I believe the point of this thread is that it is NOT high on the priority list and that's why the source code has been released to the community. I truly believe this is a transitional period that may be painful for some, but will ultimately bring a lot of good things. Time will tell I suppose.

I think those of you who talk touchscreen are still missing the point a bit.  There is SONAR touchscreen supporting the SONAR interface and mixer and there are touch screens like the SLATE RAVEN which are control surfaces at a whole other level which may still have similar issue as it is a HW device that still likely requires the protcols to run.    Profession studios still rely on physical control surfaces and if they turn touch screen (3 party products) the communication issue still exists.   Also, regarding the release of the SDK,  it really is not acceptable to push that to the users and have us as individuals have to build the files to support the products.  SDKs should be used for people who wish to make changes to existing  code OR who are building a NEW device and need to support it.   I also read that Sonar does not support the procols in a standard way expected by most manufactures either (read this in a n SSL NUcleus forum) resulting in  the companies who make these control surfaces won't write associated modules for Sonar.  That is why Sonar is the ONLY unsupported DAW in all these different manufacturers.  The VS 700 may have been great but I do not want all the preamps, I only want a robust control surface to work properly with my projects and allow me to do multiple hands on movements.   Windows 8 is not yet successful either so touchscreen by Sonar is limited.   I tried the Mackie control and I was only able to use basically the faders and pan.  Non of the other features including multiple plugins or Prochannel worked so I sold it.  Again, windows 8 is currently a failure and we are many  years away from serious touch screen widespread integration.   Sonar is WAY behind the 8 ball here.   As I upgrade my studio to a more commercial grade, I currently may have little choice than to switch to a more widely supported platform

I strongly agree with you, Neirbod!
 

neirbod

stxx
First I love Sonar X3 .   That said, not having these protocols working properly with control surfaces seriously compromises the ability for SONAR based studio owners to provide a truly professional environment.  Without the ability to have a full functioning control surface like the other DAW competition, it puts SONAR out of the running for use in a professional environment that many clients expect, especially those who still prefer the hands on approach.

I completely agree. This needs to be high on the priority list. For some touch screens may replace the need for a CS, but for many others there will simply be no substitute for putting fingers on a fader or knob, closing your eyes, and mixing.

stxx
I tried the Mackie control and I was only able to use basically the faders and pan.  Non of the other features including multiple plugins or Prochannel worked so I sold it. 

FWIW, the app TouchDAW just emulates the hardware of an MCU on android tablets using Mackie Control protocol to control SONAR, and on my tablet, every fader, knob and button works like expected, including ProChannel modules.
So it seems to be, the MCP used by SONAR isn't that bad at all, at least.
 
Best,
Klaus

stxx
I think those of you who talk touchscreen are still missing the point a bit.  There is SONAR touchscreen supporting the SONAR interface and mixer and there are touch screens like the SLATE RAVEN which are control surfaces at a whole other level which may still have similar issue as it is a HW device that still likely requires the protcols to run.    Profession studios still rely on physical control surfaces and if they turn touch screen (3 party products) the communication issue still exists.   Also, regarding the release of the SDK,  it really is not acceptable to push that to the users and have us as individuals have to build the files to support the products.  SDKs should be used for people who wish to make changes to existing  code OR who are building a NEW device and need to support it.   I also read that Sonar does not support the procols in a standard way expected by most manufactures either (read this in a n SSL NUcleus forum) resulting in  the companies who make these control surfaces won't write associated modules for Sonar.  That is why Sonar is the ONLY unsupported DAW in all these different manufacturers.  The VS 700 may have been great but I do not want all the preamps, I only want a robust control surface to work properly with my projects and allow me to do multiple hands on movements.   Windows 8 is not yet successful either so touchscreen by Sonar is limited.   I tried the Mackie control and I was only able to use basically the faders and pan.  Non of the other features including multiple plugins or Prochannel worked so I sold it.  Again, windows 8 is currently a failure and we are many  years away from serious touch screen widespread integration.   Sonar is WAY behind the 8 ball here.   As I upgrade my studio to a more commercial grade, I currently may have little choice than to switch to a more widely supported platform

I think I'm a little confused here. Firstly, if you are already using Sonar, why would you ever get a Raven rather than a seriously large actual touchscreen, since that way you can directly control Sonar as opposed to a software layer between Sonar and you? Secondly, if you are not using Sonar, why is this even relevant to the discussion? Thirdly, I know plenty of professional studios who don't rely on physical control surfaces, but I suppose this has more to do with how one defines "professional". I don't even mean to really argue the point that it is a good thing to have a touch based option (real faders or virtual ones) to interact with the DAW. I also see the benefit of having real faders, but I simply think that once we're only a little further down the road, the benefits of a virtual control surface will greatly outweigh the loss of the feel of faders.

The evidence right now, whether you or I agree with it or not, is that Cakewalk has seemingly decided to put further development of the HWCS protocols on the backburner, and meanwhile open the source codes up to the community. So the best option to get a completely integrated control surface for Sonar right now is to add a large touch screen to your setup, and put it in place of your hardware option. I hope touch support will continue to improve and touch screens will continue to drop in price.

Yeah, for good or for ill, it's clearly been decided within Cakewalk that hardware control surfaces are not something they are pursuing right now. I imagine it would take quite a lot to get that undecided.

John T:
 
Hi, long time no see. :)
 

John T
Yeah, for good or for ill, it's clearly been decided within Cakewalk that hardware control surfaces are not something they are pursuing right now. I imagine it would take quite a lot to get that undecided.

 
If that's the case, that's bad news!

I do use Sonar, do not wish to go to Win 8 and want to use a control surface TODAY.  I only used Raven as an example.  It is frustrating to me that is all.   I do not think it woulds be a huge effort to get it to work as they are half way there. Seems they just half assed it here and I think the response currently to touchscreen Sonar is lukewarm.  Its great on a laptop but not too practical unless you have an 46 in screen laying flat.   I know numerous studio people not using it for this reason and it never bothered me before until now when I am considering moving up a level or 2 and wanting to bring in a control surface for a more hands on approach for clients who like to say " let me try this and see how it sounds" without me having to take 30 minutes to generate all the automation curves to try that very thing you could do instantly with a well integrated control surface.   No more on this from me but it is what it is for now.

My only experience with using Mackie control is on my Zoom R16, which quite honestly sucks as a control surface, you're better off using keyboard and mouse.  I plan on buying the X32 compact which will become my main studio mixer/control surface, so this will eventually effect me at that point.
 
I disagree that the touchscreen support in Windows 8 is limited or a failure.  Windows 8 has a larger install base than all version of Mac OS, and is still growing.  In fact one of the best things in touch screen support isn't even moving faders, but being able to fly through your project sections with ease using swipe and pinch zoom.  Compared to other DAW's the touchscreen support in CW is unsurpassed.  Some of the 3rd party plugins still need support for touch, but it works on almost everything.  In fact I love borrowing my wife's surface pro for small projects, I plan on getting a surface pro or some type of two in one for small projects.  The Raven is a totally different beast and can't be compared to the native Windows API for touch.
 
But having touch screen support and having a control surface are two different things and I can understand why someone would prefer having a dedicated control surface.
 
Obviously this is an issue, but I think open sourcing the source code is probably the best scenario.  Look I work in software development for a hardware manufacturer, so I understand where CW is coming from on this.  At the end of the day there is only so much budget for projects, only so much time for developers on staff.  If you look at the control surface market, the ones using CW products are probably on the VS700, the ones using Mackie products are probably using something else, so to spend a lot of development time and money updating the code.
 

Note that the v700 is also now unsupported and open source. There's no special treatment there.