- T -

Seba Unfortunately, in your case, the WK-6500 is designed as an Arranger Workstation, and not as a MIDI Controller keyboard. It does send MIDI Note-On, Note-Off, Velocity, and other messages, but that is about the extent of Casio's intent of it being used as a MIDI Controller. However, when a Tone is selected by the WK-6500, it does transmit the corresponding Bank Select and Program Change messages for that selection, and this opens up the possibility of a workaround for you. It's just that those messages are not fully programable (assignable), as they are on an actual Controller keyboard, so the setup will be a little more involved than on an actual Controller keyboard. First of all, during live play on the WK-6500, you only have access to Channels 1 through 4. These are pre-assigned by the WK-6500's operating system, and are not changeable. The other 12 channels are only available for sequencing (recording), not for live play. Channel-01 is assigned to the UPPER-1 (Main) Tone, Channel-02 for the UPPER-2 (Layer) Tone, Channel-03 to the LOWER/LEFT/SPLIT Tone, and Channel-04 for the Auto-Harmonize Tone. Second, while you are using the WK-6500 as a Controller, you will need to go into its MIDI settings and turn LOCAL "OFF", so that its internal sounds do not "interfere" with those of your VST host software. Now, it is just a matter of determining what Bank Select and Program Change messages are needed to select the proper VST Instruments, then searching the WK-6500's Tone List (Appendix) to find the WK-6500 Tone selection that will send those messages. On the WK-6500, set up each Tone on each of the 4 channels. Make certain that everthing else, on the WK-6500 (including LOCAL "OFF"), is the way you want it, and save it to a Registration. When you recall that Registration, the WK-6500 will select its own internal Tones, but it is muted by the LOCAL "OFF", and it will also send the proper messages to select your desired VST Instruments. If you can not find a proper match from the WK-6500 Tone List, then obviously, you will not be able to make that selection. The major flaw in this is the Bank Select message. Different manufacturers use different Bank Select messages. If your VSTi software Bank Select messages do not match those of the WK-6500, then you would only be able to use WK-6500 Tones that work, when both systems are in their "default" Bank-0, but if your VST software's tone selection scheme is user assignable, this would not be an issue. "Switching" instruments with this scheme can be done in either of two ways. The Registration can just replace the previous instrument with the new instrument. That is, you are still using the same channel, you just changed the instrument assigned to it, or you can have the Registration turn the previous PART (Channel) "off" in the MIXER section, as it turns the new PART (Channel) "on". In this case, you are actually switching channels to switch instruments. Good luck! - T -

Patch Scripts (Instrument Definition Files) are just a convenience, not an absolute necessity. Most DAW/sequencers allow you to enter the MSB/LSB (Bank Select) and Program Change (PC) codes manually for each track in the file. I know Anvil Studio does. For instance, if you want the CTX-5000 panel voice Grand Piano, instead of the GM Grand Piano, you need only look up the Bank Select and Program Change codes for the panel voice Grand Piano in the CTX-5000 Appendix and plug them into the appropriate track on your DAW/sequencer, and you will have it.

I am having a hard time believing that such a "slight bump" should make that much difference. I am wondering if you have a defective volume control. I am hoping that @Jokeyman123 will see this and chime in to let us know if the volume control on his PX-560 is that sensitive, or that you might need to consider a warranty repair.

There are several threads on this forum that discuss a relationship between cpt and ckf files, but ALL of them discuss converting the older cpt files to the newer ckf files, NOT ckf to cpt that you are looking for. I really don't think there is much chance of finding such a converter. These are all very old keyboards, and every day that goes by lessens the chances of finding software utilities for them.

See Pages E-62 and E-63 of the WK-6500 manual for the creation and use of Registrations. A Registration is a snap-shot of most of the current settings of the keyboard, at the time the Registration is created (saved). Later, all of those settings can be recalled qucikly at the touch of a single button (touch of two buttons, if you are also changing Registration Banks. Also, see Column 2 in the Parameter List on Page E-127. Every item on that list, with a circle in Column 2, is saved to a Registration, when it is created. The WK-6500 offers 8 Banks of 4 Registrations per Bank for a total of 32 Registrations online in keyboard memory for easy access, but it will also save "Sets" of 32 Registrations to an SD Memory Card, making the overall number of Registration "Sets" that you can "load" into the WK-6500's internal memory, essentially limitless. See Page 102 through 108 for use of an SD Memory Card.

