Very frustrated with the APC20 all of the sudden.

[The Carpet Cleaner]

Something I learned recently on PC, as long as the controller is working when you start up Live you just have to re-'Track' it in the MIDI settings to get it working again after loosing connection.

If by this you mean deactivating and reactivating the "track" buttons in the midi preferences... for me it didn't work. That was the first thing I thought of when the APC20 stopped working for me on stage.

And no, I'm never getting a mac.

Instead, I was lucky to have a buddy that wanted to sell his X1 so I traded him my APC20 for his X1 and I have to say, I'm blown away... Traktor and X1 is all I really need for playing live. Some people may disagree, because their routine and needs might be different, but for me, it's never been easier and more fun to mix tracks that it is now. Also hot-plugable means I can fool about and disconnect and reconnect the X1 during my gigs just to see all those pretty lights and for lols.

and same story for NI audio interfaces, hot plug n play!!

[Tone Deft]

pulled the USB on my APC40, put it back in, tried the 're-enable track' trick above, didn't work.

[Da hand]

pulled the USB on my APC40, put it back in, tried the 're-enable track' trick above, didn't work.

Hmmm, that is not good news. I was looking into buying the APC40. The trick works on my Evolution UC-17.

[Tone Deft]

with all the features the APC has I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor. tie the cables down with:



pulling cables out while you're working or performing shouldn't be an issue.

stupid car analogy...
not getting an APC due to this is like not buying a car because it doesn't start when your seatbelt isn't on. put on your freaking seatbelt. my $0.02, I don't actually know you, how you work or any of that. an APC is a no-brainer companion to Live. buy one from a store that allows 30 day returns.


/APC fanboi

[Da hand]

Well, you are right in one sense, that it may not be a deciding issue, as the APC40 looks pretty sweet for other reasons.

Just to clarify, though, the issue for me is not pulling out USB cables during my set - I obviously do not need to do that - but rather USB ports which loose power momentarily (this happens rarely, but it did at some venues I have played where the power supply was not the most stable), leaving me without a controller, which most of my "control" is based around.

Now for a DJ set this is not the end of the world, as I go out into a DJ mixer on two channels anyway, so I can still use the EQs and filters of the mixer. But for a live set - i.e. playing my own songs broken up into synths, clips, etc - and for which the APC40 would be used - this would be a problem. I would have to find a way to make sure that the USB port the APC40 is plugged into never looses power for any reason.

[hijo de la pula]

pulled the USB on my APC40, put it back in, tried the 're-enable track' trick above, didn't work.

Because it doesn't work like this...

[Tone Deft]

pulled the USB on my APC40, put it back in, tried the 're-enable track' trick above, didn't work.

Because it doesn't work like this...

it's not 'it' it's all devices running on winblows. I don't buy that this works with an Evolution UC-17.

[hijo de la pula]

pulled the USB on my APC40, put it back in, tried the 're-enable track' trick above, didn't work.

Because it doesn't work like this...

it's not 'it' it's all devices running on winblows. I don't buy that this works with an Evolution UC-17.

But but but... the x1. And probably all NI controllers and probably lots more which you can unplug and plug back without stopping music to restart your software.

[Da hand]

I don't buy that this works with an Evolution UC-17.

Lol. Now why would I lie about that? I did the test before posting and it works on the UC-17 (technically I have the X-Session, but it is regarded as the same thing - see pic below). That is why I am surprised that this does not work with your APC40. I guess I will have to test the trick with an APC40 on my laptop to see if it's an issue here as well.

[H20nly]

^ does the APC 40 have drivers? i believe it uses a generic (or onboard/firmware) set because it is ultimately controlled by the DAW (Live).

if the Evolution has its own drivers then that could be the reason why it still works... BUT the real question is... if you unplug it from 1 port... then plug it into an different port (not on the same hub ffs) will it still work? doubtful.

the USB ports on a Mac are the only reason that a Mac is better IMO. everything else is preference or a result of isolationism on the part of the fruit vendor.

