ASIO Driver "Device Could not be Opened"

perhaps try a different USB port and see what happens. reboot.

Open up device manager and make sure your device is there and working. Then start Cubase. Before opening a project, look at the audio devices and make your native ASIO driver the one that is selected.

Was there a resolution to this problem? I am attempting to get a UR22mkII working with my HP Spectre 360 laptop, and I get the same result.

FYI, my problem was SOLVED by using a different USB cable–I had to try three different cables. The one that worked was an extra-thick one that came with my old Line6 UX2. Better ground connection? Shielded? Not sure exactly why, but it works reliably, and I am up an running.

I’ve worked with customer service for a month or so and have not found a solution. To be clear, the cable connects power to the UR22mkII because I get a blinking USB indicator on the interface, indicating that the device is connected to the computer, but not recognized. The things customer service had me check for were:

  • Downloading the latest version of Cubase
  • Reinstalling the driver
  • Checking that USB ports are 2.0 not 3.0
  • Buying a new USB cable

None of these options worked. I was instructed to install everything on a different computer and see if that works, but I don’t have a computer to try it on, so I’ve given up at this point and hope someone is able to figure out a solution.

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I tried 2 different cabled and neither worked, but both produced a blinking USB indicator light on the interface. With the 2 cables that didn’t work, did your USB indicator light on the UR22mkII blink, but the third one connected with a solid indicator? Wondering if I might need to try some more different cables.

Sorry for the delay in replying. I wasn’t getting ANY lights turning on. The third one just worked. I don’t have any others to try it with, sorry.

Of course, I hadn’t used the thing in a month, and today when i turn it on I get the eLicenser problem (apparently as a result of a Windows 10 update). I fixed that, but trying to install the NEW USB driver update fails, and now I’m back to a non-functional UR22mkII again, even WITH the “good” USB cable.

This shouldn’t be that hard.

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Problem was solved for me simply by switching USB ports. Sometimes the easiest solution is the one that works.

i have same problem with my steinberg AXR4T, i have installed everything but when i want to switch driver to Yamaha Steinberg Thunderbolt it says Device could not be opened. ? plz can anyone help me ?

Hello, its July 2020 and i am having this issue also. I have scoured the net and not found a proper resolution. Including all the reinstall / different cable / diff port etc…
Trying to make the most of COVID downtime but now this happens.
has worked find for over a year since i purchased the UR44 thinking that steinberg products will have NO probs talking to eachother…
but i get the same error message now suddenly for no known reason.
the only thing i did was operate my cubase 9.0 with wifi disabled in a rehearsal. And since then …grief.
I cannot think why that would be an issue, as i have done this before.
I have tried the ASIO4ALL but it is unworkable… latency is terrible and drops out with the screechy white noise at random moments.

Anything people…Anything… please

Note have upgraded to driver 2.03 for Windows which appears to be a March 2020 release… no joy

Just experienced this. Somehow my yamaha steinberg usb asio driver became unlinked and gave the message ‘could not be opened’ when I tried to set it right. What I did that fixed this for me. Closed cubase. Turned my audio interface off. Disconnected and reconnected my audio interface usb cable. Turned my audio interface back on. Restarted my computer. Reopened cubase. Opened Devices > Device setup > VST Audio System. Reselected yamaha steinberg usb asio driver. Closed the device setup window. Opened Devices > VST Connections > Relinked my audio inputs and outputs. Back to normal now. July 2020. Hope this helps, but I may have just got lucky!

I had this issue after using Nuendo for just 1 week. The solution for me was to uninstall the old driver (from the Windows Settings - Apps program) and then re-install the same driver. It is very quick and I was not required to unplug all the USB stuff as the installation manual instructs. But your mileage may vary. For quick reference, here’s the page with the driver info: Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver Updates and Downloads | Steinberg

As to why this happened…
For me, Nuendo is installed on a church computer that is used once a week when we record our praise band (with social distancing of course). So, this Nuendo had not been used in a week and only a few hours of one day in the last week was it used at all. However, there was a Windows Update in the last week…which leads me to conclude that the Windows Update overrode the Steinberg driver somehow. To back this theory, before I reinstalled the driver, I was snooping around the device manager looking for the Yamaha Steinberg driver. It should be under the “Sound, video, and game controlers” section of the device manager. While I did find an entry for “Yamaha TF”, when I right-clicked on properties, it said the Manufacturer was Microsoft. After re-install, the properties now show it to be “Manufacturer: Yamaha Corporation” and it’s working now.

sorry, did not work for me, but thanks

Sorry, also did not work for me, thanks

HOORAY FOR ME……….
After 8 weeks of crying I have solved this and it could not have been simpler…
And its nothing that was even close to being mentioned at any point on any forums I have scoured late into the evenings.

