Can u run multiple instances of cantabile? if yes, how?

I was wondering if its possible to run more than one instance of cantabile on one computer, with 2 different ASIO interfaces connected to the same computer. I have a guitar ASIO interface which should only run guitar fx in cantabile 1st window & another ASIO interface which should run only microphone-vocal fx in cantabile 2nd window. (there is a reason i want guitar & microphones on 2 different interfaces, its too complex to explain here)
as per the user guide, cantabile supports multiple configurations & it informs the steps to create shortcuts with custom configs.
https://www.cantabilesoftware.com/guides/multiConfig

but when i try this , i get an error msg from windows 8.1
the file * C:\Program Files\Topten Software\Cantabile 3\Cantabile.exe\config:“somename” cannot be found.
what do i do? i even tried the common syntax change whether / or \ or " & close the " . but no luck so far, i get the same error msg.

Hi Nanda,

You can only run one ASIO application at a time so 2 instances of Cantabile at the same time is not doable from my understanding of things. Multiple configurations are intended to be used one at a time for different situations a live player might encounter. Sorry it doesn’t help you but I guess you should think about 2 laptops to pull this stuff off …

Dave

You can run multiple instances, but they won’t be able to access the same audio/MIDI devices.

To do so, use multiple configurations.

Thanks Brad. That’s also what I guessed . That u can have multiple configs with each tied to a different asio interface. Now the problem remains that I referred to the guide and followed the steps but I am not able to create a new shortcut . Pls see original post where I describe the problem with the shortcut. Any help is appreciated

nanda,

I can help here - I’ve created many configurations. You can create a new shortcut by right-clicking the Cantabile.exe icon and selecting “Send to -> Desktop”.

You can also right-click to copy an existing shortcut and then paste that. It will make a new one having a new name. This is especially useful when making several configurations.

Then follow the instructions in that guide.

When you start up the new shortcut for the first time, it will generate the folder structure for that config and start up with the setup wizard as if you were running Cantabile for the first time. Go through that process - selecting the license you’ll use and basic ASIO choices.

What I do is to then go into the original Cantabile’s folder in C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Local\Topten Software\Cantabile 3.0 (x64) and copy out these four files, which I paste into my new folder writing over the new ones Cantabile had created:

  • settings.json
  • plugins.json
  • plugins.user.json
  • Background Rack.cantabileRack

That way, much of my original config is already entered, so I can just make necessary changes.

AppData is a hidden folder, so you’ll have to make Hidden filies and folders visible from the View ‘ribbon’ of the Explorer.

Terry

Thanks for the correction, I had it it wrong! Sorry …

Dave

thanks so much , terry. thats very helpful ! Let me try out all the steps u mentioned & will be back if i run into any other bumps.

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Hi terry,
I followed the steps u mentioned & reached halfway towards the solution. While i did create 2 different shortcuts on my desktop , they did not start with the wizard. both of my loaded my last song. again , i tried the steps in the guide, but still ended up with the same error msg as before : the file * C:\Program Files\Topten Software\Cantabile 3\Cantabile.exe\config:“somename” cannot be found.

i am guessing this has something to do with the last steps u mentioned, which i did not quite understand. when u say " and copy out these four files, which I paste into my new folder writing over the new ones Cantabile had created" . what do u mean by “paste into my new folder” ? what is this new folder ? do i have to create a new folder in a specific location in windows / program files etc ?

Hi @nanda

This has nothing to do with copying files to the new settings folder; there is simply a problem with your command line: instead of

C:\Program Files\Topten Software\Cantabile 3\Cantabile.exe\config:“somename”

you need to use

C:\Program Files\Topten Software\Cantabile 3\Cantabile.exe /config:“somename”

The important bits are:

  • insert a space between the path to the executable (…\Cantabile.exe) and the parameter (/config…)
  • use a slash (/) and not a backslash (\) to denote the parameter

Then Cantabile will automatically create a new settings folder inside %AppData%\Local\TopTen Software with separate settings files. This folder is named according to your profile name, in the above case “Cantabile 3.0 (x64) (somename)”.

When starting Cantabile with a new configuration, it will initialize all settings (audio, MIDI, file locations, etc.), so to keep things simple, you can do as @terrybritton suggests and copy the key configuration files from the original Cantabile settings directory to the newly created folder to save you the work of re-creating your initial configuration.

I’ve done this quickly with a configuration named “test” - this is what my Cantabile settings folders look like after starting Cantabile with the new config:

So, I’ll simply copy the files mentioned by @terrybritton from the original folder (marked red) to the new folder (blue)

BTW: to find these folders, you can simply use “Tools–> Open Settings Folder” in the Cantabile menu - then you’ll get an Explorer window with your current configuration files displayed. This will be either the red or blue folder above, depending what config you started. So just back up one level in Explorer, and you’ll have them both side by side as in my pic (without the ugly red and blue squiggles…)

Cheers,

Torsten

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hey thanks for such a detailed reply. computers are not obviously my strong point, ha ha. Let me try each of the steps u mentioned & check that i can get this working as it should.

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