Yes! Very good, but I would add that the .cms MIDI Song file is recorded to the Song Sequencer's internal memory. From there, it can be transferred, as backups, either directly to the SD Card, or to the computer's hard drive with the Data Manager 6.1 software, but to be played, it must be loaded back into the Song Sequencer's internal memory, as that is the only device that can play it. The Audio Recorder records ONLY to the SD Card. The WK-7600's Audio Recorder records at a 42 KHz rate, rather than the 44.1 KHz rate of a standard Windows WAV file, so even though you convert the Casio audio file to a WAV file, the overall sound quality will still be that of the original 42 KHz recording. That is to say, the WAV file conversion process can not replace (fill-in) the higher frequencies that were never recorded to begin with, at the 42 KHz rate, but even so, I think the 42 KHz rate is a good match for the WK-7600's sonic capabilities. I really don't think you will notice the difference.

Tom You might want to try an audio recording (Casio format) direct to an SD Card on the WK-7600, then converting it to WAV format with the Casio Data Manager 6.1 software. There would be some slight loss of quality, because the original recording would be at 42 Khz instead of 44.1, I'm not sure how noticeable that would be. I cetainly never noticed any loss of quality on my CTK-7000 and WK-7500. My point is, the Casio audio format is certainly not a lossy MP3 type compression. - T -

That all depends upon how you set up your DAW/Sequencer software. In all "full featured" DAW/Sequencer software, the track/channel relationships are fully assignable. That is, you can assign any track to transmit/receive MIDI data to/from any of the 16 channels. You can assign multiple tracks to the same channel, or single tracks to multiple channels. If multiple channels are assigned to the same track and recorded simultaneously, then data from the assigned channels will be merged onto the common track, but if that data is recorded one channel at a time, then subsequent recordings will erase previous recordings, unless the selected track is set to "overdub" on the subsequent recordings. As this could very quickly get well beyond the scope of this forum, I would recommend doing Google, Bing, YouTube searches for DAW/Sequencer MIDI recording basics in order to become more familiar with these practices and procedures. Due to its basic design, the CTK-2200 will only transmit MIDI data on one channel at a time, that being the Keyboard Channel assigned in the MIDI settings, unless the Accomp Out feature is also turned on in the MIDI settings, but CTK/WK models do not transmit each individual note of all the Accompaniment parts. Rather, they transmit only the three or four chord notes from the Accompaniment section of the keyboard. Then, when that song file is played back into the CTK/WK those chord notes will be used by the Auto Accompaniment engine to reconstruct the full accompaniment. This is the limit of the CTK-2200's ability for simultaneous MIDI transmission. It simply does not have the MIDI capabilities of a middle-of-the-line or high-end Workstation.

The CTK-2200 has no internal circuitry, of its own, for the recording and/or storing of "songs", either MIDI or audio. Any recording and/or storage would have to be done on an attached computer with the appropriate connections and software. MIDI recordings can be made by attaching the CTK-2200's USB port to an available USB computer port, and using DAW/Sequencer software such as Anvil Studio. See Page E-34 of the manual. To select the MIDI Channel to be sent to the computer for "single channel at a time" recordings, see the right hand column of Page E-35 for setting the "Keyboard Channel" (Keybd Ch). For the "simultaneous recording" of all of the Auto Accompaniment channels, see Accomp Out in the right hand column of Page E-36, to turn that feature on. The MIDI connection can also be used as a MIDI Controller connection, allowing the CTK-2200 to play "virtual" computer based software instruments (VSTi sounds). To mute the CTK-2200's own internal sounds, when doing this, see Local Control, at the top of the right hand column, on Page E-36 to turn Local off. Don't forget to turn Local back on, when not using VSTi's, or you will have no sound from the CTK-2200. Audio recordings can be made by connecting the CTK-2200's PHONES/OUTPUT jack to the computer's MIC/LINE-IN jack, or to a USB Audio Interface unit, with the appropriate audio adapters and cables. See Page E-37. Since a connection to the PHONES/OUTPUT jack cuts off sound from the CTK-2200's built-in speakers, you would need to use the computer's sound system to monitor the recording process. This type of recording requires audio DAW software such as "Audacity". Both Anvil Studio and Audacity are available as free downloads.

