Jokeyman123

Sorry if I'm going crazy posting all over-fractured my foot and have alot of time on my hands (at least I didn't fracture those) and just got the XW-P1 which is keeping me from going completely bozo!

One other thought to the mix-most synth-based keyboards use a custom "ROM" chip or chips to permanently store the necessary sample-based sounds (PCM) and this chip may be socketed or hard-wired. Decent samples even by the best sample engineers and sound designers still require alot of memory to store these samples and this is still the expensive part with music equipment as each manufacturer uses a different chip and architecture (unfortunately for us musicians). I can think of a few manufacturers who actually had socketed chips that could be replaced with newer ROMs that provided additional or "better" sounds. Not easy and usually required in addition to the installation, new firmware to see the new chip and maybe even an additional memory chip to address the new sound samples-complicated. I've done it and it was never foolproof or easy. and it usually cost. Even now waveform cards for my Y******* SY** used cost an arm and a leg plus some hair and skin and you only get 2-3 new waveforms! I too am not thrilled with some of the acoustic PCM instruments in the XW-P1 compared to my other boards-but the piano is not bad and this is usually where manufacturers cut corners, the most important instrument IMHO! You see me all over these boards because I am trying to find ways to overcome the limitations mentioned already. For this price, I don't mind and its almost a fun challenge, but then I'm a little twisted by years of trying to get technology that doesn't work at all to work. The XW-P1 certainly works in more ways than it doesn't, and for this price, it's worth the struggle I think. I look at my G*******music keyboards-actually the first company that pioneered some of the things you are seeing now (audio inputs attached to the synth engine) sounds I've never come across anywhere, ability to import and edit samples in several formats, huge sequencers with ability to use multis as one voice in another multi (that's right), creation of auto-accompaniment patterns and loops and huge libraries of pre-programmed loops at the keys, and drawbar mode for organ sounds and killer large displays (sound familiar).......and they're out of business!-no support at all! I'm beginning to think-hmmm maybe there are a few new engineers working at Casio (to their credit)? At least Casio is still in business...I'll shut up now.

Make sure all your data-whether it's performances, solo synth, hex layers, etc. are all in the "user data" folder. If you have no folder called "user data" in the same folder as the actual Casio editor, create it-it should have been installed when you installed the data editor. Now open "preference" in the Casio editor and look at the two lines next to the "browse" buttons. these are the paths to where the "data" and "wave" folders are supposed to be. Click on "browse", find where your data folder is (or where you created it) and when the "browse for folder" window opens-click on the data folder and click "OK". This sets the path to the right folder-now all your files or packages if you created them will appear in the editor left side window, depending upon which Item you select at the top of the data editor window-performances, solo synth, hex layers, drawbar organs-if you have any of these in the data folder it will show up in the left side window and now you can create your packages by dragging any or all sounds from the left to the right side window. I usually highlight a bunch of sounds to the left with the shift key and just drag the whole bunch to the other window. Hope I'm not stating the obvious but I don't know how much help you need, so I'm not assuming anything as everyone has a different level of experience with technology, right? There's always something new to learn, fur sure! Hope this helps.

That's right-seems like I'm getting different transpositions with different sequences, really weird-and this is without touching sliders or changing any other setting-maybe this is just one of those weird "bugs" or holes in the software driving the XW. I'll keep trying to find an answer, seems pretty important as I really like switching keys around as I play. All sequences default to key of C when starting fresh-maybe some of these pre-programmed sequences were set to a different key originally and it throws off the matching transpositions........Hello Mike Martin, think the forum needs your help again!

Yes, I know I may be pushing my luck there! oh well. Still can't figure out what I'm doing to get the keys out of sync with the sequencer. Back to the drawing (playing) board.

