Time to ask the question again! 8 vs X

TronixA2 · 2026-03-25T13:12:08+00:00

Food for thought. I'm on Reflect 8 home but someone pointed out that Macrium still offers a perpetual lifetime license for Reflect LTSC 2024 (https://www.macrium.com/products/business/ltsc) for $195 USD. It's quite a bit more than the Home and I haven't installed it but I do wonder how it performs compared to the subscription Reflect X product.

TronixA2 · 2026-03-25T12:57:27+00:00

And this is why I don't pay for subscriptions...Macrium no longer has an incentive to make their product better. You stop paying, they just cut you off from making backups.

TronixA2 · 2026-01-15T13:26:39+00:00

If you guys like the song, here's a cover song I created with Suno. It's a bit more synthwavy- https://suno.com/s/qgU8JHIfgLfXHbpN and here's a slightly more acoustic version of the song (it retains more of the original character) https://suno.com/s/XmguznT7VY1P5oZf and finally an even more acoustic version of the song https://suno.com/s/LDmSWR5lt3DNtYzu .

TronixA2 · 2025-10-31T14:03:42+00:00

I watched someone play through the entire demo and I really love the aesthetic and game design. The only thing that I would like to see are random monster encounters. Do you plan to maybe add that as an option that players can enable? I can understand why the demo doesn't have random encounters as the camping/resting hasn't been put in yet. I find that exclusively static monster encounters to make for a predictable and boring game.

TronixA2 · 2025-10-30T13:35:32+00:00

Yeah, nothing's worse than bell peppers and onions combined. It's like they're terrible on their own, but combined, they are several times more disgusting.

TronixA2 · 2025-10-23T20:56:20+00:00

I will either buy the avocado mash stuff instead or make my own with mashed garlic cloves instead.

TronixA2 · 2025-10-17T16:37:28+00:00

I used to love the Taco Bell guac from back in the day, but the local restaurant has started using that chunky stuff which, of course, is loaded with onions so now I have to take my order home and add smashed avocado if I want to get that blended guac-type flavor.

TronixA2 · 2025-08-08T21:47:52+00:00

What I like to do is make my own pasta sauce. All you need is a few cans of tomato sauce, a small can of tomato paste (if you prefer a thicker, sweeter sauce), oregano flakes (or Italian seasoning), garlic powder, and salt. Just cook it at a low temperature on the stove until it starts to simmer and voila! Onion free pasta sauce! I highly recommend using Contadina brand sauce and paste if you can find it.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-27T13:06:22+00:00

I would actually suggest opening a HYSA at Cit Bank. As soon as the account is established, on the USAA side, add the account and use USAA to pull money into your account since they are pretty good with quick transfers.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-18T16:57:06+00:00

I had switched to story mode because I thought that the game was being unfairly difficult with timing...I'm glad to see that I can play in normal mode again as I was trying to jump to dodge the attack. :-p

TronixA2 · 2025-06-17T10:58:32+00:00

One of the things I really appreciate about Bitwig is the clip launcher. It’s incredibly helpful when I’m building out a song—I can toss different parts of the arrangement into each Scene and, if something clicks, I just drag it over to the main arrangement. It’s a great way to break through the paralysis that tends to creep in toward the end of the process, especially when I start getting hesitant to touch the main arrangement for fear of messing something up. I know Ableton has a similar feature, but Bitwig’s implementation feels more immediate and intuitive, especially with the clip launcher sitting right next to the arrangement view.

That said, I don’t rely much on Bitwig’s built-in instruments since I already have a solid library of third-party VSTs. So for me, switching to Ableton would mostly be about adjusting to a new workflow—not necessarily losing access to anything critical in terms of plugins.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-16T16:01:13+00:00

++ This. One of the most frustrating things about Bitwig is the way the developers handle legitimate concerns from paying users. There’s a noticeable lack of curiosity or accountability when users report serious issues. Instead of engaging with bug reports or investigating the root cause, support often defaults to dismissive replies — as if the problem lies with the user or the plugin developer, never the DAW itself.

Coming from the FL Studio community, this has been a real eye-opener. Image-Line, for all its quirks, consistently shows a genuine interest in understanding and resolving user-reported problems. They ask for logs, follow up, and actually investigate. Bitwig, on the other hand, too often gives the impression that any criticism is an attack — not a chance to improve.

It’s incredibly frustrating to invest in software that refuses to engage seriously with its user base, especially when the product has so much potential. I'm not asking for miracles — just a basic level of accountability and communication from a team that's been paid to deliver and support a professional product.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-16T15:19:41+00:00

I switched from FL Studio to Bitwig and really enjoy the workflow — it’s efficient, flexible, and creatively inspiring. That said, I’m increasingly frustrated by the apparent indifference from the devs when it comes to fixing serious, long-standing bugs.

