Akai EIE USB question??

I don't have one of these but curious about some if its features, namely the USB ports.
If maybe someone who owns one of these, or someone who works at akai could chime in, thanks that would be appreciated.

I've been in the market for something like this http://www.iconnectivity.com/iConnectMIDI that can bridge my class compliant USB MIDI only keyboard controller to DIN MIDI for directly controlling my MPC, but it has been discontinued.

I've also come across these http://www.kentonuk.com/products/items/ ... host.shtml but it does not have the ability to interface it with my macbook for sequencing NI Kontakt through the MPC.

Since I'm also in the market for a decent audio I/O for resampling sequenced Kontakt samples back into the MPC, I've been considering the Akai EIE, with the extra USB ports on the back. Will they bridge the gap and allow me to control my mpc (play midi notes thats all) with my USB MIDI only keyboard. Or do the USB ports only work as a "thru" to the computer?

honestly, I don't own that sound card... but i've not heard much good news about that one. the non pro version at one point (perhaps they changed it) didn't use asio drivers... it only ran on the windows or regular mac driver.... the pro version used asio.

so that right there would be less than satisfactory for the midi part. also, static and clicking and noise was a major complaint on both those and the pro version... I would maybe think of trying a different sound card.


a sound card with a midi in and out din port are for you to interface your midi device with the computer.... you set what exactly those do with the software.... so midi clock, notes, mmc, etc...

Yes the issues mr_debauch mentioned are well documented here and on other sites. The non pro version actually includes/suggests you use an emulated freeware driver called ASIO4All. It's a good freeware driver for a laptop or desktop with no interface using built in audio. But for a professional company to utilize it as the default driver is really a joke.

There's plenty of better options in the same price ranges that offer the same input and output options, have better drivers and don't have numerous people reporting static and loss of MIDI/Audio sync and distortion when the sample rate aspects take a s@*# in the middle of you session.

oh does it? I thought people said the difference was the non pro version used the normal windows one... asio4all is not that bad... you can configure some stuff with that.

anyhow.. in that price range i'd for sure pick something else.... even something for the same price used would be better value.

No doubt ASIO4All is dope. And I have used it in place of a an adapted Ploytec ASIO on a Presonus and got better performance. Just seems a little low budget to make it the default on the lower model as it's not a true ASIO driver.

But we're clearly telling the OP the same thing, for $199 or $300USD just get something with less reported issues. The VU meters are all that really stands out specific to those joints.

what type is the usb midi connector on your keyboard?
there are several really cheap usb to midi din cables on the market, but a quick look showed that they almost all have an usb type "a" connector.
the usb connector on the back of the mpc2500 for instance is a usb type "b" like found on many printers.
so if your keyboard has a type "a" usb then it is easy to connect directly to the mpc midi in with one of the cheap midi usb cables.

but if you also want to control kontakt from the mpc then you need a midi interface for your computer anyways. then you would be able to just connect the usb keyboard to the computer and use the midi interface to send all the info you want the mpc sequencer to record and then use the midi from the mpc to the computer to control kontakt. you see the keyboard info just go thru the computer to the mpc as midi does not have to be direct connected if the ports and midi numbers are correctly configured. the only problem that can arise is some added latency.

if you would tell what keyboard you own we might be able to help better.

and like the others told if you are looking for an audiointerface with midi in/out then there are better options in that price range than the akai eie.

peace, jo

selecta jo wrote:what type is the usb midi connector on your keyboard?
there are several really cheap usb to midi din cables on the market, but a quick look showed that they almost all have an usb type "a" connector.
the usb connector on the back of the mpc2500 for instance is a usb type "b" like found on many printers.
so if your keyboard has a type "a" usb then it is easy to connect directly to the mpc midi in with one of the cheap midi usb cables.

What? No!

You can not connect a USB-MIDI keyboard directly to an MPC with a cheap MIDI USB cable! WTF are you talking about?

Indeed. Data only on that MPC USB port.

clam down guys, i was not talking about connecting the keyboards usb to the mpc usb with a usb type "a" to type "b" cable like used on most printers. i just used the mpc usb port as an example for how a usb type "b" port looks like!

most controller keyboards that i have seen do have a usb type "b" midi port to connect to a host computer so the problem i described is that most of the cheab usb to din midi adapter cables do have a usb type "a" connector and can therefore not be used to connect a keyboard controller with a usb type "b" midi out to a mpc din midi in!

that is why i asked the op for the specs of his keyboard to know which type of usb port it has.

peace, jo

selecta jo wrote:most controller keyboards that i have seen do have a usb type "b" midi port to connect to a host computer so the problem i described is that most of the cheab usb to din midi adapter cables do have a usb type "a" connector and can therefore not be used to connect a keyboard controller with a usb type "b" midi out to a mpc din midi in!

It is nothing to do with the type of connector used.

