1. i'm using a Mackie Control compatible MIDI device, and it has worked as VS-700 device, but now with SONAR Platinum VS-700 is not longer supported and Sonars Mackie Control didn't work with them. Thank's SONAR Platinum, i have now lost my MIDI Controller support, which i have used since X1.
2. if i want to use my Mackie Control compatible MIDI device, i must configure this device twice, because i have 9 faders - 8 tracks and 1 master. Transport functions have a different behaviour in ACT and Cakewalk Generic Suface.
3. in ACT its not possible to configure Mute, Solo and Record Buttons, so i have to use Cakewalk Generic Surface. To need of 2 configurations for 1 controller is not realy comfortable and if you have to use more Controllers, it's realy hard to understand the complexity. ACT can not compensate Mackie Control support.
 
what i want:
1. one config file for one MIDI controller in XML format, which should contain all my MIDI controller elemens - faders, buttons. as example name="fader1", type="fader", MIDI="B0 32", min=0, max=127. A xml config file would allow to create easy a configuration for non supported MIDI controllers and no one should learn any specific language.
2. for each plugin or mixer, a xml file with controller assignements, based on MIDI controller config file could be created with ACT midi controller assignements.
3. a clear and easy to handle ACT MIDI controller config GUI for Mixer and Transport, Mixer should also support Buttons for Mute, Solo, Record, etc.
4. Only one MIDI controller config should be required - Cakewalk Generic Surface or ACT
5. make Mackie Control support compatible with more third party Mackie compatible devices, because my Mackie Control device works with all other DAWs without any problems.
 
@azslow3: please have a look, how other popular DAWs have realised MIDI controller support and then we should talk constructive about

That is already constructive

Hermu
1. i'm using a Mackie Control compatible MIDI device, and it has worked as VS-700 device, but now with SONAR Platinum VS-700 is not longer supported and Sonars Mackie Control didn't work with them. Thank's SONAR Platinum, i have now lost my MIDI Controller support, which i have used since X1.

VS-700 plug-in is still the same since X1. Unfortunately, there was "packaging error". Download Control Surface plug-in for VS-700 separately (do not have the link in hands, but there was several discussions about this issue).
 

2. if i want to use my Mackie Control compatible MIDI device, i must configure this device twice, because i have 9 faders - 8 tracks and 1 master. Transport functions have a different behaviour in ACT and Cakewalk Generic Suface.
3. in ACT its not possible to configure Mute, Solo and Record Buttons, so i have to use Cakewalk Generic Surface. To need of 2 configurations for 1 controller is not realy comfortable and if you have to use more Controllers, it's realy hard to understand the complexity. ACT can not compensate Mackie Control support.

That was the reason I have made my plug-in.
 

what i want:
1. one config file for one MIDI controller in XML format, which should contain all my MIDI controller elemens - faders, buttons. as example name="fader1", type="fader", MIDI="B0 32", min=0, max=127. A xml config file would allow to create easy a configuration for non supported MIDI controllers and no one should learn any specific language.

Do you assume that XML is not "specific language" for musicians? Also to make something more then one to one mapping, DTD for such XML is going to be "true alien language" for most users.
 

2. for each plugin or mixer, a xml file with controller assignements, based on MIDI controller config file could be created with ACT midi controller assignements.

They have it in ACT model. But is has several bugs. So it is more bug fix request then feature request.
 

3. a clear and easy to handle ACT MIDI controller config GUI for Mixer and Transport, Mixer should also support Buttons for Mute, Solo, Record, etc.
4. Only one MIDI controller config should be required - Cakewalk Generic Surface or ACT

Another reason why I have written my plug-in.
 

5. make Mackie Control support compatible with more third party Mackie compatible devices, because my Mackie Control device works with all other DAWs without any problems.

MCU implementation of Sonar MCU plug-in follows open specification from Mackie. It can be "all other DAWs" and your device do not care about original specification, but that is not the reason for CW to follow.
 
In fact usual problem is that "compatible devices" do not implement Mackie challenge/response. I do not know why, may be just license issue... But they are "Mackie incompatible" by definition then, does not matter what they claim.
 

@azslow3: please have a look, how other popular DAWs have realised MIDI controller support and then we should talk constructive about

I do not have "all other DAWs". I had a look at Ableton way and I was not fascinated.

Hi Hermu,
 
yes, the vs-700 is still the same as in X3 (and unless you did a clean install nothing should have been required to keep that working ... if you did a clean install, however, you need to go through the painnful process of installing everything vs-700 related again and then configure ...
 
but since you use a mackie CS hooked up via vs700.dll you might just as well team up with azslow and try his new plugin ...
 
as regards XML ... I hated it from the first time I saw it and sadly this beast is on our backs almost everywhere these days ... I used to develop software for years, but still don't get the point of using xml for user editable config files (IMHO - if you allow someone to fiddle with it the old *.ini file type approach is much more intuitive and maintainble, if you don't want users to fiddle, go make it binary) ... well, I know groups of parameters are difficult to do *.ini style, but nothing beats table style representation of parameters, so that would be the route to go for any kind of parameter assignment (copy & paste functionality to spreadsheet programs of course must be considered)
 
the current state of the ACT system is a shame ...

