azslow3

Good luck 😏 And just in case you will not stop with this controller (and/or will be disappointed by it)... here are some other: NI M32/A49-61/S49-88 have good control over instrument parameters. Especially if you use NI synths (or KK aware synth). All of them have almost the same set of controls (S have display), M32 is one of the cheapest controllers available (even if you don't use its keys). Behringer XTouch Mini is in NanoKontrol price class. The primary difference is encoders instead of finite controls. So you always start tune parameters from current position, they will not "jump" to current knob position nor you need to "catch" current position by knob. While that behavior loose "hardware like feeling" you get with finite knobs, switching between instruments / DAW control changes experience from "not usable" to "usable". BTW original Mackie (the device NonoKontrol tries to imitate) has encoders and motorized sliders. With NI controllers you can also select the synth from device (well... only with S that is more or less convenient). For NI M/A and XTouch Mini there are AZ Controller presets for Cakewalk (since I have them). NI S you probably will want to use in Mackie mode. P.S. keys of NI M32 are worse I have ever played (subjective). I can controls the sound with Akai MPK Mini, but not with M32 ("AZ velocity MIDI" helps with both, but when hardware doesn't send distinguishable velocity values, software can't compensate). For fixed velocity use that is not a problem, but playing "piano" is almost impossible.

From you question, it seems like you have first bought the controller and then have started to search how to use it. That order is not optimal (even so you probably have just bought the cheapest controller and you are not the first with such approach ). Almost all controllers just send MIDI messages (f.e. CCs) when you operate them. But what these MIDI messages do is up to software. In general, there are 2 approaches: send MIDI from controller to Virtual Instrument, so the same route as you send MIDI keys / pedals / wheels. In this case it is up to particular instrument to interpret these messages. Unlike with notes / pedals / wheels, most CCs meaning do is up to instrument. Some use fixed CCs to control something, so you setup that in Korg software. Some can "learn". let the DAW to interpret the messages. The result is DAW and particular mapping specific, MIDI proposals are normally completely ignored in this cases (f.e. "PitchBend" messages are used to control track volumes). In Cakewalk you have two possibilities: "learn" some DAW control, f.e. particular track volume let Control Surface plug-in do special interpretation. There are several such plug-ins, including: Mackie control. For DAW controlling. It uses fixed MIDI mapping. "ACT MIDI", "Generic Surface", AZ Controller (not stock, I have written it to escape limitations of the first two). Here you can configure what controls should do, first by "learning" midi messages from controller and then defining the action. So the mapping is not "CC -> Volume", but "CC -> knob 1" followed by "knob 1 -> volume". The first mapping stay the same during operations, while the second can change (f.e. at some point "knob1" controls volume, at other it controls VST parameter). Each way has advantages and disadvantages. Up to you to decided what you prefer.

One row is assigned to one track. Different rows can be assigned to different (or the same!) tracks. So you need more then one track in case you have other reasons to have them. You can use several rows in case you want clips are played "at the same time". But if I understand correctly, your "clips" are very short and played instantly. So "mutual exclusive" nature of Matrix columns is not a problem. Just use one row / one track. With trigger resolution "Immediate" (that you probably want in any case).

At least it is possible to identify "true Gibson guitar". I remember a translation from German parliament about "German faucets". One was "real" and another "fake". Produced on the same (PRC) factory, from the same materials and with the same label. The question was: how consumers can identify the "fake" 😏

Studio One has attracted many users before Bandlab took the lead. People had to choose something and some was looking for something "similar". If hardware/VST2 MIDI features are not important, it is similar. With many nice goodies. And they actively add more: the latest version can work with loops without copy/pasting N times (at least that is declared in docs) 😏 Please don't think all people are payed for all exposed content. F.e. I have written a converter from Cakewalk to Studio One, but I was not payed for that. And I don' t like Studio One. 🤪

I think his issue is uncertainty what you get... With McDonalds or Apple, you know what you get and how that will taste and smell. Marketing line of Cakewalk with new Sonar is comparable with x86 devices, you don't really know what it will be. And at some point people are tired to play roulette. And when consequences of using a "black box" are not important (3 architectures changes and general technology incompatibility within 20 years, 1 year guarantee and in case something is broken after that, the device is just a door stopper), it is convenient to use.

You need Control Surface plug-in in Cakewalk, with input from MIDI port of the mixer. I think Cakewalk Generic Surface can do that (https://legacy.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=Cakewalk&language=3&help=ExternalDevices.12.html). With some luck, selecting "Play" and pressing "Learn" can learn corresponding MMC (SysEx) message. If it does, proceed with other transport buttons. If not, you can try AZ Controller (from azslow.com). Here you should be able to see which messages your mixer send (if it send something, I mean you have configured it and selected correct MIDI port). Alternatively, you can try https://www.allen-heath.com/hardware/controllers/midi-control/, with Mackie Surface. PS. I think AZ Controller presets for ZED and QU will NOT work with SQ, so if you decide to go that route you need create different preset... PS.PS. I never had any of these mixers.

