I just posted a question on the Frontier forum asking if they were going to update the software in order for the Alphatrack to work with the Pro Channel and this is the answer I got:
 
Sorry, pinguinotuerto, we are aware of the recent change from Sonar8.5 to X1 that caused a change in the control surface mapping.  Currently we aren't sure if/when this will be fixed. 
CS
 
This really bums me out!!!!! Any programmers in the house that can take a shot at re-mapping the Alphatrack so that we can acces the Pro Channel's functions?

cakewalk broke the mapping of their own VS700 by the changes in X1. I can't see a 3rd party company coming to the rescue even to fix there own SONAR Plugin. It was cakewalk that borke it.
Not that I've got any use out of X1 yet as it doesn't work on my machine. i've moved away from cakewalk's plugins for a long time now so I'm not sure that once X1b is out of I'll even use the ProChannel. I hope to still be able to use the alphathrack with SONAR as it's become indispensible to me. guess I'll see sometime this month.
Meanwhile it still works perfectly well with 8.5.3 which is what I'm still using as far as SONAR is concerned.

Amazingly enough, they took out some of the functions for my Cakewalk Studio Mix mixer. Why? Now I can't run/stop the audio engine from it because they took that option out of the list for the Studio Mix, which is supported inside of X1 by default already.

Wow, guys! My level of frustration is getting higher everyday!

Alphatrack here. It works in a deep and thorough way on 8.53. I don't like the sound of "if/when" very much... so I'm definitely going to wait a bit longer to see "if/when" the dust settles on X1. 

8.53 will still probably get some use here but I'm really mystified by how many seemingly arbitrary and poorly-thought-through changes were made in X1. I will still have a go at the demo "if/when" it appears but plonking down even the extremely reasonable $99 for the upgrade, sight unseen, is not in the cards for me at this point. 


Meanwhile I'm flirting fairly heavily with a Record/Reason update and, err, that other one that starts with R... which can host a full stable of ReWire channels in actual stereo pairs, unlike Sonar. Grr. 

So Frontier is selling hardware that is only compatible with old obsolete versions of DAW software? And they do not even bother to upgrade their software?

Hmmm... Guess I never buy something from them in that case..

Indeed, their track record is a bit uneven, though there are worse offenders - it strikes me that when Cakewalk have messed up their own surface-software support and not fixed it yet, it's a bit harsh to judge a 3d party provider for the same thing. 

As to Frontier - when they were working on the Sonar Alphatrack plugin I had some dialog with the programmer doing it and he was very responsive and cool. On the other hand they have a tendency to not seem to be doing very much at all for long periods of time. And they recently discontinued a uniquely brilliant product, the Tranzport - citing the economic downturn as a rationale. Kind of makes you wonder - uh, sounds like a great way for a company to survive in tough times - don't have anything for sale. Hmm. A bit more marketing could have made that thing a huge winner. Oh well. 

So yeah, caveat emptor, indeed. 

I'm selling my Alphatrack because of crap like this. The forum over there is a joke.

I can sympathize with companies like Frontier, Presonus (FaderPort) and so forth trying to keep up with a moving target like the DAW software world, but it seems that they aren't even trying.

They probably have AlphaTrack 2 in the wings which they will gladly sell you.

It seems the only control surfaces that are "somewhat" version proof are those using Mackie or HUI protocol and even those require some tweaking.

AlphaTrack a few months old in box with CD and cable.

$100.00...PM me.

Great thread title!

Feel your pain ... they pretty much abandoned support for Euphonix controllers as well - after touting it in version 7 or 8 ... I forget. Expensive paperweight.

Fortunately, my MC Mix works perfectly with ProTools 9 - which I must admit, has been my primary DAW these days - I stayed away from X1.

-Dan

That's funny, I'm still quite happy with the Alphatrack and am considering abandoning Sonar because of 'crap like this'. Even though up to 8.5 they were basically a marriage made in heaven - as far as I could tell the best, most thorough implementation. Which is why I'm still using it.