HELP ! CTK 6200 How to export Song sequencer files

[Sam]

Hi guys, I have a Casio CTK6200, which I have been making songs with the song sequencer for a while. And I want to know how to export them to my computer, I have read almost everything on the internet but I cannot seem to understand... 

 

I've downloaded Data manager from the casio website, but I only end up with CMS files which I know are not playable.. And from what I know other models have a "audio recording" button but this model does not. So does that mean everything saved into the SD card is only midi form? Is there a way to convert the files into audio files? 

 

My direct question is : How do I export the song sequencer files into a playable form on my computer? 

 

I don't mind buying any cables or programs or mics... I also don't know what a DAW is. So I would be very thankful to anyone who is willing to help me solve my problem. Please guys i'm super desperate  

Thanks in advance!

[- T -]

 

The following re-post, dated August 01, 2018, replaces the original post, dated June 23, 2016, in its entirity, to correct erroneous information in the original post:

 

Sam

 

The CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX Song Sequencer saves song data to a .CMS file.  It IS a MIDI file, but it is a Casio proprietary MIDI file, because it has some very unique features.  Casio touts the Song Sequencer as a 17 track sequencer - 16 data tracks and a SYSTEM Track, but then they drop the ball and do not fully explain what that SYSTEM Track is really all about.  Tracks 1 through 16 are just regular old hardware sequencer tracks, the same as any other 16 track hardware sequencer.  These are referred to in the manual as the "B" Tracks.  Their use is pretty much at the discretion of the user for "track-at-a-time' (Individual Track) recording [Page E-67], but Track 17, that SYSTEM Track is something really special.  It is like what we call a Type-0 MIDI file.  It contains an additional 16 virtual tracks.  These are referred to as the "A" Tracks and are pre-assigned by the keyboard's operating system to the recording of all data associated with the Easy RECord function [Page E-63] - including the UPPER-1, UPPER-2 (LAYER), LOWER (SPLIT), HARMONY, and all Auto-accompaniment RHYTHM parts.  That is to say, the virtual "A" Tracks are solely responsible for the recording of all aspects of an Auto-accompaniment ("One--Man-Bander") performance.  See the chart in the right hand column of Page E-65 of the manual for the various track assignments.  So the Song Sequencer is actually a 32 track sequencer and generates a 32 track MIDI (.CMS) Song file.  This is in keeping with, and explains the reason for, the keyboard's 32 channel MIXER feature.  Those 32 tracks will be maintained separate and intact as long as they remain within the .CMS file, but when we try to export all of that data to a Standard MIDI FILE (SMF) we run into a problem.  The MIDI Standard specifies only 16 tracks in an SMF, so something has to give.  When we convert the .CMS file to an SMF, the virtual "A" Track data is extracted to the real "B" Tracks, the virtual "A" Track data is discarded, and the real "B" Tracks with the extracted data are written to an SMF in the MUSICDAT folder on an SD Card.  That file can then be uploaded to a computer with the Data Manager software or just physically ported to the SD Card reader slot on the computer, but the actual process is a little more convoluted than that.  The real "B" Tracks are there for simple ad-hoc individual track recording or for the user to add any additional tracks to an original "A" Track recording, because the "A" Track (SYSTEM Track) recording is a one-shot "erase as it records" process.  Aside from some very basic edits, any attempt to add anything to an existing "A" Track recording will result in total erasure of ALL existing data on ALL "A" Tracks (A-01 thru A16).  Added tracks have to go on the "B" Tracks.  So, the "B" Tracks are necessary, and we therefore have to deal with them, if we want to convert our 32 track CMS Song file to a 16 track SMF.  Oddly enough, at extraction/conversion time the "B" Tracks have priority.  By default, they are all set to ON in the MIXER panel.  Any "B" Track that is ON in the MIXER panel at extraction/conversion time will NOT accept extracted data from its correspondingly numbered "A" Track.  If you have not used any "B" Tracks, the conversion process is simple, just go into the MIXER panel, turn OFF ALL the "B" Tracks and run your conversion, but if you have used any "B" Tracks, you may have to move that data around to avoid sacrificing any data.  So what "B" Tracks are safe to use?  Any of them, if you have not recorded any "A" Track data. Otherwise: during normal "live" play, Tracks A1, A2, and A3 are used for UPPER-1, UPPER-2 (LAYER), and LOWER (SPLIT) data respectively, but during the record process, those functions are transferred to Tracks A5, A6, and A7, so in the finished recording, Tracks A1, A2, and A3 will normally be empty, meaning that Tracks B1, B2 and B3 should be available for use.  If you do not use Auto-Harmonize, Track A4 will be empty.  If you do not use LAYER or SPLIT, Tracks A6 and A7 will be empty.  Track A9 is for non-drum percussive sounds, and is not used by most Rhythms, so it most likely will be empty.  So, all of this means that Tracks B1, B2, B3, B4, B6, B7 and B9 might POSSIBLY be available for use, while any other "B" Track use may require the sacrifice of important "A" Track Auto-accompaniment data.  This caveat is covered in the NOTE at the bottom of the left hand column of Page 104.  All page references above are for the CTK-6200 manual.

 

Now, once you have your converted SMF MIDI file and have ported it to your computer, it will certainly not sound like your CTK-6200.  What it will sound like all depends on what VST sound module you are running on your computer.  If it is a standard PC, that will most likely be the Microsoft Wavetable Synth, which will certainly not sound anything like the CTK-6200's sound engine.  Since your CTK-6200 does not have an audio record feature, the only way to get your exact CTK-6200 sound onto your PC is to connect its Line Out jacks to your PC's Line In jack with the appropriate cables and adapters and record its audio output to an audio file on your computer's hard drive with something like Audacity.  I chose Audacity because it is about the simplest audio recording package and is free as long as you are using only its basic audio recording features.  Alternatives would be a USB-Audio interface between the keyboard and the computer or a standalone recorder from Tascam, Fostex, etc.

 

You can download Audacity from:

 

http://www.audacityteam.org/

 

Hope this helps.  Good luck !

 

Regards,

 

Ted