I've lost control of my MCU

audio2u · 04-10-2023, 05:00 AM

Hi all,
I've been happily running an original Mackie Control universal (MIDI version, not the USB version) for well over 10 years now.
Over the weekend, I plugged in a musical keyboard to muck around with some MIDI programming. This required me to enable a couple of new MIDI devices which were installed when I attached the keyboard.
Just for clarification, the MIDI ports from the keyboard were going through a MIDI-USB converter, so it was actually plugged in via 2x USB ports (one for data, and one for MIDI signals).
I've done this previously, and know that while I have this keyboard plugged in, I lose the use of my MCU. No biggie.
But this time, when I was finished with the keyboard, I switched it off and unplugged it, and my MCU has not returned to operational status.
I am using Geoff's CSI driver/app/thingy, and no matter what I do, I cannot get the MCU to behave properly. Instead of the faders cycling through their full range of travel and then settling on the fader values for the respective tracks, they all just return to the mid-point of the faders (which is actually where the 'centre' mark is for when you have the faders displaying pan rather than volume values). But the MCU screen is still saying "Mackie Control Universal by Mackie Designs inc, v2.1.2" when normally it would be displaying channel names, etc for the opened project.
I even went so far as to tell Reaper to "forget device" for all of the MIDI device entries pertaining to the keyboard, but still no dice.
If anyone has any suggestions as to other things I might try, I'm all ears.
My audio interface is a Scarlett 18i20 (2nd gen), OS is Windoze 10 Home 64 bit.

Geoff Waddington · 04-11-2023, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audio2u

Hi all,
I've been happily running an original Mackie Control universal (MIDI version, not the USB version) for well over 10 years now.
Over the weekend, I plugged in a musical keyboard to muck around with some MIDI programming. This required me to enable a couple of new MIDI devices which were installed when I attached the keyboard.
Just for clarification, the MIDI ports from the keyboard were going through a MIDI-USB converter, so it was actually plugged in via 2x USB ports (one for data, and one for MIDI signals).
I've done this previously, and know that while I have this keyboard plugged in, I lose the use of my MCU. No biggie.
But this time, when I was finished with the keyboard, I switched it off and unplugged it, and my MCU has not returned to operational status.
I am using Geoff's CSI driver/app/thingy, and no matter what I do, I cannot get the MCU to behave properly. Instead of the faders cycling through their full range of travel and then settling on the fader values for the respective tracks, they all just return to the mid-point of the faders (which is actually where the 'centre' mark is for when you have the faders displaying pan rather than volume values). But the MCU screen is still saying "Mackie Control Universal by Mackie Designs inc, v2.1.2" when normally it would be displaying channel names, etc for the opened project.
I even went so far as to tell Reaper to "forget device" for all of the MIDI device entries pertaining to the keyboard, but still no dice.
If anyone has any suggestions as to other things I might try, I'm all ears.
My audio interface is a Scarlett 18i20 (2nd gen), OS is Windoze 10 Home 64 bit.

Are you sure the MCU ports are disabled in the MIDI section of Reaper.

If so, try removing all devices in the CSI config, leftmost panel, and then re add them.

It may be that the MIDI ports changed when you added those other devices.

Funkybot · 04-11-2023, 10:33 AM

Just to add to what Geoff said, Windows has a tendency to create new devices when you plug a MIDI device into a different USB port.

So I might have:

System-8

and then plug it into a different USB port and end up with:

System-8 [Device Not Found]
2 - System-8

...likely that something like that happened to you, borking your CSI setup. Just do what Geoff said and see if that solves it.

audio2u · 04-11-2023, 03:25 PM

First off, Geoff, thank you for taking the time to follow up on this. I'm sure you get way too many pleas for help!

As it happens, before I logged in to the forum this morning to check on this thread, I fired up Reaper again.
Removed CSI as the control surface.
Closed Reaper.
Powered-cycled my audio interface.
Restarted Reaper.
Added Mackie (Klinke)... just as a test.
What do you know? Klinke responded favourably.
Removed Klinke.
Added CSI back in.
Voila.
Back in business!! Yay!
Now, bizarrely, I DID a power-cycle on the interface 2 nights ago when I started this thread, but it didn't seem to fix the issue at that time. But clearly, this time, it has.
Sorry for the runaround, guys. But thank you again for your responses.

audio2u · 04-12-2023, 11:10 PM

Well, seems I might have been a little hasty in thinking this was resolved.
In the process of trying to work out whether it was:

a) a hardware issue with my 18i20,
b) a hardware issue with my MCU,
c) a software issue with windoze, or
d) a software issue with Reaper...

