Chandler Holloway

It showed up in the Load menu browser (any .MRF file would) but, I got an error wrong dat message. It wouldn't load back into the CT-X700 either. Let me know if there's anything else I can do in terms of generating files to test. Fortunately, the CT-X700 is one of few models in the current line-up to lack the ability to convert onboard recordings to MIDI, certainly the only one that's fully featured enough to produce recordings you'd want to export (especially when recording MIDI directly in DAWs or mobile apps is so simple and accessible these days). I think a simple script to make X700/X800 recordings usable on S350 would be fine, it comes up rarely enough on the forums that I'd just offer to convert the files myself. I don't think I'll ever own an X800 given I already have an X700, but I'll have a CDP-S350 for the foreseeable future.

This video from Rich Formidoni should help you get started, both with regular tone editing and the more advanced Hex Layer synthesis that the PX-560 is known for.

No, not at the moment. If there's someone with a CT-X800 who's willing to help you out, you could ask them to convert it for you. I have a CDP-S350, which honestly should be compatible with the CT-X700 and X800 recording formats but for some reason it's not. If I could figure out a way to convert CT-X700 MRF files to CDP-S350 MRF files, I'd be happy to do it for you myself. Can't guarantee that the conversion will work in all cases, especially with regards to recordings that use Rhythms on Track 1, as the CT-X700/X800 have some Rhythms that do not appear on the CDP-S350. Perhaps @mrmr9494 might be the best guy to ask. I'd bet it's a simple matter of changing the header or something, the 6-track Song Recorders on these models are functionally identical otherwise. I've attached a CT-X700 MRF and a CDP-S350 MRF for reference, tried to make them identical to each other to aid comparisons. Each one is recorded at 120bpm, 4/4 time, and uses the E Funk Pop Rhythm (Rhythm #001 on both machines) for two measures on track 1, starting with the normal pattern and then switching to the variation in measure 2. Track 2 has #001: Stage Piano (PC 0, bank sel 1) playing C4 (MIDI note number 60) as quarter notes. Track 3 has #184 (#222 on S350) Mellow Strings 1 (PC 49, BS 1) holding a C Major triad (C4-E4-G4, midi note numbers 60, 64, and 67) for both measures. CDP-S350 MRF Test.MRF CT-X700_MRF Test.MRF

Probably between +20 and +40. It shouldn’t matter though, you’re adding release time on a tone by tone basis so just do whatever sounds good. Just increase the value until it’s as sustained as you want. I would again recommend just getting a sustain pedal. They’re not expensive, and they’re very versatile on the higher-end CT-X models. You can use them for sustain purposes, but also as a footswitch to start and stop Rhythm playback and as a way to cycle through Registrations hands-free. Casio’s SP-3 is a good low cost option, but the M-Audio SP-2 isn’t much more expensive, and it gives more of a piano feel. It also has the benefit of being a switchable pedal, ensuring compatibility with gear from other manufacturers (a good investment if you eventually upgrade from the CT-X or acquire other gear to supplement it).

No, you can’t “revert” to a previous firmware version, and there’s no reason to do so. Newer firmware updates only fix minor bugs, you’re not losing out on any features by having the most recent firmware. The appendix for the CT-X8000IN should have come with your keyboard (you can find it on Casio’s support website if not). It contains a tone list. My signature contains a link to the CT-X3000/X5000 tone list in spreadsheet form. Open both lists and do a side by side comparison for yourself. You’re not missing out on much content at all. It’s not worth the risk of bricking your instrument or the effort it would take to understand and modify the update file. I don’t know how to do it, and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you because (again) it’s not a good idea. There are ways to get around the lack of a sustain button on the CT-X8000IN. The most obvious one is to get a sustain pedal, which offers way more flexibility in performance settings than a sustain button. The main advantage is that it’s hands-free, but it also means you can control exactly when notes stop sustaining. All the panel sustain button actually does is increase the release time of whatever tones are assigned to the keyboard. Each note will sustain for longer when it’s toggled on, but the added release time is static, unlike the sustain pedal where you can hold notes for as long as you want (again, completely hands-free, which is why this is a better solution). If you really don’t want to use a pedal, just open up whatever tone you want to add more sustain to in the tone editor, increase the release time as needed, and then save those edits as a custom User Tone. If you want to quickly switch between the original tone and the custom tone with added sustain, just save them in two separate Registrations. Registration A will have the original unsustained tone, Registration B will have the custom tone. When you want to switch, just press that Registration button. Boom, you’ve got a sustain button, and you didn’t even have to brick your instrument to get it.

