How to fast forward with Generic COntrol Surface.

  • Thread starter Thread starter rcktdg
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Do you mean the drivers or the UC-33 itself? Well I can't get the drivers to work properly!!! Admittedly mine is a UC-33 and yours a UC-16 and the Evolution Drivers seem to be applicable to both products. But we have two different results with these new drivers. So it may be that we need someone with a new UC-33 to try these new drivers themselves before any final verdict can be reached!
 
Yeah... the only complaint I have for the UC-16 is that the "4 programmable buttons" is just to load sets of controllers (like for the B4, Mix for Sonar, etc). They can't be programmed to send a MIDI-signal. That's why I hoped the numeric buttons could, but I think that's a longshot too...
 
I looked at both UC-33 and the UC-16. I liked the idea of faders rather than knobs but they are probably functionally about the same. A great toy Im sure you'll agree!
 
Damn right! The Hammond B4 has never been as much fun to play! :)
 
I have been really busy with work but the thread continues...

The thing about training the FFWD button is the way sonar interprets the signal. Apparently there are two commands sent, a down and an up for pressing and releasing the button on my DM24. To use the fast transport on the DM24 you have to push stop and play at the same time and then your direction of choice.

Rewind puts values of 0 and 0 in the on/off feilds of MIDI message interpretation. FFWD put a 0 and something like1628 in the on/off feilds. It also has some numbers in the Trigger field. If I knew what sonar wanted to see I might be able to maually enter the values.

I suppose cakewalk might have the answer but I thought someone else might have worked this out. I wonder if the sysex message of another control surface might have a clue in it.

Could anyone create a generic control surface using something that sonar supports and train the FFWD and RWD and then post the commands that sonar responds to or what format they might be in.

I have to admit I enjoy this kind of thing.

Cheers, RD
 
I don't see the problem clearly, I think...

As long as the DM 24 sends some kind of signal when you press the forward button, you should be able to use that signal to fast forward in Sonar.

Open up the Cakewalk Generic Surface plugin. At the bottom, select the Fast Forward. Now, click the learn button to the top right, and press the fast wordard key. Does anything happen?
 
Yeah, That's how I set up all my transport controls. For some reason FFWD wont configure in a way that makes it work. The LEARN button is not as predictable as you would think.
Click to expand...

I think he might have tried that without success.

Welcome back to your thread Rcktdg!!

My Questions to you would be as follows:-

Can you simulate the fast forward function by pressing the play key and training as if it were the fast forward key?

Are you using the default windows xp drivers?

Have you tried using Midi-Ox to see what control signals are being output from your DM24 when you press the Fast forward key?

I know this sounds a desperate move but I got a result with one transport key retraining by removing then reinserting the usb connection plug and then rehighlighting the midi input/output drivers in Sonar. Then retraining the duff key. This seemed to reinitialise everything! And it worked after that! I don't know if the DM24 uses USB tho!!!

Have you got latest drivers? V2.1
http://www.tascam.com/products/digital_mixers/dm24/downloads.php


I agree with what Moskus is saying. if you try to train the FF key and you get a change in the training dialogue then that indicates that Sonar has received a message. I think!
 
Last edited:
johnhoe said:
if you try to train the FF key and you get a change in the training dialogue then that indicates that Sonar has received a message. I think!
Click to expand...
Just press the FF-key on the DM24 and see if the left red ligth in the Sonar-box in the System Tray lights up. If it does, Sonar has received a MIDI Command (whatever), and use Johns method (Midi OX) to detect what message that is. Then you can configure Sonar... :)
 
I have trained Sonars' FFWD many times. I do get signal from the dm 24 that I see both in the form of a sysex message in a recorded midi track and the data fields of the generic control surface(GCS). As far as I can tell the type of data that sonar needs to see to FFWD is different than say STOP or PLAY.

When I trained the STOP button for instance, the only field in the GCS is "SysX Trigger F07F000601F7". PLAY is similar as well as RECORD. RWND is more complex.

I will post screen shots. Maybe this will explain better.

Thanks, RD
 

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It wouldn't let me attach these in a ZIP file so I post individually. Sorry.
 

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I must add that I have not tried to program another button to the FFWD command. At this point I think it has something to do with the values programmed in the On/Off fields.

I love this thing! My mixes are sounding better all the time.

Cheers, RD
 
I cant really understand why the MMC that is being produced by the DM24 is not recognised by Sonar. I have checked the Sysex bytes and they seem correct from your screen dumps.
according to my MMC reference page:-

http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tech/mmc.htm

I have found another thread on Audioforums where a DM24 user actually refers to controlling the DM24 transport with Sonar 2.1.

Try not using the transport functions on the DM to control Sonar via MMC. Don't use MMC. then see if the DM will slave to Sonar's MTC. Then to for transport control, just go to key bindings and bind the transport to a generic MIDI controller or whatever.
Click to expand...
 
When was first trying to get the tranposrt working I had sonar chasing smpte and generally it work. The chase time was a little annoying as it took a few seconds for sonar to catch up. I think I might have been on my way to MTC at one point but was diverted by the "open" loop MMC where the DM sends but receives nothing.

I will eventually have to figure something out because automation is not too far off as I work my way through the learning curve. Both Sonar and the DM24 are too powerful to leave the features of either out of the equation. I don't need them to be TOTALLY interactive but peacfully cooperative would be wonderful.

I think the on/off value is suspect because I have seen variation in those values when trying to get it to work depending on how long I might hold the button down while training.

Thanks,
RD
 
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