Komplete Audio 6 MK2 and Sysex

[error.eyes]

Hello,

I recently noticed, after almost a year, that my NI Komplete Audio MK2 does not receive Sysex. It can send Sysex to a hardware machine with no issues, but nothing happens when I start a Sysex dump from the hardware to the MK2. I have checked that the MIDI ports send and receive MIDI data in general, that the ports are actually good, and that the cables are not faulty - even tried shorter cable just in case there is some pseudo science voodoo involved, and everything checks out.

With my Akai MPK249 I can send and receive standard MIDI data and Sysex with amidi and the same MIDI cables I have without any issues. That at least confirms that the MIDI port on the hardware work, that I'm sending data correctly back and forth, and that the cables are good.

If anyone has the KA MK2, could you check if you can receive Sysex from a hardware machine to your computer using amidi?

[glowrak guy]

I suspect jinxtigr, the Air Windows dev would be good to query, Patreon supported,
so you could request he create a sysex utility in a PM

https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=598304

This is an older cross-patform tool that might be useful:

https://ctrlr.org/

https://ctrlr.org/forums/forum/platform-specific/linux/ (posts are a couple years old)

Sometimes we have to change hardware devices to find fully working linux solutions. Just the way things are,
and will remain for many moons. Would help to name the errant hardware...Trades and sales...

[error.eyes]

Hi and thanks for your reply. A SysEx tool would be great. For now amidi is fine and I don't have a problem using that.

The question still remains: is the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 MK2 not able to receive SysEx messages? I wonder if anyone who uses this interface can confirm that it does or does not - NI is not helpful when I asked for support because "they do not support Linux".

[j_e_f_f_g]

I know you say that you can receive midi data with your Akai, but are you able to receive any midi data from your NI interface? (Note messages, pitch wheel, program change, etc) If you can't receive any, then the problem definitely isn't the NI. It would be either ALSA, or how you're using amidi.

[error.eyes]

To expand on my original post, the interface can send and receive every standard, non-SysEx type of MIDI data: note, CC, pitch wheel, modulation, program and bank changes, clock and transport, etc. It can send SysEx dumps of any size. It just doesn't receive SysEx dumps of any size at all with amidi, even if I set the --sysex-interval option to slow down transmission, and triple checked that the right MIDI hw ID is used.

I hope and wish that the issue was ALSA or just plain user error, but the way I use amidi with the Akai I feel is not different or special. As much as I would kick myself in the ass if this is all my fault, I would be glad to find out if it was, honestly, haha.

[j_e_f_f_g]

Without being able to do troubleshooting on your system, I can't really see any possible explanation other than the one you've reached -- the ni has nonfunctional sysex input. What I'd do is find a Windows machine upon which to install the ni windows driver, and check if it handles sysex input. There are free windows midi monitor apps. I wrote one, and can send you a copy if you want. midiox is another offering. This will confirm whether the problem is the ni (ie, doesn't receive sysex on windows either), or alsa (sysex receives fine on windows). But it won't fix the problem on linux.