Midi Hardware Connections/Akai MPK Mini

Hi, Please can someone help me :cry: I recently purchased an MPK Mini to use primarily as a keyboard to trigger the sounds in Cubase Essentials 5. Can someone give me a step by step idiots guide to all the relevant connections - inputs/outputs that I need to make in order to get the keyboard to trigger the sounds?

When I 1st plugged the keyboard in it appeared to work after aimlessly clicking on a few buttons but now when I go back into my various projects it doesn’t work. Its not even registering an input signal. It would be really helpful if someone could tell me what USB setting I am meant to use from the Akai Mini Editor ie Microsoft GS wave table or such like and then what inputs/outputs to set in Cubase itself. I use a CI2+ audio interface.

Hope you can help as I can’t afford to loose much more hair :unamused:

Having similar frustrations getting MPK Mini to run in Cubase. Andy, were you able to get this figured out?