- T -

Ava I am not certain what your point is. This thread is about the advisability, and possible consequences, of using rechageable "D" cells in Casio keyboards against Casio's recommendation. It does not discuss early failure of "AA" cells in any devices. I wonder if, by chance, you are talking about early failure of "AA" cells in Blue Tooth wireless computer keyboards. If so, then you are posting in the wrong forum, as these are forums for musical keyboards, not computer keyboards, and I am afraid that any attempted discussions along those lines would fall on very "deaf ears", so to speak; and YES, that pun was very definitely intended. - T -

Posted in error. Please disregard.

Posted in error. Please disregard.

1. See "To start an event editor operation" in the right hand column on Page E-80 of the manual. The sustain pedal generates a Control Change number 64 signal in the MIDI file. This will show up in the Event Editor's Event List as CC64. You will need to step through the entire song and delete each occurrence of CC64 that you find. 2. Any computer based DAW/sequencer software program should contain its own Event Editor feature for performing the same as above off the keyboard, but most allow blanker or "batch" operations, whereby you can delete all occurrences of a particular event in one pass. If you do not have DAW/sequencer software, I recommend Anvil Studio, because it has a fairly short learning curve, treats MIDI features in a straight forward manner, without burying them beneath a ton of audio menus, and is available as a free download from: http://anvilstudio.com/ Now, aside from the above, the sustain pedal should not generate noise into your recording. If by noise, you mean sustain causes a "muddying" of the auto-accompaniment parts by sustaining them, again, the sustain pedal should have no effect on anything played left of the Split Point. I suspect that you have something else going on, but am at a loss at the moment to state what that might be - unless you are just holding the sustain pedal down too long (possibly what you meant by "pressing the sustain pedal all the way through playing") and are consequently getting dissonant combinations of tones - what is commonly referred to as cacaphony. - T -

Dan By "CN7 files", I assume you mean "TN7 Tone files", and by "How can I access the other notes I have on my keyboard", I assume you mean "other (preset ?) tones". The table ("Supported Data Types") at the bottom of the left hand column on Page E-136 of the WK-7600, manual lists the various file types that are user accessible via the Data Manager 6.1 software for export to a computer. They are all User files. None of the factory Preset files are user accessible, and will not show up in the Data Manager software screens. With the exception of the AC7 User Rhythm files, these files are all specific to the CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX model lines only, and due to sound and DSP engine design differences, are unuseable on any other models. The AC7 User Rhythm files are useable on some of the other newer models. As for the Tone files, they contain no "sound" of any kind. They contain only wave shaping parameters, but do not contain the base wave samples (which are the actual "sound" data), themselves. The wave samples are stored in read-only memory, which is also inaccessible to the user for export. As stated above, the User Tone files are only useable on compatible model Casio keyboards, and are not "playable" on a computer or any other external audio device. The purpose of the Data Manager software is to provide access to User data for back-up purposes and for sharing with other owners of compatible model keyboards. - T -

At the time the LK-270 was released, the maximum SD Card size of that time was 2Gb, so that is what the LK-270 was designed for. Keyboard operating systems are not "computer" operating systems. Primarily for production cost reasons, they have little, if any, need to be as sophisticated as computer based operating systems. They do not recognize drive "partitions" created by computer based partitioning software. The LK-270 was designed for a maximum SD Card size of 2Gb, and that is what it needs, and only what it will recognize - an SD Card size whose "native" capacity is 2Gb or less. While 1Gb card sizes (as required by my WK-3800) are getting very rare, but 2Gb are still fairly common in most big-box stores. If not, they should be readily available online. - T -

David The only current means of generating a Casio CMS Song File is to play the song live on a Casio CMS compatible keyboard and record it with the keyboard's Song Sequencer or Song Recorder. There is currently no converter software for SMF (.MID) to CMS. There also is no CM2 to CMS conversion software, so SMF-to-CM2-to-CMS is also not possible. To complicate matters many (most ? / all ?) Casio keyboards with Song Sequencers or Song Recorders will not record incoming MIDI signals from an external source (eg. a computer based DAW/sequencer program). Those signals are routed directly to only the sound engine. The sequencers/recorders take their signals only from the keybed circuits. Sorry! Perhaps this would be a good incentive to learn to play the song, and record it yourself. 😉 - T -

