azslow3

do NOT install ASIO4ALL till you are sure you need it and you are ready to accept all other audio drivers will stop working as before. Uninstalling not always helps. It does something which is probably revertible with manual editing of registry only. I once had the situations, after installing it for test. Note that major Windows update probably helps, that has helped in my case. Also note that with Cakewalk and current Windows you never need ASIO4ALL, there is no situations it performs better then other options. in Windows based $100k studio, investing $1-3k into audio interface make sense. Especially in case you want life monitor throw DAW. MIDI can be bugged from time to time. Audio interface can help only in case the keyboard is connected by MIDI cable throw it. While MIDI cable is slow, USB connected keyboards can have even worse latency. But when not bugged, that is rarely an issue.

I have started with Sonar X1... "this program crash every time I try to do what I want" was true for me that time... But I have payed for it, so I am still (at least partially) there ?

Assume you are serious... Music production software is not "simple". The framework is oriented toward the intuition and intention of musicians and studio engineers. Also it is oriented toward "conventional" way to produce music, so record from external sources (audio and MIDI) and then edit the result. Independent from the DAW, you will need to learn it first. Especially if you want understand why the behavior of something does not match your expectation. Cakewalk is one of convenient to use and simple to understand DAWs. But you can try other DAWs. If you want "guided start", try Tracktion. You will get wizard for what you have to do and the view is "left to right, top to bottom" style. For not "record on type" approach, try Ableton Live. And in case you want scripts and "hard to crash" thing, try REAPER. But there is no "I am the best and the only" DAW.

Normally push encoder sends specified MIDI message when you press it, normally with value "max" (127) when pressed and with value "min" (0) when your release. Which effect that produce is up to the DAW plugin (Mackie in this case). For real Mackie controller you can't change what it sends. F.e. as you can see in my picture, encoder 1 always sends note 32. In case you can change it to note 41, it will switch encoders to "Sends" instead of usual reaction, since Mackie think you have pressed (dedicated) "Send" button (in VPOT Assign section). Controller can also define some internal operation, the choice is clear once you have the device and use its editor (I don't have QCon, so I can't check).

MCU messages with Cakewalk layout (it is a bit different from default MCU layout):

ACT MIDI provides no feedback, so no LEDs, no track names, etc. Also the number of mappable controls is limited. So when Mackie is emulated well on device, using corresponding mode gives advantages. The disadvantage is fixed layout, it does what it does.

As I wrote before... VST4 announcement can really have "armageddon" effect, not just 20 pages discussion. Any (all) VST3 developer(s) can be informed (by simple e-mail) that his/her license to write VST3 plug-ins is void in 6 month. § 9.3 of license agreement... In addition, even prior such drastic change, §3 can be used to force everyone immediately (within 30 days) change all VST related logos (which have to be used everywhere). Think about forcing Cakewalk users use Cakewalk logo and trademark notice on any media, including uploaded MP3, in case Cakewalk was used to produce it. And update that logo at all places, within 30 days, at Cakewalk wish. That is hard to imagine. But Steinberg does that. And they have no problem use "modified" GPL3 license, the license which was invented to be not modifiable at wish...

Cakewalk has not announced the end of VST2 support. And till that happened, there is no reason to worry about Platinum package. Please correct me in case I am wrong, but VST2 license has no time limit. So hosts and plug-ins developers which have it can continue supporting VST2, including developing new VST2 plug-ins. One topic which is less discussed is that my last statement is already wrong for VST3! In VST3 license there are special parts targeting exactly that question (Steinberg has learned the lesson...). Effectively in case Steinberg introduce VST4 (VST 3.99, VST 5, etc.), they can enforce all developers stop develop VST3 (except bug fixing existing plug-ins). So, as I have mentioned in another thread, I hope VST3 days are numbered. Users and developers should finally realize they are owned without benefits...