Pete I over simplified my discussion a bit. On the WK-500, and many of the newer Step-Up Lesson models, the right hand Navigate Channel is actaully assignable from Channel 02 to 16, with the adjacent lower channel being automatically assigned to the left, but it defaults to Channel 04, making Channel 03 the left Navigate Channel. I recommend leaving them at their default values. If you re-assign them to match the MIDI files, then you need some way to remember what Navigate Channel settings each MIDI files needs, but if you leave them at their defaults, and modify each of the MIDI files to match the keyboard, then when you retrieve one of those files at some future date, you know it has already been modified to match the keyboard. No second guessing. - T -

The Casio SMF Converter program was designed during the reign of Windows 98SE to convert generic Standard MIDI Files, from various sources, to a Casio proprietary CM2 Song File Format to make them compatible with the Casio "Step-Up Lesson" features of those models, so equipped, but how successful it was in doing this is highly questionable, at best. Left hand note data needs to be on Track/Channel 3, while right hand note data needs to be on Track/Channel 4. Casio terms these as the "Navigate Channels", but precious few SMF's meet this requirement, and many have BOTH left and right hand note data on the SAME Track/Channel. The SMF Converter program makes no attempt to correct this. Instead, you must use a computer based DAW/Sequencer program to make those corrections manually, yourself. To date, no one has succeeded in making a conversion that works 100% with all of the Step-Up Lesson features. The "fingering" indicators in the display panels and the "Listen/Wait" features appear to work only with the built-in songs. As indicated by the discussions above, in this thread, manually inserting "markers" into the note data to separate the song into easily learnable "phrases" is not entirely successful. So are there any advantages to using the Converter program? Yes! It provides a means of storing song data in the keyboard's internal CM2 compatible Song Memory (if equipped), on those Step-Up Lesson models not equipped to access external storage devices, such as Smart Media Cards, or SD Memory Cards, or USB Flash Drives. If you are interested, you can download the Converter from: https://music.casio.com/e/smf/ If you can find a compatibility statement about Windows 10, it will tell you that it is not, or more generally, that it is not compatible with any of the 64 bit Windows systems, but I currently have it running on a 32 bit Windows XP (SP3) laptop, a 64 bit Vista desktop, a 64 bit Windows 7 laptop, and a 64 bit Windows 10 laptop. This is not the only older download being offered this way. I think this is just Casio's way of saying that it is no longer supported. Here it is! If you try it and it works, OK, If not, OK, but in either case, just don't call the Support line about it.

Have no idea why it should be so rare in Japan. It appears to be available, either alone, or bundled with accessories, from most of the major suppliers in the US.

YES ! Use the above link from Brad, if you are running 64 bit Windows, but if you are running 32 bit Windows, use: https://support.casio.com/en/support/download.php?cid=008&pid=75

The CTK-3500 was specially designed to work with the Chordana Play App. It has no onboard recording circuits or functions, like the conventional CTK and WK models. Page EN-22 of the manual explains connecting to various external devices for recording, and what have you, but I am afraid that those will not help you much. What you want to do requires a device with a "looping" recorder (formally referred to as a Pattern Sequencer}. The "Repeat" function of the "Step Up Lesson" feature will not help you, as it is strictly for selecting sections of the Built-in Songs to repeat for learning purposes.

The USB port on the back of the CTK-2000 is for connecting to a USB computer port with a standard USB "printer type" cable. The CTK-2000 works with the driver that is built-in to Windows and MAC-OS. Downloading and installing a driver is not necessary. This allows you to play computer based instrument (sound) software programs from the CTK-2000's keys, using it as a MIDI controller keyboard, and to "play" MIDI files from the computer to the CTK-2000's sound "engine", using it as a sound (tone) module, but the CTK-2000 contains no onboard memory for storing User Rhythms, User Tones (other than a single one-second tone sample), or User Songs. You can not download this type of data to it.

