External midi, constant crashing-

Right, I have stuck with this machine but i find its capability to route and handle external midi modules is appalling. I have 2x motu midi interfaces with a number of pieces of kit and synths running through it. Selecting the modules via the Ren is fine and piecing together a track is fine……..until…..you swap to another sequence or try to change a program, then 'computer stops communicating'……and CRASH! Seriously, is this thing only good for working with samples and audio, cos the midi implementation sucks. I have been just syncing with ableton and running any of the external midi equipment through that. Troubleshooting???? you damn right I have been!

And no, it isn't my Mac….this F**** MPC software is the ONLY thing that crashes. All my kit is fine, set up is fine. What a truly frustrating experience this is turning out to be. Syncing with my 2000xl is no drama but the ability to control multiple pieces of external equipment was a real selling point for me, and now Akai cannot even make a stable piece of software that is capable of the smallest changes to data.
So, I will stick with not using any midi with this controller and make do with running as a standalone until word from Akai that they are bothering to spend anytime on making this piece of kit stable. Shame really as it promised so much.

Sorry forum, rant over.

A year and a half later and we have an MPC that just added step edit and can't even handle external midi. I feel you bro, you would think an MPC could handle easy sh*t like that, its a shame the state of this product, I'm on the verge of selling my Renaissance to go back to hardware samplers/sequencers bc at least they actually include features written on the box when you buy it, and can sequence midi and automate and do basic things without problems. Never seen a company advertise features that aren't there or take years to add simple sh*t.

InspectahEX wrote:A year and a half later and we have an MPC that just added step edit and can't even handle external midi. I feel you bro, you would think an MPC could handle easy sh*t like that, its a shame the state of this product, I'm on the verge of selling my Renaissance to go back to hardware samplers/sequencers bc at least they actually include features written on the box when you buy it, and can sequence midi and automate and do basic things without problems. Never seen a company advertise features that aren't there or take years to add simple sh*t.

There is very limited posts as to problems with external midi. My 2000xl is rock solid with external gear from the midi ports. Will probably just use a DAW then for external midi and the 2000xl and Ren for beats. Ren doesn't appear to crash just using it for beats. Any plugins or more than one external piece of kit via midi outs and it crashes.

Have you tried using a single 5x5 MOTU interface, instead of two of them?

Why are you using two 5x5 MIDI interfaces, instead of one?

Are your MOTU MIDI drivers up to date?

Have you tried using the Renaissance MIDI ports, instead of the MOTU MIDI interfaces?

These are just some suggestions, to try and see if you can get it working more stably.

SimonInAustralia wrote:Have you tried using a single 5x5 MOTU interface, instead of two of them?

Why are you using two 5x5 MIDI interfaces, instead of one?

Are your MOTU MIDI drivers up to date?

Have you tried using the Renaissance MIDI ports, instead of the MOTU MIDI interfaces?

These are just some suggestions, to try and see if you can get it working more stably.

Whilst i appreciate your support and attempts to help, i can but only point the finger at the Ren. To answer your Q's:

1. I use two 5x5 interfaces because I have 10 (rather 12) pieces of outboard gear, synths and what not. In fact I actually need MORE! ha ha

2. There are no up to date drivers for it, and they are plug and play, and do not require drivers as i am on a mac, although have reinstalled, and also tried alternative USB ports for connection purposes.

3. Yes, I have tried the REN OUT ports on many occassions with various pieces of external outboard gear.

Thanks for your suggestions but alas, it is fair to say that the Ren is the issue, and is not capable of withstanding a barrage of anything over 1 midi module connected to it.

Again when you say "Ren's drivers", what exactly do you mean, as there isn't separate drivers for the midi? They just release 1.4,1.5,1.6 etc etc etc and consumers seem to hope for the best that their own individual bugs will be sorted! And we can all get on and use this machine, whilst wanting the best for Akai to carry on the age old tradition of using and appreciating the MPC for what it is.....

fluxsta wrote:1. I use two 5x5 interfaces because I have 10 (rather 12) pieces of outboard gear, synths and what not. In fact I actually need MORE! ha ha

Well, in theory you can use up to 16 outboard synths or samplers with a single MIDI port... That's what MIDI THRU and MIDI channels are for...

Just a hint.

Each piece of kit has it's own in and out and I choose to use it this way on its own discrete channel? I also run a monome with max/msp patches and is vastly more user friendly in my set up? Who wants to piss about with midi thru anyway? I am very aware of the theory behind midi and I'm not sure how your 'hint' offers any suggestions as to problems I maybe encountering?

So with one synth on one midi channel with over 500 patches available and only 127 available, how do you suggest I access those 500 sounds or indeed have the ability to if I wanted?

the way you explained it, just sounds like a bug in the software to me, why not post this in bug reports?

That is OK, I was just making a suggestion to try and narrow down exactly where the problem is.