[cpyatak]

You said that the club where you were playing has power issues and that a momentary loss of power was the cause of the disconnect. My question for you is, were you powering the APC 20 through a USB hub with it's own power source, or was this supposed to be USB powered through your computer?

Sorry if this seems like a stupid question or a forehead slapping situation.

But I always try to run my PRIMARY USB midi controllers direct into the computer. Ostensibly the power supply from your laptop's battery should make up for the momentary loss of power from the clubs whack internal electrical issues... which would not be the case if you were running the APC20 through an independently powered USB hub.

In any case, glad you're enjoying your new toy.

Chris

[Tone Deft]

I don't buy that this works with an Evolution UC-17.

Lol. Now why would I lie about that?

I was wondering the same thing. on my end I've been reading on here for years and years about windows and removing USB devices mid-set requires that the user has to re-launch Live. YEARS. I've repeated the same info as it's the only real main difference between Mac and PC when it comes to using Live.

I absolutely don't think you're lying, I'm just really surprised. those UCs have been around for years and this is the first time a UC user has spoken up about this. I wonder what other devices survive getting their USB cables pulled.



H2O - interesting points.

[Da hand]

I was wondering the same thing. on my end I've been reading on here for years and years about windows and removing USB devices mid-set requires that the user has to re-launch Live. YEARS. I've repeated the same info as it's the only real main difference between Mac and PC when it comes to using Live.

I absolutely don't think you're lying, I'm just really surprised. those UCs have been around for years and this is the first time a UC user has spoken up about this. I wonder what other devices survive getting their USB cables pulled.

I hear ya! I never heard of the "re-enabling in preferences trick for PC" before the last few days when it was posted in another thread. For YEARS, before the lest few days, if my UC-17 lost the connection with LIVE I was forced with the decision of either restarting Live or not using the controller and going all ninja with my mouse.

This new trick is going to change things considerably for me. I guess the next step is to figure out why it works for some people and not for others.

Ok so I have tested things on two PCs now. No Evolution drivers were installed on either of the PCs. The controller is powered only through the USB port. I have found the following:

1. You have to plug the controller back into the same USB port - switching to a different port doesn't work
2. You have to turn off and on EXACTLY THE SAME SETTINGS you had on in your MIDI preferences for your MIDI controller Input before it got disconnected. For example, if you had Track and Remote on, you have to turn them both off and then on. If you only had Remote on, you only need to do it for Remote. If you had all three on, you have to do it for all three. Simply turning Remote off and on when other choices are on will not work.

[H20nly]

1. You have to plug the controller back into the same USB port - switching to a different port doesn't work

that's what i suspected you would say. some devices (like my Akai MDP24) will even want to reinstall the drivers (from firmware) when you change ports. pain in the ass if you move your PC and/or desk around and then plug in your MIDI controllers to "new" ports > install > OK > Next > install > OK > next...

hubs take away the pain - as long as you remember where they were plugged in

*hats off* to Apple for their USB any time anywhere trick... i was expecting that discrepancy to end with Windows 7.

[cpyatak]

1. You have to plug the controller back into the same USB port - switching to a different port doesn't work

that's what i suspected you would say. some devices (like my Akai MDP24) will even want to reinstall the drivers (from firmware) when you change ports. pain in the ass if you move your PC and/or desk around and then plug in your MIDI controllers to "new" ports > install > OK > Next > install > OK > next...

hubs take away the pain - as long as you remember where they were plugged in

*hats off* to Apple for their USB any time anywhere trick... i was expecting that discrepancy to end with Windows 7.

That is a pain in the ass. At one point I decided to plug each of my devices into each of the USB ports, to make sure they were "installed" every which way. In general I just try to keep track of where everything gets plugged in, but sometimes... meh.

Do you find that you get any latency issues when going through a hub? I've always found that to be a problem even with ASIO and a USB 2 hub. As I said before I always try to go direct into the computer at least with my primary controller (ReMOTE 61SL)

Chris