I spent a couple of days putting together a midi remote script for my Novation 49SL MK2 and after installing my new MOTU 828 it stopped working.
I re-edited the Cubase functions for each button and when I hover the mouse over them, I get the right answers, but then, when I actually use it, the pan controls the faders and the faders are controlling the record arm functions. The info line flickers between multiple functions. It's like there's a midi feedback loop. I've checked the midi-ports, and they are the same as the day I made it.
Any ideas?

 

Perhaps AI can help you further, good luck:

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

Your symptoms scream “MIDI feedback loop” or “duplicate/conflicting MIDI port assignments” — and the fact that everything broke right after you installed the new MOTU 828 is a huge clue.

The Novation SL MkII remote scripts are very sensitive to port names and to having multiple copies of the same port visible in Cubase.

Here are the most common causes (in order of likelihood) and how to fix them:

1. The MOTU 828 created new MIDI ports that have the exact same name as the SL MkII ports Many audio interfaces (including some MOTU models) create virtual MIDI ports called “828” or “MIDI Port” etc., but on Windows especially, Cubase sometimes shows ports with identical names even though they’re different devices. → Go to Studio → Studio Setup → MIDI Port Setup
   • Look for duplicate entries that both say something like “SL MkII” or “MIDI In/Out”.
   • Hide (uncheck “Visible”) every port that does not come from the SL MkII.
   • Especially hide any new ports that appeared after installing the 828 driver.
2. The SL MkII is now connected through the 828’s MIDI ports instead of directly via USB If you (or the driver) routed the SL MkII through the 828’s physical MIDI sockets, you now have the old USB ports plus the 828 MIDI ports both active → instant feedback loop. → Make sure the SL MkII is still connected directly via its own USB cable (not through the 828’s DIN ports). → In MIDI Port Setup, disable the 828’s DIN MIDI ports if you’re not using them.
3. Cubase Remote Device setup points to the wrong (or multiple) ports → Go to Studio → Remote Devices
   • Select your “Novation SL MkII” (or whatever you called the script).
   • Check that MIDI Input and MIDI Output are set to the correct SL MkII ports (usually “SL MkII” or “Automap” ports).
   • If you see “All MIDI Inputs” or multiple ports selected, change it to only the real SL MkII port.
4. The old Automap software is still running in the background Automap loves to create feedback loops when you also use a native remote script. → Quit Automap completely (check system tray / Activity Monitor). → Better yet: uninstall Automap if you’re using a hand-written or third-party remote script.
5. You have both the factory SL MkII script AND your custom script loaded at the same time → In Remote Devices, make sure only one Novation SL MkII entry exists. Remove duplicates.
6. Quick test to confirm it’s a loop
   • Temporarily disable MIDI Output from Cubase to the SL MkII (in Remote Devices set MIDI Output to “Not Connected”).
   • If the flickering and wrong assignments instantly stop, you’ve confirmed the loop. Re-enable the correct port after fixing the port visibility.

Most people in exactly your situation (new MOTU interface → broken SL MkII script) solve it in under 5 minutes by going into MIDI Port Setup and hiding every new MOTU MIDI port that appeared.

Try that first and report back — 95% chance that’s it.

 

It is funny how two different AI will say two different things. GPT is almost always cleaner output.

That all looks like some valid stuff to test. But just as a general rule of thumb, from experience with the 828es which is a little different; I would also install the Motu cleanly first, meaning no other audio or midi devices attached (to the computer) when you first set it up. Setup the Motu, making sure you have first gotten the most current Motu Pro Audio software from their website. You can check for the firmware update from Motu Discovery application after you have already updated it. Then start re-connecting all your other external stuff. This is just general rule of thumb for any audio interface imo.

Here's what ChatGPT had to say above the above:

Spoiler

Sounds like classic MIDI feedback or a doubled-up mapping, especially since it started right after adding the 828.

A few things to check:

1. Make sure the SL MK2’s MIDI In isn’t being echoed back out through the MOTU. In the MOTU Audio Console / MIDI routing, confirm nothing is looping the controller’s output back to itself.
   
   
2. In Cubase, double-check Remote Device → MIDI Input / Output. Sometimes adding a new interface changes which physical port Cubase thinks is “Novation Automap” vs “SL MkII Port 1.” Even if the names look the same, Cubase may have re-assigned them internally.
   
   
3. Disable MIDI Thru temporarily in Cubase and see if the flicker stops. If it does, that confirms a loop.
   
   
4. If you’re using Automap or the SL’s internal templates, make sure the keyboard isn’t sending both CC and NRPN for the same control. That can also cause Cubase to jump between functions.
   
   
5. Last resort: delete the SL MK2 from Cubase’s Remote Devices, re-add it, then reload your script. Cubase sometimes caches the wrong port IDs after new hardware is installed.

What you’re describing (pan moving faders, faders arming tracks) is exactly what happens when Cubase is receiving two different message types from the same control or the messages are bouncing back into Cubase through a second port.