Fred If the cabinet is a composite (aka "pressed wood"), it is not a good idea to move it with that kind of weight in it. Quite often, "pressed wood" gets severely damaged during a move just from its own weight. The last two times we have moved (twice in the past 15 years), the movers would give no guarantees on anything made of "pressed wood", and we had to sign acknowledgement waivers on any of those items. A few of them did sustain damage, but I am handy with that kind of stuff, and was able to make repairs. If it is not too complicated, the movers would probably be willing to lift the AP-650 out of the cabinet for you, and re-insert it at the other end of the trip. Your next concern would be how to protect the AP-650, itself, during the trip. Best of luck: with your move, your new place, and especially your AP-650 and its cabinet! - T -

Chandler Thanks for your comments. For a bit of history on the .CKF file format and its association with .AC7 Rhythm files, please see my reply in this thread: https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/topic/13308-yamaha-sty-files-to-midi-files/&do=findComment&comment=38533 My reply is the 5th post down from the top of that thread, and should explain why there really is not much need for a .CKF to .AC7 file converter. The .AC7 keyboards are their own converters - at least as far as the CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX models are concerned. If the new CT-X models do not also have this capability, that is really unfortunate. To my knowledge, there really is no .SMF file extension. Rather, SMF is just the name of a file type, and stands for Standard MIDI File that has a filename extension of .MID.

Beth If you are interested solely in transferring your recorded songs from the WK-245 to your computer for storage, to free up song memory on the WK-245, then you need to connect the keyboard to the computer per the instructions on Page EN-59 of the WK-245 manual, and then download/install and use the appropriate Casio Data Manager software for your keyboard and computer operating system, per the instructions on Page EN-62 of the manual, to transfer your song files to/from the computer. The WK-245 saves its song files in a Casio ".CM2" file format, and that is what will be transferred to the computer. It is a MIDI file, but it is a Casio proprietary MIDI file, playable only on Casio ".CM2" compatible keyboards. This is a rather old file format, but Casio has maintained it through the years, as it supports some of "Step-up Lesson" features of their "Step-up Lesson" compatible keyboards. However, if you are actually interested in transferring WK-245 recorded song data to your computer as Standard MIDI Files (SMF), with a ".MID" file extension, as your original post seems to suggest, NONE of the WK-200 series keyboards, nor their 61 key CTK model equivalents, have any provision for doing this, even though many of the non-CM2 file models can convert and save song files to an SMF format on an SD memory card. In your case, you have two options, using the WK-245. The first is to connect the WK-245 to the computer, as mentioned above, and record your performance "live" directly into the computer (instead of with the WK-245), with DAW software (eg. Anvil Studio). You can then use the DAW software to convert that data into an SMF format, but there will be tradeoffs. The tones, sounds, voices, instruments (whatever you prefer to call them) will be from the Casio tone set, which will not necessarily match the General MIDI (GM) tone set of GM based tone modules and keyboards, so a considerable amount of "revoicing" with the DAW software may be necessary to get the files to sound correctly on GM devices. It is also a good bet that most, or all, of the WK-245's effects (reverb, chorus, etc) will be lost in the process, so these will need to be reinjected with the DAW software. At best, the end result will most likely sound considerably different from your original recording - sometimes better, sometimes not as good - depending mainly upon your skills at 'mastering" with the DAW software. Even the "direct conversion" models suffer these same drawbacks. Whenever economy based GM tones, from the late 1980's to early 1990's, are substituted for full bodied state of the art "native" tones, there is going to be a noticeable difference in sound quality. With current technology, the preferred option would be to avoid MIDI recording altogether, and connect the WK-245's audio output to your computer's mic or line-in jack with appropriate audio cables and adapters, and record audio, instead of MIDI, with the DAW software (eg. Audacity). The output would be a standard WAV file that could be converted to AIFF (CD) or MP3 format, and would be about as close as you can get to your original live performance. If you find working between the keyboard and computer cumbersome during live play, you can record your performance with the WK-245's song recorder, then make the audio recording as you play it back. The result should be the same in either case. For a more "professional" connection, and possibly better sound quality, you can connect the WK-245's audio output to a USB-Audio Interface's input, which in-turn connects to one of your computer's USB ports, instead of to its mic/line-in jack. This interface usually comes with its own software, which is the primary reason for any noticeable improvement in sound quality. At this point, I have assumed that you do not currently have DAW software, so have mentioned two above, that I normally recommend for beginners. Both are available as free downloads, and both have relatively short learning curves. Both can handle MIDI as well as audio, but Anvil Studio has a user interface that leans toward MIDI, while Adacity has a user interface that leans toward audio. They can be downloaded from: http://anvilstudio.com/ https://www.audacityteam.org/ Good luck! - T -

