Does anyone have this configuration working. I'm trying to get my new trigger Finger Pro setup with Sonar and nothing seems to be working except manually setting up each fader and knob (which sucks). Is their nothing that works by default with Sonar other than ancient VS hardware or choice Roland keyboards? My Sonar Platinum doesn't even have the VS-700 in the list of surfaces (was in the X3 version). I would greatly appreciate any instructions for getting the Trigger Finger setup as a control surface for Sonar. And don't bother with the instructions on the web, it's for Sonar X3, it doesn't work. If anyone has a preset I could use, you would be my hero.
Here's a clue for Cakewalk, for the next update, add some surface presets for the hundreds of midi hardware out their. One a month would be better than nothing.
 
Thanks,
Raymond

More or less complicated Control Surface support is not just "a preset". It is relatively complicated programming to organize particular controller specific set of functions.
 
If you are looking for basic operations, adopting ACT MIDI/Generic Surface plug-ins (chapter 40 in Sonar Reference Guide) will take 15-30 minutes of your time. You can also try Mackie mode and corresponding Sonar plug-in. To do the same, CW has to spend money for particular device and spend the same time to make the preset. All that without single cent for profit.
 
What you know as "deep integration" between devices and DAW is time consuming and expensive programming job. You have paid for that to the hardware producer (significant if not major part of the price you have paid to M-Audio). So logically you should ask them and not CW to do the job for which you have paid.
 
In respect to Control Surface support, there is no difference between X3 and SPlat (really there is close to no difference between Sonar 6 and Splat). In case you have problems following some old instructions, let us know and we can try to help.
 
Roland has officially announced the end of support for A-Pro-Sonar cooperation. VS is obsolete. So, the are currently 2 solutions with support from producers: Nektar Impart and Novation Automap. For everything else, someone has to spend some time "for free". And most users, like you, do not want make such "investment" while expecting it from CW or "someone else".
 

Hi Azslow3
 
I'm working through the same issue as the OP. To clarify, there were presets in X3 that are no longer in Platinum - the VS-700 preset in the midi devices drop down is one of them. This just happens to be the preset specified in the Trigger Finger Pro configuration guide for Sonar. I'm trying to work it out (MIDI works fine, Mackie does not) but I agree with the sentiment above - if Cakewalk has already done the work to develop a Midi device preset for a piece of hardware then why remove the bloody thing, especially when it is clear that vendors are leveraging this development when documenting configuration steps? It would seem obvious to me that people are using it.

VS-700 is not a preset, it is a program...
 
With installer: https://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2007013201/V-Studio-700-Control-Surface-Plug-in-version-1-2-update
It is outdated, but I do not remember where is the latest installer.
 
In any case, replaced installed DLL with VS700.dll from: https://github.com/Cakewalk/Cakewalk-Control-Surface-SDK/tree/master/Bin (choose correct version, 32bit or 64bit)
 
VS700 is Roland product. And Cakewalk no longer has any relations to Roland.
 
Instead of spending time to write own plug-in, M-Audio has decided to adopt to existing (and for now obsolete) one. You can ask them to update documentation, give downloads links etc. I guess Cakewalk does not receive single cent from the money you have paid to M-Audio and Cakewalk do not want ask all users to pay more for Sonar itself to support your device. A kind of logical.

Hmmm. I'm not sure I follow you. The TFP has its own drivers with two options - one for Mackie and one for MIDI. In the configuration guide, it gives instructions to select the "Mackie" driver and then to select the "VS-700" preset in the drop-down when configuring the control surface. In X3, no problem, in SPlat the drop down only has a few of the former options - Mackie Control, XT, C4, and "Generic". The OP and I are not commenting on the lack of a driver but on the removal of a preset from the drop down menu. Am I missing something else in your explanation? And thanks for taking the time to try to explain!
 
For what it is worth, the device can be manually configured with a bit of effort, as you have already said. It would just be nice if the (previously existing and presumably already developed) option for the preset was still available.

Ah... my English is not so good may be. But I will try from another direction.
 
Mackie produced a device which is called Mackie Control Universal (now they have "Pro" version).
Roland produced a device which is called VS-700. It is declared obsolete with Window 10 introduction (but it still work there).
M-Audio produce a device TFP.
 
