If the software controls in your Native Instruments application do not react to input from your MIDI controller, it is helpful to test whether the system is receiving incoming MIDI messages from the hardware controller at all, independently from the used audio application.
This will allow you to confirm whether there is something wrong with your controller or with the MIDI configuration of your application. In this article, we will describe how to diagnose this using free tools available for download on the Internet.
Please choose your operating system:
MIDI OX for Windows
- Go to the MIDI-OX website here.
- Click on the link Download: MIDI-OX *latest version*.
- Click on the Download link next to MIDI-OX *latest version* to download the installer.
- In your download folder, execute the file "midioxse.exe" and install the application. The program will be installed in C: > Program Files > MIDI-OX
- Make sure that your controller is powered-up and connected to your system, then launch MIDI-OX from the program directory. The main area will display an empty Input Monitor window. You can also access it via the View > Input Monitor menu.
- From the Options menu, select MIDI Devices. This will display a new window where you will see the name of your controller in the MIDI Inputs panel. Click on it to select it and then click on OK.
- Once you have returned to the main area, press / turn a control on your MIDI controller. If MIDI OX displays incoming MIDI data, your controller are sending MIDI events correctly into the system. In the example below, we have turned the jogwheel of our controller which will generate MIDI events of the type Control Change. If you were to press on a button instead, with most MIDI controllers the Input Monitor would display events of the type Note On / Note Off. The DATA2 column shows the velocity of a played note (in hexadecimal numbers). Other types of MIDI events are possible depending on the specification of your hardware controller.
- If MIDI-OX is not displaying any output from your MIDI controller, please contact the manufacturer for further guidance. If the data is received correctly, please check your software configuration for potential MIDI routing and mapping issues.
MIDI Monitor for Mac
- Go to the MIDI Monitor website here.
- Click on Download to download the latest available version of MIDI Monitor.
- Go to your download folder and double-click on the .zip file.
- Open the extracted folder where you will find the application. You may move it to your Applications folder.
- Make sure that your controller is powered-up and connected to your system, then launch the MIDI Monitor application. The main area will display a new MIDI Monitor document with an empty MIDI Monitor window.
- Make sure that the MIDI Sources option in the Sources section is checked. If you have connected more than one controller to the system, you can check / uncheck the boxes for each individual controller. In the example below, only one controller is currently connected to the system.
- If MIDI Monitor shows incoming MIDI data, your controller is successfully sending the messages to the computer. In the example below, we have turned the jogwheel of the controller, which in this case sends MIDI In events of the type Control Change. If you were to press on a button instead, with most MIDI controllers the Input Monitor would display events of the type Note On / Note Off. Other types of MIDI events are possible depending on the specification of your hardware controller.
- If MIDI Monitor is not displaying any output to the motion of your controller (or element of your controller) you may contact the manufacturer for further guidance. If the data is received correctly, please check your software configuration for potential MIDI routing and mapping issues.
Note: The macOS Audio-MIDI-Setup can also be helpful when troubleshooting MIDI issues. It can be found under Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities. Launching the utility will first display the Audio Window. Select Show MIDI Window from the Window menu.In the MIDI Studio window you will see an overview of MIDI devices as well as options to add, configure and rescan them. Please consult your macOS documentation for further information.