QLab to dLive Director (plus MIDI Controller issues)

dLive dLive Troubleshooting
1

I used to be able to send MIDI messages from my QLab to our MixRack DM64 via the Allen and Heath MIDI Controller (mostly as “go to this scene #”)

For some reason the MIDI Controller just stopped being able to connect even though the settings and IPs are the same. I recently downloaded dLive Director on the same device and that has no issues connecting with the MixRack so I know its not a network issue.

That being said, I do miss being able to tell the MixRack to go to the next scene via QLab instead of having to juggle multiple devices or, in this case, multiple windows. Is there a way for QLab to interface with dLive Director so that can interface with the MixRack since the MIDI Controller no longer works for some reason?

2

Posting this in the correct sub forum might give you more replies…

3

Is dLive / dLive troubleshooting incorrect? There’s no MIDI controller category as far as I can see.

4

So, MIDI Control shows an error saying that it can’t connect? Or does it just sit there looking OK but just doesn’t work?

5

I fill in everything correctly (device, midi thru, IP, etc) and then when I check the Connect box it just stays as Not Connected. But I know its not a networking issue because the dLive Director can find the MixRack.

Since the MIDI Control has such a minimal interface it seems like there’s not much I can to troubleshoot

6

It was in the AHM/troubleshoot in the first place and got moved by a moderator probably

7

Don’t you just see the mixrack in the dropdown menu?

Any fixed IP settings in the network port?

8

whoops, my bad. thank you mods

9

no, it’s not an option in the dropdown menu, just “Custom” but that’s how it was before when it DID used to work. The IPs are fixed. The computer is 10.0.10.100 and the MixRack is 10.0.10.151 which is the same as it was when it DID used to work. And is also the same with the dLive Director software. So I know 10.0.10.100 and 10.0.10.151 CAN talk to each other because they talk to each other through dLive Director, but for some reason they CAN’T talk to each other via the MIDI Controller

10

That’s strange. I always have “Custom” and “Mixrack Name” in the dropdown. If I select the mixrack, it instantly connects.

11

Not having the MixRack IP in Midi Control drop-down menu is, to me, a sign for a poorly configured IP address. I had the same “problem” years back, and it was a not set DHCP server in the IP settings, as far as I remember.

Back to your real question: what did change in your setup from working state to now? Hardware? Software? Driver?

12

So, I will say it had been finicky even when it DID work (I had to turn on the devices in a specific order) but as far as any changes from when it DID work to it NOT working there definitely weren’t any hardware changes. The most I can maybe think of is MAYBE I updated either QLab or Mac OS, but it’s been a while since then so I don’t exactly remember unfortunately.

13

As there is not only one way to connect a computer to a MixRack, it might be helpful to explain your way in detail.

14

@schanco Yes, please let us know how your Mac connects to the Mix Rack - is it a direct connection, or is there an unmanaged switch, or is it a fully managed network with VLANs etc. like a corporate network?

The MIDI messaging uses one specific TCP/IP port, and Director uses a range of TCP ports as well as UDP. If director works, it is less likely that there is a network problem, but it is theoretically possible for one to work while the other is blocked by a managed switch, router, or firewall.

Director (and, I think MIDI Control) should be able to detect that your Mix Rack exists, and be able to connect to it by name without having to enter an IP address. If not, then the A&H discovery broadcast messages are getting blocked and it is more likely that there is a network issue of some kind.

Also, in Director (or a Surface) check Mix Rack → Control → MIDI → Send/Receive MIDI and make sure that Send and/or Receive are enabled. It for sure will not work if MIDI is disabled.

Check that the MIDI channel range is set to the same on the Mix Rack as it is in MIDI control. If they are different, I think MIDI Control will be able to connect, but the messages will be on different MIDI channels and may or may not come through.

If your dLive is configured with users then I think MIDI Control will also need to log in as a user.

Check whether the send/receive “lights” in the MIDI Control window ever blink. They should show some activity for channel mute/unmute, fader, etc. and when QLab sends to the MIDI port. This could help isolate whether MIDI is making it to/from MIDI control but not to/from QLab.

If I remember correctly, MacOS Audio Midi Setup has a place where you can specify what MIDI channels a device uses, and block unwanted channels. Make sure the channels are enabled there.

15

thank you @msteel , I appreciate the thorough explanation! I’ll try to troubleshoot with all of these in mind, hopefully I can figure some things out but unfortunately, I am not admin of any of these systems since on one side I have an IT department that only gets back to me every two months and will not give me permissions on a bunch of things and on the other side the designers were SoloTech who are headquartered in a different city and will only send someone out to look at things when at least three other sites need servicing.

All that being said:

  1. here is a screenshot of the only interface I have from the A&H MIDI Control and as you can see its pretty minimal on the Mac. I will also say, I am using v2.3 of the MIDI Control which ISN’T the most up to date currently but should still work with my current MacOS

Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 8.43.40 PM
Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 8.43.40 PM751×559 29.1 KB

  1. it is a fully managed network with VLANs although the IPs in question are all 10.0.10.XXX while the VLAN separation happens in the 10.0.XXX.XXX range.

  2. As far as I know, SoloTech is the one in charge of the managed switch and the network where as the IT department is in charge of the Mac – unless there’s something on the Mac that would block its own outgoing messages, I don’t think its something that IT can affect, but I also don’t think SoloTech made any changes that would have caused the MIDI controller to all of a sudden not work

  3. Again, Director does connect without any issues (although I do have to manually type in the IP address of the MixRack) where as MIDI Controller doesn’t and it has never given me the dropdown option for the MixRack even back when it DID work, I always had to use Custom

  4. MIDI send/receive are enabled and were never disabled during the working to not working time frame

5/8) the MIDI controller on the Mac doesn’t have any interface option to change the MIDI channel range as far as I can tell, but my QLab was/continues to be set to the correct channel

  1. our dLive is not configured with users

  2. when it DID work, the send/receive “lights” (the squares in the bottom right, I presume) were reactive when there was activity. Since it just doesn’t connect, those don’t react

Having gone through all of what you mentioned, it does seem like something that I (with my extremely limited permissions) am unable to resolve. The issue seems to be network adjacent – again, as you mentioned, the managed switch itself or a firewall. Unless anyone else can see something that I do’t or can suggest another avenue to look into?

Thanks again for your help!

16

Do you have access to physically connect the Mac to a network port on either the Mix Rack or the Surface? That could tell if the network infrastructure is blocking the traffic.

17

When the iMac is directly connected to the S5000’s Network port, the dropdown menu does populate with the MixRack and/or the Surface depending on which Mixer option I use (with correct corresponding IPs) and can be selected, but it still does not connect. I can try with a direct connection to the MixRack, but I don’t know if that would solve the issue if the direct connection to the Surface is responding like this.