 

Last edited: Dec 4, 2025

Thanks. All of that is exactly what I did, and I did update the firmware. Unfortunately they won't allow me to register the device as I can't remember a 20-year-old legacy name that I registered with originally, and my old email address is not available because my ISP ditched their email service, passing it on to a 3rd part business. As I have been using Gmail, I missed the boat when it came to move my email address across. MOTU claim to have emailed me so that I can create a new password, but I never got it, and I'm not eligible for support until I register. I may have to make a phone call to clear this up.

 

First check what your device REALLY send.

Use a software midi monitor:
MAC
https://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/
Online
https://www.midimonitor.com/
Win
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9ntv7mflbbvx?hl=fr-FR&gl=DZ

 

If you did not get an email, it's because you tried to reset the password using the wrong email account. I just did the same thing using an email account I know they do not have. Says it sent but not rec'd. When using the correct email address, it shows up in under a minute.

Once you log in and access that page, there is nothing additional there that really will help you anyway. Just the Gen5 installer which you can download without logging in.

Anyway, I do not think your Midi ports problem is related to their software, but I was just suggesting a different installation order. First the Motu, get that working. Then install your Novation and script. Once the Motu has established control of your Midi ports, the Novation may not try to overrun your interface's settings, or might give you some fair warning.

https://motu.com/en-us/download/product/511/?platform_family=any&download_type=driver

We already know it is a feedback loop. Another program will do nothing to fix it. The solution is between the Motu interface, the Controller/script, and the DAW. This was known before OP created the thread.

 

I just noticed that there's MIDI activity on the output even when nothing is playing. If I hit the Automap button it stops, but when it's off the activity shows up again. The keyboard won't control the surface if Automap is on. I've got a Native Instruments S61, but that has a poultry number of controls, so I tend not to use it. I'll stick a midi monitor on and see what's being sent. What ever it is appears to be causing the problem.

 

I've got the MOTU working and have the entire studio wired up, that's all I need really. And I'm not really interested in their software, and like I said my old email address is no longer alive...

PS. My 49SL is using USB to input the script, and there's no MIDI activity showing on the display on the 828, so I don't see how the 828 can affect it. It's got to be Cubase.

 

Thanks, but how does this utility differ from the built-in Cubase monitor?

 

You might find help here:

Spoiler: Source: Perplexity

This kind of “everything is talking to everything” behavior in Cubase almost always comes from ports and routing changing when the new interface was added, even if the names look familiar.

Most likely cause
When you installed the MOTU 828, Cubase probably reordered or renamed some MIDI ports internally, so your Novation’s “control surface” port is no longer the same physical connection your script was made for, or it is now routed back into Cubase as a generic MIDI input as well. That can create exactly what you describe: faders triggering the wrong functions, pan moving faders, record-arm lighting up, and the info line flickering because multiple remote layers are receiving the same MIDI CC messages.

Things to check in Cubase
Do these in this order:

1. Remove duplicated control sources
   
   • In Studio Setup > MIDI Port Setup, make sure the Novation “control” port is not also enabled as “All MIDI Inputs” if you already use it for MIDI Remote / Generic Remote.
     
     
   • If the SL has more than one port (e.g. “Novation SL MkII” and “Novation SL MkII MIDI” etc.), confirm that only the intended control port is used for the remote surface, and the playing/keybed port is the one in “All MIDI Inputs”.
     
2. Disable other remote systems
   
   • If you ever used Generic Remote, Quick Controls, or Mackie/other remote devices with the SL, temporarily disable those in Studio Setup so only your new MIDI Remote script is active.
     
     
   • This prevents the same CC from being interpreted by both systems at once, which is a classic feedback/“multiple functions on one control” symptom.
     
3. Rebind the script to the correct ports
   
   • Open MIDI Remote Manager, disable your Novation surface, then enable it again so Cubase asks for ports and you can pick the correct SL input and output (not the MOTU ports and not some “2 – <name>” variant unless that’s really the SL).
     
     
   • If Cubase created a slightly different port name after MOTU went in (e.g. adding “-1” or changing order), reselect the SL ports there.
     
4. Check for genuine MIDI loops
   
   • In the 828’s routing/console, ensure no MIDI Thru is echoing the SL back into itself or back into Cubase via another virtual port.
     
     
   • In Cubase, avoid having a track set to the SL as input and output at the same time with monitoring on, which can also create an echo/loop.
     

Cleanup steps if it’s still wrong
If it stays confused after that:

• Remove the existing remote surface in MIDI Remote Manager and recreate it, then re‑assign all mappings once, making sure the correct Novation ports are selected from the start.
  
  
• If you used a JSON/script file, delete any old user-specific mapping files for that script from Cubase’s MIDI Remote user folders, then restart Cubase so it rebuilds a clean mapping.
  

What to try right now
Concrete quick test:

• Disable every remote device except your Novation script.
  