1) No. Firmware updates won't be accepted if the internal device number (VID/PID) doesn't match the update file. 2) Probably, which is why the VID/PID safeguard exists. Even if you could do it, updating the firmware wouldn't give you access to new tones or rhythms. The exclusive samples from the CT-X3000/X5000 are stored in ROM, and can't be exported or imported to/from the keyboard. If your keyboard doesn't have those samples, changing the firmware is not going to suddenly make them appear in ROM. The .TON files for custom User Tones (which can be imported and exported) are just modifications of the factory preset samples, they're not actually new waveforms. The Rhythms from the CT-X3000/X5000 series are transferrable to the CT-X8000IN, and you can find a link to an archive pack where you can download all of them in my signature right below this post. A few of them might need to be tweaked in the Rhythm Editor if they contain tones exclusive to the CT-X3000, but in my experience, there are only a handful of files that would need editing.

Yes, there are some tones and rhythms that are exclusive to both models, but there's plenty of overlap and I'd say they're 95% identical otherwise. The exclusive content is not at all worth the cost of importing one from outside of your region, so I'd say go with whichever one is in stock near you. If you're in India/South Asia, get the 9000IN. If you're anywhere else, get the CT-X5000.

I wouldn't rule it out as a possible inclusion for a later update, my GUI dev intends to leave the project pretty flexible for new additions. I've been thinking about how to make RBK Mixer more useful and relevant to the next gen CT-S400, because that model already includes layer volume control. At present, it would only benefit from defining specific pan values, which is nice but not particularly substantial. If we added the ability to define an Auto-Harmonizer tone (and volume and panning for that tone), that would sweeten the deal a bit for CT-S400 owners. But since we don't have access to CT-S RBK files yet, we're just gonna stick with the features as they are for the first release of the program.

@mrmr9494 The GUI is progressing nicely, my dev friend is coming into town next week with a prototype so we can begin the final tests on hardware. I see from the latest version of the library that the GetPans and GetVolumes functionality has been added back in, thanks for that. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks a bunch for following up on that, Mike. Short of dumping the rom of my X700 (which I would rather not risk), it looks like we're out of luck for a "perfect" archive. I think I will compromise; the majority of the Rhythms will be exactly as they are on the X700, but for any that I can't get sounding exactly like the originals, I will re-voice to avoid any GM sounds. If they can't be identical, then they should at least be better, right? It's not perfect, but I just want it to be done already so I can move on to archiving the MZ-X 4-variation Rhythms (which will all need to be revoiced, meaning it will take a long time, but ultimately be more rewarding as it will provide more original Rhythm content for owners of the AiX generation boards). I'll do this re-voicing to the X3000 original versions of the 25ish problem files, as having a re-voiced source 4-variation file will make it easy to create an X700 swap version and a pair of 1-2 and 3-4 split Rhythms for the split pack.

