“I’ve been trying to get my PC to automatically set up for the MIDI Timepiece AV I recently purchased, but it doesn’t work. What can I do?”
First, always check your connections. 50% of our Tech Support calls involve cable problems and/or misconnected cable. Normally we’d refer these sorts of specific questions to our Technical Support department, but we’ve seen this one enough times that it would probably be helpful to many people if we explained it here. So, courtesy of the Sweetwater Technical Support Staff, here goes:
When installing a MIDI Timepiece AV (MTP-AV), a MIDI Express XT, a Micro Express, a Pocket Express or a PC MIDI flyer on your PC, you will get a prompt to perform an auto setup. If you get a “no reply” from the interface it is important to confirm that the communication mode of your LPT port is set to EPP or bi-directional. This setting is usually established in the BIOS or CMOS of your system.
To get into your computer’s BIOS, you’ll need to reboot (or turn on) the machine. Immediately when you see the bootup logo or memory/hard drive check, press the appropriate key (which varies from computer to computer – check your computer’s documentation if you’re unsure) until it enters the setup. This will be before Windows boots, and typically it only waits for 1-2 seconds for you to press the key. The most likely keys are DEL, F1, and F2, but could also be any of the F-keys (you can usually press multiple keys at the same time if you’re unsure.) Within the BIOS, you should select Integrated Perhiperals. If you don’t see this option, try Advanced, and within this menu, look for I/O Configuration, Perhiperal Configuration, or something of the like- it varies from system to system. This is where you can change the parallel port mode to EPP. Then follow on-screen instructions on how to exit and save changes.
You will also need to check what IRQ the LPT port is set for. Usually LPT1 is set to IRQ 7. To get back into the auto-setup of the interface, go to Start Menu – Settings – Control Panel – Multimedia (or Sounds & Multimedia in WinME) – Devices – MIDI Devices & Instruments. Single-click on your interface and hit Properties. Run auto-setup again. If it fails, you should change the IRQ from default to 7. Then hit Reset and then OK. It should confirm that your setup is ok.
It is known that many Soundblaster cards will share the parallel port IRQ without telling you. On the Windows desktop, right-click MY COMPUTER, select PROPERTIES. Select the DEVICE MANAGER tab, and look for Creative Misc. Devices. If found, double-click anything that says Legacy Emulation, and checkmark the Disable. Hit OK. If not found, check in your Sound, Video, and Game controllers for anything that says Legacy Emulation or Legacy Audio and disable that.
We sincerely hope you can get all the way through this, but we understand there are quite a few steps (so much for plug-and-play). This is why we generally prefer to do this level of Technical Support one-on-one and why you buy from Sweetwater, so you can get said support.