As Chas suggests, check to see if your existing AC Adapter is a dual voltage input. If it is not, then you will need to purchase this one: https://www.casio.com/products/accessories/for-musical-instruments/ade95100b The one in the link above is genuine Casio, but beware of the non-Casio knock-offs that sell for considerably less, because they have little or no voltage regulation, and can be a sure recipe for eventual disaster.

The USB ports on the Casio LK-XX-TV models are not USB-MIDI Class Compliant. They will not work with the USB-MIDI Class Compliant driver that is "built-in" to Windows. They require a separate "after market" driver to be installed onto any connected Windows computer. Originally, the driver was supplied on a CD-ROM disk, shipped with the keyboard. However, I am not certain if that CD-ROM included a 64 bit driver for the 64 bit versions of Windows. You can download a 64 bit version of that driver from: https://support.casio.com/en/support/download.php?cid=008&pid=72 That web page does not show Windows 10, because it was designed before Windows 10 was released, but Casio has other such web pages, for other models, that also do not list Windows 10, even though the software in question is, in fact, compatible with Windows 10. If the LK-90TV that you are considering no longer has the manual with it, you can download a PDF copy from: https://support.casio.com/manualfile.php?cid=008006011

Track 1 being high-lighted just indicates that it is the track currently selected for editing, and the red check at the left indicates that it is "armed" for recording. None of this has anything, what-so-ever, to do with playback. I am seeing what I needed to see. The "WK-3200" in the "Devices" column of this screen tells me that the "Assign all tracks to this synth" selection from the previous setup page carried over, as it should have. This all tells me that Anvil Studio is now properly set up, yet there is still no communication with the WK-3200. Anvil Studio was not a valid test of the "other' cable, as it (Anvil Studio) was not properly set up at that time. We have only had Anvil Studio completely and properly set up for the past 24 hours, and with this I bow to Jokeyman123.

Panchoq Your CTK-4000 IS USB-MIDI Class Compliant, and should work with your Windows-10 system. While the great majority of Windows-10 systems work fine with USB-MIDI, there are a few exceptions that have no end of problems. Here is a discussion of possible problems, and some of the more popular tips, fixes, and workarounds: If your computer has both USB-2 and USB-3 ports, and you are using a USB-3 port, switch to one of the USB-2 ports. If your computer has only USB-3 ports, you can try connecting a USB-2 hub to one of the USB-3 ports, then connecting the CTK-4000 to one of the hub's ports. Some owners have reported success with this. It's like the USB-2 hub acts as a "buffer" between the USB-3 computer port and the keyboard's USB-2 port (and USB-1 ports on older models). In any case, DO NOT USE A USB-3 CABLE. The USB ports on most(?) keyboards are not compatible with USB-3 cables. Some early Windows-10 systems were shipped without the USB-MIDI Class Compliant driver, so if your Windows-10 was an early release, this could be the problem. You could also have a damaged driver. In either case, you would need to contact Microsoft Support for assistance. Other Windows-10 systems indicate problems with outdated BIOS on the computer hardware. The majority of these were Windows-7 to Windows-10 upgrades, while others were a manufacturer carry-over of outdated BIOS into early Windows-10 units, so check to see if your computer hardware has the latest BIOS updates. - T -

It looks like Anvil Studio is properly set up, Steve, but I need one more screen shot, so I can know for certain. From the screen above, go up to the menu bar at the top left of the screen, and click on View, then click on Mixer and do a screen shot of that and post it. I need to be able to see the individual tracks on that screen. Thanks!

The CTK/WK-6XXX instruments have no audio recording capabilities, so they can not record from a microphone or other instruments, such as a guitar. Those capabilities come with the CTK/WK-7XXX models.

