I got this back from Akai support, and thought I'd post here for others to find at a later date. I haven't had the chance to try it yet, but will let you know how it goes. In the meantime, if anyone has anything to add, all comments gladly received!
 
Akai: "The Transport needs to be configured in X3: 
 
Working through this whole section enables the Note Repeat, the Transport Controls and Sonar.
 
On the MPK, do the following:
 
Press Global, then arrow right to MIDI Clk.  Set that to external using the knob, then press in to confirm. Then press the right arrow to the Globals Save page, then press the enter knob.
 
Press Preset twice.
Load the Sonar Preset.
 
Press Edit.
Press the Play button.
Press in on the knob.
Make Sure this is set to MMC.
Press the Enter knob to confirm.
 
Press Preset.
 
Press the Right arrow > button.
Press in on the knob to save.
 
This sets up your controller.  The rest of the configuration is in the software."

This may be helpful to you. It's written for the MPK88, so the included ACT preset won't be useful. However, I'm guessing the directions to setup the controller should transfer easily to the MPK49. You will need to setup an ACT preset in order for this method to ultimately work. I haven't updated the post, but it works fine in X3.

Hope you are successful at setting up your MPK49.

http://www.unrelatednotes...i-mpk88-with-sonar-x2/

kw

Great, thanks very much, kw.

LunaTech
I am using and Akai MPD 26 (hopefully that's about the same from a transport standpoint).  And The transport is working fine without any "special" cmd.

But are you a Steam user using the 64 bit version? If not then that explains why you didn't need that step. In my case I needed to activate the dll's for the Controller/Surface I wanted to use in the CMD, that's an issue on Sonar's part. Then you have to manually set up the transport. So what takes minutes to do in other DAWs took me two days in Sonar.
 
@HenD:
 
I'm using my MPK49 as a Generic Surface. Once you've followed the instructions sent to you by Akai open up the controller properties in Sonar. On the bottom right hand side you'll see "Global Parameters". Click on a parameter, press "Learn", then press the button on your Akai controller. Do that until you've mapped all of the transport controls.

FidelityMusic
But are you a Steam user using the 64 bit version? If not then that explains why you didn't need that step. In my case I needed to activate the dll's for the Controller/Surface I wanted to use in the CMD, that's an issue on Sonar's part.

Do you mean this issue http://steamcommunity.com/app/241070/discussions/0/540736587127895581/?insideModal=1 ?
 

Then you have to manually set up the transport. So what takes minutes to do in other DAWs took me two days in Sonar.

There is no magic in this world, there is no "automatic" adaptation. Someone always has to manually set up everything, the difference is who is doing that:
1) Cakewalk, in case there is some affiliation with hardware producer (previously Roland, so Roland keyboards had "automatic" support)
2) The hardware producer, in case they want attract SONAR customers (Nektar Impact, Novation Automap, etc.)
3) The user, in case he/she has made a decision to use some arbitrary device.
 
The mapping itself takes ~5 sec per control, so several minutes in total for any device. What takes time is to understand why it is required and how to do it. It is still much less then a day, the relevant part in SONAR documentation is just several pages to read.

azslow3
http://steamcommunity.com/app/241070/discussions/0/540736587127895581/?insideModal=1 ?

 
Yes that issue.
 

azslow3
There is no magic in this world, there is no "automatic" adaptation. Someone always has to manually set up everything, the difference is who is doing that:
1) Cakewalk, in case there is some affiliation with hardware producer (previously Roland, so Roland keyboards had "automatic" support)
2) The hardware producer, in case they want attract SONAR customers (Nektar Impact, Novation Automap, etc.)
3) The user, in case he/she has made a decision to use some arbitrary device.
 
The mapping itself takes ~5 sec per control, so several minutes in total for any device. What takes time is to understand why it is required and how to do it. It is still much less then a day, the relevant part in SONAR documentation is just several pages to read.

I don't get what point you're trying to make here. Are you trying to insinuate that I don't know the process behind mapping a controller to a DAW, along with saying that it didn't actually take me as long as I say it did searching for days to fix the issues I had with Sonar.
 
First, I assure you I know exactly what it is to map a controller to a DAW, and I'm not talking about basic transport controls. I'm talking hours mapping DAW functions (open windows, cut, copy, paste, jog, toggle options, etc.) to proper MIDI Channels with note assignments. Second, understanding how a DAW handles controllers and how to set them up is always necessary, I know that, but if you think not having basic support for widely used controllers is the norm I'll be the first to tell you that's not the case. My experiences with other DAW's gives reason behind my expectation for "automatic" in regard to basic transport control.
 
Just to clear things up if you didn't notice, I wasn't complaining, someone posted before me talking about Akai's software being a nightmare and I chimed in with my experience with Sonar being the nightmare.

FidelityMusic

LunaTech
I am using and Akai MPD 26 (hopefully that's about the same from a transport standpoint).  And The transport is working fine without any "special" cmd.

But are you a Steam user using the 64 bit version? If not then that explains why you didn't need that step. In my case I needed to activate the dll's for the Controller/Surface I wanted to use in the CMD, that's an issue on Sonar's part. Then you have to manually set up the transport. So what takes minutes to do in other DAWs took me two days in Sonar.
 
@HenD:
 
I'm using my MPK49 as a Generic Surface. Once you've followed the instructions sent to you by Akai open up the controller properties in Sonar. On the bottom right hand side you'll see "Global Parameters". Click on a parameter, press "Learn", then press the button on your Akai controller. Do that until you've mapped all of the transport controls.

Hi FM,
 
No.. I am not a Steam user but I am running 64bit.  (Does the Steam installation add additional midi/act capability than the download? not understanding the connection). As also a fellow "Akai" user I was simply pointing out that I did not have to go to a command prompt at all before using midi learn to program the transport Exactly as you described in the 2nd paragraph.

