Casio/MIDI problem with Finale

[James Band]

Alright, I'm moving the following post to this general forum in the hopes of a response. Any Finale users out there?

 

 I can't get my Casio CTK-6000 workstation keyboard (USB MIDI) to input MIDI into Finale 25 (Windows 7 64-bit). Strangely enough, I can play back imported scores, but MIDI note entry will not take what I play on the Casio keyboard. No notes appear in the measure I was working on. A few functions work, but very erratically. This is no good, I can't get any work done! I am using Casio MIDI as both IN and OUT (which Finale automatically recognized) in Finale MIDI setup.

Windows Device Manager tells me the unit is working properly, driver is installed BUT when I give up and close Finale, I get a little box stating "MIDI Output driver not installed" which contradicts Device Manager's report, AND seems strange since as stated, I do get MIDI output. Apparently this Casio/Finale MIDI problem is widespread. What gives? 

[Jokeyman123]

 

Found this on Youtube..Try this first  then install and see if the data manager 6.1 works-if it does with this procedure for installing the windows driver then you know something is happening with Finale although I doubt it. Blame Microsoft who never updated the USB driver apparently for 64-bit. according to this post, this procedure will install a different kind of driver that might work. I use 32-bit so I can't promise this will work but I can guarantee I've had trouble with Windows often enough. I found data manager 6.1 on Casio's international website.

 

https://support.casio.com/en/support/download.php?cid=008&pid=67

 

 

[- T -]

James

 

The CTK-6000, and most Casio keyboards manufactured in the past 10 years or so are "Class Compliant" (Windows) and "Core MIDI Compliant" (MAC-OS/iOS), which means that they work with the generic drivers that have been built-in to Windows since XP Service Pack-2 and all recent iterations of MAC-OS and iOS.  These are the only drivers that these keyboards recognize and work with, and include both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.  It should not be necessary to download and install any other drivers.  I have a Windows 64-bit Vista desktop and two Win-7 64-bit laptops that worked fine with my CTK-6000, CTK-7000, and WK-7500 without the need for any additional drivers.  Granted, there have been USB-MIDI compatibility problems with some Win-8 and Win-10 OEM builds, but not with Win-7, to my knowledge.  For problems like you are having, I recommend downloading and installing the MIDI diagnostics utility "MIDI-OX".  If MIDI-OX indicates receiving MIDI data from your keyboard, but your software (Finale) does not, this normally indicates a setup problem with your software (Finale) and can usually best be discussed on your software's (Finale) forum.  I suspect that the output driver message you receive when closing Finale is just Finale telling you that you have not told it what MIDI device (keyboard/sound module) you want it (Finale) to direct it's output to, and has nothing to do with MIDI input from the keyboard.  By the same token, the UPPER-1 (right-hand/treble), UPPER-2 (right-hand/LAYER), and LOWER (left-hand/SPLIT) parts, played on the CTK-6000's keyboard are output on MIDI Channels 1, 2, and 3, respectively.  If you are not using the LAYER or SPLIT function, the CTK-6000 will simply output all notes played on its keyboard on MIDI Channel-1.  Have you told Finale's setup to look for them there?  I would think it would look on MIDI Channel-1 for some of this data, by default, but it is best not to assume anything with MIDI.  Also, are you trying to output live (real time) play from the CTK-6000's keyboard  or previously recorded data from its Song Sequencer, to Finale?  That makes a difference in how you need to setup the CTK-6000's MIDI output.  AND . . . . are you using a fully licensed retail version of Finale, or the free download Finale NotePad version?  At any rate, MIDI-OX can certainly save a lot of time, effort, and frustration by avoiding second guessing.  You can download Version 7.0.2 from:

 

http://www.midiox.com/

 

Download it, install it, and see what it tells you.  Then come back, and we will see where to go from there.

 

Regards,

 

Ted

 

 

 

[James Band]

Thanks for the responses!

 

""For problems like you are having, I recommend downloading and installing the MIDI diagnostics utility "MIDI-OX".  If MIDI-OX indicates receiving MIDI data from your keyboard, but your software (Finale) does not, this normally indicates a setup problem with your software (Finale) and can usually best be discussed on your software's (Finale) forum."

 

Yes, I had already installed MIDI-OX, which told me everything is working as it should. I am waiting for a response from MakeMusic (Finale's company).

[- T -]

James

 

On Finale's MIDI Setup dialog box, did you select Casio Keyboard as your MIDI Input device?  If the Auto-detect Input Devices box is checked, it should be showing up in the Device field on the left (Input) side of the dialog box window, but even if it is, and is the only input device showing, I think you may still need to left-click on it to "select" it.  If it is not showing up there at all, then that means that Finale is not seeing it at all.  I use the term "Casio Keyboard", as that is how they show up in most software MIDI device selection dialogs, or it may show up simply as USB Device or USB MIDI.  If the Auto-detect Input Devices box is not checked, you may have to check it, then close and re-open Finale in order for it to take effect, at least that is how the Cakewalk products work and most of these products work very similar at the basic setup level.

