If your MIDI controller is connected but not working with your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) or notation software, and you are using a Windows machine, the issue may be due to MIDI exclusivity. Try the following steps to resolve the issue:
- Close all programs, including any web browsers you may have open.
- Open the application with which you wish to use your MIDI Controller, and check to see if it's working.
If the issue is now resolved, it's likely that another program was taking exclusive control over MIDI input to your system. This is common on Windows machines, and can even happen with web browsers. Windows prioritizes which application uses MIDI based on the order in which the applications are opened. Therefore the workaround for this issue is to open the application with which you wish to use your controller first, and then open any other applications after that. If you need to use your controller with a different application, you'll need to close everything and then open that different application first.