Where you are having the problem with MPC Software sending MIDI to the 4 synths through the 4 MOTU MIDI interface ports, I would try plugging those 4 synths into the 4 Renaissance MIDI ports, unplugging the 2 MOTU interfaces from the computer altogether, temporarily, and I would try sending MIDI from the 4 Renaissance MIDI ports to those 4 synths.

This would just be a test to see if removing the MOTU MIDI interfaces from the computer, and only using the Renaissance MIDI interface, made any difference, and if the crashes still happened in the same way when only using the Renaissance MIDI interface, and when not using the MOTU MIDI interfaces at all.

That is just a troubleshooting suggestion that I have, no problem with me if you don't want to try it, or have already tried it.

I think Akai should add a button to redetect and reconnect the midi external stuffs.
I don't like the fact that when i turn a synth off then on, i have to close and re-open mpc software if i want it to see it again...

fluxsta wrote:Each piece of kit has it's own in and out and I choose to use it this way on its own discrete channel?

Do you need to connect the MIDI out from these particular 4 synths, to the MIDI ins of the computer, when using them with MPC Software?

Have you tested this problem with only connecting the MIDI out from the computer to the MIDI in of these particular synths, and leaving the MIDI out from the synths to the MIDI in of the computer disconnected?

fluxsta wrote:So with one synth on one midi channel with over 500 patches available and only 127 available, how do you suggest I access those 500 sounds or indeed have the ability to if I wanted?

Don't you use a combination of Program Change, Bank, and LSB settings to access more than 128 patches on your synths?

How do you access more than 128 patches at the moment?

I Just bought a novation kstation and I'm very pleased with it, and its a real shame I can only sample it and not actually record and then track out...but I still expect that to be possible very soon...untill then I'm getting reason updated to 7, with has very sweet midi out capabilities...akai should hang out with the propellerhead crew... Very nice way of not being traditional and still making it work...their own way... took them a lotta years tho" (I think at least 12 years ago when I first used reason) this is 2014 should be able to get it working a bit faster....but to be real.... The fast and easy workflow and the use of my ren and vst's makes me prefer the mpc software....(too fast?????? Too easy???) if they able to use it full,potential and the users gears and wishes and recording and mixing...( a USB based mixer u can connect to the USB a port, call it renaissance + giving u more audio inputs,maybe a midi hub within it,motorized faders, hf Lf eqknobs, all working with mpc software+ with global mixer, audio tracks, insane midi capabilities for us who loooooove hardware synths,racks, drum computers, guitars and,other instruments...... WOULD BE AWESOME...just dreaming.... If they had shown this at namm I would have ejaculated all over this forum, getting all the polls threads and topics stuck together )
until then I still will use reason a lot, although I rather just start op my mpc and,mpc software...and have fun and turn it to a end product (as in a finished song!) And YES I make dope stuff anyhow.... don't gimme that "its the user not the gear" Bullsh*t...if that's the case, cut of your penises

SimonInAustralia wrote:That is OK, I was just making a suggestion to try and narrow down exactly where the problem is.

Where you are having the problem with MPC Software sending MIDI to the 4 synths through the 4 MOTU MIDI interface ports, I would try plugging those 4 synths into the 4 Renaissance MIDI ports, unplugging the 2 MOTU interfaces from the computer altogether, temporarily, and I would try sending MIDI from the 4 Renaissance MIDI ports to those 4 synths.

This would just be a test to see if removing the MOTU MIDI interfaces from the computer, and only using the Renaissance MIDI interface, made any difference, and if the crashes still happened in the same way when only using the Renaissance MIDI interface, and when not using the MOTU MIDI interfaces at all.

That is just a troubleshooting suggestion that I have, no problem with me if you don't want to try it, or have already tried it.

Wasn't having a pop, just a moment of indifference towards the Ren
Am at the end of a long night shift, so will try that. is actually a very basic one i hadn't thought of. In terms of cabling it is all just easy with an interface, and saves me plugging and unplugging cables. You could be right in that the Ren is getting confused somehow and simplifying the process by directly connecting midi cables 'hopefully' eradicates this crash. Will see what happens.

In terms of your comment about bank, program changes-i just find it easier to select midi channel then scroll through the pgm on the hardware. I still use the hardware really and rarely look at a computer screen to change the bank.

fluxsta wrote:Wasn't having a pop, just a moment of indifference towards the Ren

All good, just trying to help you narrow down the problem, so maybe you can get it working better, or so that maybe you can identify the problem, and have something more detailed to ask Akai to fix.

Start out simple, just the Renaissance MIDI outputs to the 4 synths you want to use it, no MIDI outputs from the synths back into the Renaissance, MOTUs unplugged, and see how it goes.

Then you could start adding the MOTUs back in for your other gear, in other applications, and possibly leave those 4 synths plugged into the Renaissance, if they do end up working OK like that.

They could still be accessed from other applications, when you wanted to, using the Renaissance MIDI interface for those 4 synths, rather than the MOTUs.