Hi folks,
me again with a real urgent problem (cause we have a gig in 4 weeks)
My Keyboard Stack consist of one Yamaha MOFX 6 and an MOXF 8, both connected to Cantabile Performer 3. Every time I disconnect the keyboards for example to go to our rehearsal the MIDI ports are disconnected and I really don’t know why,and how I can fix it. Sometimes the Ports of my MOXF6 are suddenly connected to the MOXF8-Connections and vice versa … very strange!
Regards
These are tied to the USB port. This includes any USB hubs as well.
I label the ports on my HUB so as not to mess this up. Also, Brad supports having the same keyboard appear multiple times in the same keyboard.
I don’t have the link to the previous threads on this, but it’s relatively easy to setup and pretty darn solid. Just make certain you connect and power up the devices before you start Cantabile.
Here it is
Hi P.,
thanks for your helpful answer - first of all I’m happy for not being alone with this problem because I see that it’s no matter of my stupidity ;-). I’ll test some workarounds with USB Drivers but I apprehend that it will not be possible to take over the full USB Control - I think Windows won’t permit 
Just in case I’ll find a clue I will report
Thanks again
Regards from Cologne
Christoph
Yes, Windows and USB MIDI drivers is a bit of a lottery. Especially in a case like yours where the underlying drivers seem to be the same for both of your keyboards.
So I’m currently sticking to ONE USB MIDI interface (always plugged into the same USB port on my laptop - color coding USB ports and cables is a great idea!) and old-school MIDI cables to my keyboards. Makes things more robust…
Cheers,
Torsten
Hi Torsten,
too often unconsidered - (g)old school! I’ll also test this alternative. Which interface do you prefer?
Best regards!
Christoph
I like the iConnectivity product range. I use the smaller mio2 on stage; it allows me to connect both my Cantabile laptop and my LivePrompter tablet via USB and send MIDI between them (to control Cantabile via LP and vice versa). Then it has two input ports for my two keyboards and two output ports (of which I use one to send note data to my VoiceLive). Great little package with lots of sophisticated routing and filtering capabilities (which I hardly use, since all my wizardry happens in Cantabile).
In the studio, I have an iConnect MIDI4+ (these days, I would use a mio4, but it wasn’t available at the time I bought the MIDI4+), since I need some more input and output ports.
Both are rock solid most of the time - the MIDI4+ needs a re-boot now and then. The configuration software is a bit fiddly - refuses to work on my studio machine (too many MIDI devices?), so I configure all my interfaces with one of my laptops, which works fine.
Cheers,
Torsten
Hi, try to use the m-audio midisport 4x4 and connect your synth with midi.
Once connected (usb from midisport) to the computer, do not change the usb port anymore.
It’s working fine.
BR
Alex
This really comes down to the MIDI Drivers from the manufacturer. All Cantabile has to go on is the MIDI Device name - if the driver decides to connect different devices to different names when reconnected, that’s on the driver. Report it to Yamaha.
That’s the problem with using two MOXF in the same setup - both use the same driver and apparently report as the same device (Yamaha MOXF6/MOXF8). So there is just too much that can go wrong with Windows’ assigning physical devices to drivers. Maybe you can work around it by absolutely making sure you are attaching the same device to the same USB port (maybe you even need to plug them in in the same sequence), but I wouldn’t rely on this. This is just a weakness of Windows USB MIDI combined with having two devices with the same driver and name on one system.
Not sure if Yamaha will know a way out of this - my best recommendation is still to move to a traditional MIDI interface with multiple DIN inputs and sort things out that way.
Cheers,
Torsten
Hi Kyru, Brad and Torsten,
thank you all for your kind help and advice. A new 4x4 USB/MIDI-Interface lies on the desk and I will install it this evening, leaving this USB crap ‘as alone as possible’. 
Best regards
Christoph
Be sure to plug the MIDI device in the same port each time. Also, I would go into Windows Device Manager, select “Show Hidden Devices”, and delete the extra MIDI device instances.
Thanks to all in this thread. My MOXF8 is very particular about ports to the extent that all my MIDI cables and ports are labelled because if I do anything different then things just stop working. It’s bonkers
Ooooohhhhh yesssss! I thought I’d had a stable setup finally, with my new M-Audio MIDI-USB-Interface etc… then being in rehearsal I forgot to connect the USB cable coming from my MOXF to connect the audio port and the audio port was lost. After having reinstalled the Steinberg USB driver my M-Audio MIDI Port was “disconnected” in Cantabile an there was no way to fix it again, because the M-Audio driver threw an Error 1316 “C Redsitrib. Package 2005 - Slot in use” or something like that. …
This is just to tell you why I’m about to ban everything that even just looks like a personal computer or a laptop from rehearsal and stage . … or what about Cantabile on Mac?
Regards from Cologne
