Subject:Akai MPK49 won't connect

Posted by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/4/2013 9:15:20 PM

Just bought an Akai MPK49 MIDI controller. Acid Pro recognizes the controller exists, but when I try to select it as my MIDI controller of choice under
"Options / Preferences / MIDI / MIDI Input / MIDI output, I get the following error message:
"Warning: An error occurred during the current operation, The device specified is in use" and the controller won't connect to ACID.

No other MIDI application is running. The controller is recognized and usable in the stand alone ARIA 64 bit Player but that player won't work in ACID Pro. The ARIA player that comes with ACID Pro uses ACID's MIDI interface. I need to record and modify MIDI files with the controller not just play them. I need the ARIA player for Sony ACID to work. I need the AKAI MPS49 to work in ACID. Any fixes, or suggestions?

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:1/5/2013 11:13:48 PM

Not sure what's going on with the Akai; I have an M-Audio Oxygen 8 v2 MIDI keyboard that plays along just fine in ACID Pro 7. Driver issue, maybe?

Since ACID Pro doesn't support 64-bit at this time, you should be able to use ARIA's 32-bit version of the Player, which should have been installed along with the 64-bit version. (Is this ARIA for ACID Pro, or the full-on Player available with libraries such as Personal Orchestra?)

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/6/2013 12:26:30 PM

Thanks for the reply. 32 bit ARIA does not work even in stand-alone mode. I've downloaded a couple of other DAWs over the weekend and they all work great with the controller. I just don't have the money to buy another DAW. after spending a small fortune (for me) on the Akai controller. Anybody using the AKAI MPK49 with Music Studio 9?

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:1/6/2013 2:00:31 PM

Something's up with your install of ARIA Player; the 32-bit version should work.

Which Garritan libraries do you have? Have you updated the Player and engine accordingly at MakeMusic's site?

There's no reason why Music Studio cannot work with the MPK49 either. If it's working with other DAWs, your Music Studio install might have gone kablooey somehow.

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/6/2013 5:24:37 PM

I uninstalled and re-installed ARIA, No help. I don't have Movie Studio. I just want to know if anybody has had a problem with this particular controller (the Akai MPK49) and other Sony software. As I said in my initial post, I uninstalled and re-installed everything including all the libraries and drivers No help, same problem. As an extra precaution, after I uninstalled everything, I restored my entire computer to a time before I had installed ACID for the first time and then re-installed everything. Maybe some strange registry entry from Vegas or one of the many plugins that came with ACID?
Any other ideas?
I ask here because, I'm not paying $29.95 to talk to the idiots who are operating this sorry outfit. And the joke of technical support via e-mail, which will take months for me to get a reply to my message, will inevitably send an auto-response that links to two or three knowledge base articles that have absolutely nothing to do with the problem at hand, and which I have already read anyway.

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:1/7/2013 1:14:51 PM

Out of curiosity, did you try installing ACID Pro on another machine and seeing if the Akai works with ACID then? Similarly, can you try a different MIDI interface? (Any kind, including something like a controller with pads.)

I'm perplexed as to both your issues concerning ARIA and the Akai. I can use ARIA Player in both 32- and 64-bit. (Of course, ACID can only do 32-bit right now so I just use ARIA Player's 32-bit version in ACID.) Personal Orchestra 4 and Steinway Basic are the Garritan libraries I'm using with ARIA Player 1.504 and ARIA Engine 1.622.

I'm using a Vista Ultimate 64-bit machine.

Is there anything else running the background, in the systray?

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: pwppch

Date:1/7/2013 6:52:43 PM

If you enable just the input, does ACID give the same error msg? (Since ACID won't send any MIDI data to the device, there is no reason to enable the output of this device.)

Is the default MIDI input or output of windows set to the MPK49? Some devices do not allow their MIDI ports to be shared.

Does the MPK49 provide special drivers or does it use the standard USB compliant provided by Windows?

Peter

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/7/2013 9:44:43 PM

No other machine available. No other controller available. The MPK49 works great with the ARIA 64 bit standalone and with the Multi-track Studio 64 bit and the ARIA plugin also works inside Multi-track Studio.

