I haven't used ACT for a while but tonight I thought I'd get it all set up again. The last time I tried I ended up highly frustrated and I'm afraid it's going the same way tonight. This has to be one of the most user unfriendly programs of all time and I hate it. 
 
I have my A-800 PRO correctly set up as a surface controller. I have the A-PRO properties page open and all I'm trying to do is map some Massive knobs to it. So I have the B3 "Synths" button selected, and the R1 rotary is currently mapped to the pitch control of OSC1 in Massive. I'm trying to reassign R1 to Filter 1's cutoff control. Should be a simple procedure, so....
 
I enable the ACT Learn button on the Massive window and it lights up blue. I move the cutoff knob and then move my R1 rotary. Then I turn the ACT Learn button off. A message says "1 Parameters and 1 Controls were touched. Do you want to keep these assignments?" Why YES! Yes I do...
 
But it's done NOTHING. The R1 knob is still mapped to the OSC1 pitch control and nothing has been reassigned. 
 
So then after some experimentation I find that I can sometimes map certain rotaries to certain massive controls, but other times it just ignores the new assignment and keeps the old one. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to it at all. Sometimes assignments are recognized, other times they're not. It seems to be virtually impossible to map the rotaries to the controls I want with any kind of reliability. I hate thing thing, I really do! Mapping of synth and effect controls to your keyboard is perhaps my least favorite area of Sonar and I have to say, it really stunts my musical creativity because I shy away from these performance areas of my music due to the horrible way in which Sonar handles them. It really is time for Sonar to move into the 21st century when it comes to hardware control of synths and effects. Rant!
 
Trying the same thing with FM8 and it's the same crap - sometimes an assignment will get "stuck" and I can't change it to any other synth knob, but if I keep trying to assign the rotary to random synth controls then eventually one of them will work and effectively "unstick" the assignment that was stuck, but again it just seems totally random. I've wasted way too much time on this tonight. 
 

And another thing. Automating controls of 32-bit synths which are not compatible with ACT! For instance I used the excellent VB-303 which is 32 bit and naturally I'd love to be able to map the cutoff to a rotary (who wouldn't). Since ACT doesn't work I tried to make a control assignment on the synth rack. This doesn't work either. The only automation access I have to is via the automation envelope on the MIDI track - here I can select the cutoff control. But I don't want to draw the freakin envelope, I want to perform it with my rotary. Surely the possibility exists in theory to send the controller data from my A-PRO to the automation lane to draw the envelope? Why isn't it as easy as making a quick assignment from the controller to the envelope, enabling write, hitting play and performing the knob movements to draw the envelope?  In other words, why does the controller data have to go to the synth via ACT, when it could just go to the automation lane and draw the envelope, which in turn controls the synth? 

If you have the controller setup doesn't it control whatever has focus. I didn't realise it required to be setup via ACT.

Can you try with CW synths? I also use A-800Pro and can confirm that ACT Learn works as expected with Studio Instruments. Tried with Kontakt, too, and it works as expected with Kontakt libraries (but not with 3rd-party libraries).

sharke
Trying the same thing with FM8 and it's the same crap - sometimes an assignment will get "stuck" and I can't change it to any other synth knob, but if I keep trying to assign the rotary to random synth controls then eventually one of them will work and effectively "unstick" the assignment that was stuck, but again it just seems totally random. I've wasted way too much time on this tonight.

The same.
 

sharke
And another thing. Automating controls of 32-bit synths which are not compatible with ACT! For instance I used the excellent VB-303 which is 32 bit and naturally I'd love to be able to map the cutoff to a rotary (who wouldn't).

It is the same as with previous. I have just installed VB-303. The first attempt to ACT Learn has produced no visible results. But after Sonar restart I could see that is really REMEMBERED the Learn, but not activated it immediately. After that I could Learn "normally" (with usual ordering bug).
 

icontakt
Can you try with CW synths? I also use A-800Pro and can confirm that ACT Learn works as expected with Studio Instruments. Tried with Kontakt, too, and it works as expected with Kontakt libraries (but not with 3rd-party libraries).

