Akai MPK88 MIDI Keyboard Controller and Digital Performer DA

[EveningSky]

I have asked this question before. I have consulted with MOTU Tel Tech Support for >30 minutes. I have pursued suggests from my previous post on this subject. I am not able to make my relatively new Akai MPK88 keyboard work with DP7.24. DP receives a MIDI instruction per MIDI monitor, but no note signal is recorded or registered.

FYI, on the same computer, same set up, same everything, Garage Band plays perfectly. Abelton Live Lite plays perfectly. For some reason, DP7.24 does not register the keyboard note signals.

And I am not referring to complicated MIDI control instructions, I am referring to a simple MIDI note from the keyboard.

I am so frustrated over this. Akai is a major and quality manufacturer of musical MIDI equipment.

Any more suggestions, ideas, insights?

As much as I like DP, I am considering leaving for another DAW over for this reason.

Yours,
ES

[Guitar Gaz]

As much as I like DP, I am considering leaving for another DAW over for this reason.

Yours,
ES

Bit dramatic - I have the MPK25 - basically the same keyboard but shorter. Works perfectly - even the drum pads, arpeggio function, note repeat all record in MIDI. Transport controls don't really work, but I rewire with Reason where they do work. But you must be doing something wrong - its not DP that is at fault. Read the manual, check the scenes in the Akai (although any will do). I am not loaded up with DP at the moment so can't tell you what to do - other than plugging in to USB socket, setting up the leyboard in the Audio MIDI Setup (Utilities folder), set a track to record, choose your sound source. Thats it - nothing wrong with the Akai kit or DP.

You have to have the keyboard connected to MIDI and on when you start up DP (it doesn't see it if you connect the keyboard when DP is already running). MIDI Patch Thru ticked, does the Akai show up in MIDI Monitor? Does it show up as a MIDI Device under Bundles? Is the USB lead working?

[EveningSky]

Thank you GG. I agree that it seems that my problem must be some small silly setting on one or both, but for all of my efforts with both DP and Akai, I simply cannot figure it out. I will continue to try, but I have been trying for several months, (on and off). IMO, SW/Hardware should work together for mere mortal users such as myself.
Yours, ES

[Guitar Gaz]

Thank you GG. I agree that it seems that my problem must be some small silly setting on one or both, but for all of my efforts with both DP and Akai, I simply cannot figure it out. I will continue to try, but I have been trying for several months, (on and off). IMO, SW/Hardware should work together for mere mortal users such as myself.
Yours, ES

I don't disagree - although you do have to follow a few rules to get things working. Do you have Reason? There is a setup vid on You Tube which helped me but nothing on DP. The Akai preset scenes could hold the key - there are Akai Ports, common channels etc. It must be something simple - this all worked for me on 7.24 as well as 8.04. Good luck - it does work in DP trust me.

[Shooshie]

I promise you 100% that the problem is not DP. DP doesn't care what brand controller you use; it just records what you tell it to. If it's not recording, chances are you haven't started from scratch in the manual and read the basic setup stuff.

It's impossible for me to say what detail(s) you're overlooking, but they are not tricky or hard to find. But DP is a pro app. It makes no decisions for you. You have to tell it how to route your signals, and where.

Garageband is made for people who have no prior experience working in MIDI or audio. DP assumes you know the basics and are capable of applying them in a professional environment which is essentially capable of anything. I'm guessing that your problem is one of MIDI routing. Check Apple's Audio/MIDI Setup and see if your devices are indeed connected. If so, they should appear in the MIDI track input/output menus.

If you have selected "Multi-Record," then you have to tell DP which device you want to record in each track. If you do not select Multi-Record, then it's not necessary to assign an input device to a MIDI track; all incoming MIDI will be recorded on the record-enabled MIDI track.

Then, for you to hear what you're playing as you record it, you have to select MIDI Patch Thru and Auto Channelize. This assumes that you have an output assigned to the MIDI track, and that you have set up a way for your Akai to output sound, either directly to an amp and speakers, or by way of DP's audio inputs and outputs.