So, you are not the oldest Cakewalk user since the time they was producing Phonographs (under different brand) 😏 BTW (for casual readers) topic "107" does not require my software, it explains how "ACT MIDI Controller" works (features, limits, etc.). It also includes step by step tutorial how to mimic it in "AZ Controller", but that part can be skipped.

ACT plug-ins (all surface plug-ins are "ACT plug-ins", it is better mention "ACT MIDI Controller" explicitly when you ask about it) work with specific banks of strips. "ACT MIDI Controller" always works with 8. But the first strip it control can be arbitrary. Which strips are currently controlled is indicated by WAI (Where I Am) color bars (left from strips in the Track view, bottom im the Console view). Right click on that place for the strip which should be the first and select "Move ACT MIDI Controller -1 here". Alternatively assign "Next track bank" ("Previous track bank") commands to buttons to move from controller itself. If you really want to understand how "ACT MIDI Controller" works, read https://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,107.0.html, but you probably don't want dig so deep 😏

Till now, there are no evidence something worse then "Demo mode"/"Not authorized" have ever happened with any CW DAWs. And since in this case you are still able load/play projects (from my knowledge without any "silent periods" nor "watermarks", typical for some software in demo mode), I also think you'll be fine.

Your observation with Mackie plug-in means you had problems with your MIDI setup, can happened with AZ Controller as well (sliders are technically sending pitch wheel. Surface plug-in has to be configured to "block" these MIDI messages. Mackie plug-in and AZ Controller Mackie preset do that, so if you manage record pitch wheel directly, there had to be "parallel MIDI route"). But customization of original Mackie plug-in is possible in C++ only (it is open source on GitHub). So as you have already found, in AZ Controller that is way simpler.

I can't fix Cakewalk bugs (only @msmcleod or other Cakewalk developers can do that). PM me (on this forum) your e-mail with which you have tried to register on azslow.com and I will approve. Normally that works (there are recent new members). On paper, SMC-Mixer looks like the best (from cheap) currently existing mixing controllers. Behringer Mini is more expensive and has way less controls. SMS-Mixer is almost like Korg nanoKontrol Studio without jogger. But it has encoders instead of knobs and currently 2 times cheaper (in Germany). How it feels in reality is a different question. Also there is report faders are sending movements with significant delay and all intermediate values (both not good). In any case, you can get the best out of this device only with dedicated, specially made preset for AZ Controller. And better not build it from Mackie, even so Mackie preset and controller in DAW mode can somehow work out of the box. I don't (no longer) create presets remotely and I already have several controllers... even so this one looks promising for me (wireless + encoders), I probably will not buy one (till there will be a sponsor... has not happened for controllers so far 😏)

Back in the hardware days, attaching one MIDI cable somewhere was exactly that, the signal was not magically distributed (by default) to all existing in the room not connected MIDI inputs 😏 Following that logic, "None" should not mean "Omni" and once existence of software MIDI outputs is detected and "All External Inputs" appears, "default Omni" logically should start point to it. I have hard time to imagine when current behavior is desired. An output from a MIDI processor: is "specific", so for particular tracks. Than it should not participate in any "Omni" or "All". is general, to be used as "Omni". But it this case original MIDI stream (the Input) should be excluded from "Omni", at least there should be such option. And that is not possible. If someone forget to shield (undesired) radio-frequency emission in one device and so all other devices around are immediately disturbed when the device is switched on, that can also be described as "it's just how it behaves" with proposal to better shield all other devices. But I personally don't think that is ok 🤪

Apart from external MIDI loops (including software), Cakewalk traditionally able to create "MIDI leaks" internally. As soon as at least one Synth has "Enable MIDI output" set, the fun can begin... Fortunately, the case is easy to detect: when in the selection list for possible MIDI inputs "All External Inputs" exists, there is at least one Soft synth with MIDI output enabled. Note that "Synth MIDI output" is not automatically "through", it can be silent, through or processed/modified MIDI. Intentional is a possibility to use VST MIDI processors (since Cakewalk doesn't support them as MIDI FXes). But it is easy to get it without intention. Since that is plug-in and flag status dependent, some people may never hit the problem. Even when the route is already there, "enabling" conditions (playback/echo constellation) limit the time you hit the problem.

...assuming you already have Cakewalk project (file), I am not going to teach you how to sing 😏 @Bapu wanted that possibility long time. And from today, other can also do that. After several months of development (please don't measure the effort by the size of downloadable), here are the instructions, link to the utility and documentation: https://www.azslow.com/index.php?topic=659.0 For those who don't need .song, there are "side products": all used VST(i)2/3 presets as .fxb/.vstpreset files (natural part of .song archive) tempo map and all midi clips as midi files (generated with "-m" option) Note that I have not got many bug reports from Bapu, so I guess the utility is buggy at the moment. Without reports, there will be no fixes (I am not going to use it by myself). PS. in fact the first attempt was .dawproject . But after R&D phase, I have found that "exchange" format is rudimentary, has several logical limitations, badly documented and currently really supported just by one from two (lol) DAWs which claimed to be "officially supported" (unfortunately not the one in question). So the idea was abandoned.