[Windows]USB Midi Device Not Recognized After CB8 Is Running

Cubase
,
52

Recently on Gearslutz, someone asked exactly that problem to Pete Brown (Microsoft Program Manager).
It’s certain that if Steinberg updade their software to that new MIDI API we will get many benefits from it.
I really hope it’s not going to take years to have an update on this MIDI API, on my side over all I really wish the multi-client access to single MIDI hardware.

Here is the copy of the messages :

Hi Pete,

I am sure this has been answered before but couldn’t find any info. I am on W7 and they work perfectly for me. However, I some things really bug me compared to when I am working on OSX so can you please let us know if on W10:

  1. Do Windows let a USB midi device be recognised while a DAW is running? This is very annoying because in most production studios there are several USB midi devices (controllers, keyboards, stuff like Maschine etc) and it’s very common to decide and turn one on while your DAW is running. On W7 you have to stop your project and restart your DAW. Is this behaviour fixed on W10?

  2. Is the Midi Device limit (registry) still happening? Again, very easy to reach 10 midi devices and the point when a PC won’t install new midi devices. Is this limit removed?

  3. Do W10 still reinstall the drivers for USB devices when you connect them to a different USB slot?

All these little nuisances would make me switch to W10 which seems well received. But as I said W7 is behaving well for me so I would like to give it up for some benefits.

Thanks in advance

  1. Up to the DAW developer. Windows supports detection of new devices. With the new MIDI APIs, for example, I’ve tried to make sure our examples show how to do that. I think with the old APIs, folks just didn’t both.

  2. It happens. It’s because many device vendors do not follow the USB specs and offer up the IDs required by USB. (I don’t think the limit is 10, but it’s been a bit since I tested.) So each time you move the device around, it ends up with a new ID because we can’t tell it was the old device. We can’t just go by its type because many people have multiples of the same device on their system (think two launchpads, for example)

  3. See #2 .

So it’s on the app developers and device manufacturers. BUT, we (Microsoft) need to provide better guidance up front, which we are doing with the new APIs. No one ever bothers to go back and update old stuff, unfortunately, so we haven’t put a ton of effort into trying to get vendors to update the old stuff.

Pete