Mackie Control compatible controller with jumping random values for "pan"

[Hermu]

with my low cost Mackie Control compatible MIDI controller (iCON iControls) i have a random value jumping problem for Pan.
if i load a project with this MIDI controller, in most cases pan values are changed to random values and after moving or touch any controller, some pan values will be changed automaticly although no pan value was changed.

iCON iControls without motorfader works with IQP (Mackie Control variation):
Pan: e1..e8
e1: MidiOX CC="B0 10 41" move rotary to left and CC="B0 10 01" move rotary to right
:
e8: MidiOX CC="B0 17 41" move rotary to left and CC="B0 17 01" move rotary to right

how can i stop this pan update with wrong values?

[azslow3]

If you use my plug-in, it only change something in response to incoming MIDI signals. If that is pan, for some reason it becomes "pan" signal on input. So you should find when and why it send it (last saved "total recall"?). We can think how to avoid it then.

[Hermu]

i have tested now only with button next track and previous track:

MIDI-OX:
only next track and previous track buttons logged -> see iControlsNextPrevTrack.jpg

AZ-Controller:
button next Track -> iControlsNextTrack2.jpg - that should be all, but sometimes comes one ore more additional messages like this -> iControls1.jpg

in all this cases i have only pressed button next track

[azslow3]

So something is triggering CC20. It is too hard to believe that is happening inside my plug-in. I can imagine the following:

1) I send something to ICon and that is (by mistake or on purpose) looped back from it. In this case you should see it in MidiOX. But still I recommend you trace with MidiOX what I am sending to iCon, may be you see some correlation

2) Something inside Sonar is sending it. Check that iCon MIDI ports are not used on some tracks/VSTs (could happed when for example you load project without Keysboard attached, so Sonar ask for replacement and you have pressed "ok" to replace it with iCon port). Simplest test is to make a new project with many audio tracks only and test there.

3) You have some tool (MidiOx, Bom, etc) which inject that messages.

[Hermu]

I my additional test i have noticed, that all controller elements could be triggered and not only pan as visible in mixer.
On my PC only runs SONAR with connected iControls and i think there is no other impact.
there is no controller problem with Reason, Cubase and Studio One.

Can i create a new Mackie Control for my iControls, or to reduce it to my iControls functionality?
I have tried to reduce, but then SONAR was crashed.

[azslow3]

I have tried to reduce, but then SONAR was crashed.

Do you mean you have tried to remove some actions inside MCU preset and Sonar has crashed? I will appreciate in case you can reproduce that and describe why.

I dig my whole code to find either it can somehow put some MIDI event on input (like CC:20), but I do not see any hint it can happened. That does not mean it can not, may be I just can not find it. I have also tried just to trigger these "channel <>" events and see if something else appears in the Last Midi Event. No, nothing. Also during tests I was using TouchDAW and I have never seen anything strange. At least one person is using MCU preset with other device, and there was no reports he observe the problem.


There is one case when I see broken messages in my plug-in: if I use MIDI->USB with device connected, and under Linux only. That is not the plug-in fault, I was printing raw messages Sonar was sending me. But you say MIDIOx is not showing them. I have no ideas at the moment (but do you have AZ Controller as the only Control Surface plug-in or you have other?).

Creating complex preset as MCU is not an easy task.

[Hermu]

I have tried to reduce, but then SONAR was crashed.

Do you mean you have tried to remove some actions inside MCU preset and Sonar has crashed? I will appreciate in case you can reproduce that and describe why.

As i removed some actions (no fuctions) with connected iControls, SONAR mixer begins continues to change controller values, more and more till SONAR freezes.
Maybe i should not connect iControls?

I dig my whole code to find either it can somehow put some MIDI event on input (like CC:20), but I do not see any hint it can happened. That does not mean it can not, may be I just can not find it. I have also tried just to trigger these "channel <>" events and see if something else appears in the Last Midi Event. No, nothing. Also during tests I was using TouchDAW and I have never seen anything strange. At least one person is using MCU preset with other device, and there was no reports he observe the problem.


There is one case when I see broken messages in my plug-in: if I use MIDI->USB with device connected, and under Linux only. That is not the plug-in fault, I was printing raw messages Sonar was sending me. But you say MIDIOx is not showing them. I have no ideas at the moment (but do you have AZ Controller as the only Control Surface plug-in or you have other?).

Creating complex preset as MCU is not an easy task.

AZ Controller is my only Control Surface plug-in.

Maybe, there could be a timing or Controller buffer problem with iControls hardware ?
Because after SONAR crash, i must also reset my Controller.

[azslow3]

Sonar freeze after action removal can point to some "MIDI Loop" inside iControls or you have created the loop by removing actions...

So it is: Sonar -> Plug-in-> iControls ... if iControls send something back ... -> Plug-in -> Sonar -> Plug-in -> iControls.... x times... freeze.

StudioMix for example after you send fader value to it at some point return (other value!) back, which change value in Sonar, which is sent back to fader, etc. Not freezing just because there is some delay till it returns the value. But the process is endless.

Normal MCU is "smarter". But I am not so sure about iControls. You can start analyzing its reaction. Make empty preset with just one control for one fader (let say track volume 1, as in "Quick start" tutorial). Add Parameter Value monitor in which you send MIDI value back to the fader.
Without touching the control, change volume in Sonar. Do you see (apart from motor movement) some incoming messages from the fader? If yes, the device is not "smart". That is not a show stopper, but some modifications are required (in preset) to make it work correctly.

[Hermu]

Just managed 

Now i have a stable version without toggling values, reduced to full controller functionality.
I don't know what's the reason, but maybe you can find it -> iCON iControls.spp

But i have now one problem with the strip size, which should be 8 strips but only 1 is shown in Cakewalk mixer.

I don't know how can i set strip size to 8?

[azslow3]

You can set WAI with WAI command. Create some control (not attached to MIDI), and put "WAI 8 0 0, width only, initial" action in it. It will set WAI on preset load.

[Hermu]

Thanks, well done !