controller m audio axiom air 61, hypercontrol in Sonar x3

mettelus
Welcome to the forum!
 
I am first a little curious as to your knowledge/experience with DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations)? The reason I ask this is that any controller can be set-up to work with X3, but what X3 can do is far beyond what you can ever achieve with a controller alone. Please bear this in mind when you are talking "purchasing a DAW." Any DAW is about what the DAW can do, not "limiting" it to a controller alone. SONAR X3 is a very powerful, and professional DAW and includes a lot of integrated features, plug-ins, etc. I just want to clarify this, since the mindset of "easily controlling a DAW with my keyboard" might drive you into purchasing a DAW you may end up not enjoying long term.
 
To your question(s) about using the Axiom AIR as a controller... there are two parts to your question:

1. Can the Axiom AIR 61 be used to control SONAR X3, and that answer is yes. You can set up an "ACT MIDI-controller" within X3, and then tailor that mapping to assign controller functions within X3 (X3 includes 2 presets for the M-Audio Axiom 61 that you can add functionality to).
2. Can the Axiom AIR 61 use its built-in "Hypercontrol" to do this, and based on the , it seems that answer is no. I do not own an Axiom AIR 61, so cannot confirm beyond what M-Audio's site tells me.

Bottom line... purchasing a DAW is a serious endeavor, so be sure to research what you are getting, and understand that there is also learning involved. This forum is the best resource to get questions resolved quickly and includes a lot of very knowledgeable and helpful folks who have "lived by" SONAR professionally for years, and that "feature" of X3 is rather priceless.
 

mettelus
I do not understand what your question is asking.
 
Let me step back a second for you. With a DAW, you can record audio/MIDI tracks into your computer, and then easily modify that data as you choose. A massive advantage of a DAW is that you have this information in a computer, and can apply effects, etc. without having to re-record it (time intensive), or lose sound quality as you "edit" effects and sounds. By keeping tracks separate (drums, vocals, synths, etc.), you can also choose how they are mixed for the final song. Then if you change your mind later, all of those tracks are still there and can be edited again in the future.
 
X3 includes a number of "soft synths" which basically "make the sounds" of MIDI notes being played (i.e. your Axiom AIR 61). A MIDI note by itself is nothing more than which note you are playing, how loud you played it, when it started and stopped, and a few other things... but no "sound." With "soft synths," you can play a MIDI controller (keyboard), and hear the sound you choose (piano, synth, bass, drums, etc...). An advantage is you can record MIDI, assign it to an instrument (say an oboe), but then later on you prefer a saxophone... you can simply assign those same notes to a different instrument.
 
In all honesty, the "controller" aspect of a keyboard "driving" X3 is a nicety, but is not needed to record music. The "note data" is what X3 needs to make sounds, and you can record this easily with any MIDI input into X3. With those notes... X3 then makes the "sounds" you wish to hear (and you can tailor to your liking).
 
Did I answer your question at all, or just add more confusion to the fire?

mettelus
Okay... you are asking if X3 can be set up to accept the "Transport Buttons" in the picture on ? The answer is "yes."

mettelus
Karl Rose is a very knowledgeable gentleman and has done a lot of tutorial videos for SONAR products. Here is a video he did a while back for X1, which still applies for X3. This shows in detail how an ACT MIDI controller is configured in X3, and the controller he

mettelus
Karl Rose is a very knowledgeable gentleman and has done a lot of tutorial videos for SONAR products. Here is a video he did a while back for X1, which still applies for X3. This shows in detail how an ACT MIDI controller is configured in X3, and the controller he uses for this video does not come with a preset. It may answer your question best to watch someone actually "do" what you are asking about.
 

 
 

uses for this video does not come with a preset. It may answer your question best to watch someone actually "do" what you are asking about.