• SONAR
  • MIDI pain in ass - Still an issue in X3E
2013/01/24 18:15:47
Splat
Hi
 
Is there any way I can stop Sonar X2a from auto detecting USB MIDI devices? i.e freeze the current configuration.
When MIDI device get switched off and on Sonar seems to love changing all the tracks MIDI channels settings for me. I'd rather it just stayed as it is, even when a MIDI device gets unplugged. And ideally no prompt asking me what to do when MIDI device gets unplugged or switched on, just stay as it is. MIDI hardly ever changes in my studio.
 
Cheers
 
Alex
2013/01/25 01:21:57
Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
Same here. I'd like to know how/if I can lock the sequence of all the MIDI input devices so that they don't get changed around and mess up projects.

Also, if one control surface (e.g. A-800 PRO) is not switched on, you will have to reassign it in the preferences next time you use Sonar ...
2013/01/25 02:06:26
John
If you use a USB MIDI multi port you wont have these issues. 
2013/01/25 05:43:09
Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
Hmmm, so you are sugesting to buy one more device and disable all MIDI ports on the rest of the gear? Not quite what I'm inclined to do ...

I'd be happy if it remembered the last sequence it had all devices loaded and would stick to it (much like it does for the ASIO audio IN OUT)

2013/01/25 06:52:00
jeffb63
I have two USB multi MIDI port devices and Sonar just likes to randomly change the order of them. A real right royal PITA!!
2013/01/25 08:09:52
stevenpanter
CakeAlexS


Hi
 
Is there any way I can stop Sonar X2a from auto detecting USB MIDI devices? i.e freeze the current configuration.
When MIDI device get switched off and on Sonar seems to love changing all the tracks MIDI channels settings for me. I'd rather it just stayed as it is, even when a MIDI device gets unplugged. And ideally no prompt asking me what to do when MIDI device gets unplugged or switched on, just stay as it is. MIDI hardly ever changes in my studio.
 
Cheers
 
Alex

+1. This is a big bug-bear for me too. I have several devices including synths and controllers that connect directly by usb, as well as usb midi ports (MOTU traveller and a MidiSport 2x2) and often the port numbers often get re-ordered for no apparent reason. Painful when using templates and custom midi inputs. I think it's more of a hardware issue than a software one though.
2013/01/25 08:16:29
Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
As long as you keep them plugged into the same USB port, this should not happen in my opinion because devices get the same names assigned (at least the names visible to the user, don't know about internal IDs)

I have noticed that already changing the order in which you switch devices on, seems to reorder them in the list of availabe midi devices.

OK, this may be a problem deriving from the way external hardware is treated by the OS, but there should be some way to make the software remember the devices based on its name ...
2013/01/25 10:28:24
js516
The issue is with the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder Service, and not Sonar.

On every start-up, the WAEB service iterates through the system's audio devices in PCI/USB order (The root USB hubs are located on the PCI bus). These devices are then listed in that order by the WAEB service. If you do not change ports or power cycle hardware, the order will remain the same.

Shutting a device off, the WAEB service removes it from the device list.
Turning it back on, the WAEB sticks it at the end of the device list.
Sonar listens for when the list changes and re-reads it.

Since the service doesn't create an identifier for a device that stays the same between restarts, Sonar cannot know if it had seen the device some time before, to put it back into the original order.

The second problem is that a piece of hardware can have several devices associated with it (audio, several midi ports, etc). Depending on how the drivers are written, there may be no consistent way the WAEB service orders them when you power cycle a device on a running system.

That being said, you can cheat by restarting the Windows Audio Service (it depends on the WAEB) and the WAEB. This will force Windows to rescan all the multimedia devices on your system, ordering them by PCI/USB address as it does when the system boots.
2013/01/25 11:27:24
Paul P
js516, do you know if the audio devices are rescanned after waking from sleep or hibernate ?
2013/01/25 11:55:23
leapinlizard
CakeAlexS


Is there any way I can stop Sonar X2a from auto detecting USB MIDI devices? i.e freeze the current configuration.
When MIDI device get switched off and on Sonar seems to love changing all the tracks MIDI channels settings for me. I'd rather it just stayed as it is, even when a MIDI device gets unplugged. And ideally no prompt asking me what to do when MIDI device gets unplugged or switched on, just stay as it is. MIDI hardly ever changes in my studio. 
  
Alex
The only way I have found to beat this behavior is to ensure that all my MIDI devices are turned on before starting Sonar.  I use a Midisport 8x8, which was one suggestion, but if I forget to turn it on before Sonar starts, then my MIDI configuration ends up hosed, so that is not necessarily the answer.  It's a royal pain, for sure, but if you just remember to switch everything MIDI on before you start Sonar, then you are golden.

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