totally confused/usb ports

[Nelson Baboon]

my problems were not with the din ports.

This, i suppose, encapsulates where some of my confusion is:
"Routing to and from the PC port is that same. Press and hold the PC port input or output button and you should see 12 LEDs light up under the outputs section. Select the appropriate PC port and let go to complete that assignment. You can always check your assignment by holding down the PC port buttons or the USB input port button to see which virtual port is currently selected."

What exactly are the 12 buttons beneath the midi din ports? From what you say, and from what the manual implies, these are not only to route the din ports. So, what exactly are they? they are "outputs" yes, but I have yet to find a good description of what exactly they do. Is it just contextual? in other words, if you press the pc port, then these represent mrcc outputs, which will show in Live as MRCC port 1, 2, 3, etc? But if you are routing a din port (say in from Live, and then out to a port connected to a din port) then they represent the din ports?

I use a midi monitor frequently, but most of my confusion has manifested in situations where the routing is internal to the mrcc, and wouldn't be recognized by the computer.....

I am also confused by when to hold down a button, and when not to. For instance, this morning, to get my routing working, I simply pressed the host port output and it just worked.

You are correct - to minimize extra panel buttons/LEDs, the LEDs and buttons under the Output section are contextual.  They are used as a numerical indicator for virtual ports 1-4 or 1-12.

When you are holding down a button for I/O assignment (only applies to USB A-D inputs and to PC port I and O) the LEDs and buttons under the output section are used to select the port.  They use a different color to be a bit more helpful.  Once you select the target you can release the first button you were holding (USB A-D I, PC I or O) and the assignment is made.

If you "just press" the host I or O or the USB A-D Input, you'll get the current/default virtual port selection (if any).

Great. Thank you for verifying. i think that maybe the manual could be more clear in explaining this, or maybe i should just be smarter....