Prophet '08 PE desktop MIDI issues

[RoyalGravy81]

Hi everyone,

I am new here and will explain the situation....

I bought a boxed, as new, Prophet '08 PE Desktop off eBay a couple of years ago. When I received it, I tested it with my old M-Audio MIDI keyboard and it worked fine. That was until I set it up with Ableton Live (Suite 10) and tried to draw in some basic notes onto the MIDI piano roll, then it wouldn't react, notes delayed in reacting or notes stuck completely. I read up online and found a couple of potential solutions, but nothing appeared to help.
Things went even weirder when I attempted to use it in conjunction with my Push 2 controller; it glitched out when pressing notes on the pad grid and the notes would get stuck and ring out, more often than not.

I am completely at a loss at what can be causing it, it has got me at my wits end. When anybody be able to help please??

Thanks,

Chris. 

[MartinM]

Hi Chris,

seems to be an issue of MIDI, not P'08...
Tell us a bit more:

Did You configure Ableton and the P'08 in any way or simply plugged MIDI cables in?
Is Your "general MIDI knowledge" good enough to configure MIDI-channels (on P'08 and Ableton)?

I use Ableton, not with Push, but sometimes with an AKAI APCkey25. If You connect this little machine to Ableton, it will send button presses on channel 1 and keystrokes on channel 2. If You select APCkey25 as MIDI-controller in Ableton, Ableton uses a separate, "hidden" MIDI-connection for this and then innternally redirects it to whatever is configured as Abletons "official" MIDI.

If Push behaves in a similar way, expect some strange things, if You connect Push directly to a P'08 (or other MIDI sound generator)...

Martin
 

[RoyalGravy81]

Hi Martin,

Thanks very much for your reply. I use the standard, old fashioned 5 pin din MIDI cables with the Prophet because, as you know, it doesn’t have USB MIDI. I connect through a USB 4 x 4 MIDI hub called ‘Sub-Zero’. The output comes out of the Sub-Zero and into the input of the Prophet and vice versa. When Push 2 is connected via USB, Ableton uses it as the default controller. I set up the MIDI out and select the channel. The issue doesn’t just occur with Push, it also happens when I draw notes on to the MIDI piano roll in Ableton; notes stick, not played or delayed, etc.
I have attached a short video of the issue.

Thanks,

Chris.

[MartinM]

Moin Chris,

as everything seemed OK with a "normal" MIDI-Keyboard and the problems only occur with Ableton, it will be either a hardware fault (very unlikely) or a configuration error.
I don't know the sub zero, but I learned from the net, that it is configurable in 5 Thru and one Merge-mode(s).
- You should use "Thru 1" for safety and leave all unused MIDI-Ports unconnected (only use USB in and MIDI A out, see below).

Push and sub zero will be connected to Ableton via USB directly and configured in Ableton's MIDI preferences:
- Push as MIDI control Surface, Input and Output (upper screen / MIDI)
- Sub zero as Input and Output (lower screen / MIDI Ports)

Use MIDI cable to connect P'08 MIDI In to sub Zero MIDI out A.
- don't use or connect other MIDI cables yet
- configure P'08 to receive channel 5 only

Open a new Ableton Live set, use an empty MIDI Track, choose MIDI To as "Sub zero A" and use a normally not used MIDI channel (try e.g. 5).
Choose MIDI From as Push and use the simplest method in Push (I do not know that animal at all) to send something to Your selected MIDI Track. What happens?

Martin