
   
   
3. Mix View (see image below)—Designed to resemble a mixer.  It has the following components
   
   
   
   

   g. Track Icon—denotes the type of instrument on the track

   h. Track Name

   i.  FX Bin—This is where the SpectraFX processor is inserted

   j.  EQ—Hi/Mid/Low Equalizer controls for the current track

   k. Mute/Solo/Arm (for recording)/Monitor Track Input buttons

   l.  Pan—Left/Right balance

   m. Volume

   n. Volume Meter
   

4. Edit View (see image below)—This is designed to show tracks in a horizontal view.  The contents of each track are depicted as a digital waveform, allowing you to visually split, copy, delete, or edit the selected track.  This is done using simply drag-and-drop motion with the mouse.
   
   

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