I can’t get MIDI in or out of DP through my Fastlane USB. How do I troubleshoot this problem?

Here are some of the most common things we help customers do when they call Sweetwater Technical Support with Fastlane and DP problems. Refer to the DP3 Getting Started Guide, page 17, for explanations on Midi Setup and communication.

We recommend following them in order, and see if each steps solves the problem.

1. Make sure the button (there’s only one) on the Fastlane is OUT, not in.

2. When you play your controller keyboard, watch the Fastlane for a red blinking light. If it is blinking, make not of whether it’s A or B. If it’s not blinking, the Fastlane is not receiving a midi message, so check connections and cables.

3. If you have MIDI track recorded in DP, make sure it’s set to a Midi sound module that is connected to your Fastlane. Play DP and watch the Fastlane for a green light to blink. If it blinks, make note of which green light it is… A or B. If no green light blinks, Midi isn’t being sent.

4. From DP’s BASICS menu, choose Edit FreeMIDI Configuration. FreeMIDI should open automatically.
a. Be sure the FastlaneUSB appears, and has a blue diamond above it that says ‘MTS’.
b. Verify that your keyboards/modules appear and show that they are connected to port A or B in the diagram.
* Make sure that the picture matches the Fastlane hardware. So if you keyboard is going midi in/out of port A, the diagram should show the same thing.
c. From the MIDI menu, choose Check Connections. Play notes on your controller keyboard, and watch for an 8th note to appear in port A or B in the picture. Click your mouse on the picture of your keyboard or module, and listen for the keyboard to play some notes. (make sure the sound out of the keyboard is plugged into speakers, or something that will allow you to hear it play).
d. If Check Connections does not work at all, go to the FILE menu, and choose NEW. Go through the process of making a new FreeMIDI configuration, making sure the Fastlane is automatically detected, then add your devices. Repeat the Check Connections test to verify whether it works.

5. If FreeMIDI is correct, and ‘check connections’ is successful. Open the MIDI Monitor from DP’s Windows menu and see if it shows input when you play your keyboard.
If Midi Monitor does not respond, choose Input Filter from DP’s BASICS menu. Click CLEAR, then SET ALL, and click OK. See if DP records MIDI now.

Very common problems:

6. Cables! Always check MIDI cables. Make sure your Keyboard/modules are going MIDI OUT to IN on the Fastlane, and MIDI OUT of the Fastlane to the IN on the keyboard.
Be sure that the keyboard is connected to the in/out of the SAME PORT on the fastlane (in & out A, OR in & out B).
Make sure you’re not using the THRU port instead of the OUT port.

* Try another Midi cable *

7. Determine how you’re hearing the keyboard. Are the quarter inch outs of the keyboard going through your audio hardware (828, 2408, etc)? Are they going straight to a mixer or speakers? If you play the keyboard, do you hear it? If not, check your mixer, speakers, etc to make sure they’re working. Try plugging headphones directly into the keyboard and see if you can hear it alone, and.or with DP.

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