TM-D1000 as transport control for Sonar

[C. Anthony]

Just sort of figured this out and thought I'd post because I could find NOTHING germane on the net about this.

After you make your MIDI connections and set parameters according to TMD1000 manual instructions, you MUST assign MMC as a control surface in Sonar (in my case Sonar 3.11). It is in the dropdown list [ OPTIONS - CONTROL SURFACES - MMC]. Until I did that last step I got no response whatsoever.
I don't have it working perfectly. I have a constant blinking "error - MMC - System not closed" on the mixer. I thought I closed the system ( MIDI In and MIDI OUT) but maybe it's because Sonar isn't transmitting right, or at all to the mixer.
Also it seems the MMC buttons on the mixer are arbitrary because any one of them will PLAY the tracks REW, F FWD,
STOP it doesn't seem to matter. I hit rewind and it rewinds AND starts playing back. I often have to press them more than once too. But it works.. a little, and that's better than nothing.
If anyone is using MMC on a Tascam TM-D1000 to run ANY software (not hardware) like Sonar, Cubase, anything, I would appreciate some pointers.
I'm trying to use the mixer in my recording room as a transport control for Sonar. The computer is in the next room.

Sonar 3.11
Sydec Mixtreme
Tascam TM-D1000
Generic (noisy) Athlon 1.33Ghz

 

[altitude909]

I gave up on it. The mmc is really not designed to be a transport control for a DAW and I could never quite get it to work right enough to be usable. If you are looking for a cheap transport control/ control surface, look for an old JLcooper CS-10 that was made for a Mac (the RS422 ones), they sell dirt cheap (I got mine for $25) since no one uses RS422 anymore. The current ones sell for $560 btw. The trick is that you can get an old mac rs422 midi interface (mine was $7), connect it to the CS-10 and Violia! now it has midi!

 

[C. Anthony]

I really appreciate the answer. I do have a Mac (bought used on ebay and no software for it) but since I use Sonar as my DAW software and it's Windows only...
I'm trying to use my existing equipment and get max use out of it before I think about buying more. I already could open my own used music store with all the crap I have here. Yeah there's pretty cheap control surfaces that come with Cubase LE fore the Mac but I want to make music with the stuff I already have. I'm trying NOT to cut holes in my walls for wallplates ($$) and trying not to run too many cables in through the door between the sound room and the control room. My plan was to have the Tascam in the sound room running TDIF & MIDI cables (thru a crack in the door) to the computer and Mixtreme card. All mics and keyboards and guitars in the sound room would be plugged directly into the TMD1000. But thanks anyway for the reply. I didn't think I'd get one.

 

[~Maxx]

I realize this thread is ancient, but I just had to reply...

First of all, thank you so much! I've been struggling with this exact issue for two days. Who knew it was so simple? My transport controls are working fine (so far), including rec. arm and locate.

Second - I'd like to add a bit of my own wisdom by addressing one of the OP's issues...

I have a constant blinking "error - MMC - System not closed" on the mixer. I thought I closed the system ( MIDI In and MIDI OUT) but maybe it's because Sonar isn't transmitting right, or at all to the mixer.

According to my MIDI interface Sonar is not sending data back to the mixer for some reason. In order to get rid of the error message on the mixer you have to set the mixer to "open-loop" communication. The following is taken directly from the TM-D1000 user manual...

To use the TM-D1000 with MIDI Machine Control,
you have the choice of a closed-loop (where the controlled
device is constantly informing the TM-D1000
of its status) or an open-loop system, which may be
regarded as a “command and forget” system.
You should consult the documentation of your device
to discover which method is more appropriate for
your system.

The connections for these are made in the following
way:

A closed-loop system should be connected with the
TM-D1000’s MIDI OUT connected to the MIDI IN
of the remote device, and the remote device’s MIDI
OUT connected to the TM-D1000’s MIDI IN.

An open-loop system needs the TM-D1000’s MIDI
OUT connected to the remote device’s MIDI IN.

To choose the software setting appropriate to your
configuration:

1. Press and hold down the SHIFT key and press
the OPTION key.

2. Turn the DATA ENTRY knob until the bottom
line of the display shows MIDI, and then
press ENTER:

3. Turn the DATA ENTRY knob until the bottom
line shows MMC Communication,
and press ENTER:

4. Turn the DATA ENTRY knob to choose
between Closed-loop and Open-loop,
and press ENTER to confirm your
choice.

If you select the closed-loop option, and the
MIDI setup is not correctly connected, a message
will appear on the display to warn you of this.

Operating Tip:

You can “lock” the SHIFT key into transport
control mode (similar to a SHIFT LOCK or
CAPS LOCK key on a keyboard) by pressing
it twice in quick succession (similar to a
mouse double-click). The LOCK indicator by
the SHIFT key lights to remind you of the current
status.

Hopefully this is helpful to someone. Thanks again!

EDIT: It seems that the mute and solo functions are not operating. So if anyone has any suggestions I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks!