I cannot get any sound to play through my pa5x speaker or monitors when I connect my MacBook to my PA5X... I am using a Vst called Noire Pianos.. I also tried using MainStage... The MacBook recognizes the pa5x and it shows playing the keys on the MacBook screen but the sound will only play through the MacBook speakers and not the monitors or Paasmk2.... I am using a USB cable out of the back of the pa5x to the MacBook... I called tech support at Sweetwater but they couldn't help me either... They were going to write to Korg... Any ideas? I have spent hours trying to get this to work but no success.. I have a Yamaha Montage and I have no problem with that working.. Thanks for any help.... Ron
Problem Using PA5X with a Piano VST or MainStage
- Thread starter rb293
- Start date
Hi Ron, are you only hearing the sound of the VST through the MacBook speakers or do you also hear the Pa5x sounds through the Mac? If only the VST, check your Pa5x Midi settings and make sure you don't have Local Control turned off? That would prevent you from hearing it playing through your monitors.
I'm not familiar with the Pa5x so don't want to go any deeper and confuse you but some of the other members will have more insight. Hopefully, it will be a straightforward fix and if my suggestion does the trick, call Sweetwater back and let them know. I would have thought that would have been the first thing they would have thought of.
Good luck, Al
Hi Al... I do have local control turned on... I only hear the vst coming out of the Mac... I seem to have tried everything to get the sound to come out of the speakers (monitors and Pa5x speaker) but no success... When I use my Yamaha Montage I don't have any problem... The mac does see the Pa5x and the keyboard on the mac screen works but just no sound... Thanks Ron
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
You have to run Audio MIDI setup on the mac to set the default output to the USB soundcard built into whatever instrument you have patched thru your monitors. If none of your instruments support USB sound then the cheapest option is to buy a cheap 5 Channel Mixer with USB Sound built in.
Also instead of changing your mac's default output you could first check the audio settings of your VST host to see if can selectively control the output device.
Also instead of changing your mac's default output you could first check the audio settings of your VST host to see if can selectively control the output device.
Okayyyyy. Two thoughts, just to try and narrow things down - if you unplug the usb cable from the Pa5x, do you then get sound from the speakers when you play it? To be honest, I don't know why that should make a difference.
Also, are you using a direct usb cable or do you have a usb interface hooked up? That would probably help you play the Mac sounds through the Pa5x but you woud need to configure the midi settings correctly. Or, try running an audio cable directly from the headphone socket of the Mac to one or both of the Line In sockets on the Pa5x. It won't help with hearing the Pa5x but at least you should get the VST sounding through it.
Some of the big guns on here should be able to help better diagnoze the problem. I see Gary has just posted a good suggestion as I was typing this, so go with that first.
Also, are you using a direct usb cable or do you have a usb interface hooked up? That would probably help you play the Mac sounds through the Pa5x but you woud need to configure the midi settings correctly. Or, try running an audio cable directly from the headphone socket of the Mac to one or both of the Line In sockets on the Pa5x. It won't help with hearing the Pa5x but at least you should get the VST sounding through it.
Some of the big guns on here should be able to help better diagnoze the problem. I see Gary has just posted a good suggestion as I was typing this, so go with that first.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Addendum >. I just checked with Mainstage and the Audio Settings in the Setup allow for exclusive control of output sound device.
All my settings in the Mac Output show the PA5X as the sound selected but just no sound except in the MacBook speakers.. I am using a direct USB cable between the pa5xx and the mac... The pa5x plays the sounds fine that come out of the pa5x... I think it's some setting in the pa5x that is the cause .... Like I said in my first post, my Yamaha Montage works just fine when connected to the mac using direct usb cable.... I guess we have to wait and see if Korg responds to Sweetwater Tech support.. Hopefully they will know the problem and why they can't communicate .... Thanks to all who have responded...
It could also be the Mac device that you are using.
I have a MacBook Air and have exactly the same issue as you describe.
Tried everything I know to get audio out via the USB and it is simply not possible on my MacBook.
Tried using MIDI Audio but that does not let me select USB audio for its output.
Connected up a Behringer interface and connected that to my 5X via the MIDI lead and still no success.
I have a MacBook Air and have exactly the same issue as you describe.
Tried everything I know to get audio out via the USB and it is simply not possible on my MacBook.
Tried using MIDI Audio but that does not let me select USB audio for its output.
Connected up a Behringer interface and connected that to my 5X via the MIDI lead and still no success.
I'm not so sure that the problem lies with the Macbook as the OP states that it works okay when using his Montage. I believe it's more to do with how the Pa5x is set up.
Just to clarify, did you mean to say "The Macbook plays the sounds fine that come out of the Pa5x"?
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Somewhere in your korg is a setting to enable the USB soundcard and you should have the Soundcard Volume enabled in Audio MIDI Setup.
First of all does Audio MIDI Setup recognize the USB soundcard in the audio device list at all? You have to set it up for each and every audio device attached to the computer.
What do you see in the list of audio devices?
Your Montage works because the Mac can see the soundcard.
Does the PA5X show up as an audio device at all?
First of all does Audio MIDI Setup recognize the USB soundcard in the audio device list at all? You have to set it up for each and every audio device attached to the computer.
What do you see in the list of audio devices?
Your Montage works because the Mac can see the soundcard.
Does the PA5X show up as an audio device at all?
OK, I have a play around today.
Connected up my MacBook Air to my Pa5X via USB.
In the Audio Setup there is no option for selecting output via USB.
Nor is there any new configuration that enables me to create one and use it. If there is I do not know what to do.
Within Logic, Mainstage and Garage Band I cannot find any output for the audio via USB.
Tried all with Local off and on.
