Control Mapping Issues with the Roland A-Pro

[Tune 0]

Hi,

I'm using Windows 10. My goal is to make a control map for my Roland A-800Pro midi controller to enable full operation of Cakewalk. Currently, I'm having trouble assigning  my transport buttons to their Cakewalk equivalents. I read elsewhere that it takes two kinds of software to fully operate the A-Pro (at least in Cakewalk). The A-Pro Editor and the A-Pro Control Surface plug-in. The latter appears to be unattainable as the website went stale and the account creation was disabled.

https://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2007012938/A-PRO-Control-Surface-Plug-in-1-0-1

In addition, the official Roland website states that the Windows 10 driver for the A-Pro midi controller does not support the plug-in for Cakewalk.

https://www.roland.com/global/support/support_news/2849/#midikey

My questions:

1. Is there another website where I can download the A-Pro Control Surface plug-in?

2. If the Windows 10 driver does not support the plug-in, is there an alternative?

3. If no plug-in is available, are there alternative methods to assigning my transport controls, etc.?

Please explain. Thank you.

 

 

[Promidi 990]

While I have the PCR-800 (which is the predecessor of the  A-800Pro), This should also work for the A-800Pro.

I have assigned the PCR-800 transport buttons to Cakewalk's play/stop/record functions. 

Others may have a successful method of using the A-800Pro as a control surface.

What I have done is programmed various "Free messages" into the PCR-800's transport buttons. I will use the PCR-800 play button as an example. 

This button is assigned the Free message B0 77 7F 90 03 DT B0 77 00 with Data type DT0:7bit.  Min: 0, Max: 127.  Button mode : Unlatch

Then on CbB, head over to Preferences | Customisation | Keyboard Shortcuts

Set "MIDI 'shift' options" to Controller 119    (This corresponds to 77 in the above string - which is hexadecimal for 119)

Then bind Play/Pause to MIDI note Eb-2 (This corresponds to note no: 03 above - the same as pressing the Eb-2)

With this configuration, when I press the play button on the PCR-800, CbB playback starts.

Of course the other buttons can be programmed in a similar way - just use different note values for the other functions.

I know this sounds convoluted and setting up as a control surface might be easier.  However, this method has been successful for years.

If you want to go the way of the control surface method, then hopefully someone will chime in with that method.

I hope this helped.

[JoeGBradford 898]

I'm a little puzzled by this - I have the APro 800 and I do not recall ever downloading or installing from disc the Control Surface Software (I may be wrong it was a long time ago I set it up!). Control maps for Sonar and thus CbB are stored within the A Pro 800 - press the left button under the LED display twice and you can set the control map from there. Sonar maps are 0 and 19. The transport buttons on my APro 800 work fine with that set up and I am using Win 10

Apologies if I have misunderstood but hope this helps

[rsinger 193]

Control Surface Plugin for Sonar

https://www.roland.com/global/support/by_product/a-800pro/updates_drivers/

 

[Tune 0]

Thanks so much for the input! I'll attempt further set up work.

Sadly, I've discovered a separate puzzle regarding the A Pro Windows 10 Driver.  The Roland website says my computer will automatically download the driver when the device is plugged in. So I plugged it in, turned it on, and nothing happened. I opened Task Manager and couldn't see any downloads called "A Pro Driver" and also had no pop up notifications. I then checked "Device installation settings" in system properties and found automatic downloads selected.  So.....

If I can't automatically download and install the driver, how do I do so manually?

[Promidi 990]

44 minutes ago, Tune said:

If I can't automatically download and install the driver, how do I do so manually?

Did you try going into device manager, drill down to the A-800Pro, right click that and then install the driver from there?
 

[rsinger 193]

13 hours ago, Tune said:

If I can't automatically download and install the driver, how do I do so manually?

Go to the link I provided above and download the win10 driver file. It explains possible problems and how to correct them.

[Tune 0]

19 hours ago, Promidi said:

Did you try going into device manager, drill down to the A-800Pro, right click that and then install the driver from there?
 

Thanks for the tip! I just did now. Apparently version 1.0.3 for Windows 10 had already been downloaded and installed. That's a relief.

7 hours ago, rsinger said:

Go to the link I provided above and download the win10 driver file. It explains possible problems and how to correct them.

I downloaded the file, but when I opened it all the links opened new tabs that said, "File not found". I guess they're broken?

New question: When I go to devices in Cakewalk, A-PRO 1, A-PRO 2, and A-PRO MIDI IN are available in the inputs selection. As well, A-PRO and A-PRO MIDI OUT are in the outputs selection. When I go to control surfaces with ALL of these inputs and outputs enabled for the A-PRO, I click on the yellow plus sign that opens up the new control surface dialog box. I then click on the bar to select the control surface at the top, but A-PRO isn't listed in the drop down. Instead I see, "ACT MIDI controller". If I select that, and use A-PRO 2 for my input and none for the output, I can select A-PRO 2 as my input for an instrument. As well, when I have the O control map selected that comes with the midi controller, I can control the knobs and slider for channel 1. The rest of the knobs and sliders, however, remain inoperative. Furthermore, the keys don't make sound. If I do the same thing but use A-PRO 1 for my input in control surfaces, I can get my keys, joystick and drum pads to work but not the controllers.

How should I configure my input/output settings to enable both areas of my keyboard?

[rsinger 193]

3 hours ago, Tune said:

I downloaded the file, but when I opened it all the links opened new tabs that said, "File not found". I guess they're broken?

It's a zip file, it sounds like you haven't unzipped it.

[Tune 0]

16 hours ago, rsinger said:

It's a zip file, it sounds like you haven't unzipped it.

Oh! That helps haha. Thanks!

EDIT:

I've made progress! I can now control my knobs and sliders as well as the keys and everything else at once! I just needed to select "All inputs" when inserting an instrument and that did the trick. Also I have Control Map "0" selected, the one for Sonar. However...

My transport controls still don't do anything... Perhaps I'll have to program them myself?

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by Tune

[Tayyib 0]

I have not found any documentation that explains how to assign the key pads of the A-Pro 800 to a drum kit. Does any one know how 

to assign  key pads A1 - A8 to the components of a drum for example SI Drum kit (Default drum kit).. ????