I tried finding something on the net but my product is too new for anything to really be found.
 
Any idea on what it could be? it's an Akai MPK261 (MPK249 is its 49 key edition)


edit: I'm still setting it up of course, I'm assuming it works and everything.
edit 2: I probably need to register my controls and keys as a control surface instead of a midi device I guess.
edit 3: That didn't work so far. Any suggestions?

Make sure you have gone into preferences and selected the MIDI In port under control surfaces.  My transport wasn't working because it was selected to None.  Changed it to my controller and all is good.
 
You might also have to configure the control surface (possibly using the Cakewalk Generic Control Surface) to make the buttons control the transport the way you want them too.
 
Here is a Youtube video which is actually from Sonar 8, but the process is the same.  Transport starts at the 4:48 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFaSICoEJ80
 

DragonBlood
I tried finding something on the net but my product is too new for anything to really be found.
Any idea on what it could be? it's an Akai MPK261 (MPK249 is its 49 key edition)
 
edit 2: I probably need to register my controls and keys as a control surface instead of a midi device I guess.

ANY MIDI device is extremely simple from computer perspective and with some exceptions there is no difference between "new" Akai and "old" M-Audio. Some companies either save money on hardware part (many products from Novation) or introduce some known (Mackie) or unknown (Nektar, some new M-Audio) "protocols", mostly for artificial incompatibility...
Fortunately, AKAI is not following bad examples and does everything "standard" way (configurable).
 
Back to the subject. Your controller can be configured to send different MIDI commands when you operate Transport keys (as well as other controls). From MPK261 User manual page 20:

The available settings are MMC, MMC/MIDI Clock, MIDI Real Time, MIDI CC, and Pro Tools Express (PTEX).

To make it work with SONAR, you should set it either to "MMC" or to "MIDI CC" and attach it as input to "Ceneric Surface" plug-in (read chapter 40 of SONAR Reference Guide). Note that "MMC" are SysEx messages, it can be simpler to start with "MIDI CC".
 
There WAS specific MMC plug-in in sonar, but it it obsolete and 32bit only.
 
Do not be confused by MIDI MMC/ Clock / RealTime settings in the SONAR properties. These are to drive external MIDI devices (Synth for example).
 

A small update. I got the transport controls to work, but I CANT get any of the knobs or faders to work. I also dont know how to set up a custom menu and assign custom controls in the ACT menu. I honestly think I'll have to make a whole new preset and then upload it for others to use.
 
The knobs just dont register even though they do function and the signal is going into the computer and Sonar X3 is receiving it.
The knobs are also Midi CC as is the Transport controls but somehow that doesn't want to work.

Check out the first part of the video I linked to.  I used that video to get my stuff working.  You do have to have that control surface selected in the ACT control bar module to get it to work I think.

Another update. Think I've figured it out completely now. My keyboard shows up as multiple inputs. When I changed the input to MIDIIN2 my faders immediately started responding in ACT.
You add it as an ACT midi controller. The faders & knobs (at least so far) are on MIDIIN2 and I'm guessing if it stops responding again after switching banks that the rest would be on MIDIIN3 and MIDIIN4.
 
If you're coming to the thread reading this. I'm guessing this is the solution.
 
edit: the Transport controls are are the first input just so you know.

Glad you got it working.

I just got the same keyboard, useing act it noted factory preset generic 30. as soon as i changed from the sonar preset to that..act works good. i just cant figure out how to get the third row...letter/number key functions such as loop to work..cant find nothing on it. do ya got any ideas? all else ive gotton....