Each device has system drivers, which represent it as a MIDI devices to programs like Sonar.
 
A MIDI device can send/receive MIDI messages only. But the interpretation of these messages can be different. Mackie has introduced special interpretation well known as "Mackie protocol" (really Logic Control protocol). Most DAWs know how to deal with it, except ProTools, which understand special protocol (known as HUI).
Roland has similar protocol for VS-700. A protocol simply define that "Pitch Bend on MIDI Channel 1 is sent by the Fader 1" and so on.
 
Sonar Mackie plug-in and VS-700 plug-in are different programs, developed by different companies for different devices. But the protocols they use are similar (at the end, they both have moto faders, encoders, buttons for close to the same purpose). Mackie plug-in is still delivered with Sonar 2015, but VS-700 plug-in for some reason is no longer included. But it is possible to download it separately, from Roland site or Cakewalk site.
 
Cakewalk has declared both plug-ins Open Source and I have already mention the link to the latest versions of them. They should be registered in Windows by regsvr32 or by installer (any version will work, the registration just say there is such plug-in and where it is installed).
 
M-Audio has no separate plug-in for Sonar. But TFP can somehow imitate Mackie device by implementing a part of "Mackie protocol". The rest is my speculation: they have found that VS-700 plug-in works better with TFP then Mackie plug-in. And so they recommend it.
 
M-Audio really has "own protocol" for controllers, HyperControl. They have developed plug-ins which understand it for many DAWs, but not for Sonar. They same with InControl from Novation (but at least they have published the protocol, unlike M-Audio).
 
And back to my first reply: TFP does not look like MCU, nor as VS700. It can somehow imitate (both), but I do not expect that the lever of this imitation is really good. It is POSSIBLE to develop specialized plug-in for this device and it is POSSIBLE to create good working preset for my plug-in (unlike Cakewalk plug-ins, my is really Generic and can outperform any other existing plug-ins, VS700 and MCU inclusive). But that was not done yet... M-Audio has no interest to develop such plug-in and there was no enthusiasts to make a preset for my.
 

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I was reading the ACT configuration information and I guess was confusing what was an actual plug-in vs. what was an ACT config file, which is just XML. Your explanation is much more clear. I'll have to take a look at your plug-in when I have some time, it looks very interesting.
 
I'll also try downloading the VS-700 file just to see if it still works. The impression I am getting is that it isn't going to be any more full featured than my Generic Controller setup, which took all of five minutes to do ;->

For what it is worth, azslow's instructions worked fine. I downloaded and ran the 1.2 installer, replaced the VS700.dll with the SDK version, and the M-Audio setup instructions worked fine after that. I have TFP "Mackie" connectivity and everything works as advertised. So far the two benefits I can see between the VS700 plugin and a straight MIDI map is the "TRACKS" soft key is live (so each bank of four controls can toggle between tracks 1-4 and 5-8 via soft key) and the transport controls work out-of-the box.
 
It remains to be seen if the controls will bank/scroll on a larger project (> 8 tracks) properly. The HUI implementation on Pro Tools did not.
 
I'll kick the tires some more and see what's what.
 

Quick update, in case anyone is still following.
 
The TFP does not (as far as I can tell after a week of fiddling about) have any way to scroll/bank beyond the first 8 tracks of a project when used as a console controller. I've watched all of the M-Audio setup videos and the presenter mentions "if your project has more than 8 tracks, this will increment ...." but this is most definitely not so. I've tried on Pro Tools 11 via HUI and Sonar Platinum (all updates) via VS-700.dll and Mackie control. Nope. Still useful to control Arsenal and etc. but not a very useful control surface. I'm going to follow up with M-Audio and see what they say.

Hey Ray(mondm4),
 
Did things work out for you? I just unboxed my TFP and started checking out the installation tips and came across your post.
 
I am running Sonar Platinum (Kingston) and the VS-700 is listed in the controller pull down (and was in the previous version JP). I haven't checked out the complete functionality of the unit in Sonar.  
 
One thing I did notice with the TFP was after powering off the unit the preset 6 (for Cake&Arsenal) the TFP does not default to that last saved preset. You have to go and reselect it. Minor issue but still bothersome.
 
My main thought of purchasing the TFP was to see how well I could use it in a live setup teamed in Sonar via the Matrix view triggering loops.