Windows Update creates WinRT BUG - no sound from midi

I’m wrecking my brain trying to understand what is going on.
Today, (worked fine yesterday) I get no sound from my midi inputs.

  • Sound card is on
  • the correct ASIO drive is on (I have tried other ones too)
  • Everything is routed correctly (doubled checked)
  • Audio connections and control room is set correctly
  • Keyboard NI komplete kontrol mkII is connected
  • Cubase is getting midi signals from the keyboard
  • but I realize I can’t record midi from my keyboard either. No data sticks. I can only enter data manually with the mouse.
  • I have checked in services that the keyboard is working and is connected
  • If I click on the keys in the interface of the instrument (kotakt or other ones) or the piano roll I get a sound.

BUT NO SOUND WHEN I HIT THE KEYS, even though I can tell Cubase is getting the midi signal. All other midi functions work on the keyboard. All transport controls work, but the problem must be Cubase or windows.

Anyone?
Complete mystery to me. A strange update somewhere I have missed that messed everything up?

Windows 11
64 RAM
Yamaha UR242
Cubase 15 pro

Confirm that the MIDI input source and channel are as expected. You can do this via the Inspector on the left side of the project window.

Confirm that the Instrument track is set to record and monitor.

After doing this, if you hit the keyboard, does the meter activate? You can also insert the MIDI Monitor effect to see if the data is reaching the channel.

(I know you said everything is routed correctly, but without supporting screen shots it seemed reasonable to seek some simple, specific confirmations.)

Try a cold reboot (computer completely off)

Confirm that the MIDI input source and channel are as expected. You can do this via the Inspector on the left side of the project window.
Yes they are.

Confirm that the Instrument track is set to record and monitor.
Yes.

After doing this, if you hit the keyboard, does the meter activate? You can also insert the MIDI Monitor effect to see if the data is reaching the channel.
As I said in my post, the meters for the midi data activates, but no audio. I can’t record midi and nothing is heard when I play my keyboard. If I click on the piano roll I hear sounds. I have checked the midi monitors and there is data input there.

(I know you said everything is routed correctly, but without supporting screen shots it seemed reasonable to seek some simple, specific confirmations.)
Input is ALL midi, then any output. I am using my templates that worked fine yesterday, and I have tried new projects with nothing pre-set. I have triple checked my audio routings, and I do get sound, just not from the midi input.

I just don’t get why I get nothing. I have used cubase since the Atari days and I am not new to the program, and even teach it. I just can’t understand what I might have missed, and how something can cause havoc like this.

I have restarted (cold reboot) and checked drivers, updates services, etc

I hope it is a silly thing I have missed, but I can’t see what it would be.

A appreciate the help

My midi works in other programs, so it must be something with Cubase

OK, interesting.
If I turn “Use Device WinRT Midi” Off, it works…

Has microsoft changed something?
I would prefer this on, as I have major problems when it isn’t, and it has worked fine for the last few years

Just found this: (Steinberg should go out with this)

Bug: WinRT MIDI 1.0 Timestamps are in the future, so no messages received.

This impacts Cakewalk Sonar and Steinberg Cubase when set to use WinRT MIDI, and also djay pro. The fix will be in Windows in a few months. In the meantime, a patch is available here.

WinRT MIDI 1.0 Timestamp Fix

Github Issue 847

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The above doesn’t solve it for me. Only turning off the WinRT.
It says the fix will land in April/May.

Not great

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I also found this:

However with Cubase Pro (15 and 13) this does not fix the issue - you still have to enable “Use System Timestamp for WinRT” even with the new driver for any MIDI information to be processed in Cubase. With the original MIDI drivers, your could have this option disabled or enabled and MIDI messages would come through correctly.

We have an update to the fix coming soon.

Pete
Microsoft

I was having a lot of MIDI problems after the latest windows 11 update a few weeks ago. I tried lots of things but nothing worked. Then I found a temporary fix on an Iconnectivity facebook forum where they also referred to windows update MIDI issues:

Open an administrative console. Then execute the commands:

“net stop midisrv”

then

“net start midisrv”

I get an error after the last command, but the service got up just fine and the issues are gone after that. I have to do this a few times per week. Hoping that Microsoft will soon fix this.

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The fix for dynamic ports like loopMIDI etc. is already available in our Discord server.

#early-preview-releases channel

Pete
Microsoft

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Thanks, this worked for me! Finally!

My issues with no midi input ports was in part due to win registry corruption

Try running the midifixreg that ms provide…it may help?

But do sys restore first maybe in case it does not!

Also found that v14 worked ok but v15 didn’t

I could not hear any sound from my VSTI when I was playing in on a midi track or an instrument track..until i I enabled the monitor button on the track and then I could hear things

After visiting the discord forum, downloading the fix there and reinstalling rtpmidi I have everything up and running for now. Don’t know exactly what fixed it, but perhaps I had a faulty setting in the rtpMidi?

Not using WinRpt tbh

Should i be?

Depends on the results you get, and the hardware you are using.
In my case some hardware doesn’t work properly if I don’t use it, and I find it a lot more stable when it is on.

”WinRT MIDI is a modern MIDI API introduced in Windows that allows applications to interact with MIDI devices more efficiently. It supports features like Bluetooth MIDI, multi-client access, and improved device handling compared to older MIDI APIs.”

Are there instructions for downloading and installing it that u could point me at?

Join the Discord server where @Psychlist1972 from Microsoft documents everything and provides downloads for the new Midi Stack

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