No MIDI signal when connected via MBox

[bhospelh]

Hi.
I'm having trouble hooking up a MIDI controller keyboard - which apparently is nothing new based on my google searches. However, a lot of the fixes given don't seem to be working.

So. Here's the problem.
I run Pro Tools 11 through an MBox on Windows 8.1
I am trying to connect my Alesis QX-49 controller through the MBox via the MIDI input port. However, I am not getting a signal. The computer isn't picking up a MIDI signal at all, despite the fact that the MBox otherwise works just fine.

Other important things to note:
+ The keyboard also works just fine. Its drivers are up to date (actually, more recent than the ones for download on the site). I DO get a signal when connecting it through a USB port. I don't want to use it regularly with the USB port, however, because the port it would take normally is occupied with the iLok when using ProTools (I actually tested the signal using Ableton Live).
+ When connected through the MBox input, I get no signal in either Ableton or Pro Tools.
+ I don't seem to have any way of checking whether or not the MBox knows there is a controller connected to it. All I get when checking inputs is:
4 -MBox External
4 -MBox Control
MBox External
MBox Control
It will not tell me whether or not in senses any other hardware. Not even in the control panel. If anyone knows how to check this, that would be super.
+ I have previously hooked up a different, far older keyboard to the MBox MIDI input and gotten signal. I didn't even have to set anything up with that one. It didn't even fight me. I just plugged it in and went with it.
+ The Alesis QX-49 has two MIDI outputs labeled "Computer MIDI out" and "Keyboard MIDI out." I've tried both, but have it hooked up to "Computer" at the moment at the manual's suggestion.
+ The "MIDI Studio" in ProTools looks nothing like any of the videos I've seen. These all show an interface that has fun little pictures of the signal flow of input devices, but all I get is a dumb empty list.

If anyone has any ideas how to test the connection differently or get the stupid thing working, that would be fantastic. I'm not sure why suddenly plugging it in through the MBox makes it not work, but I'm having hell on Earth diagnosing the problem.

[Southsidemusic]

Hi and Welcome to the Community

2 quick questions :

The midi out from Mbox goes to midi in on the keyboard?
Have you enabled the mbox under - Midi - Input Devices and checked the Mbox midi ports?

The midi cable needs to go from out on the keyboard to midi in on the mbox and thats easy to miss actually We have all done that once or twice.

If you have 2 cables they should fo from in to out on Mbox and out from mbox to in on the keyboard.

Anyway, check those and the input device menu under midi in PT and see if that helps.

Also :

In PT preferences check the box that correlates to use first selected MIDI instrument i.e check that and try the controller. Don't forget to rec arm the Intrument track and also, Goto settings i/o and press default on all the tabs like In Out Aux and see what happens.

Christopher

[bhospelh]

Thanks!

Well... I tried redoing the MIDI cable just in case, but no luck. No, I've definitely hooked them up backwards before, so I've been checking and rechecking every two minutes >>
There's only one MIDI cable. The set up is like this:

Keyboard Inputs
USB (Unused)
9V DC Power (Used for power)

Keyboard Outputs
USB (Unused)
Computer MIDI Out -----> MBox MIDI In (Via MIDI cable)
Keyboard MIDI Out (Unused)

MBox Inputs
Channel 1 XLR (Unused)
Channel 1 Guitar Plug (Unused)
Channel 2 XLR (Unused)
Channel 2 Guitar Plug (Unused)
S/PDIF In (Unused)
MIDI In <-------- Controller Keyboard

MBox Outputs
Monitor Out L/R (Both Unused)
MIDI Out (Unused)
S/PDIF Out (Unused)
USB Out ------> Computer (Windows 8.1)
1/4" Headphone Jack -----> 1/4" to 1/8" adapter -----> Headphones

Computer USB Ports
USB <-------- MBox USB Out
USB <-------- Wireless Mouse
USB <-------- iLok
USB <-------- (Empty - Though usually has my external hard drive)


Hm.. so what's happening is that PT only sees the four inputs I listed in the first post - there's no special designation for the MIDI input, so I'm not sure if that's how it lists that one input, or if that's something else entirely. It also won't tell me whether or not it senses something plugged into the MIDI port. Everything is checked. I tried setting the Mini Grand as default MIDI instrument, but no dice. I can't seem to get any signal in any other software either - somehow the MIDI signal simply isn't reaching my computer. I don't know if that's just because I have to configure each program individually to receive it, or if the signal somehow isn't reaching my Mbox in the first place. I defaulted all the I/O settings too. Didn't seem to help this particular case, but it'll probably help further down the line :)
I'll provide some pictures to show what some of these screens look like when I have the connections as listed above.

I mostly just wish I could figure out what's MIDI and what's microphone channels - the MBox really doesn't make it clear... It also doesn't tell me what's plugged in! That would be a liiiiittle nice to know.

I'm going to try PT10 to see if I get that lovely interface with the pictures of things that appears in peoples' help videos.

...Does that clear things up...? Either way, if you've got any more ideas given this, that would be fantastic! But it doesn't seem to be obvious what the problem is in the first place... I think it's mostly that I don't know what the MBox inputs show up as in the software, and I don't know what a controller input through the MBox SHOULD show up as.

Thanks again!

[Southsidemusic]

Have you tried the input devices setting I wrote?

Also if you set up an Instrument track and load a VI and record arm that track, does anything happen? You need to activate your mbox in input devices and check both midi ports there

Chris

Edit : i saw that you done the input device from the pictures.

Is Midi Thru checked under the PT menu? Can't remeber where it is but it's not a sub menu, just says Midi Thru?

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by bhospelh

Keyboard Outputs
USB (Unused)
Computer MIDI Out -----> MBox MIDI In (Via MIDI cable)
Keyboard MIDI Out (Unused)

This is where your trouble is. If you want to use your keyboard to play VI in protools (sorry if I get your intention wrong, long day and it's already 15 to 5 am and haven't slept yet), then you need to connect the MIDI out of the keyboard to the MBOX MIDI in, then the MBOX usb to the computer. To me the computer MIDI out is a weird way of writing MIDI In (meaning from the computer to your keyboard, for program changes and stuff like that).

Also

See this for setting up your MIDI studio within pro tools and assigning the midi input of the instrument track to your midi keyboard.


http://youtu.be/xwFM0LfCsH0

For more information read page 147 of your User Manual

[albee1952]

Setup>Midi>Midi Studio. This is where you tell Pro Tools to look for an external midi "instrument". The most important part of this page is setting the port where midi should travel thru(for a controller, you only need to address the input port as you do't need to send midi back to the external device).