 

If you have not been to the MIDI Setup dialog box yet, I got this from the Finale online manual:

How to get there

Choose MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > MIDI Setup.

 

 

[James Band]

Hey tnicoson,

 

Auto detect has "Casio USB MIDI" in the IN field.

 

"even if it is, and is the only input device showing, I think you may still need to left-click on it to "select" it".

 

I will try this.

 

I heard from the Finale people, they want me to do a clean reinstall. Before I go down that PITA procedure, I will try these other things.

 

Incidentally, when I sign in to the forum here, I get an "unsecure" message just when I click in the password field, even though I can see https up in the address box. What's up with that?

[- T -]

James

 

If the MakeMusic folks are recommending a total re-install of Finale, then there may be some merit to that, but I am not 100% certain that that will help.  All too often, that is a magic catch-all solution for help-desk folks who lack the experience, expertise, or patience to do a proper analysis.  If they are suggesting a total re-install of Windows, then I would definitely be opposed to that.  If you are seeing the "Casio USB MIDI' message in the "IN" data field, then you do have a connection between the computer and the keyboard.  Windows and its driver have done their job.  Any problem beyond here would have to be with Finale.  If you want absolute proof of this, beyond what MIDI-OX has already indicated, you could download and temporarily install the sequencer Anvil Studio and/or the MIDI player VanBasco's Karaoke player to see if they will exchange MIDI data with your keyboard.  Any problem with Windows or its driver would prevent them from working, as well.  More often than not, Windows re-installs create many more problems than they cure.

 

If you are interested, you can download Anvil Studio from: http://anvilstudio.com/ ; and VanBasco's player from: http://www.vanbasco.com/

 

Really, if you are getting into doing computer work with your keyboard, both of these are handy utilities to have.

 

Good luck !

 

PS

 

I have asked the Admins if they can shed any light on the "unsecure connection" message you are getting.  As I told them, I had that problem for a while, just with this site, several years ago, but it turned out to be an upgrade problem with my ISP provider's system software, so I can not help you with that.  We need to keep that as a separate issue, so that comments and suggestions on that do not dilute further discussion, here, of the Finale issue.

 

Regards !

 

Ted

 

[Brad Saucier]

I'm checking into the "unsecure" message.  

[James Band]

12 hours ago, tnicoson said:

Any problem beyond here would have to be with Finale.  If you want absolute proof of this,

 

Hey Ted,

 

I use both PG Music's Band-in-a-Box/Real Band and Ableton Live with the same MIDI setup (CASIO USB MIDI in and out) and they both work perfectly well. So yes, the problem must be with Finale.

 

By the way, this is my secondary MIDI system I'm trying to deal with (with the CTK-6000); my primary system on my dedicated music computer (Windows XP) is with the Casio PX-310 and Finale 2009 and there is no problem (but on that I use a Delta AP MIDI soundcard for MIDI IN).

 

Thanks for the info about Anvil and VanBasco!

 

I replied to the Finale people that I'd rather try another path before I did a reinstall. I suggested my sending screenshots of all the relevant MIDI Setup windows to see if I had something incorrectly configured. I will see what they say.

 

Thanks,

James Band

 

 

[- T -]

James

 

I have downloaded and installed the 30-day free trial version of Finale 25.5 onto a Windows-7 64 bit laptop and connected it to the following:

 

A Class Compliant Yamaha PSR-E433 using the Windows-7 built-in Class Compliant USB-MIDI driver.

 

A non-Class Compliant Yamaha PSR-3000 using the Yamaha proprietary USB-MIDI driver.

 

A non-Class Compliant Casio WK-3800 using the Casio proprietary USB-MIDI driver.

 

In every case I was able to record and print/playback with no problems.  I was not able to detect any "generic" problems between Finale 25.X and Windows-7, or Class Compliant or proprietary USB-MIDI drivers, or Yamaha or Casio keyboards, but I did come up one additional suggestion.  On the Finale MIDI setup dialog box, uncheck the Auto-detect box, then click on the down arrow at the right end of the "IN" field and select the keyboard manually from the drop-down list.  Try that and see if that resolves your problem.

 

 

[James Band]

Hey Guys,

 

File this under "Dummy User." I had installed a new QUERTY keyboard and failed to notice the NumLock light was off on the NumPad. I pressed it on and Voila! everything seems to be working fine. What a dummy, huh? I had no problem with my other music programs because they don't depend on the NumPad (unlike Finale).

 

I would say "sorry for wasting everyone's time" but I got a lot of valuable information from this thread from Ted and Jokeyman. And I hope I instigated a garnering of info on your part. Many thanks for going that extra mile, Ted.

 

James Band

 

[Jokeyman123]

Its OK, you are not the first one to to notsee the not so obvious. I'm so smart, I turned off the speakers on the PX560, forgot about it and next day thought my keyboard was dead! Ah well, brain farts!