Data Update or Expansion?

[Moh.Ali Ahmed]

Hi guys  ..

I'm wondering if it's updatable or expandable Casio AT3 ?

Any way to upgrade or adding something like drums kits ?

[- T -]

Moh.Ali

 

The AT-3 and AT-5 are the eastern European/Asian versions of the 61 key and 76 key CTK/WK model lines.  As a matter of fact, the AT-3/5 are equivalent to the CTK-7000/WK-7500 with the special tones and rhythms.  While most of these models allow the user to edit the tones and save them as User Tones or to download new tones from the internet or other sources, these are merely wave shaping parameters that modify the existing wave samples, but the wave samples, themselves, are stored in Read Only Memory (ROM) and are not commercially upgrade-able.  So, if the CTK/WK/AT does not have a wave sample for a particular instrument, there is no way to add it.  Here again, while many of the older models allowed the user to install samples, these were far from professionally engineered samples and left a lot to be desired, but the AT-3/AT-5, like their current CTK/WK cousins, have abandoned this feature.  As a matter of fact, when it comes to tones and rhythms, the AT-3/AT-5 are pretty much concurrent with other models that Casio is currently offering, except for possibly the latest Privia models, but then those lack the eastern European/Asian tones and rhythms, if you have need for those, which I assume you do.  That could be a step backward for you.  If truly "new" tones are a priority for you, and you are not quite ready to trade in your AT-3, then you could go the route of connecting it to a computer or iPad (Yes ! The AT-3/5 are compatible.) and play VSTi software/apps that have all the latest sounds.  As far as rhythms are concerned, in case you are unaware of it, Casio made a 50-pak rhythm upgrade available several years ago.  You can download it from:

 

http://www.casio-europe.com/euro/emi/rhythmsspecial/     It is at the very bottom of the download list.  Yes !  The 50-pak includes the 10-pak.

 

Casio International is still offering the vast list of alternative rhythms that it released for the older CTK/WK  models.  These are in the old ".CKF" format, but they work in the newer models, and are automatically converted to the new ".AC7" format as they are loaded into User Memory.  If you do not already have these, they would be well worth looking into.  Even though they are older rhythms, they are a nice expansion to the keyboard's rhythm palette.  You can download them from:

 

http://music.casio.com/e/data_ex4/

 

Click on "Data List" on the "Rhythm" line.  Don't bother downloading anything else on that page, as only the rhythms are compatible.  The SMF and Song files are compatible, but they're pretty rudimentary.  That page is for the WK-3800.  So far, I have not found any of these rhythms that will not work in the newer models, but there are pages there for other CTK/WK models, but these are the same rhythms, some of which will not work well with the newer models because of tone list differences.  Because of tone list differences between the AT-3/5 and the CTK/WK models, you may have to occasionally "re-voice" a rhythm file to get it to sound correct, but I think most of them should work for you as-is.

 

I know that this is not quite what you were looking for, and I apologize for that, but short of changing keyboards, possibly even brands and price ranges, this is about all I have to offer for now.  If you do have an iPhone or iPad, I would really recommend looking into that.  Connection to the keyboard is fairly simple, and there are several apps (Yamaha Drum and Arp Pad and Caustic 3, in particular) that offer not only instrument tones, but some really great arps in the modern club dance genre, if you are into that.

 

Best of luck on your decision !

 

Regards,

 

Ted

 

 

[Moh.Ali Ahmed]

17 hours ago, tnicoson said:

Moh.Ali

 

The AT-3 and AT-5 are the eastern European/Asian versions of the 61 key and 76 key CTK/WK model lines.  As a matter of fact, the AT-3/5 are equivalent to the CTK-7000/WK-7500 with the special tones and rhythms.  While most of these models allow the user to edit the tones and save them as User Tones or to download new tones from the internet or other sources, these are merely wave shaping parameters that modify the existing wave samples, but the wave samples, themselves, are stored in Read Only Memory (ROM) and are not commercially upgrade-able.  So, if the CTK/WK/AT does not have a wave sample for a particular instrument, there is no way to add it.  Here again, while many of the older models allowed the user to install samples, these were far from professionally engineered samples and left a lot to be desired, but the AT-3/AT-5, like their current CTK/WK cousins, have abandoned this feature.  As a matter of fact, when it comes to tones and rhythms, the AT-3/AT-5 are pretty much concurrent with other models that Casio is currently offering, except for possibly the latest Privia models, but then those lack the eastern European/Asian tones and rhythms, if you have need for those, which I assume you do.  That could be a step backward for you.  If truly "new" tones are a priority for you, and you are not quite ready to trade in your AT-3, then you could go the route of connecting it to a computer or iPad (Yes ! The AT-3/5 are compatible.) and play VSTi software/apps that have all the latest sounds.  As far as rhythms are concerned, in case you are unaware of it, Casio made a 50-pak rhythm upgrade available several years ago.  You can download it from:

 

http://www.casio-europe.com/euro/emi/rhythmsspecial/     It is at the very bottom of the download list.  Yes !  The 50-pak includes the 10-pak.

 

Casio International is still offering the vast list of alternative rhythms that it released for the older CTK/WK  models.  These are in the old ".CKF" format, but they work in the newer models, and are automatically converted to the new ".AC7" format as they are loaded into User Memory.  If you do not already have these, they would be well worth looking into.  Even though they are older rhythms, they are a nice expansion to the keyboard's rhythm palette.  You can download them from:

 

http://music.casio.com/e/data_ex4/

 

Click on "Data List" on the "Rhythm" line.  Don't bother downloading anything else on that page, as only the rhythms are compatible.  The SMF and Song files are compatible, but they're pretty rudimentary.  That page is for the WK-3800.  So far, I have not found any of these rhythms that will not work in the newer models, but there are pages there for other CTK/WK models, but these are the same rhythms, some of which will not work well with the newer models because of tone list differences.  Because of tone list differences between the AT-3/5 and the CTK/WK models, you may have to occasionally "re-voice" a rhythm file to get it to sound correct, but I think most of them should work for you as-is.

 

I know that this is not quite what you were looking for, and I apologize for that, but short of changing keyboards, possibly even brands and price ranges, this is about all I have to offer for now.  If you do have an iPhone or iPad, I would really recommend looking into that.  Connection to the keyboard is fairly simple, and there are several apps (Yamaha Drum and Arp Pad and Caustic 3, in particular) that offer not only instrument tones, but some really great arps in the modern club dance genre, if you are into that.

 

Best of luck on your decision !

 

Regards,

 

Ted

 

 

YOU ARE THE BEST BRO !!