MPD & MPK Connection Issues Under Windows: The Facts

[Psicraft Tony]

If you have connection problems between your MPD/MPK and host software on a Windows machine, then any of the following could be wrong:

USB Hardware issues: The first (and most overlooked) place to check is the USB cable. Try a different one. If this does not work, try a different USB port on your computer, preferably one connected directly to the computer motherboard. Next up, if you have an adapter-powered USB 2.0 hub on hand, try connecting the MPD/MPK to this instead of directly to your computer - These have been known to compensate for bad USB ports on the computer itself so it is worth a try.

Windows 7 Driver issues: With your unit connected, open the Windows Start Menu, right-click over the 'Computer' icon and choose 'Manage' from the pop-up menu. Next select 'Device Manager' from the left column and 'Sound, Video and Game Controllers' on the right column. If the driver for your Akai Pro MPD/MPK device has a yellow exclamation mark next to it or is missing from this listing, then you have a Windows Driver installation problem:

NOTE: Only try these steps if the driver comes up with a yellow exclamation mark!

1. Right click the Akai MPK49 click "Update Driver Software".
2. Choose "Browse my computer for driver software".
3. Search for driver software in this location: "C:\" (or on whatever drive you have Windows installed).
4. Make sure "Include subfolders" is checked and click next.
5. Windows will find a driver that isn't digitally signed (very odd since this driver is from Microsoft and is part of Windows 7).
6. Click "Continue Anyway" and Windows will install the driver.

The wizard should finish with a "Your device has successfully been installed". The Akai MPD/MPK device should then appear in the device manager without the yellow exclamation mark.

If the driver is correctly installed but you are still having connection problems between the Vyzex editor and your MPD/MPK unit under Windows 7, you are either experiencing the Windows single-client MIDI driver issue or you are experiencing the Vista/Win7 USB MIDI Event lockup issue.

Windows Single Driver issue (XP, Vista, Win7): Only one host program can access the MPD/MPK's MIDI driver at a time (Microsoft's issue) so if you are running another program to access the MPD before launching Vyzex then the editor will not be able to open the MPD ports. The only solution here is to simply only run one program at a time. There is no way to run Vyzex simultaneous to a DAW like Ableton or Cubase short of running the MPD on adapter power and using a multi-client USB MIDI interface connected to the MPD's MIDI In and MIDI Out ports - Some users have done this and it does work.

Vista/Win7 USB MIDI Event Lockup Issue: When the MPD/MPK unit is first plugged in, the Windows USB MIDI driver gets 'locked up' after the first few messages are sent from the MPD/MPK. The Vyzex editor or any other software program trying to communicate with the device will not get a reply from it until the user clears the 'paper jam' in the data stream by cranking some knobs or faders on the MPD/MPK a few times. Once cleared, the lockup will not return until the device is unplugged and replugged, or the computer is restarted. To work around this issue, get into the habit of twirling a couple of knobs before you run the Vyzex editor or any other host program. Once again, this is a Windows problem, just like the single client issue above.

[methe]

Hello,

Sorry for asking the darn question. But is there really no work around that problem? Or at least a way to shorten the process (tweaking the MIDI buffer size). Cause here I have been playing with the knobs/faders for over 4 full minutes like a mad man and still applications don't get signals from the MPD. And the thing was working yesterday night. This is so frustrating, I'm wasting tons of time on this (nearly 30 mins already today, playing the knobs, rebooting, unplugging, etc.).

All the best,

O.

[Psicraft Tony]

Hi,

If there was a quicker way to work around all of Microsoft's USB MIDI driver + Akai MPD/MPK problems I certainly would have posted it instead of the long and detailed descriptions of the various possible disconnects above.

Given that your issue is intermittent, I think it likely you are dealing with either the single client issue (are you running other music applications?) or you just have a bad USB cable/port combination, which is not a Microsoft driver issue at all.

Can you see the MPD MIDI ports in the MIDI port dialogs launched by the applications that are not getting signals? You'll need to provide more information if you want any specific advice on this front.