OK Steve! Your problem at the moment is that you do not have Anvil Studio completely set up yet. You have not finished defining the WK-3200 to it yet. In the upper part of your screen shot, in the MIDI Out Devices pane, you have MIDIOUT2 high-lighted. That's good. That's what we want, but note that there is a line coming out of the right side of that pane and makes a rigth angle down and points to a note at the bottom of that pane that tells you that you have not yet defined the MIDIOUT2 device as a "synth" that Anvil Studio recognizes. Go back up, and note that the pane to the immediate right of the MIDI Out Devices pane is the Synthesizers pane. This is where you will finish defining your MIDIOUT2 device as a "synth" that Anvil Studio can recognize. Right now, Anvil Studio is pointed at the MS Wavetable Synth, which is the VST synth that is built into Windows. That is why your song comes out of your laptop's speakers. At the bottom right of that pane, click on Add Synth. In the pop-up window give your synth its true name "WK-3200". Click on the down arrow at the right of the next line down, and in the drop down list, click on your MIDIOUT2. Now go down and click on Create a new Patch Library of type:. That should close the pop-up window and return you to the Synthesizers pane. On the second line up from the bottom of this pane, click on Assign all tracks to this synth. Now, back to the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on View, then click on Mixer. If all has gone well, all of the entries in the Device column should show WK-3200, indicating that your WK-3200 has been assigned to each one ot the tracks in that file. In the transport controls, click on the "play" icon, and you should hear your song coming from the WK-3200's speakers.

I am attaching Opus_100_Type-0 and Opus_100_Type-1, both of which have left hand note data on Track/Channel 03 and right hand note data on Track/Channel 04. I have included both Type 0 and Type 1 MIDI files, as indicated by the file names. I know the LK-280 will "play" both, but I am not certain that its key lighting will work properly with both. Use whichever one works for you. I apologize that I am unable to test these for you, but I do not currently have access to an LK Model. Opus_100_Type-0.mid Opus_100_Type-1.mid

OK Steve ! I am going to walk you through loading your MIDI file into Anvil Studio and playing it to the WK-3200. The file will actually be playing on Anvil Studio on the computer, but it will be using the WK-3200's sound engine as a sound module. If, during this process, you receive two or three pop-up alert windows with red upward pointing arrows, just ignore them. They are just FYI, but you will need to "Close" them, before you can proceed. I want to get you back to that Anvil Studio screen where you made that screen shot, so with the WK-3200 connected to your laptop and both powered on, start Anvil Studio. From here on, I will use the abbreviation "AS" to refer to Anvil Studio. Once AS is up and running, go to the menu bar at the upper left of the screen and click on View. In the pull-down menu, click on the 7th item down: Synthesizers, MIDI + Audio Devices. That should bring you back to the screen where you made your screen shot. While you are on this screen, look to the lower portion with its light blue or teal colored background. Any area with that backgound in the lower portion of the screen is your AS on-screen Help guide. The info there pertains to the items in the upper portion of the screen. Looking at the upper left panel: MIDI Out devices, I see Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth and USB A. Both of those I understand, but that MIDIOUT2 (USB A), I have no idea where that is coming from. For now, if USB A is not highlighted, click on it to select it. If this does not work, come back to this screen and select the MIDIOUT2 and try again. Once you have USB A selected (highlighted), go to the upper left corner and click on FILE, then click on the second entry: Open Song. Use the Load a Song pop-up window to navigate to wherever you have your MIDI file(s) stored and double-left click on the one you want to play. That will load the file (song) into AS and bring you to the AS Tracks screen. At the upper left edge of this screen are the Transport Controls, that look like the controls on a reel-to-reel or cassette tape recorder. Click on the right facing triangle (Play) button and you should hear your MIDI file playing from the WK-3200's speakers. If not, go back and select that MIDIOUT2 device and try again. If that does not work either, then your laptop is apparently not actually connecting with the WK-3200, and may indicate a problem with your adapter cable. If either of those two devices DOES work, then you are all set to load up the IDES-3 software and proceed with transfering your MIDI files into the WK-3200's internal memory. Did you remember to download the IDES-3 manual? If not, go back and get it, as you will need it. Whenever you load a different song, or exit from AS, it will ask you if you want to save the current file. Unless you DID make changes that you DO want to save, always answer "NO" to this. You do not want to inadvertently save any unwanted changes.