It was doing my head in that the drivers were installed… and Windows agreed that they were installed and working properly.
And the UR44 operated ( allowed me to hear sounds generated by the computer) but just would not map in Cubase.
I even had someone from a pro audio store suggest I get a new laptop as mine was 7 years old.
This was a last resort for sure… and one I sadly resigned to last week.
Imagine my heartbreak when all was installed and my shiny new laptop delivered the same dagger to my heart….”Device Could Not Be opened”
:imp:
$1900 Australian dollars I could have done much more with………

Again, Cubase could find the drivers… but no love on the hardware (couldn’t see the hardware “the device” so wouldn’t load the driver)
Stuck with ASIO4ALL still
So this ruled out the laptop as a culprit.
I came to the conclusion that the UR44 was now at the top of the suspect list and was malfunctioning in some way.
And I did all the “ hey use a different USB cable, use a diff USB port” rhetoric you find about the place… which made little sense to me.

So believing all was lost, I dragged out my Zoom R16 tonight to give it a go as an audio interface … with the added bonus of the Mackie Control for some hardware sliders and such.
As I went to remove the UR44 , that’s when I saw it………….

The CC switch

The Fkn CC switch. :astonished: :astonished: :blush: :unamused:

Turns out my issue was “kind of” related to me taking the UR44 to a rehearsal room, and it never being the same since.
While in transit , or when retrieving from my bag to set up at home again, this little switch got flicked to ON!
(Or my kids messed with it , which is always a high probability here, but I will let them off)

So all this time, Cubase has been saying “nope, not interested in the UR44 while you think you are connected to an IPAD numbnuts”

I turned off the UR44, flicked the CC to OFF, turned on UR44, cranked Cubase… went to VST Audio System… selected Yamaha Steinberg USB ASIO driver….

NO ERROR MESSAGE! :laughing:

Cubase happily “found “ the UR44 and remapped all my Ins and Outs……

I am now halfway through a bottle of Red Wine while typing this.
If I had a cigar I would have that thing glowing red ….

I hope that this post helps any poor sod in the future that has the misadventure I have had and limits the bleeding to a day or 2 , and not weeks,
Especially as I am in the middle of a fertile COVID enforced writing period, and was gutted when all this went down………

PS… regarding the new laptop……
Well its half the weight of the old one and a touch screen…
So I’m not too distraught … :slight_smile:

Giddy up

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Just experienced this. Somehow my yamaha steinberg usb asio driver became unlinked and gave the message ‘could not be opened’ when I tried to set it right. What I did that fixed this for me. Closed cubase. Turned my audio interface off. Disconnected and reconnected my audio interface usb cable. Turned my audio interface back on. Restarted my computer. Reopened cubase. Opened Devices > Device setup > VST Audio System. Reselected yamaha steinberg usb asio driver. Closed the device setup window. Opened Devices > VST Connections > Relinked my audio inputs and outputs. Back to normal now. July 2020. Hope this helps, but I may have just got lucky!

Ah class compliant. My zoom L-20 has one of those buttons. I tried it on my iPad which worked and switched it back for my pc. I would have had no idea though it wouldn’t work in cc mode on my pc. Glad you found it. Shame one of us did t think of it earlier for you.

06/01/2020. I got the same trouble this morning, but I easely resolved the issue by updating the eLicenser through the EL control center, and then restarting Cubase, after reboot. Hope this method could work for you too!

Update for anybody still struggling: this was my problem as well. Others may be encountering that same problem but with a different root cause but this worked for me so just make sure the CC switch is set to the off setting!

I appreciate that this thread is now a couple of years old but I’ve just had and resolved the same / similar problem. In my case it was standalone Groove Agent SE5 on Windows 11 unable to open the Yamaha Steinberg USB ASIO driver for my Steinberg UR22C (although it was there when running Groove Agent through Cubase). Turned out to be a simple resource locking conflict… I had opened Cubase earlier which had presumably locked onto the driver. Although I had since closed Cubase, it was still running in task manager. Once I forced Cubase to end in task manager, the driver freed up and I was able to assign it in standalone Groove Agent. Result! The moral of the story… check whether you have any other apps open that may be holding on to exclusive control of the ASIO driver. Hope this helps if you find it.

Have you tried the ASIO4ALL driver?