MiniLab mkII - constantly disconnecting on MacBook M2 Pro

Lab MiniLab
#1

This very same setup used to work great: minilab mkII connected to my MacBook Pro M2 and used in Ableton or directly in Analog Lab V. But recently I started experiencing issues with controller not being detected anymore.

If I plug in the minilab (directly to macbook), it powers up, pads lit up (all looks good and as usual).

Problem symptoms:

  1. sometimes the Midi Control Center sees it, confirms firmware is at 1.1.2 (the latest I believe). But no other software detects it.
  2. sometimes MCC does not see minilab (and other software neither).
  3. sometimes MCC sees it but firmware shows as “Unknown” and MCC recommends to upgrade. I have tried to upgrade again. It failed sometimes. It worked sometimes; but then I’m just back to square 1.

What I have tried:
4. I have tried with a different cable - same behaviour
5. I have tried with a number of different USB A to USB C adapters - same behaviour
6. I have tried directly plugged in laptop or via monitor hub (which used to work fine) - same behavior.

Questions:

  1. anyone having similar issues?
  2. any update from Arturia or Apple that might have triggered this?
  3. what else can I try?

The controller looks and feels as new, so I’d hate to have to throw it away!

Thanks

#2

You have done quite a bit of troubleshooting.

All I can suggest is trying an alternative USB port if possible or another Mac if possible.

Make sure the USB port on the keyboard is clean.

If you have other USB devices and have no problem, perhaps the USB port on the keyboard is defective.

Make sure the ASC and MCC software is up to date too.

#3

Thanks - forgot to mention I tried all the USB ports on the MacBook as well. And all software upgraded to the latest versions.

UPDATE: Minilab is back from the dead!

I cannot really explain why but here’s what I did to make that happen:

  1. Unplugged the MacBook from the screen and the hub.
  2. Powered the macbook with original power supply.
  3. Connected the minilab directly to MacBook.
  4. Opened ASC and MCC (ASC ran yet another update).
  5. Worked!
  6. Plugged it back the way it initially was (through monitor USB hub): kept on working!

I’m going to guess that updates might require a more stable power supply and that maybe an earlier update had left the keyboard in a weird state??

#4

I’m glad it’s working. I can live with that explanation. Weirder things have happened to me over the years.

1 Like
#5

ive got a 15" MacBook Air that is a standard M2 and I found some of the same issues that you were having. I just bought the MiniLab3 today so it’s factory brand spanking new. It shipped with firmware 1.1.1 and that is the only version I can find. there isn’t a newer 1.1.2 so I am not sure if that was something that is only available to some but no me in Canada,.

The unit ships with a USB-C to USB-A cable. the MacBook doesn’t have a use-a port on it so I figured there are two options. So I tried 3 different usb-c cables. Well, a usb-c and two Thunderbolt 4 cables that are of a higher spec than usb-c. None of them worked reliably, it would at times just lock up the minilab or the controller would spontaneously reboot in it would start to flash and go through the sweeping colour modes with Arturia and show the firmware revision. So I take that was a reboot.

I eventually gave up and plugged in a usb-c hub with several usb-a plugs on it and used the shipped cable. that seems to work. I will give the others a go again to verify if the unit was just rebooting or something else was at play.

Now as for functionality, there are some more than totally weird . I have watched the videos from the arturia web site and my unit doesn’t function anything like what the demo using and presenter say it should, For example. the encoder knobs on mine do spin continuously but are all totally absolute in value. So if for example you have a sound in Augmented Voices where the top encoder #2 controls the morph between A and B side. If you turn the encoder counterclockwise to set it to say 10% mix. Then switch to a new patch, the screen and sound will be preset to 50% but as soon as you touch the encoder it brings the value back to the previous setting value of 10% and then adjusts it from there depending on what direction you are turning the encoder. This is contrary to what is on the _Overview or even _Using Analog Labs video that even says it should allow you to swap between instruments without the values of each of the encoders resetting to the previous value.

That is not even getting into half the functions inside Logic Pro setting in the DAW mode don’t seem to work. I dread trying to get support from support at Arturia as in the past they seem to be non responsive and have taken at times over 8 days to respond back. Sorry in today’s world of email connectivity and the amount we pay for their products, (not to mention they say their response time should be 24 hours) this sort of turn around is pathetic.

