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RME User Forum → FireWire & USB series → Fireface 400 midi problems
Hi, I?m having a problem when I am using the fireface 400 midi. When I?m using another midi interface it works perfectly. But when I?m using the fireface 400 midi some notes will play automatically, and some notes that I am playing is skipped.
I have tried the fireface midi in both cubase and in presonus studio one, the problem is the same in both.
Anyone know how to fix this?
Excuse me really bad english.. hope you understand my problem..
Thanks in advance
Mac or PC? Which driver and firmware do you have installed for the Fireface? Are you up to date with software patches?
In Cubase for Windows, make sure you activate "Use System Timestamp" for the MIDI input.
Also on Windows, you can use MidiTest to find out if this is actually an RME problem, or a software problem. If the MidiTest results are OK then this is not an RME problem.
http://miditest.earthvegaconnection.com/#about
I?m using a PC with windows XP SP3. I have the latest driver and the latest firmware for Fireface 400. With software patches you mean the latest version of the DAW? Right now I am using Presonus Studio One, and it works perfectly with my other midi interface.
I did the midi test and I get the messege "Time out while waiting for system exclusive message nr. 53." What does that mean? The number (53) is different every time I do the test.
I have tested output 1 to input 1, output 2 to input 2, output 1 to input 2 and output 2 to input 1. I get the same message on all of them.
EDIT: Ops, hade the wrong mode, changed to "MME" and the test was succesful. Now I have no idea what can be wrong in Studio One 
.. Can it be something with my digital piano? I have a Roland RD700, but then the problem should be the same when I?m using my other midi interface, right?
Thank you for helping me
I ran the test with my FF800 ang got the same message "Time out while waiting for system exclusive message nr. x.", x changing at each test with Directmusic selected in "API", ok in MME.
This thread is interested me cause when I record my edrum (Sonar 7 PE and now Sonar 8.5 PE) through MIDI IN of FF800, it's ok about 20s (can changed) and after, some notes aren't played or played lately and the midi file looks like long horizontal lines (notes that never stopped) in piano roll view.
I mailed RME about 2 years ago but couldn't find a solution. Work fine with MIDI IN of an old Aardvark Direct PRO 24/96.
The time out under Direct Music with SysEx is normal. Manolo, is the MIDI problem with the 2.70 firmware?
The time out under Direct Music with SysEx is normal. Manolo, is the MIDI problem with the 2.70 firmware?
MC, I really wish to solve this midi problem. Have you never heard of this before? I have driver version 2.992 and the firmware revision 1.69.
But I still get this sudden midi notes coming from nowhere when I play the piano (often with a very high velocity). And also some of the notes that I am playing are skipped too. And some times the notes just continue to be heard until the sound dies out (just if the pedal would be triggered).
It doesn?t matter what DAW I am using, the problem is the same on all of them!
Right now I?m using Presonus Studio One. And it works perfect with no problems at all with an old emagic "MT-4" midi interface.
Please help!
Thanks in advance
Sirthom, basically a MIDI input can be incompatible to one or the other MIDI generator. In real world it can always happen that one interface does not work, a different one works, but both work again with a different MIDI sender...
Of course it could simply be a real hardware error within the FF. The optocoupling component in the MIDI input might be a bit too insensitive. We do not have driver or firmware problems with MIDI for some time now, and thousands of users without problems, so I expect the (your) hardware to be faulty. But this can only be checked and solved by sending the unit in...
Ok. The thing is, I have never ever had one single problem with the emagic "MT-4" interface.
So I guess I have to send the unit in then, since that seems to be the only thing left to do.
Thanks
Manolo, is the MIDI problem with the 2.70 firmware?
Just upgraded from 2.66 to 2.70 and it happened about 12 s after I started playing.
I let you the midi file I have : MIDI FILE
I've noticed that MIDI/I is always "on" when I plug the DTXpress III module in FF800.
