"Unable to locate M-Audio hardware. Make sure your hardware is connected and turned o

[MerryD]

I have installed and reinstalled driver(s) for the KeyStudio 49 keyboard but keep getting the above message everytime I try to start ProTools Essential. Does anyone have any ideas how to 'fix' this? Thanks.

[selfextraction]

I found this situation using Windows 7:

1) I have Micro connected at all times (run computer speakers thru it). Computer always recognizes Micro.

2) When I want to use PT, I connect Keystudio keyboard. This is the strange part that I observed in my computer's device manager. When I connect the keyboard, the keyboard is found but the Micro disappears from the device list (this will cause PT to not open ie: not think Micro is connected).

3) I then disconnect Micro and immediately plug back in. Device manager then recognizes both devices and PT opens with no problem.

Not sure if this is exclusive to Windows 7 or not but hope this helps.

[Landy_Ed]

I observed this issue as well, though the resolution was (frustratingly) to disable my x-fi soundcard in control panel (not just the inputs/outputs, the entire card).

I'd hazard a guess that the driver installed first has precedence, whether or not by design. Something of an oversight, I think, as most of us buying at this level don't only use our computers for recording music.

Also frustrated by the fact that it won't "see" my korg nanopad! I'd guessed that external plugins would be limited, but to exclude control surfaces & usb devices too? How frustrating.....

[Landy_Ed]

Expensive tease! I don't have £70 to throw away and I have a decent job, pity the impoverished musician that can't even afford that much.

I suspect they'd reach a wider market if they at least nodded to the fact that there will already be at least one other soundcard there, whether or not the protools environment can use it, ratehr than rewarding me with a BSOD on shutdown as well as not actually firing.

<comment removed, it does a disservice to the package - nanopad works fine as a controller, it just took a bit of persistence>

(you seem very well informed, btw)

[Liam.E]

I also had this problem. In Windows 7, although I'm not convinced the OS is to blame.

The whole interface is very unstable. I have to plug things into my PC in the right order, I can't plug certain parts into my USB Hub and switching things on in the wrong way also causes problems.

I'm using Avid Keystudio and here's how I get it to work (after managing to complete driver installation successfully):

- Plug the M-Audio micro input device directly to a USB connection on the computer
- Plug the keyboard (switched off) into my USB Hub, then switch on and make sure no error messages show. Often I will get a message saying it failed to recognise hardware, in which case my mouse stops working, I have to unplug everything from the USB hub and reconnect and pray I don't get another error.
- Check that my sound playback devices sill shows the M-Audio device, if not start again.
- Start up pro tools SE

This isn't really practical, all the unplugging and replugging to get around errors.

Common issues I had:
- Plugging both keyboard and M-Audio micro into the USB hub caused the M-Audio micro device to disappear without fail, which means that pro tools SE won't start.
- Plugging in the Keyboard while it's switched on causes it not to be recognised.
- Switching off the keyboard at any point while using Pro Tools SE means that you have to start it all up again.
- Plugging in the Keyboard before the micro input device means that the keyboard isn't recognised.
- Starting up Pro Tools SE without everything working already will cause an error and Pro Tools won't start.

All in all not a particularly user friendly set up. I wonder if anyone knows how to make the software/drivers more reliable, because it's an agonising process right now.

[ohio]

Read this - I manually updated my drivers and got it to connect.


http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/self...&Hilite=unable

[Pro tools Junior]

After two weeks of trying to figure this out. I finally was able to connect. You have to manually install your driver from the internet. Do not connect your interface first. That was my problem. It automatically installed the driver from the first generation and I purchased the second generation. I feel so stupid after figuring this out. Two and a half weeks!!! For anyone using mobile pre, there is a first and a second generation driver. If you don't have the right one, you will not connect with pro tools.

[jamesbtex]

I also had this issue trying to install a Fast Track Pro in windows 7. Windows would see it but Pro Tools M-Powered 9 would not. It does behave like a bug in the driver installation.
Here is how I fixed it.

Fix:
If I downloaded the Fast Track Pro drivers once, plug in the Fast Track Pro windows sees it, pro tools won't, remove and reinstall the drivers that would not fix it.

However if I download the Fast Track drivers, plug it the Fast Track Pro windows see it, pro tools doesn't, and then I download and install the drivers again using the repair option that fixed my issues.

[thamarty]

I had the same problem until i recognized it was the Maudio USB was plugged into a USB 3.0 port. That is never gonna work. You should use a USB 1.1 of 2.0 port.