azslow3

As long as you wrap plug-ins in question into NKS, I think you can control parameters using Komplete Kontrol native methods. If I remember correctly, there is still no "deep integration" for these keyboards into Cakewalk (so there will be no "automatic track following"), but it should work for the purpose.

In MIDI mode you can use Cakewalk feature called "ACT" ("Plug-in dynamic mapping"). It is available in "ACT MIDI" and "Generic Surface". "ACT" term is also used for surface API in general, so a bit confusing (but "ACT" button on top of plug-ins is for "Plug-in dynamic mapping"). You can easily find many guides in the Internet (and that feature is described in the standard documentation). Plug-in dynamic mapping works for any plug-in in focus (FX, Synth, ProChannel).

Finally you can use ACT map in AZ Controller.

You will find many posts that "ACT does not work", "my mappings are not remembered", etc. But that is more for older versions of Cakewalk (there was one nasty bug for several years). And you can move to the "safe side" by using "AZ ACT Fix" (usable with all surface plug-ins) in case you still hit some problems with mappings (or just for convenience... there is no build-in feature to "clean" automatically created and hardly unusable maps, with that utility you can clean, reorganize, backup and one click restore).

They are remembering current strips. Let say you are working with several not consequent tracks and need to switch between them. You  can temporary reorder them, but that can be annoying. With F buttons you can remember up to 4 strips and switch with one button press. Note that strips can be tracks and buses.

That was default behavior in the original plug-in, not my idea. I have just reproduced it in the preset.

Track/buses should switch by pressing left encoder (in plug-in/EQ mode works with Shift only, in all other modes with and without shift). That is mentioned in the documentation (and differences list for the preset).

F1-F8 have "default" behavior from the documentation (save/recall current strip). F1-F4 are recall, F5-F8 (so F1-F4 with Shift) are save. 

2 hours ago, Steve Owen said:

 Hopefully the SL will be supported soon and in particular the 'In Control' feature - which works like a dream with Ableton.

msmcleod still updating MCU and partially HUI compatibility.

Except for Softube Console 1, I can not remember any new device got Cakewalk support from Cakewalk or device producer last 5 (or even more) years.

That is about the hope it "will be supported soon"...

Novation is publishing all technical documentation (not many companies do). Cakewalk has public surface API (not many DAWs have that). So THEORETICALLY anyone can write reasonable integration (including LEDs, display, colors and device specific controls).

In practice only several new devices got reasonable integration, using AZ Controller platform. But that is DIY solution. Not many people was ready to invest significant time and effort to create deep integration. I have written the platform and created several big presets. But I no longer ready to create presets for devices I do not have.

Crashed DAW just because of some MIDI device internal mode is not expected result. It can be you have some "MIDI loop" inside your project, during surface (and other MIDI devices) setup it is better have black project loaded (without any MIDI tracks). Other reason can be some Control Surfaces in Cakewalk preferences (Cakewalk tend to mess with MIDI IO assignments when new devices are added). Finally "starting from scratch" is also an option, after cleaning all MIDI devices in Windows Device Manager and removing Cakewalk MIDI related INI files.

But in case you prefer out of the box solutions, I agree that FaderPort V2 is not the device to use with Cakewalk. At least till someone make working preset and write/record installation instructions.

Classic had specialized plug-in for Cakewalk. V2 does not have such plug-in and it can not mimic Classic.

There is no published preset for V2 (at least I have not seen it), but in case you put V2 into some "native" mode (so its controls just send what user is doing, without attempt to be "smart"), you can MIDI re-learn the preset for Classic using V2. That should work, except feedback (Classic designers have made a... mistake... so feedback to buttons does not match commands from these buttons. I think "Use Ctrl" instead of exact MIDI messages in the Feedback section should work for V2.)

So, definitively manageable (with device in hands) but a bit of DIY. If you have no time nor willing to invest it, I can not help.

I can select types and presets in demo... I have Windows 10.

I could only test demo version and it has MIDI steering disabled...

May be I do not understand what was your problem... But Cakewalk support MIDI input for FXes directly (till some Sonar X the way was a bit "hacky", but since that time it just works). You need to "Enable MIDI Input" in the "VST2" menu (plug-in window top controls). The plug-in is then visible in the Synth rack and MIDI track output can be routed to it.

I have replied you on my site... I guess meet online and make corresponding preset(s) is the simplest solution for both of us.

ACT Dynamic Mapping is the only plug-ins control approach supported by Generic Surface. And it is focus oriented.

There is different way, but it is supported by Mackie Control only.