Jeff I would like to answer "Yes" to that question, if I knew better what you meant by the phrase "registration part". If you mean the registrations that are used to set up the keyboard for different "sections" of the song, such as Inro, Verse-1, Chorus, Verse-2, Chorus, Outro etc. then you are correct. However, since the term "part" has a very specific meaning on these keyboards, it is best to reserve its use, in these discussions, for those specific functions. A "part" is actually a track or "Channel" in the keyboard's 32 Channel MIXER, and most have very specific functions, as defined by the keyboard's operating system, such as Channel-1 is the UPPER-1 Part, and provides the instrument or tone for the main right hand melody, while Channel-2 is the UPPER-2 Part and proviides a right hand dual or layer tone, and Channel-3 is the LOWER Part and usually provides some kind of left hand bass instrument. Channel 4 is the Auto-Harmonize Part and provides a suitable harmony instrument for the UPPER-1 Part and so forth. Each one of these "Parts" has a set of parameters that can be controlled manually, or automatically by various features of the keyboard: Part On/Off, Part Volume, Part Pan, etc. Registrations are one of the features that automatically control the various settings for the various Mixer Parts, BUT . . . . and this is my entire point here: the Registration, itself, is a complete entity, the Registration, itself, does not have Parts. A Registration is nothing more than a collection of pre-saved keyboard setup data, most of which is used to set up the various Mixer Parts when it, the Registration, is called-up (loaded); and now, more specific to your question: when you want to transpose the keyboard, you need only set that with the keyboard's Transpose function before you save the Registration. The Transpose function will apply that transpose offset value globally to all of the Mixer Parts. You do not need to set it manually, yourself, for each of the Mixer Parts. The Registration, then, "remembers" that Transpose setting, and recalls it globally when it is loaded. I hoped this helps. - T -

Bob Begin by referring to "Navigate Channels" in the right hand column of Page E-60 of the LK-280 manual. These channels determine which MIDI channels your right-hand and left--hand note data have to be on in order to properly light the keys. A mismatch between what is in the MIDI file and what the LK-280 is looking for, and the keys will not light at all or will not light properly. Several of the YouTube tutorials state that these must be Channels 3 and 4, with Channel 3 being the LEFT or BASS CLEF notes and Channel 4 being the RIGHT or TREBLE CLEF notes, but this only applies to the entry level LK models. The LK-280's Navigate Channels default to 3 and 4, but you can assign any one of the MIDI Channels (02-16) as the RIGHT (TREBLE CLEF) Navigate Channel, and the keyboard will automatically assign the adjacent lower MIDI Channel as the LEFT (BASS CLEF) Navigate Channel. Very few, if any, MIDI files will ever have the note data on the correct channels to correctly match what the LK-280 is looking for, so you can either re-assign the LK-280's Navigate Channels to match the MIDI file, or modify the MIDI file to match the LK-280. Believe it or not, it is best to leave the LK-280's Navigate Channels at their defaults of 3 and 4 and modify the MIDI file with DAW/sequencer software on your computer, as this leaves ALL of your acquired MIDI files adjusted for the LK-280, and avoids having to re-assign Navigate Channels as you move from one MIDI file to the next. It also corrects MIDI files that have the left/right note data channels in the reverse order. The LK's need the left hand note data on the lower channel. Proceed as follows: With the MIDI file loaded into the DAW/sequencer software, if there is any other note data in the file (ie. drum/backing-track data), that you want to keep, cut and paste it to tracks/channels other than 3 and 4 (keep drum data on track/channel 10). Cut and paste the left hand (bass clef) data to track/channel 3 and the right hand (treble clef) data to track/channel 4. Save the file, copy it to the MUSICDAT folder on the LK-280's SD Card, and you are done. Easy, right? Well, life is not usually that simple. Most of the MIDI files you obtain will have the left/right hand note data on the SAME track/channel, but there is a work around that works most (?) of the time for simple songs the you would normally use for lessons. Cut/paste the combined data to track/channels 3 and 4. On track/channel 3, use the software's track edit feature to batch delete all notes Middle C and above. This is now your left hand (bass clef) data. On track/channel 4, batch delete all notes below Middle C. This is now your right hand (treble clef) data. On more complicated songs with a lot of treble clef notes that may fall a little below Middle C, just move your "delete" split point down a few notes on both tracks. Again, save, and you are done. This probably sounds a lot more complicated than what you were looking for, but once you have done it a couple of times, it becomes routine fairly quickly, and you can modify just about any file in a couple of minutes. However, the procedure does have its limitations. It is primarily to adjust the MIDI file to properly light the keys. It will not control the "fingering" hands in the keyboard's display panel. Those are controlled by special programming embedded within the built-in songs. MIDI files do not have this required information. Some owners report that it allows the Lessons "Listen and wait" feature to work with MIDI files, while other owners report that it does not. Personally, I was never able to get that to work, and I no longer have access to a "Lessons" capable keyboard for experimentation. If you are interested, and need DAW/sequencer software, I recommend Anvil Studio because it is freeware and has a fairly short and light learning curve: https://anvilstudio.com/ Here is a link to a YouTube video that may be of some help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Bzlu-16dI Good luck and enjoy your LK-280 - T -

