1. Install Cakewalk Control Surfaces plug-ins (just in case for some reason they are not installed with Sonar):
https://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2007013438/Control-Surface-Installers
2. In Sonar Preferences, MIDI - check Motor Inputs and Outputs (I guess 2 + 2), "Apply".
3. In Sonar Preferences, Control Surfaces, add new surface ("*" icon toward the right top corner), select "Mackie Control" (NOT XT, NOT C4!), select Motor In/Out (Second)
4. Check in the Sonar ACT Control Bar Module (add it if not there) that you see "Mackie Control", "Connecting..." (it is not working yet, that is normal).
5. Exit Sonar (!)
6. Locate "MackieControl.dll" file in the file system (usually in "C:\Cakewalk\Shared Surfaces", but can be in "C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Shared Surfaces" or some other place, depending from Sonar version and custom installation folders). In worth case search the whole file system with Windows Explorer. If there are many, try to guess the number of bit for each (usually 32bit will be in "Program Files (x86)") and replay ALL of them in the step 7.
7. Depending from the number of bits of you Sonar (not Windows, since you can use Sonar 32bit on Windows 64bit):
* 64bit - https://github.com/AZSlow3/Cakewalk-Control-Surface-SDK/raw/dyneq/Bin/x64/MackieControl.dll
* 32bit - https://github.com/AZSlow3/Cakewalk-Control-Surface-SDK/raw/dyneq/Bin/x86/MackieControl.dll
And replace found on your computer MackieControl.dll with downloaded one.
8. Start Sonar, open "Mackie Control - 1" from Utilities Menu. In the "Options" section you should see "Disable handshake" (If you do not, return to (5) and find correct dll to replace).
Motor should work now.
 
Still no luck? Install TeamViewer and Skype and let me know when you have time, I will install it on your computer in less then 5 minutes

 
 

 
i'm so happy i could cry. you just made my day. i'm not even sure what i did wrong before. but it's all working now. thank you so much!

realitybytez

 
i'm so happy i could cry. you just made my day. i'm not even sure what i did wrong before. but it's all working now. thank you so much!

You are welcome.
 
Just one more note: after you upgrade Sonar, you will need to repeat (5-8) procedure (Sonar installers restore original DLL). But once you have correct file and you know correct place, that does not takes long.

azslow3
...
 
Just one more note: after you upgrade Sonar, you will need to repeat (5-8) procedure (Sonar installers restore original DLL). But once you have correct file and you know correct place, that does not takes long.

why doesn't cakewalk just fix the problem? obviously it is fixable. you've proven that. thanks again.

Good question. I had trouble with the Cakewalk version not working with my mixer/interface. Someone else on this forum found a "better" one online that looks the same, has the same date and file size, but actually works. Maybe someone should send them the "good" one.

I do not think the same data and file size can magically work. I could not "find" such solution 
 
In respect to Motör and some other surfaces, the reason is not Cakewalk but controller producers. They "forgot" to implement Mackie handshake. So they have INCOMPLETE MCU compatibility. Original Cakewalk plug-in is strict there, if something is not really compatible it does not work. I have "relaxed" the check in my mod, so it can work with devices of any "compatibility" level. But that does not change the company you should blame...
 
Cakewalk MackieControl is Open Source. Anyone is free to modify it. But it is up to Cakewalk to include the modifications into Sonar distribution. Along technical, there are also legal questions. Open Source does not mean you can do with the code what you want, not even in case the code is derived from something you own. In this particular case (MackieControl and my mod) there is no show stoppers, still someone in CW will have to invest time to revise the mod, get confirmation it is ok to include it, really recompile the plug-in, pass it to the quality control, etc... All that just because some hardware producers "had no time" to read Mackie documentation 
 

Most dimwits, like me, expect things to work the way they are said to work. So when they don't, we don't know what, or who, to blame. And I certainly don't know to, or how to, modify something to make it work. And you are right, it's the hardware maker's fault for not making their own DLL or relying on another's DLL without fully implementing compatibility. MackieControl.dll probably works perfectly with Mackie hardware.
 
On a lesser note, I said date, not data.

azslow3
In respect to Motör and some other surfaces, the reason is not Cakewalk but controller producers. They "forgot" to implement Mackie handshake. So they have INCOMPLETE MCU compatibility. Original Cakewalk plug-in is strict there, if something is not really compatible it does not work. I have "relaxed" the check in my mod, so it can work with devices of any "compatibility" level. But that does not change the company you should blame...
 
Cakewalk MackieControl is Open Source. Anyone is free to modify it. But it is up to Cakewalk to include the modifications into Sonar distribution. Along technical, there are also legal questions. Open Source does not mean you can do with the code what you want, not even in case the code is derived from something you own. In this particular case (MackieControl and my mod) there is no show stoppers, still someone in CW will have to invest time to revise the mod, get confirmation it is ok to include it, really recompile the plug-in, pass it to the quality control, etc... All that just because some hardware producers "had no time" to read Mackie documentation 

and yet, other daws (like the two i mentioned earlier) work with the motor61 right out of the box. and no need to check a box telling it to ignore the handshake. i still blame cakewalk.

realitybytez
and yet, other daws (like the two i mentioned earlier) work with the motor61 right out of the box. and no need to check a box telling it to ignore the handshake. i still blame cakewalk.

These other DAWs ignore handshake. Motor61, M-Audio devices, previous iCon firmware and some other devices have not implemented it. So, they are not following Mackie protocol specification. Is that good in practice? It is possible to say yes, since less requirements means relaxed compatibility. But is that correct Mackie protocol implementation? No.

please don't think my frustration was aimed at you. you're my hero for fixing my problem. i'm just frustrated that cakewalk seems to be so stubborn about making their product compatible with as many different pieces of hardware as possible.`behringer, m-audio, and icon are all major players in the industry. why not make sonar more universally usable?