Either used as replacement for the original plug-in or not, http://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,172.0.html can help you to find what is going on.
 
Try to reproduce the problem with that preset. Once AT stop working normally, visit the Overview Tab and check "Left encoder touched", "Right encoder touched" and other "touched" and "pressed" states. I guess you will find one which is "Yes" (without something is really touched on device). That will explain what you get.
 
There can be several reasons for the problem: some MIDI message is not delivered correctly to the plug-in (software settings problem) or the device is not sending that message (hardware problem).

Alexey (post above) is working on a preset for his excellent control surface plugin that will fully replace the original, now hobbled (EQ doesn't work at all) Frontier plugin. I'm testing / troubleshooting it with him and it's getting *very* close at this point. Of course this won't help you if your hardware is dead, which sounds like a possibility, or if the driver is somehow so corrupt that reinstalling doesn't work, but something else to try maybe...
 
EDIT: Oh, I see that's what he's linked to up there...

Hi, thanks for this.
I downloaded that EXE that installs the preset.
SO this replaces the original Alpha track driver?  Should I remove the AT original install first?
Or will this create a new device that I could use instead of the AT device?
Please explain.
As Tobias say, It looks like a motor problem but the fact that the touch stripe also died makes me consider a software related issue.
I'll test this "preset" tomorrow, thanks
dd
 

Alexey can tell you more than me but as far as I understand it, no, this does not replace the driver, which still needs to be installed and working. This replaces the plugin which you will have installed previously (it gets installed automatically with the driver if memory serves) to make it work in Sonar. This is a different, general purpose controller plugin, much like the Cakewalk Generic Surface or Act Midi Controller plugins, and accessed in the same way - you set an instance of it up under Preferences -> MIDI -> Control Surfaces, and map the Alphatrack's in and out to it (INSTEAD of to the original Alphatrack plugin), and then within the plugin control window (under Sonar's Utilities menu) you go to the Options tab and select Tweak Current Configuration, select Alphatrack from this menu, and then save it to a preset at the top of the control window. All done.
 
I have just tested the latest build and it's working very well, it gives you EQ control back. Again, it will likely not help if you have hardware or driver issues, but as Alexey pointed out it might help you diagnose what's happening - the plugin is quite verbose in terms of telling you (on the Hardware tab) what MIDI commands it's getting from the device. So if it's not showing anything, that means hardware or driver issues for sure.
 
By the way for the plugin to work the Alphatrack driver has to be in 'Native' mode (selectable from the service icon at Windows' lower right)
 
Hope that helps!

Well, did the testing using Alexey's AZ controller.
It looks as the motor  is dead, that's why the fader won't update back. If I move the fader on AT Sonar gets it, but if I move Volume on Sonar's console, AT won't update.
When I move the fader it's sluggish, movement is not fluid as before, as something is on the fader's way...
The touch stripe remains dead.
 
The Fader+Auto Write enable works with this controller, that's weird.
 
As for the troubleshooting you suggest Alexey, on Overview Tab I can't see any  "Left encoder touched", "Right encoder touched", just the "Last Midi Event" message seems to change when I touch something on AT.
Thanks.
 
 

Yeah that sounds like ex-hardware to me. Always a sad moment but it's inevitable, mine will die someday too I'm sure... Hopefully not too soon as I'm just getting into using it again now that Alexey's preset is fully working!
 
I remember I had a grounding problem with the motor fader using it with my laptop a while back, that doesn't happen here at my studio but it felt like the fader was 'resisting' when I tried to move it - unless I lifted my feet off the floor while using it, which was kind of funny - maybe something to do with what you're seeing? It was basically working though so maybe not...
 
Alexey, I don't see anything for 'Left encoder touched' any more on the Overview page - I remember in the testing thread on your site I mentioned this and you said the following:
"I have reverted these controls to "SYSTEM" (to avoid too many "Last MIDI Event"s when you Touch+Push+Turn)"
It seems like they would need to be changed to something visible (on the Options tab?) in order to send visual feedback to the Overview page?

Yeah, the fader movement problem (fader resisting) disappeared when I plugged AT back to my main PC, it was with my laptop indeed. Didn't try lifting my feet though, that's funny.
I've been reading Alexey's blog posts but I don't find the described behaviour at all here. I gues my hardware has a major problem.
Touching PAN/SEND/EQ etc with his preset does nothing.
 
This:
 
Switch to the "Options" Tab and in the "Tweak current configuration..." drop box select "AlphaTrack".
 
in my case won't work cause I just don't have AlphaTrack on the list, I do have Fader Port, Mackie, etc
The "touch fader+auto) function is dead on AT preset but works on AZ. Actually pressing AUTO switches AUTO-Write on for volume only, so it is not necessary to touch Fader+Auto, but I can't find a way to turn AUTO-Write-ON for everything.
 
Anyway, the main issue (fader not responding to sonar, touch stripe dead) remains.
 
Wish I could find a repair for this pice of hardware, I've been using this AlphaTrack everyday  forever...

Hi again.
 
OK if you don't see Alphatrack on the "Options -> Tweak current configuration" list then you're using the 'released' version. The Alphatrack preset has not been moved to the 'Releases' area yet, though I think Alexey will do this very soon - he was waiting on me to confirm that everything was working, which I did last night (there are still a few niggles, but it's perfectly usable as it is, and better than the original in that EQ control is fully functional).
 
Until he moves it to the release area, you need to go to Alexey's download area and go to the 'test versions' area: http://www.azslow.com/index.php?action=downloads;cat=3
 
... download that one, run it, then open Sonar and the plugin control window again, and you should see Alphatrack on the list.
 
It's not quite as simple as the original Frontier plugin, because Alexey's plugin is general-purpose (for any controller) and WAAAAY more powerful and flexible, but with the preset it should just work (or not, if your hardware has indeed gone south).
 
If you want to use it to test the touch input from the encoders, you have to go to the Options tab, select "Left Encoder touched" from the drop-down list under Hardware Control (or Right encoder, or Middle) and then right of that where it says 'System' change that to Rotary and press the Save button beside it. Now go to the Overview tab and it should give you feedback on that event. 
 
'Strip' should already be configured to give touch feedback in the Alphatrack preset, as should the fader, turning the encoders and pressing all buttons. You can use this as a diagnostic tool to see if MIDI commands are coming in from the device for those events. If they are, and the driver is working properly, then Alexey's preset should be able to interpret them correctly.
 
Hope that helps!
 

A bit more about diagnostic.
 
First, as already suggested, download test version and select Alphatrack. REMOVE the original plug-in from Control Surfaces List in Sonar properties.
 
You should see a drop box in the Overview (!) Tab. It list many "states", but you are interested in states with "touched".
 
Select "Left encoder touched". You should see "No" near it. Touch the encoder, it should change to "Yes". Release the encoder, it should change back to "No". You will see nothing in the "Last MIDI Events", as already explained the controls are marked as "System". But you should see the state changes.
 
Select "Middle encoder touched" and do the same test (touch, see the state change, release, see the state change).
Do the same for Right encoder, Fader and Strip (one and two fingers).
 
When your motor is not working and "resistant" on changes, you most probably will see no "Fader touched" state changes. May be the whole "touch" functionality of this device is somehow broken.
 
Note that with my plug-in it is possible to tweak the configuration so it will be still partially usable. But not as good as before...

Aha, that's an easier way to do the diagnostic for sure, thanks Alexey! No need to change them out of 'System' mode. I wasn't clear on that, but it's obviously a better way.
 
By the way I'm working on the display pictures / video now...