So after installing a ton of overdue windows updates last night due to this thread:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/SONAR-X3d-seems-to-be-working-fine-but-crashes-on-close-m2986873.aspx
 
I come in to start working on some projects this morning.... no midi from my Yamaha XF8.  I haven't touched a thing on the keyboard itself.
 
First thing I did was unplug the MOTU Midi Express 128s and plug them back in.  They are usb and this usually fixes any issues.  Didn't work.
 
Second thing was check every midi path in Sonar... can't see anything wrong.  Inputs are listed properly in devices... I can chose the inputs in the track view.  Sonar clearly "sees" the interfaces.
 
Third thing I did was "repair" the drivers.... downloaded the utility from MOTU.  It wouldn't let me update the drivers as they were already up to date so I reinstalled them.  Reboot.  Still nothing.
 
Start troubleshooting:
 
I can see the midi signal getting to the interfaces on the front panel, port 1 flashes when I play midi.  But no flashing lights on the midi icon in Sonar.  Nothing...
 
I can draw in notes in the PRV and they are playing on the correct port.  So it's only the input... getting somewhere.  I can send midi to my various external synths via the interfaces... which helps because it verifies that the interfaces are not "swapped" (Sonar thinking 1 is 2 and 2 is 1).
 
I plug in my Novation Mininova to the front panel port 8.  Select input in Sonar.  Success!  Midi to Sonar.  So I crawl back behind my gear (not easy) and swap the old midi cable for the one I know works, plug it in to interface 1, port 2.  Select input in Sonar.  Nothing.  Crawl back again, swap it to interface 2, port 1.  Select input in Sonar.  Everything is working.
 
What happened to my interfaces and how come I can't seem to get any inputs on one of them?

Do you get midi data transmitted from the Yamaha when you run a stand-alone synth, like Dimension Pro?  (just trying to see if it occurs outside of Sonar).
 
And, I am a but unclear on whether or not plugging the Yamaha in using the other USB cable and port.  (I saw you plugged a different midi controller in, using the USB cable that the Yamaha had been using, if I understood correctly).
 
Do you see the Yamaha midi drivers loaded in Device Manager, when it is plugged in?
 
Bob Bone
 
 
 

Matt
I plug in my Novation Mininova to the front panel port 8.  Select input in Sonar.  Success!  Midi to Sonar.  So I crawl back behind my gear (not easy) and swap the old midi cable for the one I know works, plug it in to interface 1, port 2.  Select input in Sonar.  Nothing.  Crawl back again, swap it to interface 2, port 1.  Select input in Sonar.  Everything is working.

 
I'm trying to get this straight in my head... Port 8 above is on which interface? Are all ports on Interface 2 working? And which interface and port is the FX8 connected to? Or is it using its own USB-MIDI port?
 
If you run a cable directly from the XF8's MIDI OUT back to its IN, bypassing your DAW, does it respond as expected with Local Off?
 
EDIT: Scratch that. Not necessary if you're seeing input activity on the MOTU.

Yeah... sorry for the confusing post.
 
IN a nutshell:
 
The only thing I discovered 100% is that on midi interface #1, Sonar would not recognize any midi from my Yamaha XF8 on port 1 or 2.  (I didn't test the other 6 ports, nor did I put another synth into port 1 or 2, nor did I try it in any other program than Sonar.)  Yamaha has always been on port 1 and has always worked fine up until I installed some Windows updates.
 
All outputs on both interfaces are working fine, I checked all of them.  Inputs 1 & 8 on midi interface #2 are working fine (the only two I checked).
 
I just don't understand why this happened.  And even though it is sort of working now... I feel slightly uneasy in case it were to happen again I don't have another interface to switch to.  I can troubleshoot more later but I already wasted my whole morning on this and I have a couple deadlines to meet...

If the only thing that has changed was a set of windows updates, consider finding a restore point prior to those updates and see if that solves the problem. Windows tends to write restore points every time you make significant changes, but not all windows updates will make a restore point. If a restored system works like it used to, then you can probably stop looking for a hardware issue.

How many MIDI drivers / interfaces have been installed to the current OS? Even if installed a year or more ago....Every one counts as a MIDI driver even if not being used any more and are retained in the registry. Windows (even W8 afaik) still has the ridiculous 10 driver limit - if installed (even re-installed) and it goes to say, slot 11, or 12 (the stupid thing is Windows will continue to allow you to install midi interfaces!!) or whatever, it will NOT get recognised by the OS itself.
 
There are fixes if this is the case.

As far I can tell, most Windows updates have always been to plug holes in security. If your DAW is never on the internet, and it is running smoothly?? Occasionally I have to hook my DAW up to the net. I let it run windows updates but I look at the list first. 90% are junk not needed by a computer used for one thing. 

1.  Have you checked you Yamaha drivers, to make sure they are loaded into Windows?
 
2.  Does the Yamaha trigger midi outside of Sonar, in a stand-alone app, such as Dim Pro?
 
3.  Have you tried installing the Yamaha drivers again?
 
Bob Bone
 

I don't use the Yamaha drivers for the XF8.  I had it hooked up via USB so I could use the transport on the XF8 but that was really redundant since I'm sitting in front of the computer so I disconnected it a while ago.  The XF8 just uses a standard midi cable via the MOTU usb interfaces.
 
I do have the Yamaha USB midi drivers installed (and up to date) because I use them with the 02R96s.
 
And I did reinstall the MOTU drivers.
 
My midi devices all look fine to me:
 

 
As far as controlling Kontakt or a standalone program via the XF8, here's the thing.... I'm only interested in pursuing this so far.  I'd have to get back behind the gear and plug the XF8 back into midi interface #1, and then if I can't fix it go back and plug it back into midi interface #2.  I left about 18 inches behind my gear for access which is normally plenty but the midi interfaces are on the bottom of the rack and are really shallow and there's a ton of cables in the way so they are by far the hardest to access.
 

That's not the place to look That is primarily for active installed drivers (btw inactive and other stuff can only be shown if you set "Show Hidden Items" which requires a bit of a tweak to properly work in Control Panel)
 
Any drivers uninstalled will not (should not!) appear here, however the REMAIN as a registered midi device driver in the registry. It is there they must be manually deleted from. You can uninstall, and disable and enable as muchas you like in control panel...won't make any difference.
 
However if you KNOW you have installed 10 or less MIDI drivers in the lifespan of the OS installation...then this is nto the answer.