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ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

Connecting Hauptwerk to MIDI organs, sequencers, ...
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Tadeusz Kubicki

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ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostMon Aug 02, 2021 8:53 am

Hi all!
I just started my adventure with Hauptwerk. Before I get down to rebuilding my CONN 651 (that's one of the options), I decided to test the program on my Roland digital piano. The setup looks as follows: HAUPTWERK 6.0.2 TRIAL version, ROLAND HP-2e digital piano, ESI U86XT audio interface, 2 Behringer B2031A monitors, RYZEN 9 5950X processor (16 cores), RAM 64 GB WINDOWS 10 Home,
Unfortunately, when selecting Audio output device: ASIO 2.0-ESI86XT the instrument does not produce sound (latest driver).
The ASIO4ALL driver solves the communication problem, but the latency is significant. I hope the original driver will fix this problem.
Any help welcome. Thank you very much.
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mdyde

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostMon Aug 02, 2021 9:20 am

Hello Tadeusz,

Thanks very much for evaluating Hauptwerk.

I don't have experience myself with ESI's interfaces ( https://www.esi-audio.com/products/u86xt/ ), but, in case it helps, my thoughts would be:

- Make sure that Windows isn't configured to use the device as its default playback/recording device, since many ASIO drivers don't allow more than one application to use their hardware at once (and especially so at different sample rates).

- Likewise, make sure no other audio/MIDI software (or any other software that's configured to use the ESI device) is running at the same time as Hauptwerk.

- Try 48 kHz, if you'd previously been trying 96 kHz.

- Maybe also try different buffer sizes (e.g. 1024 or 512).

- If the ESI driver has a control panel with virtual signal level meters, then see whether they register any signal.

- If the ESI driver's control panel has settings for sample rate and/or buffer sizes then try matching Hauptwerk's settings to those values.

- Make sure you have the intended channels selected for the device. With default settings, Hauptwerk would send all audio to the driver's first two channels, but you can try changing those via the audio device screen in Hauptwerk if needed.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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dhm

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostMon Aug 02, 2021 9:59 am

I have been using this interface for several months, in my studio and for several customers' installations.
The ASIO driver works just fine.
Douglas Henn-Macrae
Authorized Hauptwerk Reseller
http://www.midi-organs.eu
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John L

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 1:02 pm

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but I have exactly the same problem (no audio on U86XT ASIO, Windows 7 Pro O/S).

Background: I have been using a Focusrite 6i6 for some years but want to upgrade to a 4-channel system: two front, two rear speakers. I am running Hauptwerk V6. Advice here was that the U86XT is a good choice and it duly arrived today. I installed the latest driver successfully and selected ASIO 2.0 - ESI U86 XT as the output device. I can see the six output channels in the channel list, so apparently Hauptwerk can see the device via ASIO.

Yet there is no audio!

In Windows I see the 3 x stereo channels enumerated, they test out OK and I see VU meter activity on the U86 control panel. None of those channels are set to Windows default playback device. I've tried 48kHz, 96kHz and Hauptwerk default sample rates to no avail and I have fiddled with default channels but the fact is that none of the channel VU meters on the U86 control panel shows any sign of audio from Hauptwerk on any channel.

I have tried different sample sets. I've restarted Hauptwerk numerous times and even rebooted the PC. I seem to be at a dead end but I cannot help but think that something very simple is wrong...

Rather than tear out what little hair I have remaining, can anyone shed any light on what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks in advance.

John
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mdyde

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 1:30 pm

Hello John,

In case it's relevant, on the 'General settings | Audio mixer' screen in Hauptwerk make sure that you have the correct device channels selected for the relevant mixer buses [for the mixer preset used by the organ, e.g. mixer preset 1].

Perhaps the quickest test would be simply to exit Hauptwerk, re-launch it via a 'spare' 'Hauptwerk (alt confg N)' configuration (desktop shortcut) which still has all-default settings (otherwise you could use 'File | Revert all settings to factory defaults' within that configuration), and then, still within that configuration load St. Anne's, and see whether you then hear sound.

With all-default audio routing settings all audio output would be going to master mixer bus 1 on Hauptwerk's audio mixer, which will itself have device channels 1+2 selected for output by default.

You could also check whether Hauptwerk is producing any audio output by looking at the audio level meter on the 'Audio, MIDI and performance' large control panel (which can be opened e.g. via 'View | Large floating control panels ...').
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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John L

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 1:55 pm

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the speedy reply.

I couldn't see anything wrong in the general settings, so I went for the spare Hauptwerk approach. This invocation had never been run before but it picked up the U86 both as an ASIO device and for MIDI. I loaded St. Anne's, mapped the Great keyboard and pulled a few stops. I see MIDI action on keyboard and stops but sadly, still no audio output. The HW audio level meter shows nothing on either of the setups.