Tony

[Futureline]

Hi.
I'm a new (quite happy) owner of a MPD32 and have a issue as described here, so I hope its ok that I adress the problem here:

I have been messing around with this for a couple of days now, and have finally got it to work well with external plugins on my FL Studio 10+, but one problem remains.
when I turn off the machine, it won't recognize (and work as programmed) when I start it up again, the only thing I can do is to open Vyzor and fiddle around with the midi-settings until it's recognized there,- THEN it all works ok in FL Studio with (in my example) the Spark virtual drum-machine.

The machine is new, obviously no problem with the usb-cable, no problem in the device manager, and so far I have only used it on one setup, and as the ONLY controller.

Am I doing something wrong with the midi-setups in Vyzor?

Thanks for any help.

Windows 7 64bit
FL Studio 10.0.9
Akai MPD32
Novation Nocturn49 with Automap 4.3

[Psicraft Tony]

Hi.
I'm a new (quite happy) owner of a MPD32 and have a issue as described here, so I hope its ok that I adress the problem here:

I have been messing around with this for a couple of days now, and have finally got it to work well with external plugins on my FL Studio 10+, but one problem remains.
when I turn off the machine, it won't recognize (and work as programmed) when I start it up again, the only thing I can do is to open Vyzor and fiddle around with the midi-settings until it's recognized there,- THEN it all works ok in FL Studio with (in my example) the Spark virtual drum-machine.

The machine is new, obviously no problem with the usb-cable, no problem in the device manager, and so far I have only used it on one setup, and as the ONLY controller.

Am I doing something wrong with the midi-setups in Vyzor?

Thanks for any help.

Windows 7 64bit
FL Studio 10.0.9
Akai MPD32
Novation Nocturn49 with Automap 4.3

You missed the answer to your issue, posted above in the announcement:

Vista/Win7 USB MIDI Event Lockup Issue: When the MPD/MPK unit is first plugged in, the Windows USB MIDI driver gets 'locked up' after the first few messages are sent from the MPD/MPK. The Vyzex editor or any other software program trying to communicate with the device will not get a reply from it until the user clears the 'paper jam' in the data stream by cranking some knobs or faders on the MPD/MPK a few times. Once cleared, the lockup will not return until the device is unplugged and replugged, or the computer is restarted. To work around this issue, get into the habit of twirling a couple of knobs before you run the Vyzex editor or any other host program. Once again, this is a Windows problem, just like the single client issue above.

Let us know how it goes.

Tony

[Futureline]

Hi, and thanks for the answer.

Well, before I wrote this question I tried those guidelines, but didn't get it to work.

But after a while and a couple of days, i found the one method that worked for me,- and it only goes like this:
During opening of Vyzor (and only during loading) I move some knobs, and its ready to go when I then close the program.
This does NOT work if I do it in another host!
Obiously this was the reason why it took me so long to get in contact with the FL Studio when I first bought the pad-control, because it took me a while to "luckily" twirl the knobs during loading of the Vyzor.

Other than that it now seem to work fine, so as you said,- I just need to make it a habit to do that sequence before opening FL Studio, wich I do find a bit annoying, that I ALWAYS have to open the Vyzor to use the controller.

[Psicraft Tony]

Other than that it now seem to work fine, so as you said,- I just need to make it a habit to do that sequence before opening FL Studio, wich I do find a bit annoying, that I ALWAYS have to open the Vyzor to use the controller.

I guess FL-Studio does its own version of the 'AutoSense' routine on Vyzex MPD32 when it runs so the lockup issue brings everything to a halt.

You should be able to open the MPD32's MIDI ports with any other application and flush the driver lock out that way - Try BomeSX (www.bome.com) instead of Vyzex MPD32. As long as Bome SX opens the MPD32's MIDI ports that should give you a faster workaround.

Sorry I can't help more - We support the editor here, not the drivers, the OS or the hardware.

Tony

[Futureline]

Thank you.
I installed the Bome SendSX (the only named SX there), but that didn't sense the controller, I guess I'll just do it thru the Vyzor.

And yeah, I know it's only the software here, but this was the only place I looked that seemed to have some kind of solution.

Thanks again.

[Psicraft Tony]

Cheers,

Tony