Presonus Faderport with latest Sonar Platinum

It works and it's pretty decent as is.  However, you may be interested in my post from earlier today regarding the FaderPort and AZ Controller:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/AZ-Controller-has-made-the-FaderPort-awesomeAlphaTrack-is-on-the-way-m3209687.aspx
 
The other comparable single fader device would be Frontier Design's Alphatrack.  It seems to be the more popular of the two in this forum.  I have both and I personally prefer the FaderPort's simplicity and elegance but the Alphatrack has a lot more features.  The Alphatrack is no longer in production and is no longer supported but you can find a used one from time to time on eBay.  It's another device that may be brought back to new life with the AZ Controller, also mentioned in the linked post above.

As long as you read all the documentation on the PreSonus site about using it with SONAR, it works.

FaderPort works fine for me. Easy to set up and mostly reliable. The Midi in/outs need to be reset every now and again from within Sonar but that's easy enough and not a big deal for me.

Milton
I just purchased a PreSonus Faderport and I can't get it to work at all in Sonar Platinum. I've been to the Presonus site and did all their instructions to no avail. It must be some preference setting that I don't have set correctly. Is this an issue Sonar Tech support could help me with on the phone? I have some snippets of my Preference settings but I can't figure out how to upload them in this reply. Appreciate any help you can give.  

I'm not sure what OS you're using but watch this video. It fixed mine.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w--ExBYbbNk#

In preferences, make sure channel aftertouch is enabled.

Yeah!!!!!! I fixed it. Turns out all I needed to do was exit Sonar when I was done setting up the preferences and then re-open Sonar and Wholla!  (I did have to re-check Aftertouch settings though) But all is OK now. Thanks for your input Leadfoot. Glad you were on line to direct me to the video you recommended.

I've been thinking about adding one of these for use with Sonar Platinum.
I figure it might be time to upgrade a bit from my Korg NanoKontrol, while still maintaining a compact profile
(My DAW desktop is getting a bit cramped since I added a 61-key controller!)
 
I'm currently running Windows 8.1, but anticipate upgrading to Windows 10 in the near future.
 
A few questions for folks that already use the Faderport - 

1. Are there any control functions on the Faderport that do NOT map correctly for use in Sonar?
2. Can the motorized fader be used as the Master volume fader AND for individual track volume faders & automation?
3. Any issues with Windows 8.1 or Windows 10?

Thanks in advance!
 
RR

Awesome -
Thanks tenfoot!

** crickets **
 
Yeah, so, am I correct in assuming that I'm the only one who's experienced this? Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Or, could other Faderport users attempt to replicate and let me know?
 
 

That would be great, thanks!

azslow3
If you install my controller: http://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,163.0.html , I can assist you to find the reason of your problem (may be solve it, even in case it is your specific device bug).
 
Note, it is not that I ask you to install "add-ware" for help Unlike with original plug-in, it will be possible to see what exactly is going on in respect to MIDI messages exchange and logic. From your description, I can guess that "Touch" signal is "unstable". Even if you see the light is always "on" while you are touching the fader, it can happened that it periodically sends "off/on", too fast for led flickering but sufficient to instruct Sonar to reset the value.
 
(do not forget to remove FaderPort plug-in from Sonar Control Surfaced when using my plug-in and remove my plug-in before inserting FaderPort back, they do not work in parallel. Also I remember that fader port power cycling is may be required when changing plug-ins).

I checked out the page but I am a little confused about the actual installation process....do I still go through the command prompt/setup as recommended by SONAR documentation? It's my understanding that those steps are necessary for the Faderport to even be recognized in SONAR.
 
(I actually uninstalled Faderport recently so I'd be starting from scratch...there are currently no drivers installed.)
 
What you're describing sounds accurate...that the Faderport is sending on/off information even if it's indicating that it's still writing Touch automation.
 
I didn't mention this earlier, but there doesn't appear to be a problem with SONAR itself in regards to writing automation. If I record an automation pass using my mouse, then record another pass, SONAR maintains my automation value until I release the mouse, then it jumps back to the previously existing level, just as it should.
 
I'm thinking about picking up the X Touch (even though it's frustrating that one has to ignore the button labels printed on the unit since they execute other commands within SONAR), but the main purpose would be to write multiple lanes of automation simultaneously, so I'm trying to determine if there's just something wrong with my Faderport, if there are things I'm not doing right in regards to setup, or if this type of behavior is to be expected with control surfaces within SONAR.  I've seen some grumbling about limited support for control surfaces on this forum so wanting to figure out what's realistic before potentially dropping $600 on the unit!
 
Anyway, thanks for the info...we'll see what happens.

streckfus

azslow3
If you install my controller: http://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,163.0.html , I can assist you to find the reason of your problem (may be solve it, even in case it is your specific device bug).

I checked out the page but I am a little confused about the actual installation process....do I still go through the command prompt/setup as recommended by SONAR documentation? It's my understanding that those steps are necessary for the Faderport to even be recognized in SONAR.

1) From Faderport manual http://www-media-presonus...rt_OwnersManual_EN.pdf follow 2.2.1 (Quick Start up)
2) From 2.2.8 (Sonar Setup), follow 1, then 5 and 9 (which is really 6). DO NOT follow 2-4.
3) Then follow AZCtrl general installation instructions. In video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baoo0-CysSI , follow till "Startup" preset selection in AZCtrl (you need "Faderport" preset)
4) After "Faderport" is selected, click "Create preset" in the dialog and the installation is complete (Faderport should work with Sonar).
 

PilotGav
Wow! Is this still in development? I had no idea it existed.

As you can see, I am still alive and active

Another great alternative - and seldom mentioned anymore - is the Roland VS-100 (Discontinued, but shows up on Ebay now and then.  I just snagged one in "like new" condition last week for $100).
 
In addition to the usual DAW controller functionality (100mm motorized fader, transport, etc), the other half of the unit is a full-fledged audio interface.  It can serve as a backup interface -- or your main one if you don't require a lot of I/O -- and since it's from Roland, it supports ACT, for tight integration with Sonar.
 
Finally, and this sets it apart from the others.... Official Windows 10 support!  (Oddly, none of the rest of the VS-family got the same treatment - as you VS700 owners are well-aware!).  This seems to suggest that they view this unit as more in line with their popular Quad/Octa-Capture interfaces which, of course, also have Win 10 support. 
 
So far I'm having a lot of fun with this baby.  The sound and the low-latency of the interface is fantastic -- so much so, that I'm now looking strongly at the Octa-Capture.... 
 
Darn, I knew that $100 was just a bait and switch! 

streckfus
That would be great, thanks!

So I finally tested this out and I experienced the same problem in "Touch" mode. However I can successfully make new passes and overwrite new automation without things going crazy while in "Latch" mode.
 
I open up the "Inspector" view by pressing "I". Then I select "Tracks". Down a little ways under "Automation" you can switch the mode to "Latch".