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Topic: ESI M8U EX Midi Interface & MIDI-OX Lock-Ups (Read 619 times) |
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SteveECrane
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MIDI-OX Rules!
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ESI M8U EX Midi Interface & MIDI-OX Lock-Ups
« on: Nov 5th, 2022, 11:52am » |
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Hello!
I've been using MIDI-OX and Desktop Restore for as long as I can remember - thank you! - with very few issues.
However, a couple of days ago I connected an ESI M8U 16-port MIDI interface to my Windows 10 Cubase 12-based DAW setup - to replace a parallel port(!) MOTU Midi Express XT - and have had MIDI and lock-up issues ever since www.esi-audio.com/products/m8uex/
[Note: The MOTU patch-bay wasn't used on this system, so there are no old MIDI drivers present - it hung off an old Win7 32-bit 486-based DAW!]
Arturia Keystep-37 --------USB2--------->
Windows 10 Cubase DAW <----USB3---->
-------------------------------------------->ESI M8U EX ----MIDI----> Novation A-Station
Arturia Keystep-37 ---------MIDI-------->
NI Komplete Kontrol S25 -----MIDI----->
Korg SQ-1 Sequencer -------MIDI------->
CME UF-70 Master Keyboard ---MIDI--->
CME UF-80 Master Keyboard ---MIDI--->
There are various other MIDI sound modules and a Eurorack setup attached only via their MIDI Ins to the ESI M8U EX, each one starred out on a single cable from the M8U, with no daisy-chaining and no MIDI Thrus connected.
Each sound module has their MIDI channel number set to the same port number on the M8U MIDI patchbay to which they're connected purely to make things easy to remember, fault find and diagnose. There are currently NO multi-timbral hardware synths connected to this setup. The only multi-timbral synths are within the DAW as VSTi's.
To be clear: none of the sound modules have their MIDI Outs or MIDI Thrus connected (either back to the M8U or to ANY other device in this system) and none of the MIDI controllers have their Ins connected: it's a simple arrangement of controller to Patchbay to sound module, so no chance for any loops! (This might be relevant later on when attempting to identify the issue).
Everything appears to work fine, save for the fact one of my MIDI rackmount synths (a Novation A-station on M8U port 1 MIDI Ch#1) just won't respond www.vintagesynth.com/novation/astation.php
The Keystep-37 can readily address all of the other sound modules via their appropriate MIDI channel numbers (there are devices set to Ch#1-6, but only the A-Station on Ch#1 is unresponsive) and all other MIDI data is reliably passed. (MIDI-OX confirms this).
So, I was attempting to use MIDI-OX to figure out what was going on and was getting nowhere fast as everything appeared to be working just as it should ... save for any data actually being received at the A-Station!
Despite the M8U being class compliant, upon the advice from ESI's website: https://kb.esi-audio.com/?goto=KB00269EN I decided to install their MIDI Port driver on the Win10 DAW. This did not resolve the original problem and I started to experience MIDI-OX lock ups when making certain port-to-port connections trying to diagnose the A-Station issue (always the same connections, I hasten to add).
Furthermore, when making the aforementioned MIDI-OX connection, from the Keystep (which has its own Arturia MIDI drivers installed for firmware updates, despite being class compliant) the Keystep itself invariably appeared to lock up and required rebooting!
This problem seemed to follow the Keystep when I subsequently moved it to other physical ports on the M8U but I cannot see that it is the Keystep itself as its MIDI In is not connected(!). Other MIDI controllers do not seem to suffer from this apparent lock-up and the Keystep works absolutely fine in every other scenario. None of the other MIDI controllers will make a connection through MIDI-OX and the M8U to reach the A-Station either (they're all set to output on MIDI Ch#1 currently). The A-Station still works when directly connected to any controller, even the Keystep, receiving on MIDI Ch#1.
Finally, I could not use the Sys Internals' Task Manager replacement, Process Explorer (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explor er) to kill the MIDI-OX executable when it locked up, even if I run ProcExp with Admin privileges! The only way I've found to to kill and restart this process (without the "...out of memory" error message) was to actually reboot! Even logging off and back on did not kill the MIDI-OX .exe process!
A couple of questions:
1) Any ideas what might be causing MIDI-OX to lock-up and are there any measures I can take to avoid this?
2) Any ideas why I cannot kill the MIDI-OX process even with Admin rights?
I've one final question unrelated to the above but I'll push my luck:
Under <Options> <Customise Port Names> in MIDI-OX I've never been able to get the rename function to work. Now my setup is more complex, are there any suggestions I can try to remedy this? I'd really like to rename the M8U MIDI ports to reflect the physical devices connected.
Thanks
Steve.
PS If there are any suggestions as to why my A-Station might not be responding - even the blindingly obvious at this stage - I'll gladly take them!
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| « Last Edit: Nov 5th, 2022, 1:16pm by SteveECrane » |
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Breath
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egRe: ESI M8U EX Midi Interface & MIDI-OX Lock
« Reply #1 on: Nov 5th, 2022, 9:31pm » |
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Hi
Last question first Port Names.....
This method loads the Windows Registration file with the new names outside MidiOx.
You build up a text file with entries like ...
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MIDI-OX\MIDI-OX 32\Custom In names]
"E-DSP MIDI Port [D8E0]"="EMi EMU in"
"MIDISPort 4x4 In A"="MAi MidiSPort"
etc
I also like using the first three letters of the name so it shows up in the Input and Output windows.
eg
"MIDISPort 8x8/s In 1"="MS1 (MIDISPort 8x8 1)"
'MS1 (MIDISPort 8x8 1)' shows up in the Port Routing window and
'MS1' is the displayed port in the Input and Output windows where there is only room for three characters.
see http://www.midiox.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=query;action=display;nu m=1621442797;start=1#1 for more details.
"PS If there are any suggestions as to why my A-Station might not be responding - even the blindingly obvious at this stage - I'll gladly take them!
1) Like most cables, OUT goes to IN so the A-Station Midi IN comes from the ESI OUT - I don't think the A-Station has USB, does it?
2) Has 'Local' been turned off? Perhaps you were sending some sysex.
3) A dud Midi cable
4) A-Station / Keyboard Midi Channels match
5) The ESI is new to you. It could have an electric fault in port 8. Try a different port.
A couple of questions:
1) Any ideas what might be causing MIDI-OX to lock-up and are there any measures I can take to avoid this?
Will it lock up if you don't have any USB ports (except the host) connected?
Will it lock up if you only have MidiOx running on the PC?
The lockups sound like MIDI feedback loops although have you eye out for those.
When it locks up, disconnect the Inputs to the ESi one by one and then wait a bit to see if it clears to pinpoint the villain.
2) Any ideas why I cannot kill the MIDI-OX process even with Admin rights?
You don't say which version you have of WIN10. Perhaps you don't have permission?
WIN 10 has a new Midi programming interface that is very different to the one MidiOx was written for.
MS says it is backward compatible , but who knows.
I have deliberately kept my music PC as a Win7 machine and I probably won't change that until the hardware becomes unreliable.
Then I will still see if the new PC will run Win 7. I don't feel like I am missing out on anything.
I hope that helps.
Post again to let me know.
All the best
Royce
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| « Last Edit: Nov 5th, 2022, 10:14pm by Breath » |
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