Creating additional devices/ports by adding external devices

[Dirk C]

I've connected a Novation Launchkey to my PC using a USB-port. Next day I've connected the same device to another USB-port.
Normally Ableton Live recognises this device and nothing should be done.

When I looked at the MIDI settings this strange thing happened: Ableton Live seems to add additional ports in the list of devices.
As MIDI Input I see "Launchkey MIDI#3" and "Launchkey MIDI#3 (Port 2)"

First of all: what mean the "#3" and why 2 Ports?

[jestermgee]

In regards to #3

When you connect a device to a USB port the PC installs drivers for the port which you often see as the message "Setting up .......". If you connect the device to different USB ports you can end up with duplicate drivers for each port so that is possibly what that is.

In regards to (Port 2)
With some MIDI gear there is a separate MIDI In/Out port available that appears as a second MIDI port you can send/receive MIDI signals from. I note tho that there is no additional physical port on the Launchkey so that extra port may be to do with host integration (like Komplete Kontrol has a "DAW" port for the transport and daw functions separate from the midi port). Could be some kind of secondary function port. Possibly explained in the manual.

[Dirk C]

Thanks for the quick answer! Is there a way "to clean" the obsolete ports? is there a SW to do that?

[TLW]

It’s been a while since I used Windows so I’m a bit rusty, but there's a setting in Device Manager that shows not just the devices that are present but also “ghost” devices which aren’t connected at the moment but have been. Windows seems to have a habit of adding in “ghost” MIDI devices when you use different USB sockets to connect the same thing, like it hasn’t realised the device is something it already knows about so installs a fresh copy of the driver.

If you’re using a version of Windows that has a limit to the number of MIDI devices it can handle these “ghosts” count towards the total so can reduce the number of MIDI devices you can successfully connect.

If you get Device Manager to show you all the devices it knows about/has drivers loaded for you can delete the “ghosts” like any other hardware driver.

[Dirk C]

I've done it and there is an option to make invisible "ghost" appear and delete them. Thanks for the tip!

[TLW]

No problem. Glad it worked.