Sure, AZ Controller support both. If you do not need feedback (Generic Surface does not support it at all), following "Quick start" will take ~5min (including installation), pressing "Dup" in Options tab and MIDI learning additional controls ~10sec per control. Changing Volume to another parameter or inserting "Filter" Action between track and value yet another ~15sec per control. In total, it does not require any programming skills nor more time then Generic Surface to do what you describe. AZ Controller is way more powerful then Generic Surface, but no one force you to use that extra power 😀.

19 hours ago, pwalpwal said:

agree on language neutrality - it's a small world

op needs to tell which version of windows, cbb, audio drivers for the forum to help (via google translate )

I think he is using the latest CbB.  And I think only people which are using REAC can say something.

PS. Note that original message "style" is a kind of "Russian  technical spoken dialect", that is why automatic google translation has quite strange sentences.

@Анатолий Семенов

Пожалуйста напишите конкретную версию Windows, REAC (и других аудио драйверов) и CbB.  И пожалуйста используйте обычный лексикон, Гугл с Вашими "косяками и шляпами" не справляется. Если у Сонара когда-то были рускоговорящие разработчики, то их много лет там нет. Кроме того REAC от Роланда, они Cakewalk давно продали и соответствующую  поддержку устройств закрыли (до выхода Windows 8). Так что шансов на успех мало, но кто знает...

The only important part is written in English, the man has problems with REAC in the latest CbB version.

2 hours ago, lapasoa said:

I think is not correct to write a message in a language that nobody knows.

I think it is also not correct to claim that "nobody knows" the language of the largest country in the world 😉

Yes, it is not in the list of official languages of current "Cakewalk home". But since "Cakewalk country" has 4 official languages, I think it is ok to use different languages in this forum, no?

I think the simplest way is to use:

(its 'multiple independent groups of devices' feature)

With drum controllers I can not advise anything (I use e-drums as "drums MIDI controller).

1 hour ago, Davydh said:

@scook,

I did not know Cakewalk requires reactivation at least every six months. I thought it only required that for new updates... But thanks for the correction!

Once installed, it has 6 months run time. When people "update", this period is reset. It is possible "re-activate" without update, but that is only true for Cakewalk itself.

Bandlab Assistant has to be updated to "re-activate" Cakewalk. At no time this process was painless for me, automatic update of assistant was producing errors. Update Cakewalk from assistant also....

I mean in a class environment it is not a matter of seconds to "re-activate" using some low band connection (f.e. mobile). It will be quite some work.

I have touched 3 DAWs.  2 of them have no Musicradar "review", one of them was not mentioned at all (Tracktion, I still believe it is the simplest for beginners and they have free version too). Some "pro" and "cons" are questionable: Ableton has NO cons? really?; "does not come with loads of plugins", first that is not right (this does not comes with soft synthes, but the number of plugins is not small, especially when someone knows that JS is  plug-in format), second they write best DAWs not best Bundles; "Mac only"/"No Mac version"... where is "no Linux version"? I do not think someone on Mac care about Windows and reversed.

For 2 DAWs I know good, the "text" is useless. For Cakewalk they write nothing about DAW at all. For REAPER they mention questionable points: the interface has responsiveness problems at the moment (in "high" display) and the reason is deep in design. And it is not "most affordable" DAW: it is not free, commercial price (they mention "From ...") is relatively high.

I understand finding deep technical advantages and disadvantages is not easy. But in any serious ranking there must be at least some meaningful information.

So in case someone ask "should I check Musicradar when searching for a DAW?" I will answer using original words they write about Cakewalk: "you've got literally nothing to lose by..." reading it. And I will add "but you will learn almost nothing".

If you need "the first" controller, get Behringer X-Touch Mini. If will work out of the box with AZ Controller plug-in.

From your list X Touch (big one, with displays) is exact copy of Mackie in functionality (not in controls quality), it will work as desired.

Faderport V1 (old one) has special plug-in, but not V2.

X Touch One will work more or less ok. They try to mimic Mackie, but since the DAW does not know it has just one fader, it is not working exactly as Mackie.

Nanocontrol will also work. But it is "nano"... If you primary need buttons or your projects are no more then 8 tracks, it can be almost as good as Mackie. But at the time you load new project, shift to different tracks in the same project or try to control FX, you will need to bring knobs/faders "in position".
Nektar P1, when ingegrated, has guides for faders and endless knobs. So it is way less work to shift tracks and no work for knobs. With nanocontrol it is different.

Back to X-Touch Mini. It has encoders (as its big brothers) and a set of buttons. The functionality is listed there: http://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,377.0.html

There is no well defined "Play" nor "Volume" commands any DAW should recognize. The keyboard just sends normal key messages when you press play, you need explain the DAW how that should work.