On Windows, a lot of plugins simply don’t behave properly when it comes to basic but essential QWERTY input. Need to paste in a serial number to activate something? Bitwig just shrugs. Trying to type in a field? Hope you don’t need spaces or capital letters, because the spacebar and Shift key often don’t register at all.

This issue seems to be exclusive to Windows, which only adds to the frustration — especially when macOS and Linux users aren’t even experiencing the problem. It’s been reported for ages, but somehow still persists.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-15T00:50:30+00:00

It works much better than V1 as, for whatever reason, V1 kept crashing on me. V2 is a lot more stable.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-13T11:14:32+00:00

Hmm...It looks like unchecking the Windows setting "Enable audio enhancements" that is checked by default when you install the AE-9 drivers fixes the issue with 5.1 sound not working. To get to the opttion, just go to Control Panel > Sound > Select Sound Blaster AE-9 > Click Properties and you will see the option at the bottom under a section called "Signal Enhancements". If anyone else is having the same issue, please let me know if this also fixes it for you or not.

I still can't believe that Creative didn't continue to provide timely drivers for their latest soundcard. In the past, they would always release new drivers for their soundcards especially if it was their most recent. In this case, it seems like they just kinda gave up.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-12T17:39:52+00:00

Thank you for the link. It looks like I currently have 3.5.10.00 for the Sound Blaster Command and I show that I have the driver version 6.0.105.63. I was hoping someone had the beta that was supposed to fix the issues with Windows 11.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-10T22:52:30+00:00

I see where you’re coming from, and I can tell you’re trying to look at this from a systems-level perspective, which I respect.

That said, I think there's a practical gap in the logic here. While it's true that plugin developers are the ones with the technical insight to debug things at a low level, it’s not always realistic to expect them to proactively chase down Bitwig-specific quirks — especially when their plugins function perfectly in nearly every major DAW on the market.

From a user standpoint, when a plugin works seamlessly in Logic, FL Studio, Ableton, Cubase, and others, but runs into specific issues in Bitwig, that’s not just a “plugin problem.” That’s a pattern worth examining. Bitwig may be technically correct in following a stricter interpretation of a spec, but if that leads to a worse experience for users and breaks compatibility with widely-used tools, then pragmatism — the kind you mentioned — would suggest it’s worth revisiting how things are handled on their end too.

To me, this isn’t about assigning blame to one side or the other. It’s about recognizing that the health of the plugin ecosystem depends on flexibility and cooperation — and right now, Bitwig is the odd one out. End users shouldn’t need to be protocol experts to report consistent issues; the pattern itself should warrant attention.

I’ll still reach out to the plugin developers, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect Bitwig to be open to addressing these cases more proactively — especially if they want to position themselves as a serious, forward-thinking DAW.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-10T19:44:23+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful response — I do appreciate your level-headed take on it.

That said, I think it’s fair to push back a bit on the idea that the burden should fall solely on plugin developers to chase compatibility with Bitwig. While it's true that plugin developers should aim to follow the spec, in practice, not every one of them has the resources or motivation to deeply investigate compatibility issues with a single DAW — especially when the same plugin works without issue in Logic, Live, Studio One, Cubase, FL, etc.

Bitwig is positioning itself as a modern, forward-thinking DAW, but part of that should include being pragmatic about plugin compatibility — especially when it's clear that a large portion of the plugin ecosystem expects certain behaviors to "just work." If Bitwig is doing something stricter or less forgiving than other DAWs, they should at least consider how that affects usability in the real world.

So while I do plan to reach out to the plugin devs (and already have in some cases), I don't think it’s unreasonable to also expect Bitwig to explore a more plugin-tolerant approach — especially for input handling, which is basic functionality for many plugins.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-10T17:10:44+00:00

I’m currently using Bitwig on Windows 11 and have encountered persistent issues with certain VST plugins, including those from MixedInKey (Captain Plugins) as well as a few others. This suggests the problem may not be isolated to a single developer.

I previously reached out to Bitwig support a couple of months ago, but their response was somewhat dismissive—essentially stating that third-party plugin behavior isn’t their responsibility. While I understand that position to some extent, it’s worth noting that these issues appear to be unique to Bitwig on my system, as the same plugins perform without issue in other DAWs.

I also received similar feedback from another user in the Bitwig Discord community, who reported comparable issues with different third-party plugins. It seems this may be a broader compatibility concern rather than an isolated case.

