MIDI/USB moron needs help!

Question

Hi all
I am desperately struggling with Logic Pro 7 and hooking up MIDI/USB devices.
I have a Mackie Control Universal connected via an Edirol UM-2. I also have a Keystation 61es and an Akai MPD-16 that are hooked up by USB.
The problem is that, sometimes, the Mackie will start making keyboard noises, the keyboard will affect the transport, etc.
How do I troubleshoot this? The Edirol is installed fine in the Mac MIDI device set up. The Keyboard is plug-and-play.
I moved from Mac to PC last year and thought it would be near the end of device conflicts, etc. but I am confused and frustrated. Any help welcome!
Thanks.
Steve

Answer 1

I also removed the MIDI devices in MIDI Set Up. The MCU
immediately re-appeared in Logic and worked fine with
nothing else connected. It's connected to Out Port 1 and Input 1.
So "Port 1" is the MIDI ports on your Edirol audio interface? And the MCU is connected to this MIDI port both ways, and works fine. Ok, good so far.
In all posts, can we refer to the full name so we know what we are talking about? Ie "Edirol:Port 1".
Then I added, the keyboard, fine, no problem.
Ok, the keyboard, being a USB device, effectively sets up it's own MIDI port to send MIDI data into the computer (via USB). And that works fine. Presumably this sends on something like "Keystation:Port 1".
Then the MPD16 which appeared in the MIDI set up immediately.
Ok, again, this shoulod setup its own MIDI port. "MPD:Port 1"
Oddly, though, it wouldn't respond to the Test Setup, although the
Forget test setup, it's useless.
other two items do. It responded to plug-ins in Logic but with the
MPD and the Keystation, is it right that they both do the same
thing in terms of button presses? I.e., if I select one of the k
eyboard plug-ins, they both work - or should they somehow
be on different channels (if so, how?)?
Whoah! Slow down! Lets not get ahead of ourselves.
Assuming both devices are now connected and working, lets take a look at them. AFAIK, both devices are merely remote controllers - they basically send MIDI data into the computer.
So yes, if you hit a key on the keyboard, that sends a C1 note on (say) MIDI channel 1, it will be exactly the same as if you hit a pad on the MPD that sends a C1 note on channel 1. They are simply two ways of sending the same thing into Logic.
By default, Logic sums all MIDI data arriving into Logic, before sending it to the sequencer - Logic doesn't care if data is coming in from the MPD or the keyboard, it all looks the same. One exception is MIDI data on a MIDI port that Logic thinks is a control surface - this is handled separately from "regular" MIDI data.
This is fine so far. I'm trying to solve your MCU going crazy before teaching you how to best use your devices.
So at this point, everything, MCU included, is working fine?
So, yeah, I've had it working like this before and then,
suddenly, it all seems to ** up.
Ok, try and note when this happens. Maybe it's fine until you restart the computer, and then it goes t*ts up? Or maybe when you turn one device off and back on. If you can associate the problem with an action, that makes it easier to narrow in on the cause.
I must have something wrong in the chain in the MIDI setup
Well, if all you've done is what you say so far, then nothing seems wrong that I can see.
all devices say they are on Port 1 (e.g. Connectors for MPD - Midi in 1).
Again, "MPD:Port 1" is a separate MIDI port from "Edirol:Port 1" and "Keystation:Port 1". They are three separate MIDI ports that your computer sees, and Logic will have "Edirol:Port 1" reserved for the control surface, the MCU, so you should not put any further MIDI devices on that one - which you haven't anyway, so that is fine.
Oddly, the MPD has two options under Ports - MPD16 (internal)
and MPD16Private (internal). I don't know the difference.
Presumably, the manual will explain this. I would guess (it's quite common) that if the MPD has a MIDI IN socket on the unit, that it acts as a MIDI interface itself - so any MIDI events the MPD generates get sent to the computer (via USB) on an internal MIDI port, and any events sent by units connected the MIDI sockets on the MPD get sent on a sepate MIDI port.
(So you could feasibly connect the MCU via the MIDI IN and OUT on your MPD if it has both of those, but let's leave this alone for now.)
So in summary: you are doing everything correct that I can say, and everything is working good for now? Cool. Both USB MIDI devices are sending MIDI data in on their own ports, which is separate from the Edirol ports that the MCU is rigged up on. This is all rigged up correctly as far as I can see.
So, watch out for when/if things go wrong, and make note of what you were doing just beforehand, and post back.