AZSlow

Ok no problem, my memory is the same as yours especially in my daily job! I'll look into it in my free time and try to figure it out myself!
Thanks again,
Christian

Hello Christian,
Sorry to say, but I tend to completely forget what I was doing.
That happens even with tools which I have solely developed myself. One time Scott has asked about one utility.
I was sure I never had it, not even knew for what it is good. Till I have found the source code on my computer, which obviously was written by me. And related posts in the web, obviously written by me. lol.

ReaLearn is using normal Windows GUI, in range of Swell. I remember the order of elements in dialogs was bad. I also remember Microsoft tools a kind of forgot that is important. In recent for that time tools, it was almost impossible to re-order controls, so I have (probably) done that editing resource files. Also I remember some controls had no text labels or they was unreadable, for example arrows.

I am sure newer version is far from what it was 3 years ago, so that reordering has to be done from scratch again. I remember I had discussion with the author, but I don't remember on which platform and about what. Something about new ideas for GUI construction, but may be not.

That are the only bits from my memory about ReaLearn. Sorry.

Alexey.

Hello!
My name is Christian, I'm a new user and I already have noticed you are developing very interesting stuff, but I signed up because I read elsewhere that in the past (maybe 3 years ago?) you worked to make ReaLearn accessible. Can you tell me more about it?
At the moment I can use it with NVDA object navigation and, as I am a software developer too, I was tempted to study the code, especially the UI part, to figure out what prevents it from being totally accessible.
What's strange is that the developer seems very collaborative and the UI engine seems a wrapper around standard old Windows API, but anyway the screen reader has no clue about where the focus is as soon as I press tab and I have to simulate mouse clicks to reach the controls; moreover, I still know nothing about Reaper internals but I have the impression that this Swell-UI is used also by stock plugins that I can normally use with NVDA and keyboard navigation.
I have also downloaded your realearn.dll, but I can't find the version number and the one I have installed at the moment is more recent for sure and has no file called "realearn.dll" and I don't know where to put it just to give it a try!
So I'm asking you: what was your experience in trying to make ReaLearn accessible?
Can something still be done or did you have to give up because it can't be improved any further?
Thanks!

Hi Alexey
I got another replay from Mark.

'It seems Alexey is correct. MIDI output messages are sent immediately, but incoming MIDI messages aren't processed until a project is loaded.

This may not be an issue in practice with Sonar: If you have the start screen set to show on startup, there's a hidden project open in the background which is used for previewing projects.

It might be worth Alexey testing with the free version of the latest Sonar, as the start up sequence has changed since X2 (which is now over 13 years old).'

So I tried setting the 'start screen' to show when Sonar is loaded and it does seem to switch on the incoming MIDI messages to AZ Controller, which is good.  I have asked Mark if incoming MIDI can be switched on by default when Sonar is loaded.  I do not like pop up 'splash' screens!

I have done about 50% of the work to update my AZ profiles based on the advice you have given me over the last week.  The results are very encouraging so far.  Much better control of MIDI message flow to and from AZ and my PICs.

I'll let you know how it works out when I've completed the updates.

Best regards
Robert

I have just checked with the latest Sonar. When there is no project:
* MIDI sending from Surface plug-ins is works
* MIDI receiving is NOT working, at least not in "Cakewalk ACT MIDI Controller"

Thanks Alexey
I'll go back to Mark with your update and see what he says.
Regards
Robert

Hi Robert,

I can't check Mackie Control now, but AZ Controller's MIDI processing (MidiInShortMsg callback) in not called till a project is loaded, at least in Sonar X2.

Cakewalk "ACT MIDI Controller" is also not receiving MIDI (can't "Learn...") till there is a project. Again, I have checked in X2 only.

Note that messages are "accumulated" by Sonar and delivered once project is loaded.

It can happened Sonar sends messages from plug-in to device. In that case Mackie device will "think" it is connected, even when what it sends is not really delivered. The only visible appearance in Mackie plug-in it has received handshake reply is the status "Connected". Does Mark really see that? I mean why he is sure there is bi-directional communication?

Alexey.

Hi Alexey

I got a reply back from Mark as follows:

'There's nothing stopping the control surface DLL sending MIDI out before a project is loaded. It'll be down to AZController to do this.

The Mackie Control for example sends/receives sysex if handshake is not disabled. This is sent when the MackieControl.dll is first opened when Sonar first starts up.'

I am not having any problems getting AZ Controller to output MIDI feedback message when Sonar is loaded but before a project is loaded.  The issue is that AZ Controller does not seem to receive any MIDI messages until a project is loaded.

Mark is indicating that Mackie Control is both sending and receiving MIDI, providing handshake is not disabled.

Let me know if this helps at all or whether I should go back to Mark with further questions.

Best regards
Robert

Hi Alexey
Thanks for information.
I'll contact Mark.
Regards
Robert

Hi, just wanted to add:

I used the instructions from the Cakewalk link that azslow has posted above to install the VS-700 I/O & Console on Windows 11.

They worked fine, with one extra thing I had to do (that wasn't needed on W10), it requires the 'Core Isolation/Memory Integrity' feature to be disabled before installing.

The other thing is that it took a long time for the process to finish, maybe 40 minutes, don't know why, but it did eventually finish successfully.