MIDI device recognised...but not...

[pmo]

Hi everyone,
I am using an Alesis Photon X25 with Logic 8, has been working fine for a year or so but have now run into a problem that I haven't experienced before.
When I play a note, say C1, Logic recognises the input, but will not output this information as a note.
So, without touching the keyboard, I can see in the transport bar "No In" and "No Out".
If I play C1, the "No In" is replaced by, for example, "1 60 100".
Output remains at "No Out".
I have tried resetting, rebooting, playing with control surfaces in preferences, have done everything that I can think of and am completely stuck.
Any ideas would be very much appreciated.
Cheers

[jordito]

When I play a note, say C1, Logic recognises the input, but will not output this information as a note.
So, without touching the keyboard, I can see in the transport bar "No In" and "No Out".
If I play C1, the "No In" is replaced by, for example, "1 60 100".
Output remains at "No Out".

The No Out part of the MIDI Activity Display should remain as it is if you're just sending MIDI data from the Alesis to Logic. You should only see messages in the No Out part if you're actually sending MIDI data from Logic to the "outside world".

The only thing I find strange is that you mention a message which seems to be a Note On with a static velocity value (100), but with no Note Off message coming after it.

Sounds like you may have assigned part of the message to some function in Logic via MIDI Lean by mistake. Open the controller assignments window (command+K), Expert View, and delete any assignments for that note.

J.

[pmo]

Thanks for the quick reply.
There are no assignments for the note, or for that matter any note. Also, I should clarify - the velocity is not static, it returns to zero before returning to to "No In".
I am running NI Maschine through Logic as well and it is functioning fine. No MIDI settings for either the keyboard or Maschine were altered for months until this afternoon when I started looking for a fix for this...

[jordito]

Thanks for the quick reply.

You're welcome.

There are no assignments for the note, or for that matter any note. Also, I should clarify - the velocity is not static, it returns to zero before returning to to "No In".

If that's the case, I don't see what's the problem then

If you see a Note On followed by a Note Off, the key is sending what it's supposed to send.

If you're not hearing anything when pressing that key, either you don't have an instrument loaded or the instrument doesn't respond to that note (and it would be extremely weird if an instrument is not designed to respond to MIDI note 60).

J.

[pmo]

Usually if I were to play, for example, an E major chord, this would register on the display. Instead, all I am seeing is generic velocity information.
I have working instruments loaded into multiple tracks, and am still experiencing this problem.

[David]

Usually if I were to play, for example, an E major chord, this would register on the display. Instead, all I am seeing is generic velocity information.

Press caps lock to turn your computer keyboard into a MIDI controller, and simultaneously press the D, Y and I keys on your computer keyboard. What does the MIDI in monitor in your transport bar say?

[pmo]

It tells me I am playing an E, and plays the notes. This is what I don't understand - the Alesis is sending information to Logic, but something is getting lost in translation as everything else is functioning as normal.

[David]

How do you know the Alesis is sending the information to Logic?

Try this:

- Choose Window > Environment.
- In the menu at the top left of the environment window, click the button and choose "Click and Ports". You'll see a Monitor called "Input View". Play an E triad on your MIDI controller. What do you see in the monitor?

[pmo]

Logic is receiving velocity info each time I play a note on the Alesis...

I see:

Physical input box saying: MIDI input port zero, Caps lock keyboard, SUM

From SUM, a cable connects me to a graphic of a keyboard that says "input notes" below it.

The other end of the keyboard is connected via cable to input view, which reads:

1 56 92
1 52 62
1 59 94
1 59 0
1 56 0
1 52 0

Cable then connects this input view box to Sequencer Input

Midi Click is floating around at the top of the Environment...

Cheers for the fast responses, much appreciated. I have to go to work now, but will check this thread as soon as I get home.

Thanks

[David]

Logic is receiving velocity info each time I play a note on the Alesis...

Yes, that's normal (each note has its own velocity value). As far as I can tell the only problem I see so far is that Logic does not display the name of the chord in the MIDI In display in the transport bar. You are playing the three notes at the same time and holding them all together simultaneously, yes? And can you hear an E triad?