So, to get sound from MIDI, you must:
1) Connect your device's MIDI output and input to a MIDI interface
2) Connect your device's audio outputs to either an amplifier (to listen directly through speakers) or connect it to an audio interface for input into DP (for routing in your mix in DP)
3) Set up the MIDI controller and any MIDI output devices in Apple's Audio/MIDI Setup.
4) Create a MIDI track and an audio track for use with this device (your Akai keyboard)
5) Turn off Multi-Record until you understand how to use it (I rarely ever use it)
6) If you will be playing back your MIDI recording through the AKAI, your MIDI track must output to the Akai device.
7) if you want to hear the Akai via an audio track in DP, you will need an audio track whose input comes from the Akai, and whose output goes to whatever you will be using as your amplifier/speakers/headphones. Chances are, this will either be your computer speakers or your MOTU Audio Interface (a hardware box with ports to plug your audio cables into it)
8 ) You must set up your audio hardware by opening the Hardware Setup dialog box, then choosing the device(s) you want for audio input and output.
9) configure your MIDI track with record enabling. Configure your audio track to monitor any audio that comes its way. (There is a little "Speaker" icon that you can click to guarantee you're hearing audio on that track)
10) Hit "Record" and start playing the Akai. If you've followed the 10 steps, you should now be recording MIDI and hearing the audio of its playback.

Note: you may want to set your Akai to "Local Off" so that it doesn't actually play what you are fingering on the keyboard. Instead, it will send that via MIDI to DP, which will in turn send it back out to play the Akai, which will then send its audio to DP, which then routes the audio wherever you chose for listening.

All this stuff can be found in the manual. Probably the "Getting Started" manual. (the thin book), or it can be looked up in the PDF of the manual.

Shooshie

[EveningSky]

Hello Shooshie,

Thank you for your response.

FYI, I have been using DP for 12 years (V4, +upgraded x 2). I am by no means an expert using, but somewhat familiar with the application. I spent approximately 30min with MOTU Tech Support while using both devices, and they were not able to figure out my problem.

As stated, my Akai MPK88/MacMini/OSX.7 works perfectly with Apple Garage Band and Abelton Live Lite 8.0.

My DP7.24 works perfectly with MIDI keyboards from Roland, Alesis and Casio, but not with my MPK88.

I tried both the MIDI connection (through my MOTU 828MK2 as well as the USB2.0 connection.

The device is identified in Audio MIDI Setup without issue, as BOTH the USB and MIDI/828mk2 signal sources.

The DP MIDI monitor detects a MIDI signal, but still DP7 cannot register one single MIDI note from my MPK88.

I have been through manuals and controls of both DP SW as well as the keyboard.

Today, I connected the very same MPK88 to an older Apple Laptop running DP4.5, and IT REGISTERED AND RECORDED MIDI NOTES PERFECTLY!!!

This suggests to me that it is a MOTU MIDI driver problem. I intend to try to install an older MIDI driver and see it I can get the MPK88 to work with my DP7.24. If that does not work, and neither MOTU, nor Akai have any idea, nor do they show any interest into understanding why I am having this problem, then I am inclined to give up with the idea of using both devices together. AND FEEL VERY FRUSTRATED. The MPK88 is a monster sized / professional / sophisticated / somewhat expensive MIDI controller keyboard. If that is the outcome, then I will consider either a new DAW or a new MIDI Keyboard.

ES

[Shooshie]

Do you have another device you can plug into the same MIDI cables as the Akai? In other words, can you troubleshoot it by unplugging the Akai and plugging in something else in its place?

It doesn't matter if it plays on another computer or another version of DP. What matters is seeing if you have properly configured THAT version of DP, and the files it produces. DP has no way of knowing that the device is an Akai, a Yamaha, or a Kurtzweil. It just sees MIDI. So, if you plug another device into that MIDI cable, chances are that the same thing will happen.

If, however, you plug another keyboard into that same MIDI cable and suddenly DP were to recognize MIDI coming from it, then I'd say you truly have a unique problem there. Maybe try plugging it into a different MIDI IN port on your MIDI interface.

I just have a feeling that this problem is due to a single button, menu, or setting that someone else would instantly notice if they were there with you. Or, if that version of DP simply isn't recording MIDI from any device, maybe it needs to be reinstalled.

Maybe if you were to show us some full-size screenshots of your routing in the Tracks Overview Window, your Hardware Setup dialog, and your Bundles window. We might be able to help you if we could see it. Taking your word that you've tried everything just isn't going to get us anywhere. There is a problem in there, and nobody can diagnose it without seeing it.