ARIA 32biit plugin works fine in ACID, its just that the controller won't hook up to ACID.

Nothing running in the tray or background. I even shut down all non-essential services, to no avail. I'll bet it is something simple like a registry conflict/error (that's why I tried Windows Restore, which didn't help, but that doesn't mean the registry isn't the culprit. Yet I haven't a clue where the error might lie.

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/7/2013 9:57:16 PM

No go with just the input selected; same error.
Only one midi application, and one midi channel open at a time. In fact only one midi controller and one midi application on the machine and the error still arises.
MPKs use the generic windows drivers. I use the WASAPI driver for all my audio applications, but I tried the other two drivers just in case . . . to no avail. If I could talk to a real ACID programmer, we could solve t he issue in about two minutes simply by tracing the code triggering the error message. Unfortunately the chance of getting in touch with a real tech support person at Sony Creative is about the same as winning the lottery . . . good luck.

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: pwppch

Date:1/8/2013 1:09:50 PM

I am a developer, and wrote the MIDI backend for ACID.

I am trying to figure out what is happening, but I don't have this hardware. I have not found another device that is causing this message.

Will let you know what I discover.

Peter

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/8/2013 6:19:47 PM

Great! I appreciate any help you can give, Peter. I really would like to get the MPK49 to work with ACID asap; I've got a lot of loops rolling around in my head that I want to get down before they're gone.

Are there any registry settings or initialization files that I should check? ACID finds the controller no matter what bus i attach it to, but ACID always finds the controller in use. Why? Does ACID sample USB ports on start up and set a variable in the registry, or does it sample the ports only when needed/requested?

Is there anything further I can do (other than a clean Windows install) to help isolate the cause of this issue?

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/11/2013 10:25:05 PM

Well, I finally gave up and got out my bare-bones backup drive and re-installed everything and ACID connects to the MPK49 the controller now. I cannot vouch that the controller is receiving data back from ACID as I haven't tried that yet, but at least I can lay down a decent midi track now.

I am still curious as to what ini or registry setting would cause ACID to think the Controller is busy when it is not. I just curios now. I gave up programming when I retired, so I'll leave this little bug for some other fool to fathom.

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: pwppch

Date:1/12/2013 8:31:33 AM

Well I don't know if I am a fool, but I am trying to fathom the issue you are having.

The only thing ACID writes to the registry is a list of what the system tells us is available, those devices that the user has enabled, and any settings that are user based. At start up we always check to see what devices are available. We keep around information on past settings so that if a user forgot to connect or turn things on, their previous settings are available.

I cannot explain why this device was reporting the state it did. I have discovered that some drivers and devices do not shut down correctly and release their kernel level drivers after being used.

I have tried to reproduce your issue with many different devices I have. We don't have an akai device on hand to see what may be unique about it.

It is interesting why your restore to an old bare bones drive restore functionality. Can you provide any details a out the bare bones OS and versions?

Wrt ACID not sending MIDI to a controller: we don't send MIDI to a generic controller device when used as a controller. It is treated as input only. You can set it up as an output device to send MIDI data from a track(s) to, but since it is not a sound generator, its utility in this role is unknown. If the device allows you to connect external sound generators, then using it as a standard MIDI outputs makes sense.

Peter

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: Gerald Kumpf

Date:1/17/2013 10:55:48 AM

I am pretty sure there is a software or registry or persistent variable conflict of some kind going on. If we knew the exact variables and registry entries acid uses to during a MIDI session, we could find the conflict. But Like a fool, I wiped the drive I took out of my work station and put it into my backup system, so I no longer have a copy of the registry that was causing the problem. In any event, I certainly do appreciate the time and effort you put forth trying to help me. Thank you, with two thumbs up.

Subject:RE: Akai MPK49 won't connect

Reply by: DrLumen

Date:1/17/2013 5:46:25 PM

Possibly windows midi mapper getting in the way?

Just a thought...