• you can ACT learn and IF you get it to map properly (which is not certain because parameters are pre-mapped and thus ACT itself sometimes gets confused and does not follow your assignment), the ACT assignment is all screwed up when you exit Sonar an start Sonar again
• ACT settings are apparently only written when you exit Sonar ... if it crashes before, ACT changes are gone (which at least doesn't happen too often these days)
• the garbled ACT xml output Sonar writes, you can't even fix manually because it's XML written in a user-unfriendly way i.e. line breaks missing and all parameters just one after the other ... while this supposedy is no problem due to XML specs, it makes editing impossible and potentially causes also some readback errors ...

FreeFlyBertl
as regards XML ... I hated it from the first time I saw it and sadly this beast is on our backs almost everywhere these days ... I used to develop software for years, but still don't get the point of using xml for user editable config files (IMHO - if you allow someone to fiddle with it the old *.ini file type approach is much more intuitive and maintainble, if you don't want users to fiddle, go make it binary) ... well, I know groups of parameters are difficult to do *.ini style, but nothing beats table style representation of parameters, so that would be the route to go for any kind of parameter assignment (copy & paste functionality to spreadsheet programs of course must be considered)

XML files should be clear structured and with a XML editor (Programmer's Notepad) easy to read.
But these XML files should only be modifyed from hardware manufacturers or qualified users with XML knowlege.
 

azslow3
I do not have "all other DAWs". I had a look at Ableton way and I was not fascinated.

Ableton has a good plug&play Controller Support and i had not to configure my hardware.
it's possible to get a free Version of Studio One with an easy Controller configuration. Controller config files are in C:\program\PreSonus\Studio One 2\devices

FreeFlyBertl
the current state of the ACT system is a shame ...

• you can ACT learn and IF you get it to map properly (which is not certain because parameters are pre-mapped and thus ACT itself sometimes gets confused and does not follow your assignment), the ACT assignment is all screwed up when you exit Sonar an start Sonar again
• ACT settings are apparently only written when you exit Sonar ... if it crashes before, ACT changes are gone (which at least doesn't happen too often these days)
• the garbled ACT xml output Sonar writes, you can't even fix manually because it's XML written in a user-unfriendly way i.e. line breaks missing and all parameters just one after the other ... while this supposedy is no problem due to XML specs, it makes editing impossible and potentially causes also some readback errors ...

My observations:
 
There are 2 files where ACT mapping is saved: genericpluginparams.xml and sonaract.xml. The first one is "generic" and the second one is "per Control Surface type" (suppose to be).
 
When you ACT learn something, the information is written into both files on Sonar exit. As explained on my site, ACT learning is "safe" for current project only in case you do it inside "ACT" Tab of my plug-in. So restart Sonar (or at least reload project) is "a must" action when remapping ACT in most cases.
 
But when you restart Sonar, it looks like it "does not like" what it has just written into sonaract.xml. It ignores that information and on next exit (in case you have not modified ACT for the plug-in again) the information is REMOVED from sonaract.xml. While it is a bug, that way we have to modify genericpluginparams.xml only. That file is more user friendly, I have no problem editing it with Windows Notepad. The order of options in that file is the order used to assign ACT, so if "knob" "trim" is mentioned as the first and "knob" "scale" as the second, "trim" will be ACT Knob 1 and "scale" will be ACT Knob 2. Unfortunately, when you ACT learn, last learned parameter appears as the first in the list. That is why you see "messed" configuration.
 
By Sonar design it was foreseen that sonaract.xml is used for the mapping. It has information that "Generic Surface ACT Knob 1" is "scale" for example, so the ORDER of parameters inside both files should not be important.
But as I have mentioned, that description is ignored (most probable not saved correctly) and Sonar recreates the mapping "from scratch", using the ORDER inside genericpluginparams.xml.
 
So, for Hermu:
if you like XML manual editing and want per surface mapping of ACT parameters, Sonar support that! The mapping created that way is persistent, also for (otherwise buggy at the moment) VST3.
 
In the beginning of genericglupinparams.xml you can specify how Sonar should create initial mapping for unknown VSTs.
 

with the background knowlege of all posts to my request i must serverly critisize Cakewalks MIDI controller support:

a professional DAW, which does not support rudimentairly actual MIDI Hardware controller is fully indiscutable!

in the ACT controller support list i find only any old hardware controllers, also for Cakewalk Generic Surface.
M-Audio Oxygen 61 3rd gen is also not supported as NOVATION Impulse and all other actual MIDI Hardware controllers.
with ACT controller configuration it's not possible to configure buttons for Mute, Solo and Record for mixer controllers and for different Control Groups is a seperate config file neccessary.
Cakewalk Generic Surface only supports older MIDI controller devices with fixed functionality.
With no one it's possible to configure the full MIDI controller functionality, which should have a modern MIDI controller configuration.
Cakewalk Generic Surface (Copyright 2001-2006) is full confusing and have fun to keep overview what you have configured.

minimalistic Mackie Control support and no Mackie HUI support.
Shared Surfaces package is incomplete - i have already created a bug report without response!

conclusion:
without a complete MIDI controller support rework, it will be hard for Cakewalk SONAR to persit against popular DAWs like Ableton, Bitwig Studio, Cubase, Reason, Samplitude PRO X2, Presonus Studio One and any other newcomer DAWs.
please check MIDI controller support of popular DAWs and contact MIDI hardware controller manufacturers to make there support possible with a corresponding interface.
a modern MIDI controller configuration interface should be clear structured, with full actual hardware controller elements support and easy to handle.
at last, MIDI controller package must contain all controller as in all previous SONAR versions before, VS-700 and all the others wich are not part of Shared Surfaces package.