I am hoping here I can get some sort of answer as to what it is supposed to work like

#6

I am stretched for time to help at present but I think you should check the encoder settings in the MCC. They can be set to absolute or relative or pick up. Try different settings after saving to the controller and see if that helps.

#7

I really do appreciate the help being offered. it is likely just some small item that I have done or are doing wrong but do not realize it. or I don’t have the right firmware and need to deal with Arturia support to get access to the correct one.

I had loaded the MCC. I did go into change the keyboard velocity from linear to log. If I went and then exited the MCC it told me that my settings would be lost. So I saved a new template called Matt. I out of caution, dragged a copy of the Default from Factory Templates down and that copied that too. I then concluded that how would it now what one was the profile I wanted so I dragged the Matt save up to user1.

That was the point I made the conclusion that the encoder turn knobs were definitely acting in an absolute mode. So I went back in and changed the top row to Relative1. this enables the User1 option on the pad. So when I lance in my example Augmented Voices, the pad screen says USER1. and the adjusted controls that I changed to Relative1 do not now work, If I put the pad back to Artura mode (shift and tap prog) then it returns to the same absolute mode.

Now I have read the MCC manual as best that I can absorb and found that you can CMD+M to get the midi output to display inside of MCC. GREAT. so I turned that on to see the output from the CC channels.

For Example, if defined in Absolute on Encoder1 that I gather has a midi hardware id of B0 4A the third value set runs from 00 to 7F (that corresponds to values from 0 to 127). when you put it into Relative 1 , the output now changes to 3E if rotated counter clock, or 41 if rotated clockwise. On Relative 2 they are 02 and 7E, or if on Relative 3 its 12 and 0E.

so clearly from the midi hardware output side, setting the controls to relative effects the output so that it just gives an consistent output number if turned one direction and a different consistent output number if turned the other way, Were as in Absolute mode the output is a number is a varying value depending on where relative the encoder is in the turn. As the encoder is infinite, if you keep turning the knob when it reaches the maximum or minimum value the knob just keeps turning and the value doesn’t change until you start turning it in the opposite direction.

Sorry if this is all so technical, long and ultimately boring. It does however show how the four different setting work and shows that the setting on the hardware (minilab3) needs to correspond with the software for it to work. So if you have the encoder set to relative and the software side is expecting an abosolute value response, the encoder will not work as the values it gives will not be compatible with what the software is expecting.

I am guessing that either the video is wrong. Or my 1.1.1 firmware for Canada needs to be updated and for whatever reason the MCC doesn’t give me the option to upgrade to 1,1,2 or whatever the proper working version actually is.

#8

Sorry, my head is in another dimension as I am moving house and country. If your tests don’t give the expected or desired results, unless someone else chips in, I would suggest raising the issue with Arturia Support. Good luck.

#9

thank you for the help. I think it might be best to contact them as other functionality in DAW mode doesn’t work as well. so I just need to see if its a firmware issue

UPDATE:

I don’t know if this is a known issue. The Arturia web site says that the MiniLab3 works with Logic Pro X ver 10.7.4 and above. (link here). however, I could not get it to function at all with my 10.7.9 that was the version that I had updated to. If I look to the KeyLab mK3 it says it needs Logic Pro 10.8.1 or above.

As Apple stops signing for old Apple Logic Pro program than the current one shipping, I cannot get Logic Pro 10.8.1 to test it out. I didn’t download it so I am sort of locked out from trying. I did download the latest version Logic Pro 11.0.1 and the minilab3 does work with that. So I guess that the web site needs to get updated to say that you require LogicPro 11 to run.

It is sort of sad as I don’t particularly like being forced to upgrade to a new “beta test” version of Apple Logic as everything I have written before is in 10 and I don’t know if I will loose compatibility or if things will simply break.

But I can accept I guess going forwards that all my new music will need to be made in LogicPro 11. I hope in posting this that when or if another user buys the product using an older version of Logic Pro they know it needs to get upgraded to 11, or perhaps that Arturia will update the linked article page if in fact you do need 11 now to run