HI there, I'm a newbie myself and had some issues. Have you followed the instructions on the Quick Start guide? Here's what it says: "Always connect the MPK mini to your computer before opening the software editor. After opening the software editor, you will need to select the MPK mini from the drop-down menu on the opening screen and click "Done." For Mac or Windows Vista users, it will be listed as Akai MPK mini. For Windows XP users, it will be listed as USB Audio Device. (If you have other USB audio devices connected to your computer, which may have identical names, you may need to try selecting each one until the MPK mini is recognized.) IMPORTANT!: The first time you use the software editor, even if the correct device is already shown in the drop-down menu, you still need to click on the menu and select the device. (You will also need to do this if you move your files to a new location.) In future sessions, though, you can simply click "Done" if the correct device is shown in this window." I followed this, although it seems to be for the editor. I then closed the editor as I believe it clashes with Reaper. Everything works fine now, well, I can here notes played from the keyboard via the VST.