When your new "product" is so bad that no one want it... normally it is a good idea to (a) make your new product better (b) make completely different new product. Steinberg decision: "When our new "product" is so bad that no one want it... we will force everyone discontinue old product". That is the story of VST2 -> VST3. They have first declared VST2 "obsolete" (long time ago). Then they forbid new developers write VST2 (since 2018). They drop support in own DAWs now. Well... I hope as the result people just switch from Cubase. And I hope other DAWs developers switch from VST to something else (on Windows). In fact only tiny code in one framework should be written, in case Juce support something else on Windows, VST3 will die. Just some "highlights" of VST3: no MIDI 1.0, many parts require terrible workarounds and since not documented well can fail in particular DAWs; the documentation at many places doesn't match there own SDK; ABI is made in hope/luck/wish different compilers are compatible, they are at the moment, but no one ever has claimed they must be compatible and that level; bug fixing takes years, even for obvious bugs (several lines of the code, with bugs almost in every line, was not touched for... 2 years after detailed report). BTW "gray" licensed VST2, fortunately allowed by EU rules, can have own life apart from Steinberg. Simple, well documented and without any special assumptions, that was great invention. The same with ASIO. So technically brilliant ideas, made far from perfect just by bad licenses...

The explanation for the error I have given there: Microsoft can't fix that. In Windows Device manager, set option "show hidden devices" and cleanup unused MIDI ports (if any). Every time you connect keyboard to different USB port, the system think is is "new" (the consequence of USB MIDI standard, unique identifier is not foreseen and so there is no way to match "old" to "new"). Keep Device manager open and visible. Do you see periodical "updated" of the tree? That normally indicate some device is reconnected. Happens when the cable or USB socket on device is unstable. I had that with several devices, especially with portable MIDI keyboards since you normally continuously move them and so move the cable and the socket. Note that Cakewalk doesn't like "on the fly" reconnection more than some other software, also it can react unexpected when that happens with any device, stable keyboard can glitch when other is reconnecting.

Since I don't have the device, I can't tell what exactly M-Audio is emulating in Mackie mode. They also don't write that in the documentation. With one fader and 8 knobs it is hard emulate 9 faders and 8 encoders, not to say around 100 physical buttons, jogger, etc. That is why I have written "more or less" work, just the way M-Audio has foreseen. BTW close to the same functionality you will get in many other daws in which this controller works as Mackie (f.e. REAPER and Cubase). Just from photos it is clear that this controller is Ableton oriented. No wonder it gives most it can when used there, out of the box. MIDI learn technic is good to use with instrument plug-ins. Most of them support such learning. Also changes will be recorded into MIDI items and edited as CCs. "Universal" plug-ins control, including FXes, use "ACT Dynamic mapping" approach. It exists and works well, once configured right. You can try it if you try "Generic Surface" approach mentioned later. There are long living related bugs, you will need "AZ ACT Fix" utility to use it in practice (some people claim they can use it without... my mapping file was always broken after a while, so without that utility I had no joy). For DAW controlling, some (more smart then MIDI learn) integration should be used. If Mackie mode will be "no go" for you, the next bet is Generic Surface. For that you will have to learn more (under 1 hour for reading M-Audio documentation), to make DAW mode on M-Audio not try emulate Mackie and send simple CCs to DAW port instead (any... just different for different controls). "MIDI learning" inside Generic Surface is then as easy as in VSTi - select parameter, click "Learn", press/turn control, repeat for other controls. I don't recommend "ACT MIDI" for that device, that plug-in is strictly 8+1 buttons and 8+8 continuous controls oriented. Your 8+1 continuous controls + 8 buttons + 16 pads do not "fit" into it (multiple "ACT MIDI" instances, suggested by some people, is looking for troubles). If you need the "next level" (so you find Mackie and Generic Surface insufficient), you will need AZ Controller. But that is more then an hour time investment...

Cakewalk supports a lot of staff, including DAW control and plug-ins control. Normally it is up to hardware producer to integrate with Cakewalk (you pay them, not Cakewalk). M Audio does not (as well as all other producers). Making the device more or less work with Cakewalk takes about 1 minute. F.e. see my post in mentioned thread. Could M Audio at least write that in documentation? Yes, they could. But they have not. Are lengthy changes of setting mentioned in the thread required? Not really. But some people like hard ways. Finally, are there some reasons to take "hard ways"? Yes. If you don't like what and how is controlled by default, you can setup it the way it does what you want (from available in Cakewalk features). But that requires background in MIDI and surfaces, as well as time. But primary factor is the wish to accomplish the task. In most cases with Cakewalk and surface, it ends with "I wish someone else has done that already...".

