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My old midi keyboard doesn't work in M1 MBA

Hello world.


I got a problem with using my old midi keyboard, which has no driver for mac. Even if I press a key of my midi keyboard, It doesn't make any sound. And It works well in my windows system.


spec

M1 MBA(16G/256GB)

ugreen USB hub

ESI KeyControl 49+


If someone can help me, please leave a comment here.


MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.4

Posted on Aug 13, 2021 11:04 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 14, 2021 6:34 AM

Hi,

There have been many changes to how OSX manages MIDI as well as the move to 64bit only starting with Catalina. Many legacy MIDI drivers no longer work due to the need to be updated. Some devices do not have drivers for OSX provided by the vendor and the used to be "plug and play". Unfortunately due to the changes noted above they no longer will work.

You can try:

Disconnect the keyboard

Delete the existing device in the MIDT Setup

Shutdown, Restart

Launch Apple MIDI Setup

Connect the keyboard directly to the computer ( no USB hub )

Is the device recognized? If yes,

Enter "Test" mode, hit a key. Do you hear a bing? If yes the keys are being recognized. If no sound the device is not being properly recognized.

You can try an app called MIDIView ( free) to see if any MIDI messages are being sent or not.


If the keyboard is not being recognized properly you may be out of luck.


I have seen an uptick with Midi Issue with since Logic 10.5 ad here are my observations and tips:


1) Make sure ALL drivers (if required) are current and supported (Critical ) 


2) No USB hubs in the data chain to MIDI devices


3) Always start from a cold boot, no wake from sleep


4) No changing of accounts ( logout / login ) 


5) If using a combination of USB direct and a MIDI multi-port interface leave Port A open on the multi-port.


These steps solved about 99% of my ( and fellow musicians ) MIDI issues.  


Hope this helps


( If this was helpful please mark as such or mark as solved if that is the case 





5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 14, 2021 6:34 AM in response to Kochanhyun

Hi,

There have been many changes to how OSX manages MIDI as well as the move to 64bit only starting with Catalina. Many legacy MIDI drivers no longer work due to the need to be updated. Some devices do not have drivers for OSX provided by the vendor and the used to be "plug and play". Unfortunately due to the changes noted above they no longer will work.

You can try:

Disconnect the keyboard

Delete the existing device in the MIDT Setup

Shutdown, Restart

Launch Apple MIDI Setup

Connect the keyboard directly to the computer ( no USB hub )

Is the device recognized? If yes,

Enter "Test" mode, hit a key. Do you hear a bing? If yes the keys are being recognized. If no sound the device is not being properly recognized.

You can try an app called MIDIView ( free) to see if any MIDI messages are being sent or not.


If the keyboard is not being recognized properly you may be out of luck.


I have seen an uptick with Midi Issue with since Logic 10.5 ad here are my observations and tips:


1) Make sure ALL drivers (if required) are current and supported (Critical ) 


2) No USB hubs in the data chain to MIDI devices


3) Always start from a cold boot, no wake from sleep


4) No changing of accounts ( logout / login ) 


5) If using a combination of USB direct and a MIDI multi-port interface leave Port A open on the multi-port.


These steps solved about 99% of my ( and fellow musicians ) MIDI issues.  


Hope this helps


( If this was helpful please mark as such or mark as solved if that is the case 





Aug 15, 2021 1:09 AM in response to Kochanhyun

Unfortunately, options for USB C equipped Macs are limited, but there are a few out there :


This USB C cable claims to be midi compatible : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Interface-Compatible-Controller-Keyboard-Recording/dp/B08F7BJDSX?th=1


Or you could go Bluetooth : https://www.amazon.co.uk/AKAI-Professional-LPK25-Wireless-Bluetooth-enabled/dp/B01J66AM0G/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=wireless+midi+keyboard&qid=1629012140&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-4


I recently had to retire my old eMagic Unitor 8, & ended up going with an iconnectivity mioXM, (using an ethernet connection - works great, but I’m still on Intel) : https://www.iconnectivity.com/mioxm


You’d need a USB C to ethernet adapter for this to work, & to check compatibility with your ESI controller, (as not all plug & play devices are supported). Plus it’s an expensive, & less portable solution for just one keyboard!


It may be that your ESI Keyboard is not compatible with M1 Macs or Rosetta 2, so I’d contact ESI to check. The fact that it’s showing in your Audio Midi Setup, but is offline, (greyed out) suggests an incompatibility… so unfortunately it may be time for a new keyboard. NI Kontrol keyboards appear to offer M1 support via Rosetta 2 : https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keyboards/komplete-kontrol-a25-a49-a61/


Good luck!

My old midi keyboard doesn't work in M1 MBA

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