On the LK series and certain other "Step-up Lesson" capable keyboard models, Casio uses the term Navigate Channels to determine which Tracks/Channels of a MIDI file the left and right hand note data needs to be on in order to properly light the keys and/or work with the "Step-up Lesson" features. See the right hand column of Page E-60 and the left hand column of Page E-61 in the LK-280 manual for an understanding of how the Navigate Channels are implemented on the LK-280. The right hand note data is assigned to the upper or higher Track/Channel, and the left hand note data is automatically assigned to the next (adjacent) lower Track/Channel. On the LK-280, the right hand Navigate Channel is fully assignable from Track/Channel 02 through 16. The manual says 01 through 16, but if you assign the right hand Navigate Channel to 01, there is nowhere for the left hand note data to go. On the LK-280, the right hand Navigate Channel" defaults to Track/Channel 4, makiing Track/Channle 3 the left hand Navigate Channel. Even though they are assignable, there is good reason to leave them at their defaults. If, over time, you develop a sizeable collection of MIDI files, and have re-assigned the Navigate Channels to accomodate the MIDI files, you will need to keep a good set of notes to tell you how the Navigate Channels need to be assigned for each particular MIDI file, but if you leave the Navigate Channels at their defaults and modify the MIDI files to suit, it saves a lot of second guessing a year or so from now, when you want to replay a certain MIDI file. There is another very good reason, which we will discuss when we get to the MIDI file you attached to this thread. In the MIDI file you attached, the right hand note data is on Track 01 and the left hand note data is on Track 02, but both of those tracks are assigned to Channel 01. That is because this is a Type 0 Midi file, where all tracks are condensed onto a single Channel, but if the data is on the correct Tracks to begin with, the LK keyboard will be able to sort it out, when it loads and expands the data. So, in this file, not only is the note data on the wrong Tracks, it is reversed. The left hand note data is on the higher Track, which is the other reason for not trying to re-assign Navigate Channels to accomodate MIDI files. No amount of Navigate Channel re-assignment can correct for reversed left/right note data in a MIDI file. In the MIDI file you attached, the Track 01 right hand data needs to be copied to Track 04, and Track 04 needs to be assigned to Channel 04, while the Track 02 left hand data needs to be copied to Track 03, and Track 03 needs to be assigned to Channel 03, then the data deleted from Tracks 01 and 02, and the entire file saved as a Type 1 MIDI file. While the LK-280 saves its own data only to Type 0 MIDI files, it will load/play either type, so I recommend staying with Type 1 to ensure keeping the tracks and channels straight for the Navigate Channels. On most MIDI files, a one-to-one relationship between tracks and channels is not absolutely necessary, but when trying to accomodate Navigate Channels on LK keyboards, it is best to keep it one-to-one. That is, in the sequencer software, assign Track 01 to Channel 01 and Track 02 to Channel 02 and so on. Now, your MIDI file needs to be edited, if it is going to work with the LK-280, but MUSESCORE is notation software. It does not have the correct editing capabilities to make the edits needed, in this case. You need sequencer software. On the MAC you could use GarageBand, but GarageBand does not save or export to a MIDI file, so you would need to opt for a premium package like Logic. There are work-arounds for using GarageBand. Do a Google search on "export MIDI files from GarageBand" and read through the various choices. There is an open source code sequencer package called Aria Meastosa that runs in both the Windows and MAC-OS arenas. You coud try that, but I have never had any success with it in Windows, but then I am a dyed-in-the-wool Cakewalk (Sonar) person. I think you will find, like most LK keyboard owners, that most MIDI files, downloaded from the internet, were created with no thought given to, nor even any knowledge of, Casio's LK Keyboards, so most of them are going to require extensive editing to work with those boards. The worst are those that have both the left and right hand note data intermixed on the same track, and has to be extracted before it will work with the LK's. These boards, and this system, have been around for quite a few years now. I honestly think that Casio thought/hoped, like Roland''s ever popular General MIDI (GM) tone set, that the LK boards' "system" would become another defacto standard that everyone would voluntarily adhere to, but they just never caught on to that extent. So we have to modify the MIDI file chaos to fit our own needs.