@shiihs Your work has been invaluable to me in my continuing work on the archival projects. Thank you again! Every part of the utility, including the 2-variation split functionality, is working perfectly from my testing. I think ReStyle might be ready for an "official" 1.0 release, don't you? This topic is mostly about testing and revisions, isn't particularly searchable due to the title and is buried pretty deep in an inactive section of the forums. If it's alright with you, I'd like to create a pdf manual for ReStyle that talks through the background of the project, installation, usage, advanced applications, troubleshooting and FAQs. It will be done in a similar fashion to my CKF Rhythm Creation manual, although given that there's much less to cover, it won't be as long or comprehensive. I've already created a logo for the cover of the manual, and a simple little icon you can use for the desktop shortcut/executable icon as opposed to the generic one. Let me know what you think and feel free to make suggestions (I'm no design whiz). See attachments. When I'm done, I was thinking we could start a new topic in the general section and release the most recent version as a .zip file with the manual bundled in. That way it'll be easier for new users to find it, make feature requests, report errors, share files they've made with ReStyle, etc. If you're ok with all that, I'll need to know the name by which you'd like to be credited, and if you want me to link to your github or some other landing page as well. If you'd like to leave some kind of message for the readers, I'd be happy to include a "From the developer" section in the introductory background chapter. Please also let me know if there are any other contributors or dependencies you want credited/linked in the acknowledgements section. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss it more in private.

If the WK-3000 is compatible with .AC7 files, you can use my personal metronome Rhythm pack (linked in my signature below). It supports more time signatures and includes special variants for various applications.

Ok, so, connect it to the computer with that cable, turn on the CT-X3000, open up your MIDI software of choice and select "CASIO USB-MIDI" as an input device. You won't need drivers, it's class compliant USB-MIDI. If you just want a simple, free software you can use to test if the MIDI input is working, MIDI-OX is a common recommendation for troubleshooting connections like this. http://www.midiox.com/ If it's not appearing as as a MIDI Input device, then the problem is with your I/O card, in which case, I can't offer you any advice besides buying a printer cable and using a USB slot. If you really want to use this cable and that Thunderbolt port, you should pursue troubleshooting and support from whomever manufactured that card or your PC.

This should all work on a CT-X700/X800, including the ability to put a fill in a variation slot (that's possible for all .AC7 compatible models thanks to ReStyle). The only thing that won't be possible is Registration cycle via pedal, since the CT-X700/X800/S350 all lack that feature.

Before we go forward, can you show us a picture of the cable you're using? It's possible you're plugging into the wrong USB port on the CT-X. People often accidentally plug into the flash drive port ("To Device") instead of the USB-MIDI port ("To Host"). If this cable is going to work, it needs to have USB-B on one end and Thunderbolt on the other, which is pretty rare but not unheard of. Most Thunderbolt to USB cables I've seen terminate in USB-A on the other end, commonly used to connect USB-C phones to standard full sized USB wall chargers or directly to USB slots on a computer. You might be ok if it looks like this: Something like this (much more common) won't work at all, in which case you should buy a printer cable and not bother with Thunderbolt:

Well, the other thing is that the Thunderbolt cable isn't working, and we don't know how to troubleshoot your Thunderbolt i/o card on the software side of things (we never get this question here because everyone just uses a printer cable). There are no drivers needed on the Casio side of things, so outside of trying a different cable, I can't offer you any solutions besides pursuing an answer from whomever manufactured your I/O card on that PC. Printer cables are extremely cheap (I see some for $7 on Amazon), and very versatile if you ever acquire any other music/recording gear, webcams, capture cards etc in the future. They're so commonplace among USB accessories that I'm surprised you don't already have one, and I would recommend double checking whatever drawer you've stuffed all your cables in (we all have one, haha) just to make sure. See my attachment for reference.

I would say just use one of the regular USB ports on your computer and a USB printer cable. Much easier that way, and you can save the Thunderbolt port for something that actually needs that protocol or something that can take advantage of the higher transfer speeds. Using thunderbolt for something as simple and lightweight as USB-MIDI serial transmission is a bit of a waste.

