WK 500 - AC7 file - Rhythm

[xera]

Oh this is very interesting. So you do not even need MIDI software such as Anvil studio, or Sonar. What you are saying is that the same as you record a song on the keyboard itself, now instead record the pattern elements such as intro, or ending, the same procedure as you are recording a song on the keyboard itself, but now the difference is that as your midi cables are connected to the keyboard you can transfer the recordings from the keyboard to the computer (IDES). Wow that is awesome.
I know the difference between MIDI, and wave. MIDI is like those old punch computer cards, that gives instructions to the keyboard on how to play, while wave sound is a recorded sound file. My issue was that if the keyboard giving off wave sound as play back , then how the playback is recognized by IDES as MIDI, as IDES says that it accepts SMF(single MIDI file) and no wave format, But what you explained is that keyboard itself creates a form of file which is called Casio proprietary format when you record on the keyboard internal memory that then the IDES can recognize.
The other question is that like when you play the variation 1, then how long do you wait so it plays? just one bar, or do you wait so it plays 4 bars? Like intro one or ending seems to be easy, in a way that you know when they start, and when they end, but like variation 1 or 2 they are repeating, and you wonder for how long you should allow them to be recorded from the time you start recording them,

 

[Ted Nicoson]

Xera

The manual I was talking about is the CTK-671 user's manual. If you need a copy, you can download it from here:

http://support.casio.com/pdf/008/ctk_671_01_e.pdf

 

[Ted Nicoson]

Xera

OK ! Now I understand what you were confused about - what the keyboard was uploading to the PC - sound or data. Sorry for the misunderstanding. For future reference - those old style 5 pin MIDI cables can only transfer MIDI data. They can not transfer audio (sound). The newer USB systems can transfer either MIDI data or audio - depending on the keyboard's capabilities.

Now, how you do your recordings - one bar of each rhythm part or several bars of each rhythm part - you will need to work out with Y-Man. That will depend upon whatever is easiest for him to deal with.

 

[xera]

Thank you very much for your help

 

[xera]

Hello Ted again
Thank you for your information. I was able to create a MIDI file based on the Rhythm converter instructions, and your information..After that I created a CKF file and loaded to the keyboard. ( I have a CTK-7200 ) besides the CTK-671. But here is the problem. CTK-7200 does not have INTRO 2, and does not have ENDING 2, also does not have Fill3, and fill 4. so while it played part of the into of the CTK-671 suddenly it gets confused, and plays intro 2 at the end of intro1 partially.
I tried to think that okay if I just on the SMF put INTRO1, VAR1, VAR2, FILL 1, FILL2, and Ending 1, then this should be matchable to CTK-7200. But the problem is with Rhythm converter, it does not allow you to drop VAR 2, or FILL 3, or FILL 4. Even I put 0 bar into the box, again it reverted back to 1 bar.
Do you have any idea how to use Rhythm converter so it creates a file that be matchable to CTK-7200? How to solve bar issues for Intro2, Fill3, Fill4, and Ending 2 on rhythm converter? Thanks a lot.
Xera

 

[xera]

Hello George

To set up Markers on Anvil studio. You need to use cue. Anvill uses cue instead of Name of marker. If you lookl at the Anvil click on new cue. Then if you are at the beginning of INTRO1, Type Intro1, then when you reach to Intro2 , click on new cue, a box again will appear, Type Intro 2 in the box, and so on.

Xera

 

[alex viegas]

Awesome!!

Xera, PM me your email address and I will dig out the instructions.....

The Y-man

sir will u plz help me how to download rythm converter?

 

[xera]

Hello Alex
This is the link for Casio Rhythm converter.

http://support.casio.com/en/support/download.php?cid=008&pid=20

Look at your keyboard model, and download either Data manager 5 or 6. After that you will have 3 folders named as Casio data manager (this folder is just for you to drag CKF files into it, so the keyboard can see, and also transfer rhythms between your computer, and keyboard user rhythms). The second folder is named as Music data management software ( This folder is very important, because rhythm converter is located in it).When you click on this folder a message will appear as CAN NOT FIND MIDI,do not worry because your MIDI cables are not connected. Click ok,Now another window will appear that says MIDI input device.( if you have not connected your MIDI cable this area will be blank, but when you connect it will show your MIDI device name.Now click on ok again.On this window you will see 3 icons at top of the page. click on the middle Icon, and that pulls out the MIDI converter, a very important window because this is where you can convert your MIDI into CKF file. Play around with different icons, so you get more acquainted with the software.

Xera

 

[xera]

Hi
What is the difference between CKF, and AC7. It is so strange, when I load a CKF file into the keyboard it recognizes as a rhythm, but when I transfer a rhythm from keyboard into the data manager , it shows it as AC7. Is there any way to have CKF instead of AC7? since you can edit CKF, but not AC7.

 

[Ted Nicoson]

Xera

CKF stands for Casio Keyboard File and was a file distribution method devised by Casio for its older keyboards. A CKF file can contain a single rhythm, a single tone, a single tone with wave, a single drawbar organ voice, etc etc etc or it can contain any number and any combination of those files (kind of like a ZIP file). None of the Casio keyboards, old or new, can use CKF files "as is". All of them are converted to the specific keyboard's native file format when they are loaded into the keyboard's User memory. For instance, when I load a CKF rhythm into my WK-3800, the WK-3800 converts it to a .Z00 file. When I load a CKF registration into it, the WK-3800 converts it to a .Z01 file. A CKF tone file is converted to a .Z05 file, and so forth. If I later upload these User files back to the PC from the WK-3800, they come back in the keyboard's native file format. For the WK-3800, that is .Z00 for rhythms, .Z01 for registrations, .Z05 for tones, and so on. The .CKF format is permanently lost when the file is loaded into the keyboard's User memory, and is a function of the keyboard's operating system. This design has been carried over into the newer keyboards. When you load CKF rhythm files into User memory on the newer units, they are converted by the keyboard's operating system into the new .AC7 format. Since rhythm files are the only CKF files that the new units can load, rhythms is the only place you would ever be involved with this on the new boards, but it is good reason to always maintain a copy of the original CKF files in case you want to make future edits to the originals. In this case, it is also best to make changes only to COPIES of the original CKF's.

As for editing, you can edit AC7 rhythm files on the keyboard itself. Granted, with the CTK-6000/6200 and WK-6500/6600, rhythm editing is quite limited, but with the Pattern Sequencer on the CTK-7000/7200 and WK-7500/7600, you can do pretty much everything on the keyboard that you can do with a PC based editor. Here again, I grant that a PC based editor makes editing much easier and quicker, but with the Pattern Sequencer, it can be done, if absolutely necessary.

 

[xera]

Hi Ted

Very well explained.I wanted to skip the process of recording to the MIDI, well, if already I can transfer AC7 , what is the use of making cfk.

Thanks much