FidelityMusic
Second, understanding how a DAW handles controllers and how to set them up is always necessary, I know that,

I have just mentioned that this takes most of the setup time and that is not SONAR fault. The technology is not simple since it does complicated things and provides some flexibility.

but if you think not having basic support for widely used controllers is the norm I'll be the first to tell you that's not the case.

http://www.akaipro.com/product/mpk49#downloads
Akai take care about "automatic" in these "other DAWs", not DAW programmers.
 

My experiences with other DAW's gives reason behind my expectation for "automatic" in regard to basic transport control.

There is no "basic" nor "advance" in anything corresponding to Control Surfaces. While for MIDI Hardware MMC looks like the common way for transport control, it is not the best option for CS (since you do not control the transport directly, but the DAW which control the transport).
 
My comments are not accusations, but a reply on your (quite strong) suggestions what SONAR does not have and should have.
 

LunaTech
 
Hi FM,
 
No.. I am not a Steam user but I am running 64bit.  (Does the Steam installation add additional midi/act capability than the download? not understanding the connection). As also a fellow "Akai" user I was simply pointing out that I did not have to go to a command prompt at all before using midi learn to program the transport Exactly as you described in the 2nd paragraph.

No, there's some odd issue with the 64 bit Steam version. The 32 bit version was a straightforward setup, but the 64 bit wouldn't allow activating any controller type. So you have to activate individual controllers on the list through the CMD. It doesn't add anything additional, I'd assume it's just a bug with the Steam version.
 

azslow3
but if you think not having basic support for widely used controllers is the norm I'll be the first to tell you that's not the case.

http://www.akaipro.com/product/mpk49#downloads
Akai take care about "automatic" in these "other DAWs", not DAW programmers.
 
 
I think you're misinformed about that. I know for sure they didn't program the FL Studio template, and the Logic Template uses a generic GM Drums on the MPK, which tells you that they didn't program anything specifically for Logic. That leaves Ableton Live out of all of the DAW's there are, and it's the only one that I'd assume Akai actually programmed because they bundle Live Lite with their controllers. Pro Tools, Studio One, FL Studio, no templates programmed by Akai and basic transport functions out of the box.
 

There is no "basic" nor "advance" in anything corresponding to Control Surfaces. While for MIDI Hardware MMC looks like the common way for transport control, it is not the best option for CS (since you do not control the transport directly, but the DAW which control the transport).
 
My comments are not accusations, but a reply on your (quite strong) suggestions what SONAR does not have and should have.

When I say "basic" I'm talking about what would be considered the essential function of a controller in this day and age, the transport. Like I pointed out already transport control is common out of the box in plenty of DAW's in regards to widely used controllers, no thanks to Akai but the DAW manufacturers themselves. When it comes down to manually mapping it's usually the faders, knobs, and any extra buttons that have to be mapped manually.
 
After using different DAW's with something in common consistently there becomes an unofficial standard and expectation, so it isn't much of a suggestion as it me pointing something out for those who aren't aware.

FidelityMusic

azslow3
Akai take care about "automatic" in these "other DAWs", not DAW programmers.
 

I think you're misinformed about that. I know for sure they didn't program the FL Studio template, and the Logic Template uses a generic GM Drums on the MPK, which tells you that they didn't program anything specifically for Logic. That leaves Ableton Live out of all of the DAW's there are, and it's the only one that I'd assume Akai actually programmed because they bundle Live Lite with their controllers. Pro Tools, Studio One, FL Studio, no templates programmed by Akai and basic transport functions out of the box.

That is not (always) about programming. Akai provides instruction how to use THE device with concrete DAWs. They could do the same for SONAR, and that could save you two days to find out how it works from other (generic) sources and adopt it to concrete device. They could implement "SONAR oriented" MCU compatible mode in the device firmware, to have "deep integration" with SONAR. And yes, they could write special plug-in. But that is not a must. Still, Akai has to choose that, not CW.
 

When I say "basic" I'm talking about what would be considered the essential function of a controller in this day and age, the transport. Like I pointed out already transport control is common out of the box in plenty of DAW's in regards to widely used controllers, no thanks to Akai but the DAW manufacturers themselves. When it comes down to manually mapping it's usually the faders, knobs, and any extra buttons that have to be mapped manually.
 
After using different DAW's with something in common consistently there becomes an unofficial standard and expectation, so it isn't much of a suggestion as it me pointing something out for those who aren't aware.

 
The "basic transport" you mean is MMC and other MIDI sync commands. That is in fact official (!) standard to control transport in the "MIDI world". Do not mix "MIDI world" by itself and DAW Control Surfaces which use MIDI hardware/software abstraction for communication.
 
Just imagine you have many Hardware MIDI synths. When you use them standalone with your keyboard, you may wish the keyboard is the master. It should define the tempo, when to start play, record, etc. For that it should send MMC/MTC/etc. Now you have computer with DAW. Are you still want your keyboard defines when to start play and at which tempo? Most probably not, you want the project tempo is used and the "Play" button on the screen also start "Play" on your devices. The DAW should be the master in that case (and SONAR can do that, see "Project/MIDI" settings and note that has nothing to do with Control Surfaces). What you want from the "Play" button on your Control Surface is that it send some signal the DAW (not the rest) understand and translate into internal "Play" command. On MCU this command is "Note 94 On" (yes, technically nothing to do with the transport).
 
Back to the topic. Some DAWs you mention natively support MMC incoming from Control Surface. And you say that should be "unofficial standard" (again, for Control Surfaces, for MIDI it is Official Standard). Other will say Mackie is the "unofficial standard" for Control Surfaces, and then "Note 94 On" should be interpreted as "Play". Can you see my point now?