@mrmr9494 There's definitely a difference between the preset X700 Rhythms and my X3000 archive/swapped versions. Strange that you can hear it for Elec Funk Pop but not any of the others. I've attached a sampler of audio clip demos comparing 10 of the "factory preset" X700 Rhythms with my X700 swapped ones re-created via the archive ("X700 Swap"). Perhaps the X700 really does have unique presets, because I can hear pretty obvious differences when going back and forth. It's possible that there's some voice assignment trickery going on when making the jump from X3000 to X700. For example, the 16 Beat X700 swap has an acoustic piano playing what should be the rhythm guitar part for Var1. For some odd reason, it switches back to the guitar voice when Fill1 is triggered and the transition to Variation 2 is made. However, this is the stock file as I exported it from the X3000, so I don't know why it's defaulting to a piano voice on the X700 (and for Var1 only, which is even weirder). X700 Problem Rhythms Audio Demos.zip

Thank you! One down, 25 to go (haha). Fixing the work I already have done would be far more efficient than starting over completely and re-voicing the entire set. Plus, it would be an actual archive of the originals, which is what I had always intended the project to be in the first place. What sysex string should I send to read the mixer settings for a given Rhythm? If I were to bust out my CT-X5000 and collect all the sysex data necessary to fix the remaining 25 Rhythms, would you be willing to edit the .AC7 files based off of that information to restore the effects? Of course, you could always do it all yourself, but if I can make it easier on you, I'd be happy to. These are the remaining problem Rhythms: #012 Guitar 8 Beat #016 16-Beat #018 Rock Anthem (Guitar missing DSP effect) #019 Hard Rock (Guitar missing DSP effect) #022 Shuffle Rock (Guitar missing DSP effect) #035 Hip-Hop #107 Bhangra #111 Dandiya (V3/F3 is the problem) #118 Indian Pop 3 #119 Indian Pop 4 #120 Ektal #122 Dhamar #124 Rajasthani #125 Goan #126 Qawwali #127 Kerala #128 Keharwa Tanpura and Tabla #129 Dadra Tanpura and Tabla #130 Teen Tall Tanpura and Tabla #131 Rupak Tanpura and Tabla #132 DeepChandi Tanpura and Tabla #154 Country Pop (Guitar missing DSP effect) #169 R&B Ballad (Guitar on V2 missing effect) #172 6/8 Ballad (V3/F3 is the problem) #175 6/8 Rock Ballad (V4/F4 is the problem) The italicized Rhythms do not exist on the CT-X3000 or X5000, which is why I had to source them from @ConfusedRedditor16. I won't be able to gather the sysex info from those Indian Rhythms (unless ConfusedRedditor helps us out again, I think the X8000IN should have identical sysex behavior to the X3000/X5000), but we can fix the other 12. If push comes to shove, I'll manually re-voice the remaining Indian Rhythms to the best of my abilities and we'll consider the archive pack more or less done. It would be better to make the changes to the CT-X3000 originals, that way I can update the existing CT-X3000 archive to add the DSP effects back in there too. Swapping them back to get the CT-X700 versions will be easy with ReStyle, not to mention it would be easier to make the split pack this way too. I've attached all the problem files if you want to poke around with them on your own. Problem Rhythm Testing Pack.zip