I've found a very interesting thing I think. I received a Fireface UC and I tried :
- MIDI IN 1 or 2 of Fireface UC (or MIDI IN of my Aadrvark) with my edrum and ASIO of Fireface 800 in Sonar 8.5 : no problem
- same thing with ASIO of Fireface UC : no problem
- MIDI IN of Fireface 800 with ASIO of Fireface UC : no problem
The problem occurs when MIDI IN of Fireface 800 is used while ASIO of Fireface 800 is used.
So I think it's a problem of settings (synchronisation ?) in Fireface 800 (not in Sonar cause MIDI of FF UC and ASIO of FF UC work together).
Any help please, it's not normal that it does not work ! ?
Make sure you disable/disconnect any other Midi interface while doing your tests, including any USB connected controllers.
One bad driver can drag down the whole Midi subsystem and thus affect all other drivers.
All tests are under same conditions. Only MIDI IN used and ASIO drivers used change. It doesn't work only with FF800 MIDI + ASIO.
Hi, I know this is old topic but I have the same problem with my FF800. Using Cubase 6 and Sibelius.
Got the latest firmware and drivers.
And I think this was a problem from beginig but wasnt bothered to send a unit back. (2 years)
Can I do something about it?
Regards
You can send the unit in anytime, but your warranty may have expired in the meantime.
Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME
Hi,
I have been using my Fireface 400 in osx on a mac pro now for 5 years. It´s problem free. No midi problem at all.
I just built a PC and am now back to windows, version 8.1. And guess what, the midi problem I had in 2009 is now back.
I have the latest drivers for fireface 400, my motherboard, and for all other components in the computer.
So this problem is ofcourse related to windows. Maybe now, after 5 years, someone knows why this happens?
Here is my post from 2009-10-01
Hi, I?m having a problem when I am using the fireface 400 midi. When I?m using another midi interface it works perfectly. But when I?m using the fireface 400 midi some notes will play automatically, and some notes that I am playing is skipped.
I have tried the fireface midi in both cubase and in presonus studio one, the problem is the same in both.
Anyone know how to fix this?
Strange thing. Never had an issue of notes playing by themselves. Which settings do you use for the Midi I/Os in your DAW software (and which software)?
Let´s forget about the notes playing by them self, it only happend once yet. Bet I remember from 2009, using Windows XP, that it happend once in a while.
The problem is the notes that don´t get played when I play on my piano. The wierd part is, when I record in Cubase, let´s say I play a scale, c,d,e,f,g,a,b,c, and the notes f and g don´t get played, but in cubase when I look at the recording, every notes are recorded.
This is very annoying and ofcourse I can´t live with some notes not being played when I record.
I really thought this was not going to happen in Windows 8.1, since last time I had this problem, I was using Windows XP.
Anyone?
Back in 2009 I solved this problem by installing my Emagic mt4 midi interface. Unfortunately, today there is no drivers to install it in windows 8.1.
If Cubase is recording the notes then the interface and driver delivers them. So at a glance it seems more like a Cubase (+ plugin) problem, albeit I can think of a possible Midi timestamping issue, too. Does it make a difference in Cubase whether Midi priority is set to high or not? Does it matter which of the two Midi ports of the FF400 is used?
Does it happen with different kind of external controllers (if available)? Which version of Cubase is this?
No the problem is not cubase, since it works perfectly using cubase in OSX. No settings in cubase makes a different. This has clearly something to do with windows. But what?
I need to know which version of Cubase you are using in order to reproduce this. And there are differences between Midi in OS X and Windows that especially affect Cubase (DirectMusic Midi vs. MME vs. CoreMidi).
Oh sorry, I forgot. Latest version, 8.0.10. Some settings I can change in Windows 8.1 then?
Thanks for helping!
Thanks, I will try to reproduce this. Could you please also list your setup?
Keyboard (which one?) -> Midi DIN -> Fireface -> Cubase -> ??? -> Audio Mixer -> Fireface Audio output
How do you have Cubase play notes during Midi input? Is it a third-party plugin being played or an internal one in Cubase? Or do you use a Midi loop-back to your keyboard and have that playback via Midi instead of directly?