Check your Firewire card is working. In Windows Device Manager check it is found, has drivers installed and currently has no problem (without drivers you will not find it, but there will be some "unknown device"). Or just try to reinstall related drivers.

If you want a bit more from the controller in Cakewalk, try: https://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,393.0.html You will need install AZ Controller for that (there are instructions/videos/etc.) and find out which mode AKAI should be set into (Bitwig can be incorrect). I no longer know what the preset does, but from quick checking you will have transport, volume/pan/mute/solo/rec and a possibility to use ACT Dynamic mapping (plug-in control), some button should switch between modes...

Taking into account a possibility to make the interface almost unrecognizable as REAPER (f.e. https://ultraschall.fm/ ), own (open source) and quite genius approach for basic multi-platform (and accessible, unlike in other DAWs...) GUI and own (not open source) working space GUI engine, I don't know why you think "they" have no interest for UI. And when you write "they" and what "they" push, you better check the complete list with names and related comments at https://www.cockos.com/team.php I mean many things "they" "push" should be interpreted with some sense of humor ? BTW many decisions was driven by technical part, far from easy to understand for non-programmers, but possible to follow with sufficient effort ("they" also answer on related questions, when asked correctly, the question make sense and the explanation is way smaller then a book...) https://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,406.0.html describe some differences in approach, what is converted, how and why.

From your own published pictures, the noise profile is NOT the same. There is no 660Hz pike and in 24bit mode (which Behringer doesn't have) the profile is way lower (when pre-amp is off). From where the profile comes, I have already explained (see signal picture on previous page), including why for 24bit it is lower. The only topics which are not covered yet is why it looks like you see it (in this plug-in) and why it is different (higher) when pre-amp is used (even in 24bits): converting "jumps" (and 1 bit jumps are still jumps) into frequency domain is done by approximation using continuous sin waves. How it looks like you can fine elsewhere (the topic is well covered in the Internet), important is that (a) such jumps need all (infinitely high) frequency for perfect approximation (b) not perfect approximation (we have frequency limit (Nyquist), strictly related to the sampling rate) has some oscillations around jump (c) these oscillations have frequency dependent absolute amplitude, which bring approximated signer higher then original. And so, strictly -96dB level in the original signal (the lowest bit in 16bits) produce slowly rising up to -72dB frequency spectrum (at least in this plug-in) pre-amp is there to significantly amplify the source. Up to +60dB. So, in case your input (connector + whatever wires till pre-amp) has SNR -120dB (which is rather low), you amplify this noise up to -60dB. Even when nothing is connected to the input, it (depends from electronics) can receive external noise. Connect one wire of 1m, and you have perfect "antenna" to collect all waves around (approximately the same happens when you connect e-guitar). There are many factors which influence that (the quality of wires, shielding, "connected" to the wire "human body", etc.). But there is some noise, always. Note that interfaces differ not only in basic digital noise but also in many other characteristics, some of them have good visual representation (check deep audio interfaces reviews), other are simpler notice by recorded/played sound (in direct comparison).

The device will not do anything in Cakewalk out of the box. With Cakewalk standard surface plug-ins you can get partial functionality, like transport, but it will be rather limited (no LEDs, touch sensitive motorized fader will work as dummy fader, etc.). If you install AZ Controller and use mentioned preset for it, the device will have reasonable functionality in Cakewalk (and with some effort you can adjust/extend it).