None of the Rhythms shared between the X700 and the X3000 use tones that are exclusive to the X3000. Only the exclusive Rhythms also utilize exclusive tones, which makes sense. I double checked to make sure that no DSP Preset tones (besides the guitar) were the cause of the issue when testing the Rhythms on each machine. You're welcome to inspect the files yourself if you'd like. "Electro Funk Pop X3000" is the original version pulled from the CT-X3000, and "Electro Funk Pop X700" is the one I swapped around using ReStyle to match the original version of the Rhythm. The X700 version uses V1 and V3 in the first two slots, which is why I have appended the "13-24" indicator to the end of the file name. I've also attached a .WAV file recording of how it sounds when loaded on to my X700; if you listen to the guitar part in Var2 (Var 3 in the CT-X3000 original version), you'll see what I mean about the DSP amp sim effect being removed in the swapped version. "Stock EF Pop Demo" is the sound of the original, factory preset Variation 2. "Swapped EF Pop Demo" is the sound of the swapped version I made from the X3000 original, complete with the DSP-less guitar sound. I think a compromise that will work out best for everyone (except me, since I'm doing way more work) is if I do something similar to what I did for my original CT-X700 Expansion Pack a few years back. By default, a lot of preset Rhythms on the CT-X models use General MIDI tones, presumably to maintain backwards compatibility when exported to other models (or more ease of use when the CT-X is used to control external sound modules via MIDI Out). I'll go through each Rhythm and change all these GM tones to their higher quality counterparts from the main tone library. My rationale is that, if I can't get the archive Rhythms sounding EXACTLY like the originals, I might as well make them sound BETTER than the originals. This will also give end users more incentive to download the archive pack, because even if they don't want to use the Named Registration Workaround, they might still want a higher quality version of a stock Rhythm. Plus, if you want to switch between Rhythms during a recording, it's much easier to press the + or - button to change a Rhythm than it is to type in the three digit quick select code on the number pad. Thus, being able to copy the improved archive pack Rhythm into a User Rhythm slot will allow you to put any two Rhythms right next to each other in the Rhythm list, making the mid-recording switch more convenient. Will this make the expansion packs less compatible with older Casio models? Yes, but almost every older Casio model has a Rhythm editor that can be used to adjust voice assignments after the fact if needed. The CT-X700/CDP-S350/CT-S400 etc can only import Rhythms, with no provision for editing voice assignments onboard (or via officially supported software). At least to me, it makes the most sense to always prioritize the "Import but not Edit" models over the older ones that can make tweaks if need be. Good news for prospective CT-S400 buyers as well; looking through the Tone and Rhythm lists in the manual, it looks like all Rhythms programmed for the X700/X800 will be fully compatible with the CT-S400/LK-S450. Like the CDP-S350, they share all the same tones, even with the same Program Change and bank select values. The CT-S400 does put the tones in a slightly different order in the internal tone list, but this has no bearing on how Rhythms will sound because those call up voice assignments using PC/bank select values, which are, again, completely identical between both models. As such, I am aiming to have both the X700/S400 archive pack and the CT-X3000 split pack ready by the time the CT-S400 and LK-S450 launch here in the US. This will provide prospective buyers with a free day 1 expansion pack bonus, which I'm sure many will appreciate. Electro Funk Pop X700 13-24.AC7 Electro Funk Pop X3000.AC7 EF Pop Stock Demo.wav EF Pop Swap Demo.wav

The action is identical between both PX-S models, and both have the same array of touch response curves (Light2, Light1, Normal/Default, Heavy1, Heavy2, and Off). One of the best aspects of the Privia line is that all models of the same "generation" have identical actions/key mechs regardless of how advanced the other features are. For example, if we go back just a year or two ago, even the simplest and most affordable model, the PX-160, had the same action/keys as the flagship PX-5S or PX-560 (Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II). The current PX-S models kicked off a new generation, and as such, they both share the same Smart Scaled Action. As far as the sounds go, the Grand Piano sounds shared between each model should be identical, and they have access to all the same Acoustic Simulator features. Can't really speak for the non-piano tones that are shared between the PX-S1000 and the PX-S3000, @Mike Martin would have to weigh in there. I know the PX-S3000 uses a lot of the same samples from the CT-X line for the wider set of arranger tones, like the brass, strings, and synth sounds just to name a few. But to answer your question, yes, playing the PX-S1000 keys will tell you if you'll like the S3000 keys. If you're used to synth action, the PX-S action will be a great transition for you; it's lauded for being very fast and responsive to play. You may wish to try it out on Light1 or even Light2 to see if that's more comfortable for you, especially if you're not used to a weighted and graded action. Feel free to reference the S1000 cheat sheet I have linked in my signature if you want to mess around with some settings while you're demoing it in-store.

