Device is not available

[jjthiele]

Hi,
I was using the Miniak Editor with a MacBook, REAPER, and an Akai EIE audio/MIDI interface, and everything was working great. Then I moved to a PC running Windows 10, still using REAPER and the EIE. Now I am getting the message, "Device in use, The selected device is in use by this or another application and cannot be selected," whenever I try to set the the MIDI input or output to the EIE within the editor. This happens even when there are no other applications running and within REAPER no other inputs or outputs are set to the EIE.

My MIDI setup is this:
* MIDI OUT from EIE to MIDI IN of Miniak
* MIDI OUT from Miniak to MIDI IN of EIE
* MIDI THRU from Miniak to MIDI IN of Alesis SR18 (drum machine)
* MIDI IN/OUT to/from Novation MiniNova via separate USB interface

I can see both the EIE and MiniNova interface in the dropdown when I try to select an input/output device from within the editor, but get the aforementioned error message when I try to select the EIE. I can output MIDI from REAPER to the SR18. I can output MIDI to the Miniak, outside of the editor. The Miniak is listening on channel 1 and the SR18 is listening on channel 10.

Is there any way to determine what application is preventing the editor from accessing the device? Does anyone have any ideas as to what may be going on?

Thanks,
Jeff.

[jjthiele]

I disconnected the MiniNova from the USB port and the SR18 from the Miniak's MIDI THRU. I also set the Windows default playback, recording, and communications devices to the computer's speakers and microphone (in other words, not the EIE). I'm still having the same problem.

[Iman_JL]

Please check setting menu, maybe a MIDI device is already selected as Controller Input.

[jjthiele]

Hi, thanks for the suggestion!

I was not able to find any controller configuration settings in REAPER, but I did make sure that the track associated with the editor is an audio track, with no MIDI recording or playback. I'm not sure how that will work in practice, but for diagnostic purposes I am still encountering the same error on the output side. Something seems to have happened that freed up the input side to be able to select the EIE, but I'm not sure exactly what that was. I've rebooted the computer and reset the EIE. REAPER is the only application running and I'm working with a new project that has only one track, with only one effect on it (the Miniak Editor).

Other than REAPER being aware of the device in its MIDI settings, I can't find anything that might be using the EIE. If I disable the EIE in the REAPER settings, it is no longer available as an input/output option in the editor.

Update: I'm seeing the same behavior in REAPER 32-bit (fresh install) as REAPER 64-bit.

[Iman_JL]

I was not able to find any controller configuration settings in REAPER

I mean "settings" menu in editor. There is a button underneath the "All notes off" , and there you can select a dedicated MIDI controller as Input device (it should be set to none).

I suggest to run the standalone version of the editor to narrow down the issue, then switch to reaper. If it works, the problem is related to DAW MIDI setting.

[jjthiele]

I just saw that, actually. It's set to "None."

I will try the standalone version (I've never used that before) and get back to you. Thanks!

[jjthiele]

Ok, this is a little confusing:

If I open the standalone editor with nothing else running, I am able to select the EIE for both MIDI input and output. Additionally, I am able to request a patch from the Miniak, which seems to me to be a good, basic I/O test.

If I open REAPER but don't open the editor plugin, and then start the standalone editor separately, I am still able to request a patch from within the standalone editor.

If I open REAPER and open the editor plugin, and then start the standalone editor separately, I am still able to request a patch from within the standalone editor.

If I open the standalone editor and then open REAPER, REAPER complains that the EIE MIDI devices are unavailable.

This sounds like it's probably some kind of REAPER setting, but I have no idea what that would be. It does not complain about MIDI devices being unavailable when it starts, but somehow they get locked (from the DAW by the DAW itself???) while it's running (and not doing very much).

[jjthiele]

I was able to get both the input and output assigned within the editor, but only by disabling the EIE as both an input and output device within REAPER. This is a questionable victory, though, since although I am now able to use the editor, I can't send or receive MIDI from the EIE within REAPER. Ideally, I'd like to be able to do both at the same time, to be able to adjust settings in the editor while hearing the synth playing in context.

[jjthiele]

I tried it with a different USB/MIDI interface, one that it not also an audio device. I got the same results.

Removing the ASIO4ALL driver and changing the device to WaveOut or WASAPI did not change the behavior.

[Iman_JL]

I was able to get both the input and output assigned within the editor, but only by disabling the EIE as both an input and output device within REAPER.

It is normal, and that is the limitation of windows. You cannot select one MIDI device in two applications (Reaper/Editor). There is a workaround but it needs a virtual MIDI port to create a copy of your EIE device. Here is a documentation for Ableton but the concept is the same for all DAWs:

http://www.hypersynth.com/download/ion- ... n_Live.pdf