Do you observe the ordering bug? I mean in case you assign some controls in forward direction, f.e. R1,R2,R3, it is reversed after Sonar restart, so it will be R3,R2,R1?
I have no confirmation that other have it the same way, while I see it since X1.
 
Since the time I "invented" it, I mostly use my "ACT Speed Dial" solution (one encoder control whatever ACT parameter touched by mouse). Recently together with "Save/Recall", so I can "remember" several parameters during one session, without touching ACT assignment.
 
Long term workaround for the mapping problem, specially with VST3 (which confirmed by other does not work at all), is editing XML file.
 
In Sonar ACT mapping (when it works at all) can be done inside my plug-in. Here you see the whole mapping and can "learn" control by clicking on button instead of turning hardware knob. That way the parameter which was mapped before is not "touched" and you can do the whole assignment just with mouse. ACT assignment is global (in theory not really, in practice per surface assignments are not used, at least for me), so you can reassign in my plug-in, not connected to any hardware surface, and use the result with other (original APro).
 
 

I have every single one of the problems noted by sharke. ACT is simply terrible.
I must say I always envied the Cakewalk/Roland controller users, though, because I figured they at least had controller presets that allowed ACT mapping of all of the knobs, sliders and buttons on their controller.
I always had my Axiom configured as three distinct ACT controllers in order to get everything mapped.
My apologies to Sharke, but I feel a bit better knowing the grass wasn't any greener...

I grabbed azslow3's plugin a few weeks back and am really blown away by how well it works. It comes with a bit of a learning curve on account of how flexible and powerful it is, but az has a great collection of how-to's and configuration tips on his(?) website to help with that. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I will take a look at azslow3's plugin.

But really, I urge Cakewalk to address this issue because unless they do something to make this area of synth control more foolproof and user friendly, they're never going to win favor with the younger market for whom VST/controller performing is a huge part of their music.

Basically the way I look at it is this (perhaps someone can correct me);

* Sonar is capable of capturing controller data from a control surface
* Synths and effects reveal their controls to Sonar and can be "played" with an automation envelope
* Sonar should be capable of mapping a control surface to an automation envelope and thus mapping the control surface to the VST (since you can move the VST parameter by moving the automation envelope with your mouse.

Oftentimes you just want to perform a couple of controls on the synth, for instance cutoff and decay, and capture that performance in automation lanes. There is no way that should be as convoluted as it is. A quick MIDI learn on the envelope and we're off.

Assigning controls on the synth rack is OK I guess but it often doesn't work and is still too many steps. I would love to see something like I described above as part of an overall improvement of automation lanes in Sonar. Guess it's time to head over to Feature Requests....

I trust everybody updated their system program and drivers from the Roland site.

azslow3

icontakt
Can you try with CW synths? I also use A-800Pro and can confirm that ACT Learn works as expected with Studio Instruments. Tried with Kontakt, too, and it works as expected with Kontakt libraries (but not with 3rd-party libraries).

 
Do you observe the ordering bug? I mean in case you assign some controls in forward direction, f.e. R1,R2,R3, it is reversed after Sonar restart, so it will be R3,R2,R1?
I have no confirmation that other have it the same way, while I see it since X1. 

 
I just did a quick test (including restarting Sonar) with SI-Strings, and it's working as expected (meaning the order is still correct after restarting Sonar). But I admit that, although I spent a lot of time learning how to use A-Pro, I rarely record automation real-time using its controllers.
 
Anyway, I find ACT not very efficient too. Ironically, A-Pro (or any other keyboard controller, I suppose), which is a product developed by CW's ex-parent company, works better with Studio One, in which mapping is very easy and flexible.
 
 

Doktor Avalanche
I trust everybody updated their system program and drivers from the Roland site.

 
Oh yeah. The latest versions installed.
 
Driver: v1.0.1
System Program: v1.15
A-Pro Editor: v1.01
 
 

Doktor Avalanche
I trust everybody updated their system program and drivers from the Roland site.

Yes I did that last night, no difference.