Then I connected up my Behringer UMC audio interface by USB and connected it via MIDI cables to the MIDI sockets on the 5X. Connected the audio outputs from the Behringer to the Audio inputs on the 5X. Set up audio in Mainstage to feed via the Behringer.
I am getting the audio out of the MacBook being played through the headphones connected to the Behringer interface.
Playing the 5X gets the Vu bars moving on the MacBook, so there is communication but that is it.
Started to watch a “how to“ video, then realised I reached Brain Death, so will get back to it tomorrow, its late and I’m shattered.
Connected up my MacBook Air to my Pa5X via USB.
In the Audio Setup there is no option for selecting output via USB.
Nor is there any new configuration that enables me to create one and use it. If there is I do not know what to do.
Within Logic, Mainstage and Garage Band I cannot find any output for the audio via USB.
Tried all with Local off and on.
Then I connected up my Behringer UMC audio interface by USB and connected it via MIDI cables to the MIDI sockets on the 5X. Connected the audio outputs from the Behringer to the Audio inputs on the 5X. Set up audio in Mainstage to feed via the Behringer.
I am getting the audio out of the MacBook being played through the headphones connected to the Behringer interface.
Playing the 5X gets the Vu bars moving on the MacBook, so there is communication but that is it.
Started to watch a “how to“ video, then realised I reached Brain Death, so will get back to it tomorrow, its late and I’m shattered.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Audio MIDI Setup is a standalone program that ships with apple's OS.
You have to run it at least once for it to become TSR.
You WON'T find it under the OS Setup Menus.
Its sole function is to recognize and connect various audio devices, be they MIDI, USB AUDIO, Headphone Out, etc.
Here I'm including a screenshot of mine and what I'm talking about./
You have to run it at least once for it to become TSR.
You WON'T find it under the OS Setup Menus.
Its sole function is to recognize and connect various audio devices, be they MIDI, USB AUDIO, Headphone Out, etc.
Here I'm including a screenshot of mine and what I'm talking about./
I use the audio midi setup but it doesn't show the Pa5x... My Vu meter also moves and under options under file at the top of the vst page, it will show the pa5x and kontakt both in the output and input tab.... It just won't produce the sound out of my monitors or the PAASMKll... The only sound I will get is directly coming from what ever instrument I select from the pa5x..
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Maybe the USB port on the PA5X is just fried?
This might not be of any real help as I don't have a Pa5x or a Macbook but I've been 'experimenting' with my Pa1000 and Windows 11 laptop. I used IK Multimedia's Hammond B-3X standalone virtual instruments and had no problem getting it to play with a single USB cable between the keyboard and laptop. But, like the OP, I could not get either of them to play back through my keyboard.
I've come to the conclusion, perhaps wrongly, that the problem is with the Korg USB-Midi driver. The Pa1000 shows up as the Midi Input device but on the output set to ASIO, no Korg USB driver shows, although others like Technics, Tascam and Yamaha Steinberg appear. So I decided to use my Behringer UMC204HD USB interface to see if that would work.
I just noticed as I was typing the above that Biggles had also being trying to get his Pa5x to work with his Macbook.
Here's how I managed to get some measure of success. I connected a midi cable from Midi Out on the keyboard to Midi In on the UMC, ran a USB cable from this to the laptop and also ran audio cables from Line Out on the UMC to Line In on the Pa1000. On the Hammond settings, the UMC is set as both the Input and Output devices.
Voila, I'm now getting sound from the Hammond and the Pa1000 playing through the keyboard and I'm able to balance them with the Audio In volume control. The only Midi Presets that seem to work for this are Default, Master Kbd and Accordion 1. The expression pedal controls both the Pa1000 and the Hammond. Of couse, no sound from the laptop will play through the keyboard if the Audio In Mute button is On.
I hope this might be of some help.
I've come to the conclusion, perhaps wrongly, that the problem is with the Korg USB-Midi driver. The Pa1000 shows up as the Midi Input device but on the output set to ASIO, no Korg USB driver shows, although others like Technics, Tascam and Yamaha Steinberg appear. So I decided to use my Behringer UMC204HD USB interface to see if that would work.
I just noticed as I was typing the above that Biggles had also being trying to get his Pa5x to work with his Macbook.
Here's how I managed to get some measure of success. I connected a midi cable from Midi Out on the keyboard to Midi In on the UMC, ran a USB cable from this to the laptop and also ran audio cables from Line Out on the UMC to Line In on the Pa1000. On the Hammond settings, the UMC is set as both the Input and Output devices.
Voila, I'm now getting sound from the Hammond and the Pa1000 playing through the keyboard and I'm able to balance them with the Audio In volume control. The only Midi Presets that seem to work for this are Default, Master Kbd and Accordion 1. The expression pedal controls both the Pa1000 and the Hammond. Of couse, no sound from the laptop will play through the keyboard if the Audio In Mute button is On.
I hope this might be of some help.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Driver issues are a serious concern with Korg keyboards.
I've wrestled with their crappy drivers in years gone past and this could be the entire reason it's not showing up in the Audio Routing Utility.
I'd say check with Korg's support gurus for assistance.
I've wrestled with their crappy drivers in years gone past and this could be the entire reason it's not showing up in the Audio Routing Utility.
I'd say check with Korg's support gurus for assistance.
Yep and although the latest current driver is dated August 26th, 2024, it is supposed to also work with a ton of other Korg instruments and equipment, some of which are ancient. So, they have nothing dedicated to current keyboards.
In his first post, he said "The MacBook recognizes the pa5x and it shows playing the keys on the MacBook screen..." so it is getting the midi signals via his Pa5X USB socket.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
And Sequoia has seen major updates 3 times this past season. There were conflicts with HP printer drivers as well.