Problem detecting Recording device

[johnbuff]

Hello -
I'm currently evaluating the trial version of Composer. I'm very pleased with the capabilities I've seen so far, however have been having difficulty attaching my keyboard. I'm running Windows XP and when I initially attached the keyboard, the midi device drivers automatically loaded; in the windows configurations (sounds and devices, drivers, etc) all indicate loaded and running withi no problems. When I run the Quick MIDI Setup in Composer the "Select Playback Device" functions OK yet the "Detect Recording Device" does populate with my device. I have tried the help screens ("What to do if recording device does not work", "Adding a new MIDI keyboard to your configuration", and several other help screens) and even attempting to manually configure yet I can never get the software to recognize my attached midi device. At this point I'm truly at a loss for what to attemt next. I truly liked the trial version of Composer - to this point - but am ver heistant to purchase the 'real' version if I continue to be able to connect it to my pc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
THANKS!
John

[Sherry C]

Howdy John,

Thanks for trying out Notation Composer!

Composer won't automatically populate the "Detect Recording Device" until you actually play the device. Try opening the Quick MIDI setup dialog, and then play your keyboard. You should see it come up in the field then. We try to keep this flexible so that you can automatically use any of a number of MIDI input devices without having to manually switch between them.

You can also take a look at Setup/MIDI Device Configuration (the "big" one, not the Quick one) and you should see your keyboard listed as both an "In" and "Out" device.

Also, have you tried doing any recording into Composer? You can either "Create a new song" or open an existing song and just hit the "Record" button. A new staff will be entered which will be highlighted in pink, and as the beat cursor moves through the score, you should see piano roll bars in the highlighted staff as you play your MIDI instrument. After you hit the "Stop" button (or the Space bar on your qwerty keyboard), the piano roll bars will transcribe to notation.

If none of the above is helpful, let me know and we'll explore some more.

ttfn,
Sherry

[johnbuff]

Wow Sherry, quick response. Unfortunately, yes, I've tried all of the things you mentioned. Sorry I wasn't clear enough in my origional posting...have followed the setup instructions to the letter.

[Sherry C]

Howdy John,

Hmmm... does your keyboard show up in the Setup/MIDI Device Configuration as an "In" device at all? Or does it just show up as an "Out" device?

Also, what kind of keyboard, and what kind of MIDI interface unit do you have? Or is it a direct USB cable connection? I'm asking because as much as I like M-Audio, their Uno units have had a lot of problems with the MIDI "in" side, and that's been one of our (and other MIDI applications) biggest causes with folks having recording problems.

ttfn,
Sherry

[johnbuff]

No, my keyboard does not show up at all. Its a Kurzweil PC88mx. The cable I'm using is a CME u2midi usb cable.

[Sherry C]

Howdy John,

Since you're using the CME as the interface between your keyboard and computer, that (or some other name for it) is what will show up in your MIDI device configuration dialog.

If the device is not showing up at all in your MIDI Device Configuration, try switching the "In" and "Out" plugs of the CME cable into your Kurzweil. MIDI cables in general can be really confusing because the way they're labeled, they often want the "In" cable to go in the "Out" plug and vice versa.

If that doesn't turn out to be the issue, let's take a look at your MIDI Device Configuration. If needed, please take a screen shot of it and post it in your reply. But let's hope it's just that the cables are backwards. I did that myself in setting up my own MIDI keyboard

ttfn,
Sherry