Jeff As long as you are using registrations simply to change (select) specific items such as tones or rhythms, then this problem does not arise, but when you include the offset of a global parameter such as transpose, or split point, or split on/off, or layer on/off etc, things get more complicated. You must immediately give some thought as to whether you want that global offset to continue unchanged into the "next" registration, or end, or change to some other offset value, and then design (set up and save) both the current and "next" registrations accordingly. Not to sound, at all, snarkish about this, but anything short of this is kind of like expecting the keyboard to "read your mind". All of this should be possible without needlessly wasting User Tone, User Rhythm, or Registration memory slots. There are professional gigging musicians on this and other forums, who play these and/or other keyboards, that have had to resort to extensive use of registrations, in order to survive the rigors of professional gigging. I think most of them would tell you that they have had to become as professional at "designing", trouble-shooting, and correcting registrations, as they are with their musical performances. Those two things go pretty much hand-in-hand, in this business. In one of my earlier replies in this thread, I mentioned other keyboards that allow the user extensive control over what all gets changed or remains the same when a registration gets loaded. The CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX keyboards covered in these sub-forums do allow some rudimentary control over certain aspects of Accompaniment and keyboard Scaling, when registrations are loaded. See discussions of RegFltAcmp and RegFltScal in your particular keyboard's manual. I believe the new CT-X models take these Registration Filters to a much deeper level. - T -

Posted in error. Please disregard.

Yes! Yes! Please feel free to upload whatever you have to share! There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to be first here! - T -

To do what you want would defeat the purpose of the registration. The registration''s purpose is to set up the entire keyboard for the song (or part of song) that you are about to play, and that set up is a complete package. It's all or none at all, and transposition is included. by the keyboard's operating system, as an integral part of that package. If you want to use a constant transposition along with registrations, then each registration must include the desired amount of that transposition, otherwise, the first registration loaded that does not include that transposition offset amount will force the keyboard back to its default transposition of zero. . . . . AND this applies to every one of the settings in the "Registration" column of the keyboard's Parameter List in the manual. The user can not pick and choose which of these items are or are not included in a Registration. They are all included in every Registration you create, so you must be certain that every one of these items is at its desired setting when the Registration is created, or the results will have unexpected surprises. Any item that has a value that is offset from its default value, and that offset is expected to remain constant through a "series" of Registration changes, must have that offset value embedded in every Registration in that "series". There are middle and top of the line arranger keyboards, by other manufacturers, whose registrations do exactly what you want, but creating them can be a real chore, or even an absolute nightmare, depending on what all you want them to do. Each registration contains a checklist of a couple dozen items that specify what that particular registration is allowed or not allowed to change when it is loaded. In your case, you could manually set a fixed tranpose amount and tell any registration you create that it is not allowed to change the transpose amount. So, it would change the tones, the rhythm pattern, and the tempo, per your specifications, but would leave the transposition alone, but even here, it must be told by you, the user, to leave the transposition alone. Now, that said; the lowest priced middle of the line models with these capabilities sell for considerably more than double what the Casio CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX models sell for, and the top of the line models that can do this are currently going for about 7 times the price of the Casio's. The Casio registrations are just not that sophisticated. It can be had, but at price. - T -

