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After days of trial and error my latency issues and pedal problem were found to be caused by my MIDI interface.

My M-Audio Anniversary interface works properly under certain conditions. This led me to believe that other things I tried eliminated my latency problems but it was only temporary. After restarting my computer latency returned.

I finally found that by connecting the cables and powering up my M-Audio in a certain sequence it works properly. The sequence has to be repeated every time the M-Audio is powered down.

For those that may be interested, and for my own future reference, here is the magic startup sequence for the M-Audio. First power down the M-Audio by unplugging its USB cable. Confirm that the mode button is in the "In" (USB/merge) position. Connect the keyboard's midi output cable to one of the M-Audio's input jacks, either "In A" or "In B". Apply power to the M-Audio by plugging its USB cable into the computer. Latency will be horrendous. Unplug the keyboard output cable from the M-Audio and plug it into the other M-Audio input jack. The M-Audio will then work properly, latency will be eliminated (and the damper will work). For example, if the keyboard output cable is connected into "In A" when power is applied to the M-Audio then it must be moved to "InB" after power is applied. That's it! So far it seems to work every time.

I also tried two cheap interfaces that were identical. They both failed in different ways, but they both eliminated latency. One didn't send NOTE OFF events, so every note played on the keyboard lasted forever. The other sent random E3 notes at velocity 127 when the damper pedal was pressed repeatedly. These interfaces are found all over the internet and range in price from $3 to $54. They look identical but have different names.