Mysterious MPD32 connectivity issue

I've been working on this the whole weekend.. I found this forum and have looked through many posts but haven't found a solution yet.

I got this MPD32 from a store in California. I connected the usb cable to my computer, nothing happens. Tried different cables, different computers, no dice.

As I'd rather use my unit right now than shipping it back, I attempted to avoid the problem by connecting the power cord and getting a MIDI to USB cable instead. The mpd32 lights up seems to work perfectly internally, but still, I get no signal from the mpd to my computer via the midi cable. The weird thing is that there is a light on the cable that monitors midi-signals, and it actually recognizes signals being sent from the controller when I tweak knobs and faders.

I am pretty sure my USB port works fine, the cable is brand new, and receives signals from the mpd32. However my computer doesn't see anything, I've tried programs such as MIDI monitor, went into Audio MIDI preferences, and it still sees nothing. I'm using Mac Lion 10.7.5 if that helps..

Please redirect me to this problem's solution if it has already been answered, but all troubleshootings I've been through are telling me hardware issue. Yet the cable receives signals. I'm not sure what to think.

TLDR: MIDI cable recognizes signals sent from MPD32, yet nothing happens on my mac (and my friend's mac).

Thanks for any help you can provide

What applications are you trying to send the MIDI data from the MPD into?

Have you gone into the Preferences/MIDI pages of those applications, and enabled the MIDI input coming from the MPD USB or from the MIDI interface cable?

I've tried Vyzex, Traktor Pro, I've also installed MIDI Monitor to no avail. I also went into "Audio MIDI setup" on the mac, but plugging my mpd out/in does nothing on any of these. I just plugged the MPD through MIDI on a pc now however, and it worked. So I know the problem must be in the configuration of my mac, or in the USB port of the mac.. although it works fine with anything else.

Traktor has previously worked fine with other controllers, but I will double-check that the MIDI connection are open when I get home. Is it required to configure a program in order to see the device at all?

Thanks for the fast reply

Yes, some programs require the particular MIDI input to be enabled before it will do anything.

Though, you should see activity in MIDI Monitor, no matter what the program is doing.

In Audio MIDI Setup, with the MPD connected via USB, you should see an icon somewhere along the top of the MIDI window that represents the internal MPD USB MIDI interface.

In Audio MIDI Setup, with the MPD connected via the USB-MIDI cable/interface, you should see and icon that represents the MIDI interface within the cable.

Have you tried different USB ports on your Mac, and is it connected directly to the USB port, not through a hub?

Hi and thank you for the help, I have now resolved the issue. Because of an outdated driver in the system folders, Audio MIDI Setup was not starting correctly. I have now managed to connect the controller to the computer, and it seems to respond well. The USB is definitely broken though, and I wonder how much it will cost to repair it..

Cheers

Why is USB broken?

Have you tried connecting via the USB cable, without the power supply plugged in?