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Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:08 pm
by DZ987
I ordered a MIDI Expression dongle and received it today, but I'm having trouble getting it working with the rest of my setup. I'm trying to use a Behringer FCV100 volume pedal (which should work according to this thread) to send MIDI controls to my DAW (Mixcraft). I've plugged the ring end of a TRS cable into Input 1, tip into Output 1, and TRS end into MIDI Expression, as well as made sure the pedal is set to CV mode. For some reason the control application just says "Plug-in MIDI Expression" even though I got the standard "installing drivers" message from Windows and it shows up in the Devices and Printers control panel. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 11:14 pm
by jdiercks
You need a straight TRS<->TRS cable, not a splitter. Single TRS plug connects to Output 2 on the pedal.

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:32 am
by DZ987
Sorry, not sure I follow. I switched to a regular TRS cable to connect Output 2 to the dongle, but I need something plugged into the corresponding Input jack or the pedal doesn't turn on. What do I do with the remaining jacks? Is there a diagram or something showing what my setup should look like?

Edit: Didn't realize guitar cables and TRS cables were two different things (as you can probably guess I'm very new to this.) I'll buy one in the next day or two and let you know if I get it working.

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:35 pm
by DZ987
I bought a TRS cable but I'm still having trouble getting this working. According to the pedal's manual, the only thing that should be connected for CV mode is Output 2 (meaning the power LED apparently doesn't need to be on.) but I'm still getting the same "Plug-in MIDI Expression" message and it doesn't send any signals to my DAW. Does it sound like there could be an issue with the dongle itself, such as damage that might have occurred during shipping?

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 3:35 pm
by jdiercks
Sounds like you have the TRS connection right, and yes, the LED does not need to be on, because in CV mode the pedal just functions as a passive variable resistor.

The on-screen message you're seeing sounds like it's not detecting a USB connection from the ME. Does anything change when you disconnect/reconnect the USB cable? Does Device Manager show any listing for the ME?

(edit: I see from the original post that it did show up in Devices, so I'm not sure why the software wouldn't detect the ME.)

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 6:52 pm
by DZ987
If it makes a difference, it only shows up as a generic "USB Input Device." Not sure if that's all that's supposed to come up or if it's a sign my PC doesn't rcognize it, but I tried on a different PC and had the same problem. Also tried with various USB cables I know work properly, so if there is a hardware issue it seems to be with the ME itself.

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:05 pm
by jdiercks
Mine shows up as "MIDI Expression BLACK"

http://dropcanvas.com/32abd

Maybe you do have a defective unit, or maybe the driver did not install correctly?

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 11:13 pm
by Rob
Sorry for the late response. For some reason my website hasn't been informing me of new post. I got your tech support ticket, though, so I'll address this issue there. Again, sorry for the delay.

Regards,
Rob

Re: Troubleshooting for a first time user

Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 7:09 pm
by DZ987
Rob helped me fix the problem through the support ticket; for anyone wondering, all I had to do was reinstall the firmware. I must have closed the installation before it was complete the first time I tried, which prevented the interface from working properly.