AlenK-Watched Mike's sequencer tutorial and your description and I finally get it! Thanks as this really opens it up for me. Hard part was understanding that within the same sequence, different note values on separate tracks will actually create the "illusion" of creating longer measures, but within the same sequence. Like software sequencers that allow different length "loops" within the same multi-track arrangement. I wonder if this limits live recording from the keyboard to that duration-in other words if I set the sequence track to 1/4 notes providing 4 measures of 4/4 in one loop, am I limited to only playing quarter notes on the keys? Guess I'll have to experiment to try this out. Even if this is true, still maxes out what the sequencer can do and certainly nothing in the notorious manual clarifies any of this!

Right about manual-this forum and Mike's videos have been my best source-I have learned more here in a week than I did by reading the manual several times. Too many concepts are not explained clearly-the keyboard has more capabilities than the manual describes. Like learning to ride a motorcycle by looking at pictures of one. That's why you see all my recent posts-I've spent years studying and using music technology and almost always see the technology ahead of the information provided to use it I've lost years and hair figuring stuff out. IMHO, it would serve Casio well to provide an added update to the manual, with clearly explained short tutorials covering the many fine (or not so fine) points that leave us guessing. This is a pioneer instrument in many respects but requires explanations that will need to go beyond typical functions for sequencers, synthesizers or software tools since this is such an "interactive" instrument. That seems to be my main difficulty-it's like learning to play a drumkit while playing the piano, the sax, trumpet and steam calliope at the same time-while walking and chewing gum, writing your name backwards and with both hands!

Another stumpfer (for me at least). While using the lowest octave to shift to other key signatures as the step sequencer is playing, somehow I managed to knock it off a half-step-if I hit the G key the sequence is actually in Ab, F key is F#, etc. Is there a setting somewhere that I unknowingly changed? I have no idea what it is. I checked the master transpose buttons but these are set at zero transposition. Strangest part of this-some of the sequences are in tune with the key I press, others are not. Are the sliders controlling for this? Maybe this is in the manual, but I can't find where. This is almost like a full auto-accompaniment function, but without auto-accompaniment that recognizes your chords in real-time. Casio practically invented auto-accompaniment (I think). Maybe a firmware update could modify this-imagine being able to update any sequence live by changing your chord to major/minor, 7ths, 9ths etc. and doing everything else this thing can already do! Now we're talking completely interactive automated incredibly complex arrangements complete with phrase triggering, arpeggios, 8 variations and chaining unlike anything any keyboard has ever been able to do. I know, I'm asking alot here and not complaining but I like to "push the envelope" (ha-ha) and I can't think of anything else this doesn't already do outside of bringing me coffee in the AM!

After studying Mike martin's tutorial on Youtube one more time-finally realized how to create seemingly longer patterns in step sequencer. As AlenK described, by changing the note duration in edit mode, this sets up the 16 steps in the sequencer to other note values-so making each "step" a quarter note this is creating the equivalent of 4 measures of 4/4 time, half-notes would be 8 measures. i haven't recorded anything like this yet (took me 4 days to understand all this!) but I would guess this works not only for chords and melodies, but for the drum tracks if played real-time from the keys rather than the sequencer buttons. This opens up this instrument for me immensely.......since one is not limited to one-measure looping in the step sequencer, and then there are eight possible instant variations within this, and then there is chaining patterns-the more I learn, the more amazing this instrument becomes. Time to do some compositions! I spent an hour or two just improvising over some of the preset sequences which are actually quite nice. I particularly like the acid jazz and club jazz sequences, couldn't stop playing with the B-3 sounds, unbelievable fun. Thank you all again on this board for your help.

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounded like it landed in my back yard, B-movie deluxe! This shows how deep this can go. I suspect not many have really had time to create sounds from scratch that exploit what this can really do, like this track. I have unbelievable stuff I've gotten from my SY77, but it took years and 100s of hours tinkering to learn, but with almost no real-time control like the Casio. I'll check soundcloud, maybe I will post if I can develop some different stuff.