For Keystation:

* put transport buttons into Mackie mode (if it is in HUI), see the documentation how

* remove ACT MIDI and put Mackie Control, set its input as on your screenshot (no output). Open its configuration (Cakewalk Utilities menu) and set "Disable handshake".

The fader works as "MIDI Volume". Some synth recognize it, some not. To control something in the DAW, you can add ACT MIDI, with input set to the first input of Keystation, so the same as keys. And configure the first "Fader" there (see ACT MIDI documentation how).

With Nektar you are out of luck, Nektar has not written plug-in for Cakewalk and the device does not use any common protocol (like Mackie). Can be configured, but that is not simple...

From what I know, there is no such functionality in Cakewalk.

You can copy FX (and/or settings) from one track/instance to another, so manually " syncing" parameters when required. Or you can copy automations for corresponding parameters.

If for some reason your REALLY want sync parameter changes life, you can do this using at least 2 approaches:

1) in case FX in question support MIDI steering and you have some MIDI controller, you can organize MIDI routing such way that both instances are changed by the same MIDI control. That is the only method I recommend for live environment.

2) you can make (project specific) AZ Controller preset which will sync one (or all) FX from one track to another (assuming parameters are automatable, no extra hardware required). Parameters will be synced with some delay (~75ms), the procedure is relatively CPU heavy (all parameters of all plug-ins in question need to be queried as fast as possible to detect changes...). That is why I do not recommend to use it in critical environment.

You need plain Mackie Control (C4, XT, etc. are different devices). You need to disable handshake. And you have to assign correct MIDI ports of Motör to Mackie control (Port 2, so different ports from what you use for keyboard, but they also have to be enabled in MIDI section of preferences to be selectable for control surface).

Quote

...there is no single thing that makes a good cable, it’s a combination of factors including the way that, “materials affect ranges of frequencies in dissimilar amounts”.

48 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Heh heh... More important than kHz is, are you using gold plated cable connectors? 

I use Kimber Kable Hero... Not intentionally, the reason is in fact very sad...

But I have seriously tried to listen/measure the difference to "normal" XLRs. So far without success 😉

You can check if VST doing what it should (you expect it should). Record/create from scratch a MIDI clip and start manually adjust velocity of particular notes. That way you can be sure what is really sent to VST, effectively  excluding the keyboard from the chain.

I see your lonely post on NI, which is not answered for more then a week. That can be frustrating...

6 hours ago, Gswitz said:

So this shows that through this process, most of the audio was retained. This defends that the RME UCX will send the higher frequency content to your speakers.

If you were questioning whether my speakers do a good job up there... haha... not worth testing. 🙂 I have cheapie charlies... but I'm sure you can find speakers that attempt it anyway.

As an interesting aside, while the first and final spectral analysis bits are almost identical, at one moment you see a tiny jump at 40 (otherwise quiet between 20k and 40k like the original). So, not perfect null test as I said. Something funny in there.

No other gear or interface in the middle. Out of the RME UCX on channels 1 and 2, in on channels 5 and 6. No pres on those channels.

Because that final 40 was after slowing it back down, I suspect something to do with the loop construction view slowing algorithm. Who knows what. 🙂

I have to apologize. I have used the word "driver", but I had to explicitly write "speaker driver". My fault.

Thanks for making the test. So, RME works fine with high frequencies, recording them correctly and delivering them correctly to the output.

My point was about the next step, what happens with these frequencies in your or my  "cheapie charlies" or super "high end" towers? They can be discarded prior speaker drivers or try to drive them. In the last case, they will produce some distortion. Is it "aliasing" as in digital domain or other kind of noise? I have not seen plausible test results so far. But I have seen a test with general conclusion "there is audible distortion" (which is sometimes used as a prove for "better sound" in "high end", when used with 96kHz source... so in reality the sound, while really different, is just worse...).

Returning to the topic. If we mix in 96kHz and send output without LPF to our monitors, can we fall into the same "trap" as "high end" lovers? So we listed the mix with some extra audible distortion produced by monitors from existing (and may be even real world correct) high frequencies?

Mackie is a separate surface plug-in. Instantiate it and point to port 3. In the configuration disable handshake. If Code really sends Mackie transport, it should work.

You still can use something else for other ports. Note that Mackie plug-in completely block specified port MIDI, so do not point it to normal ports. Also it sends feedback, that can trigger MIDI loops if configured incorrectly (on the keyboard side or setting wrong output port for Mackie plug-in).