I'm working with the latest standard iMac with Fastlane and Audio/MIDI Setup test does not show any MIDI Out. No light on the Fastlane - nothing. The inbound test works fine. This is too strange. -Tom

Hello

The Fastlane is plugged directly to the iMac? If there's a hub, plug the Fastlane directly.
The driver is lastest?
If there's something outside Apple Mouse/keyboard plugged in USB, unplugged it.
If you can try another cable, do it.

Also, does the the Fastlane show up in the System Info app? (apple menu>about this mac>more info>hardware>USB). If it shows there, the problem is in software, if not something is fishy in hardware or the driver is screwed.

Oh, good idea about checking the System Info. All other items are checked and good. This is actually in my school lab - not here at home. But I tried one of the new computers waiting to have my custom image installed and no luck there either. I contacted MOTU and they are working on it, but I thought that I might find another user who has already had this problem. It is strange. Thanks!

Thinking of it a second time, it's supposed to be USB powered if I'm right. The issue may be there : not enough juice thru the USB to power the Fastlane.

It's plugged in which port of which iMac model?

Oh gee, are they all not powered the same way? This is the most recent iMac with 4 Gig of ram. It has about six usb ports on the back of the monitor. I have qwerty key a mouse, and the Fastlane - that's all.

Late today I got the problem identified by MOTU. They say that it is a problem with the test mode of Audio/MIDI Setup in the latest update OS 10.6.4. The actual interface should wor, just not the test. It's a leading edge thing, I'm sure. Whew!

Hey, Tom:

Not only have I had the same problem, but it's also in a school lab. What a coincidence!

Anyway, last summer I bought seven new iMac 2.66GHz, 24-inch, yada yada for the university computer-music lab that I manage. On six of the seven machines, FastLanes. On the seventh machine, a humble old MIDIman interface (can't remember the model -- MIDIsport? little 2x2 number.) That's the only one on which MIDI output works.

I did some tests using the excellent free utility MIDI Monitor and found that Audio MIDI Setup was indeed sending the test MIDI notes out. But for whatever reason, they weren't getting to the FastLanes.

Sometimes unplugging the FastLane and plugging it back into a different USB port would "wake up" the MIDI output, but not always (this sent me down the trail of differently powered USB ports, but that wasn't it because it wasn't, ultimately, consistent).

Never got to a solution with MOTU. So anyway, we spent the whole last school year (09-10) with output back to the keyboards not working -- except on the old MIDIman interface. Never a hitch there. Fortunately we accomplished enough of the learning objectives using software instruments.

-CK

Well, it's the school the offender

Seriously, either MOTU comes with a patch or we'll have to hope for a fix in a later SnowLeopard version… (depressing)

If your Fastlanes are rather old, there was an update for them several years back. They would not reconnect after sleep. Gather up your serial numbers and contact MOTU. They sent us a set of chips to replace.

Well I STILL have this problem. MOTU has been dedicated to helping me, but they are still stumped. They seem to think that it must be something in my OS installation, but I did the midi driver as one of the earliest items to add to the standard OS. I also tried another "virgin" Mac in my lab, I even backward installed an earlier OS 10.6.2 - no luck. Meanwhile, the midiman 2X2 worked the very first time. I think that we are going to just replace the 12 FastLane's with a cheaper interface. I was hoping that I would find a large response. Thanks so much to CK!