smart media card.

[pauld931]

I wish to use a smart media card on both of my boards wk3000/wk3500. When downloading for the expansion website the tones come back as ckf files, so I need to find a way of converting the files to smf0, please advise

[- T -]

Paul

 

I am not certain what it is you are trying to do here.  You say you are downloading ckf TONE files, and that is partially correct.  CKF files are a data distribution format that Casio used for its older keyboards.  A ckf file can contain tones, tones with waves, drawbar organ voices, registrations, DSP settings, rhythms, songs, etc (singly or in any combination).  The keyboard's operating system does the necessary conversions when it loads them into User memory, but you also say that you want SMF-0, which is a Standard MIDI File SONG.  A ckf TONE file would not contain any SONG data, and an SMF-0 SONG file would not contain any TONE creation data.  So, as I said at the start, I am not certain what it is that you are really after.

 

If you do load a ckf SONG file into the keyboard's User memory, some of the WK keyboard's, or the Data Manager (IDES) software that came with them, will allow you to upload that ckf SONG file back to your PC as an SMF-0 SONG file.  You would need to check the keyboard's manual and its accompanying software to see if this is possible with your boards.  If you do not have the data management software, then you need to download the appropriate version of the IDES software for your keyboard's from the expansion website.

[pauld931]

thanks Ted, I do have the Ides, and software but nothing shows anywhere except no files shown,or anything, Checking the card reader it shows the en-exe and the amount of bites, everythings keep saying I need smf0 files, go figure, Paul

[- T -]

Paul

 

That "en-exe" file you are seeing looks like part of the filename of the IDES program file.  The full filename is "wk3-20en.exe".  This is the program file that should be installed and running on your PC.  If you are running IDES-3 or IDES-4, thinking that these are newer versions, then those are the wrong versions for your keyboards.  IDES software is neither backward or forward compatible.  It connects only to the specific model(s) for which it was designed.  IDES 3 and 4 are for newer models than the WK-3000/3100/3500.  Let's assume for the moment that you do have the correct version installed and running.  If we determine, at some point that you have the wrong version, I will post the specific link from which you can download it.

 

OK !  Start your IDES software.  When it comes up, look at the window title at the top of the window.  It should say "CTK691, WK-3000/3500 Music Data Management Software".  If it says anything else, then you do not have the correct version.  Now, look down just a bit in the window and see a data entry field that defaults to "USER TONE".  Click on the down arrow to the right of this field to see a list of the various data types that this software will transfer between the PC and the Smart Media Card and the keyboard's User "flash" memory.  None of these data types can be "run" or "played" or "used" directly from the Smart Media Card or diskette.  They must first be loaded into the keyboard's User memory and then "run" or "played" or "used" from there.  Thus the purpose of the IDES software to make the transfers.  It also allows uploading these same data types from User memory to Smart Media or diskette or PC hard drive for back-up purposes.  In a moment, I will show you another data field that this field must be in "sync" with, or you will not see anything, and what I think may be your current problem.  Look on down the list to SONG and SMF.  Both of these are song files, but SONG refers to Casio proprietary format song files that are compatible with its Song Sequencer while SMF files are generic Type-0 MIDI files for playback with the keyboard's MIDI file player.  They can not be loaded into the keyboard's Song Sequencer for playback or editing.  Now, look at the upper left corner of this window and click on the word "File".  In the drop down menu, click on "Preference".  In the default MIDI tab in the pop-up window, you should see your keyboard listed in the MIDI Input and Output fields if it is connected, powered on, and selected.  If you can not see your keyboard listed here, you do not have a valid connection.  Click on the "Directory" tab and you now see the other data entry field that must be "sync'd" with Data Type entry field we looked at first.  Let us call this one the "Browse" field.  Click on "Browse" and you get a Windows Explorer file management type display where you can view just about every folder on your hard drive as well as any attached diskettes, memory cards, or USB flash drives.  If you have the Data Type field looking for rhythm files and this field pointed at a folder of all song files, the Data Manager will not show anything in its file panels,as there are no rhythm files in this folder.  In other words, the Browse field must point to a folder that contains files of the type the Data Type field is looking for in order for anything to display.  This usually only becomes a problem for nerdy neat-nik techy types like myself that believe in one folder for one data type.  Casio would recommend dumping all different data types into one humongous folder, so you only need point the Browse field at one folder to find all the different data types you might be looking for.  It's your choice on that one.  To each his own.  One caution.  When you select a folder and click on OK, that location is saved, even after you close the Data Manager software.  The next time you run the software, Data Manager goes looking for that same Browse location.  If it was a diskette, and you have removed the diskette, Data Manage gives an error message and will not start until you re-insert the diskette.  Worse, if the saved Browse location was a folder on the hard drive and you deleted it with Windows Explorer, Data Manager will not start until your re-create the deleted folder.  It doesn't need the individual files, just the empty folder is sufficient.  So use caution with this.  As I have already stated in a previous post, you do not need to worry about the difference between .ckf distribution files and the specific data type files.  The keyboard and software will sort it all out.  For instance, the keyboard will directly load a .Z00 rhythm or load it from a .ckf distribution file that contains it.  Think of .ckf files as being sort of like ZIP files.

 

I hope this helps and I hope it gets you going.

 

Best of luck !