It is due to the cheap USB-MIDI adapter cable being an external MIDI interface for the computer you attach it to.

The MPC is not a computer, the MPC USB port is designed to give access to the CF slot as a CF reader on a connected computer as a USB device, not as a USB host for USB MIDI interfaces.


You need a different type of device, than a USB-MIDI cable/adapter, to connect a USB MIDI keyboard to the MPC MIDI ports...

http://www.kentonuk.com/products/items/ ... host.shtml

This is the keyboard I'm using

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/K ... ini32.html

I don't think there are any simple cables out there that could get the job done. I believe their needs to be some sort of power supplied for powering the keyboard.

@simon: ok, one more time just for you in slow motion: i did not write to connect anything to the mpc usb port as i am fully aware that it is just a data port! all i did was to use the mpc usb port as an example to the op how an usb type "b" connector looks like to help him tell us how the usb on his particular keyboard looks like.
all i wanted to say is that there might be a way to connect his keyboard wich has an usb midi out to the mpc DIN midi in!!!
the problem is that most of that cheap midi to usb interface cables have a usb type "a" connector on the usb side and that does not plug into the usb type "b" or mini usb like on the m-audio mini32 the op is using. ok?

@ralphy: so your m-audio has a mini-usb connector and i don´t know if there are adapters from that to a bigger usb connector so you can use one of the cheap usb to midi cables to connect your keyboard directly to the mpc.

EDIT: i think this way won´t work with your keyboard, because it needs usb power to operate and this power is not transmitted over those cheap cables and also the mpc DIN midi ports would not give this power at all! so this way only works with usb keyboards that also work on battery or wall wart power. /EDIT

but as you also want to control komplete on your computer from the mpc (and i suppose you also want the keys to be usable with the komplete sounds, you need a regular midi interface for your computer anyways to establish the connection from the mpc to komplete or also to a daw on your computer. for that one of the cheap usb to midi DIN cables will work and you just connect your m-audio via usb to the computer.
after that is all about midi routing and taking care that no midi loops occur, because you are going forth and back thru the computer with your midi messages.

in the end it would probably be the best way to look for a audiointerface with built in midi DIN ports so you also can combine the audio sound of the mpc and whatever comes out of komplete or a daw with better quality than the computers soundcard.

peace, jo

Talking in slow motion is not going to make your bullshit correct Jo, it will just make you look retarded.

selecta jo wrote:@simon: ok, one more time just for you in slow motion: i did not write to connect anything to the mpc usb port as i am fully aware that it is just a data port! all i did was to use the mpc usb port as an example to the op how an usb type "b" connector looks like to help him tell us how the usb on his particular keyboard looks like.
all i wanted to say is that there might be a way to connect his keyboard wich has an usb midi out to the mpc DIN midi in!!!
the problem is that most of that cheap midi to usb interface cables have a usb type "a" connector on the usb side and that does not plug into the usb type "b" or mini usb like on the m-audio mini32 the op is using. ok?

Not OK, doesn't **** work, not going to work.

The problem is nothing to do with types of USB connectors.

A cheap USB-MIDI interface cable has to plug into a computer USB port, it WILL NOT **** WORK ON AN MPC USB PORT, FFS!!!

selecta jo wrote:@ralphy: so your m-audio has a mini-usb connector and i don´t know if there are adapters from that to a bigger usb connector so you can use one of the cheap usb to midi cables to connect your keyboard directly to the mpc.

STFU already, you can't, it will not **** work!!!

selecta jo wrote:EDIT: i think this way won´t work with your keyboard, because it needs usb power to operate and this power is not transmitted over those cheap cables and also the mpc DIN midi ports would not give this power at all! so this way only works with usb keyboards that also work on battery or wall wart power. /EDIT

No, not power, the MPC is simply not designed as a USB host, it is designed to be a USB card reader, a USB device, not a USB host.

Seriously, look it up, learn something.

selecta jo wrote:but as you also want to control komplete on your computer from the mpc (and i suppose you also want the keys to be usable with the komplete sounds, you need a regular midi interface for your computer anyways to establish the connection from the mpc to komplete or also to a daw on your computer. for that one of the cheap usb to midi DIN cables will work and you just connect your m-audio via usb to the computer.
after that is all about midi routing and taking care that no midi loops occur, because you are going forth and back thru the computer with your midi messages.

No, he wants something like the USB host boxes that he referenced in his first post, all this bullshit about cheap USB-MIDI interface cables working in the MPC USB port is just that, bullshit!

selecta jo wrote:in the end it would probably be the best way to look for a audiointerface with built in midi DIN ports so you also can combine the audio sound of the mpc and whatever comes out of komplete or a daw with better quality than the computers soundcard.

No, in the beginning it would probably be best to avoid all this confusion in talking about shit that is simply not going to work, and talk about the options he mentioned in his first post, which will do what he wants.