MCU Frustration

[Jona Wilson]

By now i know this topic is old to most and probably been discussed 100's of times. I've searched this topic and just can't seem to find a definitive answer so i come with hat in hand begging anyone to give me some answers on how to get my MCU to work with CBB. I've been working with cakewalk since Home Studio 4 so i am pretty familiar with it's internal structure but for life of me i can't seem to figure this out. I moved from Win 7/Sonar Platinum to Win 10/CBB this year. I held out as long as i could for fear of my workflow being compromised but surprisingly the transition went pretty well which brings me to this week when i tried to insert my MCU back into my setup. Funny thing is i saved it for last cause i assumed it would connect just as easy as it had in Sonar Platinum. HELP PLEASE.

 

Dell 7520 Win 10 Pro Intel i7

[msmcleod]

I've got an original MCU... and I've also got an identical MIDI cable to yours, and that cable does not work.

The reason being that it MIDI data needs to be transmitted at 31250 baud, however it readily receives data at the USB2 speed 480Mbps.  So it has to store all that data received at one speed, and slowly transmit it at another.  In order to do this it has to store the data internally, however it's internal storage is literally tiny... something of the order of 8K.  This may be fine for 8 to 16 notes played on a keyboard, but no where near enough for many continuous controllers, and certainly not for the traffic generated/received by the MCU.   

You need a much better MIDI interface for the MCU.  I used to use a Midiman (M-Audio) Midisport 8x8 - this worked fine in Windows 7, but the drivers are old and too unreliable in Windows 10.

The only modern interface I've found reliable enough for the MCU is the MidiTech Midiface 4x4 or Midiface 8x8.  I use the Midiface 8x8, and it works perfectly with my Mackie MCU  + XT + C4, as well as receiving data from my controller keyboards.

At the moment, this is really the only interface I've found that works in Windows 10.  I've tried a few other makes such as MidiBox, and ESI, but they all use the same chips as that MIDI cable, and won't support any busy MIDI traffic.

[John Vere]

There are plenty of lower cost audio interfaces that come with midi ports. The cost is minimal when purchased that way. 

[John Nelson]

FWIW, I am using iConnectivity mio 1x1 USB-MIDI, DIN-MIDI Interface with my old grey version of the Mackie Master Control.

Works fine.

I was running it through the DIN conns on my Babyface Pro but wanted to reclaim those ports for other things. So I tried this and it worked just the same.

[msmcleod]

Just now, John Nelson said:

FWIW, I am using iConnectivity mio 1x1 USB-MIDI, DIN-MIDI Interface with my old grey version of the Mackie Master Control.

Works fine.

I was running it through the DIN conns on my Babyface Pro but wanted to reclaim those ports for other things. So I tried this and it worked just the same.

Yes, MIDI interfaces that are built into audio interfaces are fine.

The MIDI ports in my Scarlett 6i6 work fine with the MCU too.

[Jona Wilson]

LOL in the time since i posted i installed my MOTU micro midi to my new setup i was trying not use it cause i used in my old setup for reference but being at my wits end i said F it and switched it over and boom I'm back in business. Thank you so much for response time.

[Will.]

This one used to work wonders for me. 

 

[Stephen Rybacki]

I don't know if this will help or not, but I have an original M-Audio MIDI-Sport 2x2 MIDI interface just languishing in a box somewhere.  If you pay for shipping, you can have it if you want it.

BTW, what does MCU actually stand for?

[msmcleod]

2 hours ago, Stephen Rybacki said:

I don't know if this will help or not, but I have an original M-Audio MIDI-Sport 2x2 MIDI interface just languishing in a box somewhere.  If you pay for shipping, you can have it if you want it.

BTW, what does MCU actually stand for?

All of the M-Audio MIDISport range share the same drivers, which unfortunately are not playing well with Windows 10 any more - they suffer from lost / hung notes.

MCU = Mackie Control Universal.   These are the three original "MCU" units Mackie released:



The MCU Pro / MCU Pro XT's look like this, and don't need MIDI interfaces as the MCU Pro has built in USB:

[Colin Nicholls]

6 hours ago, Stephen Rybacki said:

I don't know if this will help or not, but I have an original M-Audio MIDI-Sport 2x2 MIDI interface just languishing in a box somewhere. 

And the drivers work perfectly with Windows 10 (I have the same unit, mine is green)

Edit: Just saw Mark's comment - Mileage may differ, obvs

Edited April 29, 2022 by Colin Nicholls

[John Nelson]

To be totally cool, you need the SONAR overlay too.

[Starship Krupa]

I bought one of these MIDI adapters on Amazon and it works perfectly. I looked inside and the PCB is actually branded "Wersi," which is a venerable German manufacturer of organs and synths.

They are sold under various brand names, just get this one or one that looks like this, with the window and MIDI indicator light:

https://smile.amazon.com/FORE-Interface-Converter-Adapter-Laptop/dp/B0719V8MX1

(if you read the fine print they even say it's compatible with Sonar)

The cheaper ones like in the original post are poop. I tried one and it was stuck note city. This one has never given me any trouble, and is class compliant so it needs no drivers. I've used it with my laptop and my iPad with no glitches.

Edited May 1, 2022 by Starship Krupa