Yes, the .AC7 format achieves backwards compatibility with the .CKF format thanks to the fact that only 10 unique elements are used between each format, just in different ways. As @casio_style says, these "unused" elements that don't seem to exist on the CT-X3000 (Intro 2, Ending 2, the extra fills) are instead repurposed for elements that wouldn't normally exist on older, CKF boards (Variations 3 and 4, and their associated fills). The .AC7 format does support multiple intros (the MZ-X models have a dedicated button for them), but they are "packaged" differently to abide by the 10 element limit. For preset Rhythms, each intro has a different version that plays depending on whether you triggered accompaniment with a major or minor chord, but these variations of the intro both occupy the same element slot, so the final total is still 10. Getting this "2-in-1" intro to work requires thorough knowledge of the way .AC7 files are structured, so it's not possible to create your own version of a 2-in-1 intro using the onboard controls. That's why preset Rhythms show their tracks having "Fixed" data when you try to edit them in the onboard Rhythm Editor. If you make changes to these carefully programmed intros, you can mess up the 2-in-1 structure, which is ostensibly why they locked the end user out of manually overdubbing them on their own. Again, that forthcoming community developed software utility may include 2-in-1 intro functionality, but I can't say for sure right now. Most people create their own styles for a pretty specific purpose, so it's likely that you'll know whether you intend the intro to use a major or minor chord progression and thus won't need to bother with a 2-in-1 Intro. When you're using the CKF Rhythm converter and following along with the manual, you should just copy paste the measures for Fill-In 1 and Fill-In 2 again for Fill-In 3 and Fill-In 4 for each "half" of what will become the eventual 4-Variation Rhythm. So, each of the .CKF files you make will only have 2 of the 4 Fills that will eventually end up in the finished 4-variation .AC7 file. No need to bother making unique Intros or Endings when you're making your CKF "halves" as well, as you'll only be able to have one Intro and one Ending in your finished Rhythm anyway.

Step up lessons are not included in the "for Piano" version. However, "Chordana Play" is compatible with any class compliant USB-MIDI keyboard, which includes your PX-S3000. Both apps are free, so just download Chordana Play as well and use whichever one you feel appropriate for the kind of practice you're doing.

At present, there's no way to create 4-variation Rhythms entirely on your computer. This might be addressed by a community developed software utility that's currently in the testing phase, but I can't speak on when that utility will be publicly released. There are two ways to work around this in the meantime: 1) Create a 2-variation Rhythm using the methods described in this reference manual, import it to your CT-X3000, and then use the onboard Rhythm Editor to create the other 2 variations manually, for a total of 4 variations. 2) Create two separate 2-variation Rhythms using the methods described in this reference manual, with the first Rhythm containing variations 1 and 2, and the second Rhythm containing variations 3 and 4. Import both of them to your keyboard and then use the Copy Element function to combine these two separate Rhythms into one complete 4-variation Rhythm.

The simple fix already exists. If you have a precise volume balance in mind for tones during a performance, then save each tone set up as its own registration with its own mixer settings (volume, panning, reverb/chorus/delay effect depths). The problem Alex is talking about has to do with the relative volume balance of some tones being off when they're selected normally through the tone menu. If you save each tone with the appropriate mixer settings as a Registration, you can switch between Registration slots to ensure that you always get the volume levels you want. Plus, the CT-X3000 and X5000 have the ability to cycle through Registrations hands free using a foot switch pedal connected to the expression/assignable jack on the back panel. For a singer like you, that kind of hands free registration switching could be very useful. The manual calls this a "Registration Sequence", you can read more about it on page 70 of the manual. I would also suggest reading the manual section on how to use the Mixer Menu, it starts on page 64. Brad gave you the easy solution of lowering the master Accomp volume in the Functions menu, but if you want to tweak the individual volume levels of all the sounds you're controlling (including the layered/split tones you have assigned to Upper1, Upper2, Lower1 and Lower2), you can do that in the mixer menu. Whatever settings you have configured in the mixer menu are saved and recalled along with your registration, so you have tons of fine control over the volume and effects levels of every sound you're controlling. Combine that with the Registration pedal switching and you have all you need to make sure it all sounds perfect; no need to worry about adjusting volume levels in real time with a slider, you can just set it up beforehand and not have to worry about it while you're singing and playing.