Faderport V2 is not supporting Cakewalk officially (unlike old Faderport). But there is solution: https://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,444.0.html

I am not a big fun of Cakewalk online documentation, so I prefer (big) PDF documentation: https://bandlab.github.io/cakewalk/docs/Cakewalk Reference Guide.pdf Starting page 1388. There is no explicit comparison there, so in short: Mackie has fixed functionality. Your device doesn't have sufficient controls to imitate complete MCU. As the consequence, things will probably work not the way you like and you can't change that. ACT MIDI supports 16 continuous controls (faders or knobs) and 8+1 buttons (the last one is "shift"). That is its primary limitation (in case you need more controls). It is relatively flexible in assigning, but you have to do this yourself (no pre-defined functionality). No feedback (no LEDs). Generic surface supports unlimited number of physical controls, but unlike ACT MIDI it has not "banks". So physical control will do one thing (till you use banks on device level) AZ Controller supports almost everything possible for Surfaces in Cakewalk. But it is more difficult to configure compare to other (till someone upload ready to use preset for particular device, I don't think that exist for the moment).

Use Cubase mode on keyboard and 'Mackie control' surface in Cakewalk. In 'Mackie control' configuration, set "Disable handshake" option. Do not insert "ACT" (nor any other) surface plug-ins (so, there should be exactly one 'Mackie control'). Enable one pair of input+output which you think is DAW control. Based on your text "Mackie" (other write MIDIIN3/MIDIOUT3) and assign these to 'Mackie control'. Check transport is working. Enable primary MIDI input, the one which transfer keys, so you can play soft-synth. PS There can be difference in resulting functionality, but transport and faders will work the same way in case any Mackie mode is selected on keyboard. But it should be some Mackie mode. Cubase and REAPER are Mackie modes. Other not sure (and some for sure not). PSPS There are other approaches to use this device with Cakewalk. And there are some advantages and disadvantages of these approaches. That is no "one consistent way", there are "many consistent ways"! But watch out... some suggestions in this thread are not really consistent...

Cakewalk can work with Mackie or HUI (both with standard "Mackie control" surface plug-in, check that plug-in configuration dialog). Note that original Mackie/HUI has completely different type of knobs, control 8+1 strip and has more buttons then your controller (including all piano keys...). So it can happened you are better served by ACT MIDI or Generic surface. If you still can't configure everything the way you like, there is AZ Controller (not a part of Cakewalk, should be installed separately). In all cases, reading the documentation from M-Audio (for your device) and Cakewalk (how to use particular plug-in) is recommended.

2i2 has 2 big advantages in comparison with UMC22: in can record in 24 bits. Not that its SNR is really on the level of 24bits (-144dB), in fact best interfaces have it not lower then 20bits. But artifacts from 16bit interface are significantly higher, you will have to keep your gain as high as possible to minimize it and that is looking for troubles till you have (analog) limiter on input. ASIO allows lower latency and it is reported correctly. If you plan to use soft-amps, you would like lower latency.

But does is start during the first count-in measure or at 4th count-in measure? In other words, does the time (absolute) between count-in start and device start depends from the count-in (absolute) length or not?

With gain all the way up, that noise level is in fact great (even for middle range interfaces of the same age). I have just re-measured one of my interfaces, with the same plug-in it hit -48dB at 20kHz with full gain (well... not sure gain ranges are comparable). What I have not realized before in that UMC22 is 16bit interface. For 16bit signal the profile you see (except 660Hz pike) is almost the best you can get. If you look at real samples, you will see something like: So, least significant bit is flipping. When "converted" to frequency domain, you get the profile you see. When you record in 24bit, least significant bit has smaller amplitude. So overall profile is lower. But switching to 16bit (on the same interface) produce the same level as yours. Fazit: change interface to 24bit capable one if you want lower noise profile. Note that is not a claim you really need lower profile.

Was your Gain knob all the way left or not? In other words, is pre-amp working? The pattern (continuous increase) is normal. A bit more at 50/60Hz is also fine. 660Hz can be your setup specific (or interface specific... I don't have this model). In any case, if your Gain knob is all the way right (max possible amplification), with disconnected input -72dB is better then usual for middle-range interfaces (sure, that is also max gain value dependent). If you get it with Gain all the way left, that is too high noise level for middle-range interfaces. But (a) this interface is entry level, (b) -72dB is not bad for home studio (c) guitar produce way more noise (especially entry level guitars).