Fastlane And New Imac - No Midi Out, Failing MIDI Interface Options

[WiredforTom]

I'm working with the latest standard iMac with Fastlane and Audio/MIDI Setup test does not show any MIDI Out. No light on the Fastlane - nothing. The inbound test works fine. This is too strange. -Tom

[ckb]

Hey, Tom:

Not only have I had the same problem, but it's also in a school lab. What a coincidence!

Anyway, last summer I bought seven new iMac 2.66GHz, 24-inch, yada yada for the university computer-music lab that I manage. On six of the seven machines, FastLanes. On the seventh machine, a humble old MIDIman interface (can't remember the model -- MIDIsport? little 2x2 number.) That's the only one on which MIDI output works.

I did some tests using the excellent free utility MIDI Monitor and found that Audio MIDI Setup was indeed sending the test MIDI notes out. But for whatever reason, they weren't getting to the FastLanes.

Sometimes unplugging the FastLane and plugging it back into a different USB port would "wake up" the MIDI output, but not always (this sent me down the trail of differently powered USB ports, but that wasn't it because it wasn't, ultimately, consistent).

Never got to a solution with MOTU. So anyway, we spent the whole last school year (09-10) with output back to the keyboards not working -- except on the old MIDIman interface. Never a hitch there. Fortunately we accomplished enough of the learning objectives using software instruments.

-CK

[WiredforTom]

If your Fastlanes are rather old, there was an update for them several years back. They would not reconnect after sleep. Gather up your serial numbers and contact MOTU. They sent us a set of chips to replace.

Hey, Tom:

Not only have I had the same problem, but it's also in a school lab. What a coincidence!

Anyway, last summer I bought seven new iMac 2.66GHz, 24-inch, yada yada for the university computer-music lab that I manage. On six of the seven machines, FastLanes. On the seventh machine, a humble old MIDIman interface (can't remember the model -- MIDIsport? little 2x2 number.) That's the only one on which MIDI output works.

I did some tests using the excellent free utility MIDI Monitor and found that Audio MIDI Setup was indeed sending the test MIDI notes out. But for whatever reason, they weren't getting to the FastLanes.

Sometimes unplugging the FastLane and plugging it back into a different USB port would "wake up" the MIDI output, but not always (this sent me down the trail of differently powered USB ports, but that wasn't it because it wasn't, ultimately, consistent).

Never got to a solution with MOTU. So anyway, we spent the whole last school year (09-10) with output back to the keyboards not working -- except on the old MIDIman interface. Never a hitch there. Fortunately we accomplished enough of the learning objectives using software instruments.

-CK

[WiredforTom]

Well I STILL have this problem. MOTU has been dedicated to helping me, but they are still stumped. They seem to think that it must be something in my OS installation, but I did the midi driver as one of the earliest items to add to the standard OS. I also tried another "virgin" Mac in my lab, I even backward installed an earlier OS 10.6.2 - no luck. Meanwhile, the midiman 2X2 worked the very first time. I think that we are going to just replace the 12 FastLane's with a cheaper interface. I was hoping that I would find a large response. Thanks so much to CK!

If your Fastlanes are rather old, there was an update for them several years back. They would not reconnect after sleep. Gather up your serial numbers and contact MOTU. They sent us a set of chips to replace.

Hey, Tom:

Not only have I had the same problem, but it's also in a school lab. What a coincidence!

Anyway, last summer I bought seven new iMac 2.66GHz, 24-inch, yada yada for the university computer-music lab that I manage. On six of the seven machines, FastLanes. On the seventh machine, a humble old MIDIman interface (can't remember the model -- MIDIsport? little 2x2 number.) That's the only one on which MIDI output works.

I did some tests using the excellent free utility MIDI Monitor and found that Audio MIDI Setup was indeed sending the test MIDI notes out. But for whatever reason, they weren't getting to the FastLanes.

Sometimes unplugging the FastLane and plugging it back into a different USB port would "wake up" the MIDI output, but not always (this sent me down the trail of differently powered USB ports, but that wasn't it because it wasn't, ultimately, consistent).

Never got to a solution with MOTU. So anyway, we spent the whole last school year (09-10) with output back to the keyboards not working -- except on the old MIDIman interface. Never a hitch there. Fortunately we accomplished enough of the learning objectives using software instruments.

-CK