'Tis most odd!

John
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mdyde

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 2:17 pm

Thanks, John.

Just in case the audio signal level is too low to register on Hauptwerk's meter, I'd suggest turning on all St. Anne's stops and turning up the 'Trim dB' (on that same control panel) quite a bit (>0). Then if you click on some keys it should definitely be loud enough to show on the meter, provided that the ASIO driver is indeed calling Hauptwerk to generate audio properly.

If that still fails, you could perhaps try the freeware ASIO4All driver instead, just as a test.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 3:16 pm

Thanks again Martin.

I'm making no progress at all. I fiddled around with levels to no avail. I tried ASIO4All but it doesn't see the U86XT, even if I delete its drivers. I also note that I do not get the faint "click" as HW starts the audio device that happens with the Focusrite, so that suggests that the audio system on the U86XT is not starting at all.

I have reverted to the Focusrite and that is working fine. I think my next step is to take the U86XT away from the organ PC and try to get it running in my development environment. What I thought should be a simple change has turned into something that is just too time consuming for now: I need my organ back for practice and I have had my fill of exasperation for one day!

Just a thought: could the Focusrite driver' ASIO interface be fighting with the U86XT? Deleting the Focusrite driver is about the only thing I have not tried.

John
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mdyde

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 3:19 pm

Thanks, John.

John L wrote:Just a thought: could the Focusrite driver' ASIO interface be fighting with the U86XT? Deleting the Focusrite driver is about the only thing I have not tried.


I suppose it's conceivable. It seems unlikely, but might be worth a try.

I don't have any experience myself with ESI's interfaces, I'm afraid.

Hope you manage to get it to work somehow -- good luck!
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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dhm

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 3:31 pm

I have drivers for a number of different interfaces installed on all my HW PCs (including the ESI U86XT, MOTU Ultralite, Focusrite 6i6, M-Audio Profile 610 etc, etc), and never had the problem reported here.
Douglas Henn-Macrae
Authorized Hauptwerk Reseller
http://www.midi-organs.eu
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John L

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostFri Jan 28, 2022 4:03 pm

That's interesting and useful information, thank you Douglas. I shall persevere... but not tonight!
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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostMon Jan 31, 2022 6:19 pm

Well, I have spent many more fruitless hours trying to make progress to no avail. Douglas implies that it just works but for me it just doesn't. At the moment the device is just so much useless but expensive junk.

Martin - you say you haven't used the U86XT, so I wonder if you might be interested in me loaning it to you. If you can get it to work then you'll have useful collateral for future enquiries and may be able to tell me what I am doing wrong. I can also send you screen grabs of my settings if that might help.

John
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mdyde

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostTue Feb 01, 2022 4:23 am

John L wrote:Martin - you say you haven't used the U86XT, so I wonder if you might be interested in me loaning it to you. If you can get it to work then you'll have useful collateral for future enquiries and may be able to tell me what I am doing wrong. I can also send you screen grabs of my settings if that might help.


Hello John,

Thanks very much for the offer, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have time to do anything with it, so I'll gratefully decline that one, but thanks again anyway.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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IainStinson

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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostTue Feb 01, 2022 5:31 am

A couple of suggestions:
1. Have you tried using the device as the output for the Windows media player (or similar)? If that were to work you would know the unit could send out sound, if not perhaps the manufacturer could give some advice / help through their technical support to get this working.
2. Have you tried the Windows native drivers rather than ASIO drivers?
3. Are the buffer sizes for ASI0 the same in the device setup as they are in HW?
(Sorry if you’ve already tried these…)
The manual does not seem to offer any advice on using the unit with a DAW such as HW.
Iain
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Re: ESI U86XT - ASIO driver does not work

PostTue Feb 01, 2022 7:30 am

Hi Iain,

Thank you for the suggestions.

1. Windows media player, et al, use the Windows drivers rather than ASIO, but you've given me an idea - I could try it with OBS, which I use extensively for livestreaming. It supports ASIO input and output.
2. Yes, indeed even HW works through the device using the Windows drivers but, of course, the latency is dreadful.
3. Yes, I've tried all sorts of different buffer sizes and sample rates to no avail.

I've also tried different versions of drivers and both Windows 7 (my organ PC) and Windows 10 (another system that I use for software development), with the same problem.

It'll be a set up problem of some sort, I am sure, either in HW or the device but there is no advice in the device manual, or its web site. I can see nothing amiss in the HW configuration. Somebody somewhere will know how to get it working...

I'll report back on the OBS test. Thanks again for your input.

John
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