HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

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DavidStars
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HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

Post by DavidStars » Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:25 pm

So I have Ableton Live 9 and am trying to use an M-Audio Keystudio 49 with it. However, every time I plug the keyboard into the computer, it'll work for a little while and then randomly stop receiving midi. The lights will still be lit up on the keyboard showing that it's still plugged in, but I won't get any midi signal out of it. I don't think it's the keyboard because I use to have a Novation Launchkey and it would give me the same problem. Sometimes it'll cut off before I can even get the chance to record my ideas. It normally won't receive my midi signals for longer than 5 minutes, which makes me have to unplug and reinsert the usb cable to get it to receive midi only for it to do it again. This COMPLETELY destroys my workflow and has been keeping me from getting work done. :( When it works correctly, I see the midi indicator in the top right corner light up, but out of nowhere, it'll stop and won't receive any midi or light up. I'm pretty sure I have everything correctly set up but I included a screenshot if someone can possibly give me some insight. And yes, I do have the tracks armed.

My computer is an early 2011 Macbook Pro with 2.3GHz i5 processor, 8GB ram, 500GB HDD. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.


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beats me
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Re: HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

Post by beats me » Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:02 pm

Have you tried a different USB cable and plugging it into a different USB port?

slatepipe
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Re: HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

Post by slatepipe » Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:39 pm

i dont know about macs but on windows there's a setting in the usb properties to turn off the usb device to preserve power. i make sure this setting is deselected with my midi devices. is there something similar on macs? just an idea....

DavidStars
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Re: HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

Post by DavidStars » Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:15 am

beats me wrote:Have you tried a different USB cable and plugging it into a different USB port?
I haven't tried using a different USB cable, but I did try switching between the two ports on my computer and it didn't work. Do you think having a powered USB hub could give me different results? It was one idea I had that I thought of trying.

DavidStars
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Re: HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

Post by DavidStars » Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:17 am

slatepipe wrote:i dont know about macs but on windows there's a setting in the usb properties to turn off the usb device to preserve power. i make sure this setting is deselected with my midi devices. is there something similar on macs? just an idea....
I haven't found anything similar on Macs. The weird thing is that the lights on my keyboard will be still be lit even when my computer stops receiving midi signals from it. I'd assume that the keyboard is still being powered since the lights are on, but idk...

slatepipe
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Re: HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

Post by slatepipe » Thu Mar 20, 2014 3:47 pm

dunno - if your keyboard can run off mains power then maybe try that instead of letting it suck power from your computer down the usb? I bought a mains adapter for my uc33e as I found that occasionally it would drop out and stop sending/receiving midi. it was only a few quid from ebay and I figured it would help. it's been fine since

moonpie
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Re: HELPPPPPP!!! Midi keyboard stops sending midi?

Post by moonpie » Thu Mar 20, 2014 4:49 pm

Ive had this prob with a maudio axiom before. Basically - its definitely the usb port - its not supplying enough or consistent power to the keyboard. (It can also be affected by other things connected.)

3 things to try -

Not all usb ports are equal on a laptop/computer. I know its true with macbooks - basically some can provide more power (or are more consistent) than others. Its worth experimenting with different ports.

Try it with a powered usb hub. Itll narrow down the prob.

Buy a plug for your keyboard. Itll stop depending on the usb power supply

Speaking from experience - Powering from usb ports on a laptop isnt all that stable (not enough for a gig anyways unless youre super confident.) The best 'rugged' live way to go in my opinion is midi cables + power plug.

I actually ended up selling my axiom because of this problem. Youll eventually have hardware that will all work together, but you can have these super annoying moments.

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