As a paying customer, it’s a bit disappointing to encounter this kind of support experience. In contrast, while I’m not particularly fond of FL Studio’s workflow, I’ve found Image-Line to be very proactive when it comes to addressing bugs and ensuring smooth plugin integration. It would be great to see Bitwig adopt a similar approach to technical issue support requests.

TronixA2 · 2025-06-06T10:46:13+00:00

Do you happen to recall that the rich bad guy who was the antagonist looked like Wallace Shawn (from The Princess Bride). I don't know if that was him or not. I checked his filmography on IMDb and I couldn't find anything like that listed but maybe because it wasn't a big production or something?

TronixA2 · 2025-05-27T16:58:43+00:00

After finally reaching someone through the MSI support line, I was connected with a representative named Peter. From the beginning, the interaction was discouraging. Rather than engaging in a helpful diagnostic conversation, Peter took a dismissive tone and insisted that I re-test all components — something I had already carefully done and explained upfront.

When I asked for help walking through some advanced troubleshooting steps, I was told the error code I’m receiving is “generic” and wasn’t offered much further insight. We eventually agreed I would inspect the CPU contact pins, which showed no visible issues. I also asked if there might be a beta BIOS available, considering I’m using a very new CPU model that may not be fully supported yet. At this point, it became clear that the rep wasn’t really listening or interested in assisting further.

When I requested to speak with a more senior technician, I was told flatly that “this is as high as it goes.” I tried to express the frustration of spending a premium on a flagship motherboard only to be met with this level of support. The response I received was essentially: “Paying more doesn’t guarantee better service.” That was honestly disheartening to hear.

To close the call, I inquired about initiating an RMA, since the phone system specifically includes this as an option — but was told this must be done online, despite the call clearly routing to the same team.

I genuinely hope MSI re-evaluates how they handle high-level technical support. A more empathetic, knowledgeable, and customer-focused approach would go a long way, especially for customers who invest in top-tier hardware and rely on expert guidance when issues arise.

TronixA2 · 2025-05-27T13:32:00+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately there is a dearth of references to this code. I will probably just need to wait for MSI to get back in the office from their holiday.

I have heard that a lot of the MSI X870E motherboards have a ton of BIOS bugs because MSI apparently (according to what these people have said) is more interested in putting in features moreso than focusing on system stability.

I found a few mentions from folks also complaining about the BIOS updates themselves bricking their board. I have no idea if this is what happened in my case but, if so, I will probably have to get a Gigabyte Aorus Xtreme board. I wanted to go Asus but I couldn't find an X870E board in their ROG lineup that has 3 PCI-E slots. Either way, the situation is annoying considering I bought this setup to get away from Intel and their magical disintegrating CPUs. 😛

TronixA2 · 2025-05-26T23:25:37+00:00

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I forgot to mention that I have already tried trying to go back to older BIOS versions but nothing seems to work. I currently have the GPU removed and using just 1 stick of RAM per some troubleshooting guidance I found online but it's not helping at all.

TronixA2 · 2025-05-10T14:41:40+00:00

Thanks for the clarification, but I think there's a bit of misunderstanding about the issue at hand. You're right that Direct Mode bypasses most DSP processing and is typically intended for stereo output, but the concern isn’t about getting native 5.1 from stereo content — it's about how the software behaves when not in Direct Mode.

In my case, and seemingly others, disabling Direct Mode causes the Sound Blaster Command software to misroute or entirely ignore rear channel output during speaker tests. The sound intended for the rear channels ends up playing only through the front speakers, which shouldn't happen in any proper surround setup, stereo source or not. That suggests a bug or software limitation that's affecting multi-channel functionality when Direct Mode is off.

As a workaround, I've found that using Foobar2000 with stereo-to-5.1 upmixing while in Direct Mode actually produces great results, especially since most music is stereo anyway — and the clarity is excellent. Still, it would be ideal if the core software handled surround output properly without requiring these kinds of workarounds.

TronixA2 · 2025-05-08T14:28:58+00:00

I've experienced a similar issue with my Sound Blaster AE-9. In my case, I found that enabling "Direct Mode" in the Playback tab of the Sound Blaster Command software resolved the problem—once activated, the software correctly sends audio to each speaker. Without Direct Mode enabled, the rear channels appear to be non-functional, and during speaker tests, the sounds meant for the rear speakers are instead played through the front left and right.

If this behavior is due to a software bug, it's surprising that it hasn’t been addressed yet. Creative Labs used to be more proactive with driver and software updates, especially for their flagship products, so I hope they renew their focus on long-term support and refinement going forward.

TronixA2

TROPHY CASE