I searched the "CTK/WK" category of the "Downloads" section of this forum, and only came up with the following four user submitted tone files: https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/files/file/964-ray-conniff-style-and-tone-trombone-section/ https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/files/file/1146-stereo-grand-piano/ https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/files/file/1090-tremolo-pad/ https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/files/file/963-dx-electric-piano/ Certainly no flutes or strings, as you are looking for, but you are more than welcome to dowbload and use these, if you find them to your liking. I am afraid that that is about it for our archives, and I am not aware of any other sources of after-market tone files for the CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX models - free or paid. Some years ago, the Casio-Europe sales/support group released a very nice variety of after-market Tone and Rhythm files for the previous WK-3XXX models and their associated 61 key CTK counterparts, but a similar release was never offered for the newer CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX models. They did offer a "50 pack" set of Rhythm files for a short while, but these were pulled from their site after a few weeks. While their WK-3XXX Rhythm files could be ported to the newer models, not so for the Tone files, due to incompatibility with the new Tone engines. Wide spread interest in after-market Tone and Rhythm files for the CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX models just never seemed to develop. Of corse, there is an alternative - grab the manual, sit down at your keyboard, and try your hand at designing your own User Tones by modifying your existing pre-set Tones. Nothing can be freer than that, and you have only a little time and effort to lose. Yes! It can become a bit tedious, but if you hit on somethiing that you can use, the results are quite rewarding. Good luck! - T -

Chandler What is an LK-551? When I search on that, I get either the LK-55 or the CTK-551. Both of these are older entry level models. Did either or both of these have the AIX sound engine. I didn't realize it had been in production that long. The spec sheets in the manuals for either of these models do not list the sound engines. This caught my attention, because I thought I new the entire "LK" line fairly well, but had never come across an LK-551. - T -

MM You are stopping too soon. You are only completing Steps 1 & 2 at the bottom of the right hand column on Page E-10. You need to continue on with Steps 3 & 4 at the top of the left hand column on Page E-11. Step 2 only gets you into the "Other" section of the Function Menu. "ArpHld" is just the first of five items in that setion of the Function Menu. You then need to use the Left [4] or Right [6] arrow buttons to "scroll" to the fifth item (Demo2) and use the minus button to turn it off. Then press the Enter [9] button, and then the Function button to exit. Demo2 in the Function Menu IS the Power On Alert. You should review the Function Menu (and all the items in it) in the left hand column of Page-E8, so that you are familiar with all of its items. It will allow you to customize the LK-280 to your personal tastes. I know! When the Casio manual printers leave that much space at the bottom of a procedure, it gives the impression that that is the end of that procedure. It is always best to check the next page to see if there is more, especially when things don't quite make sense. I have had many Casio keyboards through the years and have been caught by this more than once in their manuals. Welcome to the forum. I am sure you are going to get many hours of enjoyment out of the LK-280. - T -

Today, I recorded an auto-accompanied song with an improvised right hand melody line with the onboard song recorder of my WK-3800. As I recorded the song, the chord name in the display followed the chord changes I was making with my left hand. When I played back song, the chord name in the display followed the chord changes that had been recorded into the song. This is the same as I had observed with my CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX units and my WK--225, when I had them. I then recorded the same performance into a computer based DAW/sequencer program via USB-MIDI. When I played that back into the WK-3800 via USB-MIDI, the sound was exactly the same as when I had recorded and played it back with the WK-3800's onboard song recorder, but this time the display DID NOT SHOW THE CHORD NAME. While we could say that the keyboard does not recognize that information from external sources, I believe a more accurate description would be that the keyboard does not monitor data from external sources for that information - that the keyboard only monitors built-in songs, the auto-accompaniment engine, and the "StepUp Lessons" programming (if equipped) for that information. So it makes no difference how we manipulate data from external sources, or what we might try adding to it, other than key lighting on the LK models, none of the rest of it (the chord name or "fingering hands" in the display, etc) will respond, because the keyboard isn't even looking for it there to begin with. I believe that we are safe in assuming that this applies to all of the LK models, all of the WK models (including those with SteUp Lessons} and all of their 61 key CTK equivalents. Period ! ! ! Therefore I am considering this thread and this topic closed. We have been beating this poor dead horse for way too long! - T -