  
• Set the SL’s “keys” port in All MIDI Inputs; leave the SL’s “control” port only for the script.
  
  
• Power‑cycle the SL, then disable/enable the remote surface and reselect ports.
  
  
• Move one fader and see if only one Cubase function responds and the info line stops flickering.
  

If you describe your current MIDI Port Setup (port names and which boxes are ticked) plus how many ports the Novation shows, it becomes possible to point to the exact setting that is causing the loop.

 

I set up the Cubase MIDI Monitor, and it shows that the k/b is outputting a steady stream of A0 and A#0 notes. I don't know what's causing it, though. Perhaps it's faulty.

 

Thanks, that was more than I expected. I'll follow all of that and let you know how it goes.

 

Unfortunately, none of that worked, and so I've removed the k/b and adapted the basic S61 map in the library, and it works. I've spent too many hours on this crap and need to get on with the really important stuff. I might give it another shot when I'm not so angry.

Thanks again.

 

Unfortunately, none of that worked, and so I've removed the k/b and adapted the basic S61 map in the library, and it works. I've spent too many hours on this crap and need to get on with the really important stuff. I might give it another shot when I'm not so angry.

Thanks again.

 

Hmm there is no pre-built script for the 49SL? I have a Launchkey 49 and mine are in there, but I can't remember what other ones are included. To be honest, it's likely NOT the MOTU. Up until a year ago I was happily using my 828x with my old Launchkey 25 and my newer 49 (I wanted MORE controls hah) and never had an issue with either one. The MOTU's MIDI I/O was connected to my Ferrofish Pulse so I could edit it from the Mac, and it never had any effect on Cubase's setup at all, plus I also have an AMT8 running my older DIN MIDI gear and about 6 USB synths connected at the same time too.

MIDI Remote itself though still has some 'quirks'. I've been too busy lately to really get into C15 to check, but I often open a project and have like 2 or 3 instances of mine in there. For some reason it seems to sometimes 'forget' you're using the same controller and adds another instance of it. And then again, sometimes it's perfectly fine.

 

How about changing the motu asio driver to fl studio asio?

 

After all the stress and BS I went and bought a Nektar CS12. It'd be nice to have at least 8 motorised faders, but I think this will make me forget all about Midi Remote anyway. I need a new K/B to handle the latest Kontakt Libraries, as my old s61 can only use KK 2.9.6 via K v6. I like the colour coded LEDs on the NI Keyboards (mainly because I'm a guitarist), but that company has a habit of making you need to buy a new k/b just to access the latest libraries, so I'm loath to invest in their products any more. At my age, all I want to do is get something done, without stress b4 I meet my end.

 

I'm not sure how that would go in Cubase. The MOTU is great, and I'd rather adapt everything around than change it. Both of my keyboards are beyond their use by date, it's just that I had the SL working perfectly and then...

 

I didn't catch which OS you are using, but would assume there's an alternative what ever it is. I use MIDI OX to deal with similar issue (and bunch of other port routing and filtering) - one of the knobs on my launch-control broke and is always sending cc. OX makes it simple to filter and ignore it, which you can further apply only to specific port and/or channel. In my case, it was just a matter of stopping factory default cc# on all channels at the hardware out port (which would be first in port on OX for the LC). It would also give you the option to monitor (and filter/transform) messages before they reach Cubase, as well as after, and probably anywhere else in their path.

I'd recommend exploring MIDI OX to anyone messing with midi on windows. It opens a world of options, and I haven't notice any performance impacts so far. For example - windows limits one device port to one application by default, so 16 templates on my LC could only go to one script in Bitwig, making the device unavailable for anything else. I mapped it per-template to 3 different scripts in Bitwig, one to OSC, and another to "MIDI Mixer" (last two also recommended, especially OSC). All working at the same time on their own ports and sending outputs back to LC (to control the lights). And that's just scratching the surface of what it can do if you have some basic knowledge of scripting and sysex (which I don't). It solved specific problems and limitations for me though without reaching for manual.

 

Last edited: Dec 5, 2025

It's absolutely in Cubase. When Cubase finds an interface you have just installed, it assigns MIDI ports. In the case of the 828, it creates them virtually. So you had the controller connected already, and that was working fine because those ports were assigned to it without any problem. When you connected the Motu, Cubase went to set it up and has duplicated ports that were already in use by your controller.

This is why I suggested to change the installation order of the two devices. If you had installed the 828 and Cubase alone, the 828 would be setup exactly as it is supposed to be within Cubase. Then you would install your controller/script and it would allow you to connect and configure it around the 828, not the other way around. I'm using Motu 828ES on Mac in Cubase 13 (and Logic), and it has never done anything like this in either DAW; with lots of other stuff connected after the fact. If and when I ever reinstall an operating system, the audio interface is the very first thing I set up to avoid any potential conflicts like this.

By installing the 828 after your controller and script, it added the 828 which broke your already installed scripts port assignments.