Main volume midi control

[Phil Methot]

For Sonar Cakewalk users, what do you do to assign a midi master volume when  you are using 8 sliders for tracks, and there is no 9th slider available to assign in ACT.  I know I can go to a different bank, but then isn't it just faster in this case to use the mouse?

[57Gregy]

I use my keyboard volume knob or the mixer volume knob the keyboard is plugged into.

[Bonzos Ghost]

Expression pedal - if you're not using it for anything else, or assign volume to another knob on your controller if you have a knob available you're not using for anything.

[Wookiee]

You can program MIDI CC to any controller outside of an ACT configuration. 

[Amberwolf]

On 11/23/2025 at 11:59 AM, Phil Methot said:

For Sonar Cakewalk users, what do you do to assign a midi master volume when  you are using 8 sliders for tracks, and there is no 9th slider available to assign in ACT.  I know I can go to a different bank, but then isn't it just faster in this case to use the mouse?

do you have a separate (not used for act) external midi control device with a slider or knob you want to use for this?

 

if so, make sure that device is setup to send midi to sonar, and make sure sonar can receive it.   and make sure you don't care if that device's control youre going to use gets recorded on midi tracks when you use it.

 

then you can right click on the master volume control you want to move wiht that, and choose remote control, and then the learn button. once learn is done then that external control can control that mvc. 

[azslow3]

On 11/23/2025 at 7:59 PM, Phil Methot said:

For Sonar Cakewalk users, what do you do to assign a midi master volume when  you are using 8 sliders for tracks, and there is no 9th slider available to assign in ACT.  I know I can go to a different bank, but then isn't it just faster in this case to use the mouse?

If you mean  using "ACT MIDI Controller" Surface plug-in for 9 physical sliders...

The best options is switch to (non standard) AZ Controller Surface plug-in. It has no limitations in the number of sliders nor what all controls do.

Alternatively:

If you do not assign 8 knobs, you can assign 9th slider as "a knob" and configure it to do something. But "ACT MIDI Controller" is strictly for 16 continuous controls (sliders or knobs) and 8 + 1 buttons ("+1" is for "shift" button). Switching "banks" change what physical controls do, that doesn't allow use more physical controls.

You can use 9 device sliders for 9 tracks, with  (standard) "Generic Surface" plug-in.

In case you record MIDI / use Soft synth / route MIDI to guitar effects: do NOT use previously suggested "Remote control" and do NOT try to use 2 Surface plug-ins with one device. Assigned MIDI messages for "Remote control" and assigned in one of surface plug-ins controls with "leak" to all MIDI tracks set to Omni input, potentially triggering almost impossible to spot "side effects". If you work exclusively with audio, "Remote control" and 2 Surface plug-ins can be used (no MIDI tracks to "leak into").

If your device support re-configuration and represent itself as several MIDI devices, you can configure some control on different MIDI device and use more then one Surface plug-in.