Hello! (wk-6600)

[Snow White]

Hello!

 

I am brand new to the forum and this is my first post.  I have a WK-6600 and am having a really hard time trying to get my songs off of my keyboard and onto my computer in mp3 file.

 

I have downloaded the software Data Manager 6.1 and the software is working fine because I am able to save CMS files onto my desktop - but of course, they are not playing because I am not sure what kind of software I need to convert the CMS files into an MP3 file.  (I thought that this software would convert them to MP3s but....)

 

I am really stuck and have been fiddling with this for days now and its really frustrating. 

 

I have read over the manual for the keyboard and also for the Data Manager but I am totally lost with what I am doing wrong and I think because I have been reading them so much I might blindly be going over what I need to do to make this happen!     I called customer support but my problem wasn't fixed there and I was sent here... so here I am!

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you in advance!

 

~S

[- T -]

SW

 

The CTK/WK-6XXX model line does not deal with audio files (WAV/MP3/AIFF/etc) in any manner (record/playback/conversion).  In the CTK/WK line, those features are only available on the CTK/WK-7XXX models, and even then, there is no direct CMS-to-MP3 conversion.  The CMS file is saved to a Casio proprietary audio file on the SD memory card in the keyboard.  That file is then transferred/converted to a standard Windows WAV file on the computer with the Casio Data Manager software, and that, in turn, can be converted to an MP3 file with a third party conversion program of the user's choice.

 

The workaround for you would be to connect the audio outputs (LINE OUT R & L) of your WK-6600 directly to the audio inputs of your computer and play back the CMS Song file as you record the keyboard's output to an audio file on the computer's hard drive with Audacity or some other DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software program.  You could also record directly into a standalone recorder in place of the computer and DAW software.

 

To my knowledge, there is currently no standalone CMS-to-MP3 conversion program, as such a program would require access to a CTK/WK sound engine.  The CMS file, itself, contains no sound.  It is just a data file that instructs the CTK/WK sound engine how to make its sounds.

 

A direct connection from the WK-6600 to a computer or laptop's standard audio input would require the following type of adapter:

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Seismic-Audio-6-ft-1-8-Stereo-3.5-mm-to-Dual-1-4-TS-Splitter-Patch-Cable-6-Feet-SAiTSY6/37700453?action=product_interest&action_type=title&item_id=37700453&placement_id=irs-106-t1&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=a8a333cd-d182-405d-a458-13643d3cdd75&customer_id_enc&config_id=106&parent_item_id=20977089&parent_anchor_item_id=20977089&guid=e367ad71-31fd-4f31-9f1b-05cd9a16e565&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

 

The one shown here is a 6 foot cable available from walmart.com for $14.  They offer a 3 foot version for $7, but you would probably find that inconveniently too short.

[Snow White]

Hello tnicoson!

 

Thank you so much for your fast reply!

 

That is such crappy news to hear!

 

So I guess I will save the CMS files to my SD memory card in the keyboard - take that SD card out and put that directly into my computer instead?

 

I am now going to have to figure out how to transfer that to a standard WAV file on the computer with that Data Manager software and then stick that in my Audacity to make that an MP3.  (The good news for me is that I do have Audacity already on my computer so that is a bit of a relief.)

 

However - this entire process is quite long, confusing as ever - and clearly not as easy as how Casio describes it on their website or their manuals!

 

When you are talking about the (LINE OUT R&L).... I am sorry but I don't understand that at all!  I have an MIDI - USB wire which I plug into the keyboard and then the USB part into the computer.  Will it not work that way? It says tht in my manual that it would on page E-110 "connecting to a computer" and that is what I have been doing and the whole reason why I actually bought this keyboard. That information you gave me is good to know, but it would of been nice if that was in the manual somewhere?  The only thing I found was for those used for amplifiers.

 

Ugh, this whole experience with this keyboard has been a horrible nightmare and I am totally regretting buying it at this point.

 

Thanks again for getting back to me.  I will fool around with this some more later and hopefully have some success with it all.

 

Fingers crossed!

[- T -]

OK !

