Just an update based on a simple fix for a long-standing problem. Going way back, I originally had one very good desktop to do everything. It's 6 or 7 years old now, and still good, but no longer great. Over the years, some things started conflicting with others. The usual victim was system audio.
This caused the biggest problem with Ableton Live Lite and M-Audio's Hammer-88 keyboard. Sometimes the audio drivers would quit working randomly. The most consistent and annoying villain was when Microsoft did a Windows "update/upgrade." EVERY SINGLE TIME. I only know a couple of swear words, but I've used them many many times at Windows updates.
(Warning - Upcoming Rant)
The problem could sometimes be fixed easily (usually the random occurences.) Other times (looking at YOU, Microsoft...) it could take days or weeks to get the audio to working reliably. Sometimes it took so long, another update would come out just days later and we'd start all over again.
Helpful Hint: This website provides a link to a trouble-shooter that could fix most of the audio problems in moments:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-sound-or-audio-problems-in-windows-73025246-b61c-40fb-671a-2535c7cd56c8
Yes, I'm aware it's a microsoft link. That doesn't make me like them any better, since it was nearly always their OS updates that triggered the problem. Just the same, this is the first thing I try when the audio stops working. Click the link on the page and allow the app to test for problems.
The weird thing is, it always reports "no problem found", and starts suggesting random things to try... but actually fixes the issue, at least most of the time. So I click the "Open Get Help" button, let it do it's thing, then close the window after it reports failure. And that's usually all it takes.
Other times, it's as simple as checking "Sounds", going to the PlayBack Tab, and finding that the update has totally played havoc with speaker output assignments. For some reason, it would reassign a new random output as the default. Sometimes it would go to a legitimate speaker, like the one built-in to the monitor. Other times it would choose options that had no output at all. Re-setting the correct speakers as the default option will typically fix the audio, but sometimes it has to be reassigned as the default with every reboot. Eventually it sticks, until the next system update.
The worst ones... the mystery issues with no reliable fix... were the worst. This is part of the reason I quit playing. It was so consistent, there were so many times I just wanted to 'play the piano' but couldn't, I gave up for a while.
(Rant Over)
A Dedicated Laptop
In a final attempt to solve the problem, Monique found a used laptop on an Amazon lightning sale. It's an older HP EliteBook. Old enough it was originally sold with Windows 7 installed. It's running Windows 10 now, but that's pushing things. I don't install extraneous software. Primarily Ableton, plus CCleaner and Irfanview. And my favorite browser, Vivaldi.
Ableton 10 Live Lite - dedicated to the Hammer 88.
CCleaner for it's utility toolkit and easy system cleaning.
Irfanview for the times I need a screenshot.
Vivaldi mainly because I used to use Google Drive to swap files.
Our working space is tight, so the keyboard is on a wall-mounted shelving system, right beside the door. It's easy to bump the keyboard while walking past it, and I thought maybe too many impacts caused the issue.
The Ultimate Fix: A USB Hub
Eventually I realized the problem was the USB port the keyboard was attached to. The laptop only has 3 USB ports, one to an external audio driver (the Air/Hub, by M-Audio), one to the keyboard, and one for the mouse. Not enough to go around with one having intermittent problems. We had a 7-port powered hub. I tried it, but for some reason when the laptop is powered down the hub still provides power to the Hammer 88 and to the mouse. I didn't want the keyboard to be powered up non-stop all day long. Seems like that would wear the electronics out faster.
For about $15.00, we found a great USB hub on Amazon, by Sabrent. It's powered, has 4 ports, and each port has a dedicated on/off switch, with a light so you know which ones are on.
Now the keyboard and mouse are connected through the hub. I also keep a USB memory stick on one port, for trading files between computers. And the fourth port, just because it was available, provides power to a VCR-to-Computer converter. Only the ports in use are powered up. And when the laptop is turned off, I turn off the hub ports as well.
Now it works great. I can play the keyboard reliably, at any time. And turn the peripherals on/off as needed. It's amazing when things function like you need them to!!
With this setup it worked most of the time, but frustratingly there were still days it didn't. Sometimes on a reboot, the laptop would not communicate with the keyboard. Occasionally reconnecting the cable between them, but not always. I started worrying that after all these years of not getting to use it, maybe the keyboard was aging, connections failing, who knows.