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MIDI Keyboards and Windows 10

Anonymous
2018-09-28T22:29:50+00:00

Hi, I'm running Windows 10 on a Lenovo Yoga 920.

Disclaimer: I am no computer Guru, but I can read and follow instructions, so here's the story:

I've recently gotten more into composing and making music, and decided to purchase a MIDI keyboard. The keyboard I got is a simple MIDIPLUS AKM320 keyboard. It was a cheap one on Amazon that I thought would be a great first purchase to try something new. The keyboard says it requires no drivers, and should be plug-and-play and compatible with Windows or iOS. However, when I plug it in, windows registers only for a brief second that I have a USB device connected, and then it disappears. If I go to device manager, I can find it with the yellow triangle error symbol next to it. It says: "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)." 

I have tried updating the drivers with Windows, and it says the latest/recommended drivers are installed. I have also tried downloading drivers from the manufacturer, but they seem to be outdated (for previous versions of Windows) so I tried running them in compatibility mode, but that didn't work either. I've tried a dozen forum suggested fixes, but nothing has worked. This alone is a little bit discouraging, but I decided I had probably just bought a cheap MIDI Keyboard that wasn't actually compatible with Windows 10.

Then, I started doing some research, thinking I'd buy a better one, but that I had better find out whether it was Windows 10 compatible or not. Here's where the frustration really started; Every single MIDI Keyboard I found had reported issues with Windows 10 not recognizing the USB device. It appears that plug-and-play devices should be automatically assigned generic Windows MIDI drivers, but nothing happens. Then, when the correct drivers ARE installed, Windows will not assign the drivers to the device or the drivers will not run on Windows 10, or in compatibility modes. This might be because MIDI Keyboards are not making drivers for Windows 10, but isn't that the point of plug-and-play? Shouldn't the latest version of Windows run a MIDI keyboard EASILY? 

So now I have 3 questions:

  1. Has anyone run into this issue and actually fixed it?
  2. Can anyone explain to me in more detail what exactly is going on with Windows and MIDI Controller Devices?
  3. Do any of you use a MIDI Controller with Windows 10, and if so what have you found that actually works. I don't want to buy a new one only to have the same problem.

Thanks!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-10-01T12:34:12+00:00

    Hi KChae17,

    Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

    As I have checked, your system is compatible with Windows 10.  If the drivers are already up to date, this could be an issue with the device itself.

    From what we see in the manufacturer website for the Keyboard click here, the MIDIPLUS AKM 320 is compatible with Windows XP and higher. It could also be that the device may be outdated to function well with Windows 10.

    You could check by downloading the MIDI driver and the firmware update from the link provided above. However, I would recommend you to get in touch with the Keyboard manufacturer and check for updated drivers compatible with Windows 10.

    Hope it helps.

    Aaron Summith 

    Microsoft Community - Moderator

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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