And I thought DSP stood for "doing something positive" . I came to this forum for a simple reason-I could tell this was the place for 1) people who love digging into this stuff and finding workable techniques, despite incomplete manuals, inaccurate info elsewhere, etc. and 2) people who like to "push the envelope" and possibly discover unknown or novel ways of overcoming a design's limitations to make stuff work even if it isn't designed for it (look at all the hacks people come up with to create new stuff). this keyboard is ripe for this type of work and...IT'S ALIVE!

How about us Android freeks? I have tablets, smartphones, even an android spaghetti collander hat with the antenna for picking up SETI (only kidding on the last one but one never knows, do one?)

Right-one final puzzle-at least for me-I noticed some of the preset sequences have chord progressions that evolve through two cycles of the sequencer's 16 steps-the chords change over the course of 32 sequence steps. I am again, guessing these must be longer phrases that have been specifically created for the sequence and are being triggered by the sequencer in order to get the chords stretched over 32 "ticks" of the sequencer. then I would also "guess" that at least for one phrase, I could create any length of phrase with my programmed chord progression which will play of course with every other sequenced part lasting 16 beats only. A rather weird way to go, but I always like to push the "envelope" when it comes to these things (no joke intended!). Over and out for another day.

Wow, beautifully described, that's what I wanted to know and couldn't figure out. That I can specify how many times I wish to repeat a pattern within the sequence in chain mode. Pattern 1 can be 4X, pattern 2 6X etc. all the way out to all 8 pattern selections, including intros, endings, fills etc. like auto-accompaniment but fully programmable and interactive, amazing! So chain mode is the way to create lengthier less repetitive compositions. Great-that's the piece I needed to know. I've posted elsewhere here that the XW-P1 is so (IMO) complex because the functions are integrated into real-time playing rather than static sequencing a melody, rhythm or chordal structure one at a time, its truly a different approach, like learning a completely different instrument. Even the best auto-accompaniment keyboards don't do this. Now i can really dig into composing on this. In some ways this could be more fun than a linear sequencer-a different way of thinking, but definitely workable. Thank you again AlenK, i owe you!

Hello again AlenK-based on your info, apparently Casio needed to do some "stretching"-using one sample across a longer range of notes which allows for less internal memory needed in the sound rom, but sacrifices some depth in the acoustic instruments. Having done some sample creation, I can say that Casio seems pretty clever in that most simple sines, sawtooths etc. can be stretched without sacrificing to much quality (aliasing excepted) and use minimal rom memory and it shows, the synth sounds in the XW-P1 are real nice IMO. Not so with PCM samples which even with the best programming "ears" and skills still need multi-samples to sound right across even a limited span of 2-3 octaves. I have played with soundfonts in software and with keyboard samplers and have gotten pretty good results with relatively little memory. (Korg DSS-1, GEM SK-76, Ensoniq TS-12). That is where the XW is a little weak-alot of the acoustic instruments are OK flat-out but in a 500 dollar instrument I didn't expect a state-of the-art sample library! The fun is-think about mutating a clarinet, ep, trumpet or even an organ wave into a beastly synth sound-or putting one into a hex layer with even 1-2 hairy synth sounds, and on the fly-how cool is that!

I posted a reply under another topic-thanks for reponding to both. So I can chain "patterns" in any order i want within a sequence to create a longer arrangement, now I get that. But Is each "pattern" limited to the length of the sequencer (16 steps) or can I record changes I make in the sequencer in "real time" beyond each 16-beat pass? Maybe a confusing question but an important distinction I think since this would mean I can extend the sequencer recording function beyond one 16 beat loop. Again, this is not made clear in the manual. And again, thanks for responding-I just got this last week and despite having many "heavy duty" (read expensive) workstation keyboards this one is very deep, sounds wonderful and is as much fun as a barrel of monkeys! I will try to contribute whenever I can. I cut my programming teeth on the CZ-101, CZ-3000 and CZ-1 many years ago.

