I need to set up my 02R96 with Sonar.  The ONLY buttons I use on it are "start" and "stop".  "Pause" would be nice but really just those two.
 
(I did this myself in Sonar 8.5... don't remember if I used ACT or "generic cakewalk control surface".  Either way I can't figure out how I did it.  I don't know if you have to export or save your control surface but I looked on my old hard drive in the control surface folder and couldn't find the one I created.  There doesn't seem to exist a pre-made control surface for the 02R96.)
 
1.  So... I create a new control surface in preferences and choose "ACT MIDI Controller" and "Yamaha 02R96-1" as input and "Yamaha 02R96-1" as output.  There are 8 channels to choose from (it's connected via USB with the Yamaha USB MIDI drivers installed).
 
2.  Close preferences and select "ACT MIDI Controller - 1" from the tools menu.
 
3.  I click under where it says "Stop" and when it says "Midi Learn...." I hit the stop button on the 02R96.  It apparently learned it because it's back to the main screen.  I repeat with "Play/Stop" and press the play button on the 02R96.
 
4.  Close the dialogue box back to the track view.... I go to the 02R96 and hit play... the track plays!  Hooray!  Sonar is obviously receiving data from the 02R96.  I hit stop...  the track stops... err, it stops and goes back to the beginning and plays from the top again.  Whether I hit stop or play, either button sends sonar back to play it from the top again.  Once I start the sequence from the 02R96, I have no way to stop it, it will continually play.  The buttons just rewind it to the top to start over again.
 
So anyway I've been messing with this off and on for two weeks... it seems like something really simple I'm missing.

So I deleted the ACT control surface and tried again with a generic control surface.  I wanted to manually set up the 02R96 so I hit record and started pressing play/stop to see what midi data it was transmitting.  But play, stop, forward, rewind... all transmitted the same midi data...?  Controller 15 value 14.  So now I have the opposite problem I had with the ACT control surface.... I can play the sequence but I have to hold down the "play" button the entire time.  As soon as I release it Sonar stops playing.

see the video in my signature for using Act with TH2 and a Midi Controller.

Watching video now, thanks.
 
Grr... in my travels just came across setting up an 02R96 with Logic 9... apparently it's all set up and ready to go you can control virtually any aspect of Logic 9 from an 02R96 right out of the box...

Don't get frustrated too fast. Act isn't that tough to use. I learned it. :-)
 
and FWIW, I have an Alpha-Track which comes with a Sonar Driver that automatically maps a bunch of the stuff to the WAI track (Where Am I). That works fairly well, but I still use it as an Act Device at times.
 
I agree it's handy having your device in the list for Controller/Surfaces. I believe the AlphaTrack driver came with the AlphaTrack itself.
 
Here's your device, right?
http://usa.yamaha.com/product_archive/live_sound/02r96/?mode=model
 
Here's the FAQ for Yamaha
http://faq.yamaha.com/us/en/category/live_sound/mixers/digital-mixers/02r96/
 
Based on the look of it, I would think that you could download an app from Yamaha that would enable you to use it in just about any modern DAW. This is no cheap piece of gear.
 
How about contacting support for Yamaha and see if they have a driver you can install. Again, that how the AlphaTrack worked. I ran an app and installed stuff. It gave me check boxes for each DAW I might have on my system then set me up. It's worked great ever since.

http://forum.cakewalk.com/X1-and-Yamaha-02R96-as-the-Control-Surface-m2516535.aspx
 
You might hook up with forum user, DeeringAmps, who has the same device and the same question.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct02/articles/yamaha02r96.asp
 

SOS
The middle row of connectors includes word-clock input and output BNCs, the former with a 75(omega) termination switch. Three stereo digital two-track recorder I/Os are provided, with inputs normalled to the monitoring and outputs derived from the stereo output buss by default. One of the three interfaces is AES-EBU via XLRs, while the others are S/PDIF on phono connectors. Two computer interfaces — a multi-pin serial port and a USB port — are next on the list, intended to couple the desk to a computer running the Studio Manager software, and to transmit remote control data for a DAW. Software updates can also be loaded via these ports. Finally, two timecode inputs are available to synchronise the desk automation. Balanced SMPTE/EBU timecode can be input through an XLR, or MIDI MTC code via a DIN socket.

 
The Yamaha Studio Manager Software is here...
http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en/downloads/firmware_software/

Thanks for all this.  Your video is great but doesn't help specifically with my problem.  I've used studio manager before years ago but it is clunky and I mostly only used it to load and save mixes which you can also just do with a bulk dump into a midi file.  The thing is, I had the 02R96 working fine in 8.5 but I don't remember how I set it up....  I probably set it up in Sonar 4 or 5, I've had these boards for 10+ years.
 
I have my old drives backed up from 8.5.... any clue where I might find my old control surface set up?  I don't think I ever specifically saved it but it must be there somewhere...?

I don't use ACT the way it's supposed to used, I use it as a scratchpad for quick tweaks. You can find out how to do things wrong  in this article from Sound on Sound.

OK I fixed this without ACT.  What I did was I dug my old computer out of the closet and plugged it in.  It had been stripped bare so I was skeptical it would even start but it still had the system drive and the memory so up it went.  (I have to admit I may have shed a tear when I saw 8.5 and my old color scheme and everything else... makes me seriously want to see if I could go back to 8.5 on my new machine with all the trouble I've had with X3.... 8.5 was rock solid for me.)
 
Anyway I loaded up the 02R96 settings and it was a generic control surface, not ACT.  I have no idea where I came up with these settings.  It doesn't make sense to me because through a midi monitor the 02R96s were only transmitting controller #15.  But anyway "play" was set to controller #47 value 68, "stop" was controller #47 value 67, and "record" was controller #47 value 69.  That's all I had and that's all I need.  It works!