I use a Roland RD700 digital piano. Connected to midi in 1 on my fireface 400. That´s it.
I´m using Kontakt 5, vienna instruments, vienna imperial grand. All 64bit vst. I only use my RD700 to send midi, not the sounds in it. I have just connected my RD 700 to my fireface 400 and use that midi in in cubase. Just like I did when on OSX, and there where never one single midi dropout in 5 years. This is why I really don´t think that the settings in cubase has anything to do with the problem.
-------------------------
Windows 8.1, Cubase 8.0.10, Gigabyte GA-X99-UD5, Intel Core i7 5930K 3,5GHz, Sonnet Allegro FW800-E, Asus GeForce GT 730, Samsung 850 EVO 2x 500Gb, 1x 120Gb, RME FireFace 400.
I am speculating about a time-stamping problem. Could you please try to use one of Cubase's internal instruments for playback instead of Kontakt? This is for troubleshooting in order to find the culprit.
Ok! I can´t try until tomorrow, but out of curiosity: if it´s a timestamping problem, how do I solve that?
I have now tested groove agent and retrologue, and so far there is no midi dropouts. So does this mean this problem can be solved? I followed the guide you linked to (I guess). I moved the "enableemulated" and "ignoreportfilter" to the "Cubase 8" folder, then copied the new files (from the link) to the "midi port enabler" folder, is that right? Then in cubase I only activate "Windows MIDI", and disable all DirectMusic midi. I don´t know if that´s the way it should be? What´s the different between directmusic, direct music emulated and windows midi?
Anyway the midi dropouts are still there 
... I don´t know what to do next?
----EDIT
I disabled Windows Midi and activated only direct emulated midi. So far, no midi dropouts. Does this make sense? Have I found the solution, maybe?
Well.. I´ll be back hopefully not until a few days when I have been playing around without any midi dropouts.. 
Thanks! (for now, hopefully forever)
Did Retrologue and Groove Agent (plugin?) work without dropouts before or after you did the Midi changes?
Does Kontakt work without dropout when you run it as a standalone instead of running it as a plugin?
DirectMusic (DirectX 6, Windows 98 SE) and MultiMedia Extension (Windows 3) are different operating-system APIs for Midi drivers. Emulated is MME on the driver side and DirectMusic on the DAW side and adds latency. Emulated is the worst option, but sometimes the emulation translation layer can fix problems that exist without it. Most DAW software and drivers don't support DirectMusic even though it is the better option by design. DirectMusic is deprecated and hopefully Microsoft will come up with anything new after using MME for well over 20 years.
If the changes you made don't fix the issues then I'd first try Kontakt as a stand-alone, then try Kontakt in another DAW (trial of Reaper or Live) and then contact Steinberg. Meanwhile I will try to reproduce the issues here as soon as I get a license key for Cubase 8. The latter could take some time, because Musikmesse Frankfurt lies straight ahead.
Ok thank you for the information. Retrologue and Groove Agent did work before I did the midi changes.
I will continue playing around today. Let´s hope for no more midi drops. I will try Direct music too (not emulated), and see if it´s stable.
My last option is simply to buy a midisport 2x2 and connect my RD700 piano to that instead. In 2009 I used my old MT4 midi interface, that solved the problem then. So I guess the midisport will solve the problem now, right?
I got my license and will try to reproduce this on different computers.
Since my last post I didn´t have any midi dropouts! Big thanks for the help!
Which MIDI setup do you use now? MME, DirectMusic or Emulated?
DirectMusic.
Hi Guys,
It's been 5 years since I hook up my RME Fireface 400 with an oxygen 8 v.1 connected via MIDI Cable.
I'm now runing Mac OSX 10.11 but my Mac doesn't detect my RME Fireface 400 Midi connection at all. But it does detect theres a keyboard connected but ? on the icon. What seems to be the problem?
RME User Forum → FireWire & USB series → Fireface 400 midi problems
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