Hi,
 
I tried to contact Cakewalk directly by email with this issue but couldn't find the keyboard controllers section in the tech support. Might give them a call at some point.
 
I'll try to be as descriptive as possible. I'm on Windows Vista x32 using FL Studio 11. Keyboard works great and is recognized by FLS, except for the alternate controllers (knobs and sliders). When tweaking those, FL says the signal is unhandled. The pads (A1 thru A8) and the mod wheel work fine.
 
Here's my config. with FL:
 

 
Now I dug into the instruction manual (which isn't particularly helpful unfortunately) and attempted to follow the first steps given in this thread as well (edit: ok for some reason it won't let me link it... but it was posted on this forum back in April).
 
However when I try to receive any of the control map from my keyboard (in hopes of making some sense out of it so I can edit em), A-PRO editor gets stuck:
 

 
even though my keyboard reads "transmitting" for a few seconds.
 
Note that what I'm trying to do eventually is to assign on of my sliders to say one of the controller on a given VST (z3ta for example). I know these forums aren't checked very often but if anyone wants to chime in with some advices I'd be thankful.

Cakewalk is no longer part of Roland. The support for this product is now provided by Roland.

A-Pro series actually have two versions (Roland and Cakewalk versions, although they have exactly the same specs) and I wonder if Cake still support the Cakewalk version.

I do not believe they will based on this from  http://www.cakewalk.com/S...fault.aspx#ts-policies

The following hardware products are supported by Roland:

• V-Studio products
• Cakewalk Audio/MIDI Interfaces
• Cakewalk MIDI Controllers & Keyboards
• Cakewalk Desktop Monitors

I see, I'll try to get a hold of them then. Thanks.

@scook: Thanks for the info. Didn't know that.
 
@sph: Looking at the screenshots you posted, I wonder...1) Why isn't A-PRO in the Output box turned on? 2) Why is the A-PRO Editor saying "Transmitting..." although the "Receive" button is lit?
 
As for the issue, have you checked which port (A-PRO 1 or A-PRO 2) and what controller message is assigned to each knob and slider in the A-PRO Editor?
 
I don't use FL Studio so I don't know about the Settings page you posted, but it looks like the Enable button in the Input section isn't enabled. And the Port box to the right of [Cakewalk A-Series] shows nothing. If you want to use A-Pro's sliders, knobs, buttons and pads as a controller surface, you need to enable it and choose A-PRO 2 from the Port box. As for MIDI tracks you create in your project, make sure you choose A-PRO 1 from the input device field.

 
The pads (A1 thru A8) and the mod wheel work fine.
 
That's because these controllers fire out either fixed MIDI notes or channel messages and are "hard coded" for the most part by default.
 

sph
However when I try to receive any of the control map from my keyboard (in hopes of making some sense out of it so I can edit em), A-PRO editor gets stuck:
 

 

I remember I had this trouble when I first set up my A500pro.  You must ensure the Editor's settings are correct. I will also note that I use my A500pro not as an ACT device to Sonar.  Instead, I programmed all of my knobs and sliders to output various CC messages for the various hardware synths in my arsenal. For now, all mapping is done on Control Map #1, but I could easily do a Control Map for each synth and flip between "pages" when creating.  You could do this for your VST synths as well.  Keep in mind that Control Map #0 cannot be edited.
 
As for the Editor settings, be sure it's set as follows: in the MIDI Devices window, set Input Port to A-PRO 2 and Output Port to A-PRO.  This should allow you to transmit/receive maps between the editor and the keyboard. If it still doesn't work, even at this stage, something else may be wrong.

Hi again and thanks for the responses.

2:43AM
 
 
As for the Editor settings, be sure it's set as follows: in the MIDI Devices window, set Input Port to A-PRO 2 and Output Port to A-PRO.  This should allow you to transmit/receive maps between the editor and the keyboard. If it still doesn't work, even at this stage, something else may be wrong.

I finally got around to trying your suggestion, and I was able to receive the control map. Thanks for that. Now my question is: suppose I want to map one of my sliders to a simple slider/knob on a given VST. What MIDI message should I assign it to? I tried the following, but FL still says it is unhandled (even though it does acknowledge that something is happening). I also tried the "MIDI learn" option within Z3TA+2 while adjusting the slider but nothing happens still.
 

sph
Now my question is: suppose I want to map one of my sliders to a simple slider/knob on a given VST. What MIDI message should I assign it to? I tried the following, but FL still says it is unhandled (even though it does acknowledge that something is happening). I also tried the "MIDI learn" option within Z3TA+2 while adjusting the slider but nothing happens still.

I don't think it really matters what CC you set up to output on the APro, as long as each one is different. Just give it some CC value, save it to the APro, then do the MIDI learn thing on Z3TA+2. I just tested mine against Z3TA+2, and it worked very well.
 
First, to ensure it works...did the MIDI learn thing work with CC #1, i.e. the mod wheel? If so, you're golden. Now just program all of the knobs you want using the editor. For starters, program the first 8 knobs with 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Those should all be "available" and "unassigned" based on the MIDI standard for CC numbers.

sph

And to ensure the full range on the knob or slider, set the MAX VALUE to 127.