SONAR And Keystation Pro 88 Shared Presets Collaboration.

Hi all:

This is a thread started so that we Keystation Pro 88 owners can share presets to use with SONAR and the ACT MIDI Controller and Cakewalk Generic Surface plug-Ins.

There may be a better way to share setup files for this purpose, but here's what I've been able to come up with.


There are 4 files in a zip I'm sharing for this 2nd attempt by me to provide some setup files for us Keystaion Pro 88 folk.

1) ReadMe Text
2) ACT Preset
3) Cakewalk Generic Surface Preset
4) Enigma Preset

This is a test to see if I got every thing right, this 2nd time around. Instructions, and a description of the controllers funtctions are in the ReadMe included in the zip file.

Can somebody download the zip file and let me know if every thing is working correctly? I have made it so the ACT MIDI Controller plug-in, the Cakewalk Generic Surface plug-in, and the MMC Plug In are used to utilize all the buttons, rotories, and sliders on the KSP 88, except 1 slider. The one slider exception can be assigned via remote control, to control the Master Bus volume.

This is a basic setup for the KSP 88 that controls basic track parameters and basic transport functions. Here is a thread for us to share our setups. I hope more SONAR users are interested.

If you have any ideas of a more appropriate way to share setup files, please post here.

Update: October 04, 08

It seems there was a problem with the .cwp file included with the 1st setup zip I made available. I don't know why I can't share a SONAR project without users having a problem with the setup files working as intended. I even had a problem with the sysex message transmitting successfully, at a point in time. I have decided to have users just load a Cakewalk project template to use with the presets in this setup file zip. Hopefully, things will work better and more consistently as intended. Instead of sending a SysEx transmission from a Cakewalk Project to load the needed preset for the Keystation Pro 88, I have included an Enigma preset that can be loaded into the Keystaion Pro 88 by using Enigma. I hope some users can try the new setup files and report your experience here. If things go as intended, I can make more presets available which will cover controlling more than just 8 tracks and basic track parameters.

Here's the link to download the zip: http://cid-4b7db487273f54de.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public?uc=1&isFromRichUpload=1&lc=1033

Update 2: June 07, 09

One thing I've noticed is that when I load the MMC plug In, it wont keep the Input I select (and this means that the transport buttons on the KSP 88 wont work for me), so I made another Cakewalk Generic Surface plug in preset. This new preset allows for the transport button on the KSP 88 to drive the SONAR transport functions. The only one that doesn't work is the FF button. I don't know what's the deal with it.

This new preset (CGS Keystation Pro 88 Test (Preset-10) TR) and the ACT preset (ACT Keystation Pro 88 Test (Preset-10)) should be all that is needed so that things work as explained in the readme included in this zip file. In other words, the MMC plug in doesn't need to be used, if a user loads the new Cakewalk Generic Surface Preset named (CGS Keystation Pro 88 Test (Preset-10) TR).

The MMC plug in was used so the transport buttons on the KSP 88 would control SONAR's transport functions, but the new CGS plug in preset has been setup so that the transport functions are linked to the CGS plug in, now. 

Another thing I noticed is that if the controls on the KSP 88 are not working after the presets for ACT and the CGS has been selected in the plug ins properties, it is most likely due to a corrupted transmission when transmitting the Enigma setup file to the KSP 88. The solution for me was to reload the Enigma preset and retransmit it from Enigma to the KSP 88, and recall Preset 10 on the KSP 88. One way to check if the transmission was corrupted or not is to (after Preset 10 is recalled) repeatedly press one of the buttons B44 -B51 or C52-C59 (when one of these buttons are pressed, you should only see the value 127 show on the KSP88 LCD Display). If you press one of these buttions repeatedly and see 00 and then 127, that means the SysEx Transmission was unsuccessful or corrupted. I have programmed these buttons to repeat one value of 127, so a toggled value of 00 and 127 is not correct. 

Wookiee:

Sorry, I hadn't included the link, yet. But, the link is posted in the first post, now.

Silly me.

Where are you Keystation Pro 88 users?

LOL John. I hear you, but some SONAR users opt for an easy way.

I would have welcomed presets if I had access to any before I had to learn this stuff on my own!

Thanks for dropping by, man.

hehe

Hey John:

I welcome you here, man. You're cool with me.

Can you find the time to download the setup files in the first post of this link, and let me know if all works like it should?

Wow! That was awesome! It took a bit to set up and a bit of trial and error but it worked great!

The only thing I need to do is swap the Send level 2 with the send level 1.

This is so awesome! It takes the guess work out of setting up the controller on a KSP 88!

When i get back home tomorrow, i will give it a try!

My keystation still sick, M-Audio are being very helpfull NOT

This has made me convinced not to buy any more of their products.

Hey, Thomas, I just want to swap the rotories to match what I have on the screen. I think what you have done is genius. It was exactly what I was looking for. Now shoot me something for my Trigger Finger. LOL. The files you set up are great!

CGS Keystation Pro 88 Test (Preset-10).spp What is that for?

I was trying to subtle, where would I put it and how do I use it. I could find no .spp files on my system.

You forget I am the one that posted real men don't use presets.

I'm with you. I will see what I can do. I figure I can at least support a fellow that has the same equipment I have and is only trying to make it better for all. Besides you have a cool attitude.

I feel like your explanations on how to do all of this is clear, but when I go through everything it doesn't work. When I change the preset on the keystation to 01 or 02 or 10 I feel like it's all the same--the knobs are all controlling the same things regardless of preset. And they aren't controlling the things as explained in the info file.

The keystation 88 pro works with Sonar 7 for me, but if I want to assign things I have to do it all manually at this point using the LEARN function. I want to learn and figure this out. One thing I noticed is that for some reason under my INPUTS I have two Keystation 88's:

Keystation 88 - 1
Keystation 88 - 2

or something like that. Are you guys only seeing one?

1) Did you receive the SysEx message when you opened the .cwp project included in the .zip file, and then press recall on the KSP 88 and type 10 on numeric pad.

2) Did you connect an instance of ACT. Cakewalk Generic Controller, and the MMC

3) Did you import the presets for ACT, and Cakewalk Ceneric Surface, and then select them from each of these plug in GUI preset dropdown menu

First off, thanks so much for the reply and the help. Are you using an audio interface? That's another discussion I'd love to have you with you some time. But maybe I'll start a new thread for it. I've got the keystation going directly in via USB. I also have an audio interface (focusrite saffire) I'm using, but having some troubles getting that set up right too! :)

1) yes, got that and clicked the right buttons to let that run. Yes, recall 10.

2) This was something I don't think I quite understood. Is this where I go to controls/surfaces and then I "add" (I think it's a little yellow button) and then make the input Keystation and the output keystation? I did that. Why the output keystation though? And then I made the MMC one with no output.

3) Yes, I'm pretty sure I did this right. One interesting thing. Now, when I open up a new file and I select the properties of each of the plugins, it shows it as keystation preset 10. But if I drop it down and RESELECT preset 10, it then actually loads it up and changes what I was seeing on the screen. Does that make sense?

I'm wondering if the problem perhaps is that I'm getting things loaded up in Cakewalk, but then they are not loading and being saved onto my device itself. I remember when I ran that sysex message the first time, it was way before I loaded the plugins and stuff. Am I supposed to run it again now that the plugins are all set up?

And thanks for solving that issue re two keystation midi in ports. That makes sense.

4) Question. My keystation pro has no plug into the wall or anything. The only thing connecting it to anything else is a single USB cord going from the keystation to my computer's USB input. That's normal right?