 

As I said in my previous post, that CMS file is not an audio or sound file.  When you record a song on the keyboard, it actually just records your physical activity, not the sound of the keyboard - it records data that indicates what key you pressed when, how hard you hit it, and when you released it.  It also records most button presses, slider moves, and knob twists during the recording process and stores all of that data (not sound) into the CMS file.  Consider the CMS file as a computer program that tells the keyboard how to replay the "song" that you recorded.  If you have ever seen (or used) a player piano, consider the CMS file the equivalent of the slotted paper rolls that tell the piano how to play the song.  There is no way that slotted paper roll can be considered sound, but it does tell the piano how to make its sounds - or consider it the equivalent to the rotating pronged cylinder in a music box.  There is no way that pronged cylinder can be considered sound, but it does tell the vibrating tines how to make beautiful music.  My point is, it will do you no good to take the CMS file off of the keyboard other than for safe, backup storage, but to turn it into music (sound) you must play it back on the keyboard, itself.

 

If you will look on the back of your keyboard - at the right end, as viewed from the back - you will see a pair of connections marked LINE OUT.  One is labeled L and the other on is labeled R.  Those are the LEFT and RIGHT stereo sound outputs from the keyboard for connection into an external sound system - an amplifier - a recorder - a computer.  With the WK-6600, this is the ONLY way you can get "sound" off of the keyboard and into a computer to convert it into an MP3 file.  That USB connection to your computer is strictly for the transfer of data - not sound (audio).  Once again, the only access you have to getting "sound" off of the keyboard is from the L/R LINE OUT connections into a recorder or a computer's audio input (not the USB connection). 

[Snow White]

"As I said in my previous post, that CMS file is not an audio or sound file.  When you record a song on the keyboard, it actually just records your physical activity, not the sound of the keyboard - it records data that indicates what key you pressed when, how hard you hit it, and when you released it.  It also records most button presses, slider moves, and knob twists during the recording process and stores all of that data (not sound) into the CMS file.  Consider the CMS file as a computer program that tells the keyboard how to replay the "song" that you recorded.  If you have ever seen (or used) a player piano, consider the CMS file the equivalent of the slotted paper rolls that tell the piano how to play the song.  There is no way that slotted paper roll can be considered sound, but it does tell the piano how to make its sounds - or consider it the equivalent to the rotating pronged cylinder in a music box.  There is no way that pronged cylinder can be considered sound, but it does tell the vibrating tines how to make beautiful music.  My point is, it will do you no good to take the CMS file off of the keyboard other than for safe, backup storage, but to turn it into music (sound) you must play it back on the keyboard, itself."

 

Ah ok! Thank you for taking the time to explain that to me.  I thought that a CMS file was just like a different kind of audio file like an MIDI.  In that case, I am now just saving the files from my keyboard SD memory card and then put that into my computer.  I am glad that the WK-6600 let's you save files directly to an MIDI or .MID

 

 

"If you will look on the back of your keyboard - at the right end, as viewed from the back - you will see a pair of connections marked LINE OUT.  One is labeled L and the other on is labeled R.  Those are the LEFT and RIGHT stereo sound outputs from the keyboard for connection into an external sound system - an amplifier - a recorder - a computer.  With the WK-6600, this is the ONLY way you can get "sound" off of the keyboard and into a computer to convert it into an MP3 file.  That USB connection to your computer is strictly for the transfer of data - not sound (audio).  Once again, the only access you have to getting "sound" off of the keyboard is from the L/R LINE OUT connections into a recorder or a computer's audio input (not the USB connection)."

 

Yes I found these.  I will keep that in mind as another alternative to get sound out should my memory card break.  This is great to know that there is another alternative. For right now, I have removed my USB connection wire all together and I deleted that Data Manager off of my computer (because I don't even need either of them to do any of this!) In the mean time, last night when I was messing with it some more, I found out that my version of Audacity does not support playing, recording, or editing MIDI files.  It does not even support saving MIDI Tracks in a project file.  All it does is it DISPLAYS MIDI files in the project menu (so you only see squiggly lines) that is all so basically it's useless for what I want it to do.  

 

But all was not lost!  I ran the MIDI file in Zamzar and converted it to an MP3!  So that worked out great and now I am able to get this keyboard to do exactly what I wanted to do simply with the SD Memory card! I am totally less frustrated with it now. (Thank goodness!) lol  

 

Thank you again for all your help and taking the time to write me back! I appreciate it!