MBP 2011 won't recognize Roland PC-300 USB MIDI keyboard

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Level 1

4 points

MBP 2011 won't recognize Roland PC-300 USB MIDI keyboard

I just bought a new MacBook Pro 15" (2011) and my Roland ED PC-300 MIDI keyboard is not recognized. I installed the latest driver (v1.3.0) but it doesn't show up as a device in the Audio MIDI Setup Utility. I called Roland US and was told that there was never a Snow Leopard driver update (and that there really was no future hope of one being written due to the fact that it's a legacy devce ~10 years old). The crazy thing is that the PC-300 works on my early 2008 MBP with the same driver under the same OS (10.6.6). The only thing I can think of is that when I updated my old MBP from 10.5 to 10.6, I didn't do a clean install, only an update. So all of my settings (including my MIDI devices in Audio MIDI setup) were migrated forward.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the driver and repaired permissions, but no luck. I've copied the ...user/Library/Audio/MIDI Configurations/Default.mcfg file from my old MBP to the new one-- all of the device icons show up, including the PC-300, but it's still not recognized as a device.

So, what am I missing here? Why is it not recognized using the same driver and OS as on the old MBP? Is there something else besides the driver that gets installed and is necessary for its function?

MBP (2011) 15", Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 9, 2011 2:58 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 9, 2011 3:11 PM in response to floobygoop

If all else fails you can use the MIDI out. A basic usb midi interface can be had for under $15.

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Answer 2

floobygoop Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 14, 2011 6:45 PM in response to Data Stream Studio

Thanks for the suggestion. I know that I can use a MIDI interface, but it kind of defeats the purpose of a portable, USB-powered keyboard when you have to power it with the wall wart, etc. I just want it to work like it's supposed to.

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Answer 3

Pancenter

Level 6

14,662 points

Mar 14, 2011 10:23 PM in response to floobygoop

Couple of things...

Is the switch in the back set to USB? (power supply) If it is you might want to rock the switch a few times to clean the contacts (unplug the kybrd first) and then try hooking it up again.

Also, try a different USB port on the computer.

If you have a PC-300 power supply try using that as the main power, if it still doesn't work at least you will have eliminated the power supply.

Last... there's been a topic or two on MIDI devices that have stopped working on newer hardware and the latest Mac OS. In that case it may not work no matter what you try. I guess there's always a chance it could start working with an OS update and that it's just a 10.6.6 quirk.

pancenter-

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Answer 4

cjani86

Level 1

0 points

Jun 12, 2011 6:51 AM in response to floobygoop

Hey guys,

I was having the exact same problem with my PC-300 and have found a solution so I thought I'd share it here. The difference is I was trying to get it to work on a new Mac Pro (not Macbook Pro) so it might not work for you... but worth a try.

Turns out my machine was running in 64 bit mode, not 32. Apparently the driver is not compatible with 64 bit mode. Copied from some Apple docs:

Use the System Profiler to determine if you're running a 64-bit kernel.

From the Apple () menu, choose About this Mac, then click More Info.
In the Contents pane, select Software.
If 64-bit Kernel and Extensions is set to Yes, you are running a 64-bit kernel.

(n.b... check to see if this is the case on the computer that it DOES work... I found that I had this set to "no").

To select the 32-bit kernel for the current startup disk, use the following command in Terminal:

sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture i386

As soon as I did this and rebooted, the PC-300 works fine 🙂

For more info see these docs:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4287?viewlocale=en_US

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2937?viewlocale=en_US

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3773

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Answer 5

NeilWal

Level 1

4 points

Feb 14, 2015 10:25 PM in response to floobygoop

Well, this response is pretty late, but your problem is definitely solvable. Even in 64 bit mode.

I bought a Roland PC-300 ED on eBay yesterday, and had the same issue, but a quick driver hack sorted it out. We can't resonably expect manufacturers to maintain drivers for legacy products. We have to get off our arse and do it ourselves. Huge thanks to Yves Salathe (https://github.com/ysalathe/GenericUSBMIDI) for doing exactly that!

DON'T follow the Roland advice about making 2 extra devices in Audio MIDI window. It won't hurt anything but it's unnecessary.

Grab https://www.dropbox.com/sh/oonzuhyk9nul7ny/AABd_aszy457kCQY07WP8Mu_a?dl=0 from my dropbox, place it in your MacHD-Library-Audio-MIDI Drivers folder, and reboot.

You should find the PC-300 in the MIDI setup window after this, if it's plugged in and turned on when rebooting. (Power switch on USB and other switch on PC)

I actually had a driver conflict and had to move the other plugins out of that folder and re-add them one by one to figure out which was conflicting. When I first rebooted with no other driver plugin in the folder my Audio/MIDI window showed the PC-300 - if required you can rescan MIDI devices in that window too to see if that'll bring it up.

Don't put the plugin in your User Library folder - use the whole machine Library folder on your MacHD.

Working fine for me today with Mavericks 10.9.5 on MacBook Pro late 2013. Power and MIDI data all flowing over the USB cable.

Cheers

Neil

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