I fired up DaVinci Resolve, and wouldn't ya know it.... the MCU behaved perfectly. Writing of automation was as expected, channel names displayed, etc.
Sadly, this makes me think it's a Reaper config issue, even though I have not knowingly changed any of my settings. But maybe the addition of the USB-MIDI converter cable mucked things up? Or the keyboard itself?

Geoff, you mentioned that the MIDI ports may have changed with the addition of the other devices. Are there specific port values that SHOULD exist for the Focusrite MIDI drivers?

Anyone have ideas on how to best reset all of Reaper's config settings (after taking a backup, of course)?
Any other ideas?

Fleeesch · 04-13-2023, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audio2u

Anyone have ideas on how to best reset all of Reaper's config settings (after taking a backup, of course)?
Any other ideas?

Easiest way would be a portable install. You can export your old configuration (or parts of your old configuration) as a single file that can be imported again into other instances of Reaper. Starting to configure a fresh install step by step usually helps me to find the cause of configuration issues.

Also, look for the "reaper-midihw.ini". This one stores the MIDI device configuration for Reaper, and at least in my case it always becomes a mess after a while. Simply delete the file and start Reaper, then you can reconfigure the MIDI devices.

Generally deleting any *.ini resets the particular configurations since Reaper just creates new default *.ini files on the fly with default settings.

audio2u · 04-13-2023, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fleeesch

Generally deleting any *.ini resets the particular configurations since Reaper just creates new default *.ini files on the fly with default settings.

Cool. Thanks Fleeesch.
I'll give that a go.

audio2u · 04-13-2023, 03:38 AM

Hmmmm, no luck there.
I removed the reaper-midihw.ini file, which did indeed force Reaper to recreate it at next launch.
I tried removing CSI from the "Control surfaces/OSC/web control" section of the Preferences.
Then, I tried adding "MCU (Klinke)", and I got an "Error opening MIDI inputs and outputs" error.
Removed Klinke, and added the bog-standard "Mackie Control Universal" entry, but got the same error message.
Thoughts?

audio2u · 04-13-2023, 03:40 AM

Just tried putting Control Surface Integrator back in, and instead of the error message, I got some sort of default MIDI piano note play through my speakers!
Weird.

Geoff Waddington · 04-13-2023, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audio2u

Just tried putting Control Surface Integrator back in, and instead of the error message, I got some sort of default MIDI piano note play through my speakers!
Weird.

That is a sure sign you do not have the MCU port disabled in the MIDI devices section.

audio2u · 04-13-2023, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff Waddington

That is a sure sign you do not have the MCU port disabled in the MIDI devices section.

Geoff, you are a wizard!
I had indeed re-enabled the device during all of my tinkering.
I have now disabled both the input and output device in the MIDI devices section.
I then revisited the CSI setup, which showed no MIDI input device and the Microsoft GM device as the output device. I changed both to select the Focusrite input and output devices, and I'm back in business!
Thank you so much!

Geoff Waddington · 04-13-2023, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audio2u

Geoff, you are a wizard!
I had indeed re-enabled the device during all of my tinkering.
I have now disabled both the input and output device in the MIDI devices section.
I then revisited the CSI setup, which showed no MIDI input device and the Microsoft GM device as the output device. I changed both to select the Focusrite input and output devices, and I'm back in business!
Thank you so much!

Good !

A few posts back you talk about restarting Reaper, cycling your interfaces, etc.

If the problem is how Windows allocates MIDI ports, as Funkybot suggests, likely correctly, the step you are missing is powering down your PC, waiting 30 seconds or so, and restarting it.

You say DaVinci worked fine, was there a power down cycle of your PC in there somewhere ?

If so, that reinforces our speculation.

After you put everything back, USB/MIDI port wise, the next startup of the computer would likely allocate the ports the way it did before you made any changes, and all would be "normal" again.

audio2u · 04-13-2023, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff Waddington

You say DaVinci worked fine, was there a power down cycle of your PC in there somewhere ?

Yes, the PC was shut down and restarted, but after that restart, there was a whole lot more tinkering on my part, so any benefit which the shutdown MAY have offered was probably obliterated by my further (uneducated) stuffing around!