[pmo]

No, I cannot hear any sound. That is the weird thing. Everything is functioning as it should, except notes are not being displayed and I am getting no sound.
I am still using the modwheel and knobs on the Alesis as normal to program automation....I just can't record any midi notes from the keyboard...
I have checked the keyboard hardware by running Maschine as a standalone on my laptop and using the Alesis to change pitch, record etc. As such, I am left to assume that the problem lies within Logic itself.
Cheers

[Eriksimon]

Hi everyone,
I am using an Alesis Photon X25 with Logic 8, has been working fine for a year or so but have now run into a problem that I haven't experienced before.
When I play a note, say C1, Logic recognises the input, but will not output this information as a note.
So, without touching the keyboard, I can see in the transport bar "No In" and "No Out".
If I play C1, the "No In" is replaced by, for example, "1 60 100".

That looks as if some message is arriving in Logic, but Logic does not know what it is. If I press my F2 key I get these:

pic 2012-06-14 at 09.37.23.PNG (5.54 KiB) Viewed 469 times

pic 2012-06-14 at 09.37.35.PNG (5.65 KiB) Viewed 469 times

legenda of the four units: 1. Note on/off symbol; 2. MIDI Channel; 3. Note name; 4. Velocity value.
By the way, pmo, you don't mention this, but do you get the tiny note symbol too?

Logic displays the note name, and not just a number. It is as if in pmo's case, Logic recognises everything, exept the "noteness" of the event(s). I'ld say the Alesis is the prime suspect. Can it be reset to its' defaults some how?

[Eriksimon]

It tells me I am playing an E, and plays the notes. This is what I don't understand - the Alesis is sending information to Logic, but something is getting lost in translation as everything else is functioning as normal.

So it's not Logic, as now the display is correct.
What does the MIDI Monitor (in the Transport) say when you play a single key on the CL keyboard? Note name or number?
If it is note name we can assume the fault is with the Alesis; but only with the Notes coming from the Alesis... I think you need to contact Alesis or turn the manual for it upside down until you find how to make the keys send proper notes again...

[pmo]

The CL keyboard functions as normal - with note names.

I do get the small note symbol.

I have reset the Alesis to factory defaults and recalibrated the whole keyboard. No change.

The Alesis manual sucks and their technical support team is even worse. As I said before, the keyboard works as it should when I run Maschine standalone on my laptop (different computer).

...Any other ideas...?

[Eriksimon]

The CL keyboard functions as normal - with note names.

As I said before, the keyboard works as it should when I run Maschine standalone on my laptop (different computer).

...Any other ideas...?

So the Alesis works, on a different system... that could point to a problem with the OS X MIDI drivers...

Try this: create a new user account with the normal full admin privileges, and start Logic from this new account and see if the troubles persist or not. If the troubles disappear, the problem is in your User library, if they persist it would point to a problem with the top Library or even the system itself, in which case a system reinstall would be the next step.

[pmo]

Ah. So here's the problem now:

So I just plugged the Alesis back into my laptop with Maschine and guess what?

It's only able to record velocity now, no notes. This is a very recent development.

What could be wrong with it?!

Thanks everyone for the advice.

[Eriksimon]

Now it is starting to sound as if there's something wrong with the midi-chips inside the Alesis - which could mean trash & shop I'm afraid...

Unless... I found this on the Alesis site, problem being you can only run it from a Windows OS.


"Photon X25 - USB Fix [v1.04]
Use this fix if your Photon X25 is misbehaving with Windows Vista or Mac OS, or if your Photon X25's screen has gone blank (for instance, after calibration). Instructions included.

*Update must be performed on a Windows computer. "

http://www.alesis.com/company/media2.ph ... bQZuAmY%3D

http://www.alesis.com/photonx25

[pmo]

Yeah I saw that as well, was hoping it wouldn't come to that.

Ah well.

Thanks everyone for your help!

[David]

I've had problems with my Photon X25 sending controller data (vs note data) when pressing keys. Note that the Photon is not sending velocity data as you originally stated, it's sending controller data apparently. Velocity data can only be sent as an attribute of the Note data event, which your Photon is not sending.

What I would do is download MIDI Monitor to see what the Photon is really sending.