Shoosh

[Shooshie]

One other thing: clear your Input Filter.

That often is the cause of inexplicable absence of signal. Sometimes people accidentally open that dialog, then click "Set All" by accident. That will prevent any MIDI from reaching a track.

Again… something that old timers know to look for, but others often miss it.

Shooshie

[MOTU_Tech]

Hi EveningSky,

I just came across this thread and was curious if you were still struggling with this. After reading through this, my guess is that you may have had Input Filter set up to block incoming note data (as Shooshie mentioned). Did you get a chance to look into that? To clarify, you actually want to click the "Set All" button, not Clear. This will ensure what no data is filtered out.

Cheers,

[EveningSky]

Hello Motu Tech Support and Shooshie,

I was not aware of this input filter. To be honest, after spending so much time trying to fix this, I have essentially given up the idea of making this keyboard work with DP7.
I will try your suggestion this WE and let you know the result.
Thank you so much.

Yours,
ES

[EveningSky]

Hello All,

I tried resetting the input filter and the problem remains. I will work on the other suggestions you made but in due time. I have already spent considerable effort to try to make this work, and again, the other 3 keyboards I have connected to DP7 work flawlessly.

MOTU Tech support suggested that I reinstall DP and the drivers. They also suggested that I download DP8 as a trail usage, and see if it would work. They also suggested that I set up a new user on my Mac, and see if my operating the program as a new user would be successful. I have not tried all of these suggestions yet.

As an additional note, I also spoke to Dan at Akai Professional Tech support. At my suggestion, Dan called the MOTU Tech support so that one product specialist could speak to another. Akai asked the MOTU tech support for a trial version of there SW so that Akai could try it out without purchasing the SW. The Akai specialist said that they have previously downloaded a trail version of DP8 but that it now had outdated. The Akai Product specialist got back to me to say that MOTU said that they could not give Akai another trail period with their software unless they purchase it.

I also compared MIDI signals from my other keyboards with that of the Akai, using a monitoring software. The only difference I found in key MIDI signal was that the velocity of key release of the Akai was consistently set to 0? If that is of significance?

Yours,
ES

[MOTU_Tech]

I tried resetting the input filter and the problem remains.

What did you do specifically? Make sure you click the "Set All" button, and not "Clear" (Shooshie actually had it backwards above - clearing the Input filter will cause exactly the behavior you are describing). On that note, are you able to get MIDI input from other devices to record into DP? When you play notes from the Akai, does DP's MIDI Monitor react?

MOTU Tech support suggested that I reinstall DP and the drivers. They also suggested that I download DP8 as a trail usage, and see if it would work. They also suggested that I set up a new user on my Mac, and see if my operating the program as a new user would be successful. I have not tried all of these suggestions yet.

If you wish to solve this problem, I highly recommend trying every suggestion we give you.

[EveningSky]

Understand.

Yes, I clicked the "set all" button.

Yes, with USB connection, DP7 works perfectly with an Alesis keyboard, a Casio key board and a Roland keyboard.

Yes, "MIDI monitor" shows an incoming signal with the Akai, but the DP7 does not appear to recognize the MIDI signal as a note.

I will try your other suggestions of uninstalling and reinstalling in due course, or consider using a different keyboard, or consider using a different DAW.

I am not going to download DP8 for now, as I do not wish to spend more you DP until and unless I resolve this with DP7; sorry.

Yours,
ES

[MOTU_Tech]

I was able to test this out with an Akai LPD8, and MPD32. These are different products, but from the same generation (as far as I can tell) as the MPK88. They work fine with DP. Given that, it is unlikely there is any compatibility problem, which means this problem is solvable.

Yes, "MIDI monitor" shows an incoming signal with the Akai, but the DP7 does not appear to recognize the MIDI signal as a note.

This tells us that DP is receiving data from the keyboard. If it is note-on data, it can be recorded.

Create a MIDI track and record-enable it. Start recording. Press a few keys on the keyboard as DP records. Click on the Sequence editor and zoom in on the MIDI track. Do you see any data? You can also try tapping one of the pads, or turning a knob/slide on the MPK88. (Make sure you also check View Filter. As with Input Filter, click the "Set All" button to ensure that all data is displayed).

If you do not get any data, I highly recommend giving us a call and trying this test over the phone with us in real-time.