Frankie J

Got it! Thanks a lot Brad! I've got an MZ-X500 and just now checked it out. Your explanation helps a lot. Of course, I guess I could just memorize them all, too 😁. It's a bit overwhelming how much there is to learn about this fantastic instrument but this forum, with great experts such as yourself, helps tremendously.

Thanks for the articulate explanation Brad. I have a naive (dumb) question/comment: Is there a simpler way to determine if a Tone is DSP or Direct other than looking the Tone up in the Appendix? Wouldn't it be nice if there was a little dot on the touch screen or something like that to indicate a DSP Tone? I think that would make choosing Tone combinations much easier, no?

Sorry Rick. I should have read the thread link you sent first before replying. Your suggestion is a very good one that makes perfect sense. Thanks.

Thanks Rick, I sorta gathered that but didn't much care since I'm such a newbie and hadn't saved anything to Registers (or anywhere else for that matter). I also guessed that ZAL files mean ALL, everything, no exceptions, etc. Is that guess correct? Now that I have learned how to back things up, I do that. There is some cool stuff on there though.

WOW! Great sounds! Thanks a lot, Allanon.

Thanks for the reinforcement, Randolph. On the stick is a MUSICDAT folder that contains only an EDM.ZAL file. When I loaded it and inspected the Registers I noted a whole bunch of Ralph Maten stuff, which initially made me think it might have been used by Ralph Maten at a show or demo until i realized that stuff all came off the EDM.ZAL. Since after loading some the registers, strange (to me) things happened (like two instruments mapped to Upper 1 on the left hand side of the display), I restored to factory settings. I figured I could go back to the stick EDM.ZAL anytime, probably after I learned more about the MZ. The card that was attached to it is in German (which I mostly understand) so I could scan and post that if there's some interest. I see no mention of further distribution prohibition or copyright, so I guess I could upload the EDM.ZAL file as well. Maybe Brad could comment on the appropriateness of doing that. (Brad?) I forgot to say that the card has a compatibility statement for Firmware Version 1.21 and the EDM.Zal is dated May 23, 2016 so it may very be already uploaded.

A very interesting sound! I found Distortion Gt 1, 5 and 6 (Tones 433, 437 and 438 respectively) that sound somewhat similar to my untrained ear . Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

So I've decided to keep the MZ-X500! A very big thanks to all for the advice which helped me make the decision. It is connected to my Celviano AP22S so that I can have a weighted 88 keyboard to practice piano on and have fun practicing piano the Celviano keyboard using the instruments of the MZ. I hope not to be too much of a bother on the forum with my other beginner questions. Once again, BIG thanks to all!.

Thanks Leon. Yes, I just looked at the Korg and it costs roughly 2.5 times what paid for the MZ-X500. This is what sort of intuitively drew me to the MZ in the first place: so many features and capabilities for a very competitive price. Even if I got one of the Yamaha boards I would still be spending more on other accompanying hardware just to catch up with the MZ.

Thanks Brad. Where I picked up that software name was this Ralph Maten video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OX686EONfA After more carefully watching it again, I think he said the software he was talking about was just like the Nord Sample Editor and now I guess he was talking about the Casio Sample Manager for MZX. That wasn't clear to me at first. Anyway, I have already downloaded the Casio Sample Manager and flipped quickly through the manual for it. Based on your advice I will be removing the Nord software from my Mac. Thanks again. Frank

Thanks Steve. I'm gonna give it a try!

Thanks. I will try refining my touch screen technique using your advice. And thanks for the info the M-Audio info. They caught my eye (after Rick's comment above, I went a lookin') and they seem to be reasonably priced.

Thanks for the advice, Steve.

Great suggestion! Thanks. Do you think I could use my old (15 years old) Celviano e-piano as a keyboard controller (it has MIDI I/O)? If so, then I'm off to buy some MIDI cables! I wouldn't get much for it anyway and I like it (especially the numerous songs on it, some of which, I would like to learn). It has 88 weighted, full size, velocity sensitive keys.

Thanks for the comments. If I opted for one of the less expensive and less capable Yamahas, then I thought I might use software on my Mac (and/or iPad) for music/sound synthesis, for example, the free version of the Nord Sample Editor or GarageBand. They probably aren't as well integrated as the functionality already built into the MZ, I'm guessing.