MPD18 has lights but won't send MIDI

I have tried it in Pro Tools 10 and Garageband. My AKAI LPK25 USB Keyboard works fine in both of these platforms but when I try the MPD18 it doesn't trigger the VIs that I try. It does come up in MIDI devices in Pro Tools and when I hit a pad in Pro Tools I can see a very small green signal for the volume on the MIDI channel but no sound! (Whereas the AKAI USB keyboard has a full volume signal and sound). Is the MPD18 broken? Why would it light up still?

my guess is, the midi notes being sent out of the mpd are not ones that are assigned to sounds in the vst.

I suggest downloading the manual for the mpd18 and learning how to change the midi notes of the pads.

keep in mind, the mpd is just like a keyboard with keys, except it has pads instead... and it has less keys/pads/notes...