APC40 madness...losing functionality one button at a time!!

[moxie38]

Hello all
Hey, I'm having a lot of problems with the APC40 glitching out on me and I don't even know what to begin to search.
Essentially, any project I build I can pretty much guarantee the APC40 will start losing functionality for multiple buttons,
or even stop controlling and just start triggering notes at some point fairly early on. I can understand my laptop (PC) getting wonky as I push it,
but the APC40 gives up too and then won't be fixed (for that set--new sets always start with full functionality).The APC40 starts wigging out and even if I strip things away and save the set as a different file
doesn't return functionality. incidentally, the usage bar generally reads 60%-70% at this point. Working hard, but not CRAZY hard.
Long story short, I generally have 6-8 Audio tracks and 2 midi. 2 or 3 of the audio tracks will have a looper(which seems to be the
real troublemaker for the APC). A couple of the audio tracks will have an effects rack with a couple chains for FX. The midi tracks
have 2 or three chains each. One has a couple different drum racks the other 2 or 3 synths(all Live stuff) like a wurli, an organ and
some screamy synth sound(usually Operator). All instrument or FX chains have their volumes mapped to the macro control, so I can mix and
match and play with FX live. I might get 60-100 loops or samples, but by this time
For instance:
1. I consistently loose the ability to use any of the grid buttons or solo/record/activator for track 1, no matter where I move the APC40 view.
No matter where I am in the grid, whatever the first track is there will be no lights or functionality for the grid buttons for that track.
2. The metronome button stops working
3. The clip/track button stops working
4. Buttons start triggering notes in my synths rather than controlling Live.
Right now I can't even build a set that I could use live, because the APC40 will crap out on me before it is complete and never return to full functionality for that specific set, forcing me to make a new one, which makes this thing a mildly amusing toy at best for me.
I'm hurting!!
Can anyone just point me in a direction towards a solution or an understanding of what's happening?
Cheers and thanks!

[AceLuby]

Do you have another MIDI controller?

This sounds similar to what happened to me when using the APC on old tracks that have other MIDI controllers assigned to do specific things.

What I learned is that each column of buttons sends on the APC sends its signal on that channel (ie track 1 = channel 1, track 2 = channel 2) and the rows typically send the same MIDI information, just on different channels.

Your problem seems like you have another controller on channel 1 and the functions you mapped w/ that controller are interfering w/ the APC.

[moxie38]

Thanks AceLuby!
That could be it! I do have the FCB1010 on channel 1, but i think it HAS to be channel 1 for Mackie Protocol to work. Am I misunderstanding that? Yikes..I NEED that footpedal. Anyone have any idea what to do about this specific problem now?
Thanks for the quick response

[moxie38]

@AceLuby,
The only thing i don't understand is that everything works fine for a while as I build the set. Maybe I'm imagining it, but the problems with track 1 seem to happen anytime I specifically try to use more than two instances of looper in a set...