Could we have Cakewalk products compatible with the Native Kontrol Standard as per the following link please?
 
http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keyboards/komplete-kontrol-s-series/nks/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=KKS+88+c%3DKeyboards+b%3DKOMPLETE+t%3DRelease_PD&utm_source=newsletter
 
It would make using a Komplete Kontrol keyboard a joy with Sonar.  At the moment, my Cakewalk instruments are not even getting a look in.

I hope Cakewalk will spend there time for real instrument improvements and not for supporting questionable "standard" coming from the company which almost ignore the existence of Sonar.
 
Cakewalk has published (open) SDK for "Deep integration" with Sonar long time ago and NI have never looked into it. NI is (going to) publish (closed?) SDK for "Deep integration" with there keyboards, why Cakewalk should care?

What's SDK?

azslow3
... why Cakewalk should care?

IMO, the DAW marketplace will ultimately decide what Cakewalk should care about.

Sdk are like a templates for developers.. So they can easily change things around.

In all honesty, if I were building a DAW oriented keyboard, I would make sure it works with every DAW before I tried to sell it. It's up to NI to make it work.
 
Now, if 80% of it works but there is some special functionality, I would think it is incumbent on NI to Kontakt Cakewalk and discuss what integration options are available.
 
Regards,
Dan

Cakewalk would have to become a 'partner'. This to me sounds like very closed technology.. Maybe 'partners' need to sign some sort of agreement..

Confirmed partners using NKS technology:
Arturia
U-He
Output Audio
Soundiron
Heavyocity
Spitfire
ProjectSAM
Softube
XILS Lab
e-Instruments
Sonokinetic
Evolution Series

Maybe it's an opportunity to build bridges with NI - they're pretty heavyweight in the industry at the moment and making some very cool stuff IMHO.

I own Machine and Komplete Ultimate so I'm a heavy NI user. I don't like NI's 'Apple' mentality. They don't communicate with users in their forums and ignore most user requests. If they continue on like this the only people who will buy their products is their marketing dept.

Right now for instance there is a bug with Maschine and Reflektor that pretty much immediately crashes Sonar. Has been around probably for six months or more. They have done nothing. When the latest Apple OS came out and there were problems they fixed it almost immediately. I also note there are still some other (major) PC only bugs with Maschine.

They seem to operate a closed ship. I would prefer Cakewalk to have partnerships with more open companies who don't ignore the PC user base.

Correct me if I wrong, but proposed by NI interconnection schema inside any DAW is the following:
 
DAW <-> Native Kontrol (wrapping VST, proposing NKS for better integrations) <-> NI Controller
 
In that respect, Native Kontrol is a "DAW inside DAW". And in case of Cakewalk that is going to be:
 
Cakewalk Sonar <-> Native Kontrol <-> Cakewalk VST.
So, OP propose Cakewalk spend time to make Cakewalk VST NKS friendly, while NI has no known plans make NKS Sonar friendly. Nor NI had any plans make there controllers directly Sonar friendly, Cakewalk schema:
 
Cakewalk Sonar <-> VST/DXi
    |-> Hardware controller (open source SDK for deep integration with Sonar is published years ago).
 
In that schema, controller operates Sonar (mixing, transport, menu, etc.) as well as plug-ins (VST, DXi) throw Sonar (moving focus to different plug-ins, changing plug-in preset, changing plug-in automate parameter throw ACT or directly). Sure that schema was not updated long time, so Sonar X+ features are not exposed in API, ACT has many bugs, etc.
 
But why Cakewalk instead of spending time to lift there own (not bad designed!) Controlling Schema in Sonar should invest into supporting third party controlling schema in there VSTs?
 
If NKS API is better than VST automation/presets API (which is not proved by now) AND (!) it is open to be used by DAWs as well (so, Cakewalk can implement "server side" NKS inside Sonar and load NKS enables plug-ins without NI wrapper), it make sense to ask Cakewalk support NKS in Sonar and VSTs. Otherwise, NKS is just a marketing trick using "heavyweight" power to force VST producers help NI to collect more money for there "exclusive" boards (which as a hardware are not so exclusive).
 
I think I have explained my point.