Thank you Jared and AlenK for your responses-so I can chain "patterns" together from within one sequence or copy to another sequence but can I chain entire sequences together? Since patterns can be set to any length chaining "sequences" may not be necessary but can I do it? Studying the manual as I post this I had no idea patterns within a sequence can be longer than 16 beats even though the small display counts measures. I have always used "linear" sequencers that allow for setting measure start and end points numerically. I guess the Casio sets this for patterns by my inputting the number of measures in the chain screen display. I can hear that many of the pre-recorded sequences are not just based on 16-beat loops (I think so) so I know there is a way to extend recorded sequences. Sorry I may seem dense but the manual takes alot for granted (IMO). I will have to work on this some more. I posted this under sequencing since I thought it most appropriate. Anything added to the faqs post can only help.

Something I can't seem to find in the manual or figure out myself.....when creating a "chain" does this mean connecting one complete sequence with all its "patterns" to another sequence? Or does it mean chaining any of the 8 "patterns" in a specific order within one sequence? And when creating a new sequence (or editng an existing one), how do I select each "pattern" to record within this new sequence in order to create new "patterns"? I have to guess that before recording whether using the sequencer buttons or from the keyboard, I would push whatever pattern button I wish to create (1-8) and this is automatically saved with the entiere sequence, but again, the manual does not seem clear about this. I am trying to create longer automated arrangements without constantly switching pattern or sequence buttons.

Thanks Michael for your response. With 64-voice polyphony! I guess I won't have to worry about "note-stealing" as in older workstations regardless of how thick an arrangement I develop, amazing! The user interaction skills required for this is like learning a totally new instrument then-as if I am conducting several different ensembles but creating the parts improvisationally myself, whew! I am posting another question in the sequencing forum for the XW-P1.

a late follow-up for newbies (or anyone here). Years back you would have to get and learn to work a hardware sequencer and connect it to a synthesizer most of which could only play one sound at a time. Further back you had to use patch cords to " create" one synth sound at a time, and you couldn't store it to memory (there wasn't any). Then multitrack synthesizers came out which allowed many sounds to be recorded and layered for full orchestrations but you would still need a separate hardware recorder to input and record your playing, plus a sequencer if you wanted automated playback (three pieces of equipment). Then sampled sounds were added to synthesizers (a whole new technology). And recorders were added to synthesizers....and sequencers. and most instruments could only crudely imitate true Hammond B and C-3 sounds, pianos, etc. It took years for sound designers to come up with sounds for each synthesizer and years to figure out how to do this! Try to realize-this one "cheap" Casio instrument has all this in one box-as if you had 3-4 instruments glued together and several of them could play completely independently plus they can record themselves like robots whew! No wonder the manual isn't very good-it has to explain multiple technologies and how to integrate these into one piece of equipment. Check out some of my pro board manuals that are 300-400 pages long-it's like studying to pass the bar exam or how to build a computerized rocket ship! So hang in there anyone having trouble...there's a reason!

Whew is this a complex (deep) beast? After studying videos and the manual, still don't understand full scope of realtime functions. Can this actually play 1) a full sequence w/drums, bass etc plus 2) any arpeggio or phrase on hold function and finally 3) realtime playing on the keyboard? Yikes! This would be like conducting three independent ensembles in real time!!!! I haven't tried yet because I just got mine, but I think it can and if so, I've never seen anything like this including my much heavier and more expensive "pro" stuff. And I would guess realtime playing with sequencer and arpeggios would allow choosing the 1) organs 2) hex mode 3) solo synth or finally........4) PCM sounds (pianos, etc.). MIke Martin if you are out there, help!

I understand phrase and sequence recording which are amazing tools and layered with arpeggios, wow! However-anyone figure out the best way to do "linear" real-time recording for building arrangements as with typical software or hardware sequencers. I know there is no measure-by-measure sequencer in the XW-P1 but there must be a way to record longer phrases and multitrack aside from the 16-step sequencer or phrase recorder. and thanks Mike Martin for the excellent product demos on Youtube-a picture (video) paints a thousand sounds!