To be certain of the above, I recorded an auto-accompanied song with an improvised right hand melody line with the onboard song recorder of my WK-3800. As I recorded the song, the chord name in the display followed the chord changes I was making with my left hand. When I played back song, the chord name in the display followed the chord changes that had been recorded into the song. This is the same as I had observed with my CTK/WK-6XXX/7XXX units and my WK--225, when I had them. I then recorded the same performance into a computer based DAW/sequencer program via USB-MIDI. When I played that back into the WK-3800 via USB-MIDI, the sound was exactly the same as when I had recorded and played it back with the WK-3800's onboard song recorder, but this time the display DID NOT SHOW THE CHORD NAME. While we could say that the keyboard does not recognize that information from external sources, I believe a more accurate description would be that the keyboard does not monitor data from external sources for that information - that the keyboard only monitors built-in songs, the auto-accompaniment engine, and the "StepUp Lessons" programming (if equipped) for that information. So it makes no difference how we manipulate data from external sources, or what we might try adding to it, other than key lighting on the LK models, none of the rest of it (the chord name or "fingering hands" in the display, etc) will respond, because the keyboard isn't even looking for it there to begin with. I believe that we are safe in assuming that this applies to all of the LK models, all of the WK models (including those with SteUp Lessons} and all of their 61 key CTK equivalents. Period ! ! ! - T -

The latest WK model with "learning" ("Stepup Lesson") features is the WK-245, but your WK-110 will do everything that it will do, as far as the "learning" features. Casio has not really changed that system all that much through the years. Perhaps I should say that the WK-245 will have all of the same limitations to what you are trying to do as the WK-110. So do any of the keyboards with the "Stepup Lessons" features. You seem to want to do with them something they just were not designed to do. The latest "non-lesson" WK models are the WK-6600 and the WK-7600, with the main differences being that the WK-7600 has a Pattern Sequencer for designing your own accompaniment Rhythms and is able to record audio as well as MIDI, but they have absolutely no "learning" features at all. They both have extensive song banks, but they are little more than demo songs, as they are just for listening, and while a song bank song is playing, auto-accompaniment is disabled. Going back to your original statement: " I would like to be able to create a file that can trigger the fingering and chord name display (for "auto accompaniment") that the built-in tunes allow. Can anyone help with that? Is there a modification I can do to a .cm2 file that allows that? " The answer to that is "No". Lighting the fingers and the chord name in the display is preprogrammed into the built-in songs. Song files from any other source will not have that programming, and without Casio Engineering's knowledge of how to go about that, we have no way of putting it there . . . . . . . . . . . . and now to your most recent statement: My ultimate goal here is to create a custom tune with auto accompaniment. I do have something for you to try on your WK-110. Record six or eight bars of a simple chord prograssion, then play it back. While it plays back, do the chord names show in the display? They should, and this satisfies one of your goals. Just record your tune and auto-accompaniment from scratch, and the chord names will be there, even though the other learning features will not. - T -

When it comes to the chord names and the "fingers" in the display, these appear to be an integral part of the built-in songs' "programming" and only work with the built-in songs. That is to say, the keyboard does not monitor external sources (ie. not built-in songs) in order to "light" these features in the display. As for auto-accompaniment with the lessons: some of the entry level lighted key (LK) models have only the right hand in the display, and assume only right hand "learning". The left end of the keyboard lights only single keys to indicate the correct "one finger" chords and uses the auto-accompaniment for backing, but on the higher level models, two handed "learning" is assumed, so the built-in song provides the backing and overrides the auto-accompaniment. This can not be changed. - T -

The CTK-574 is equipped with the old 5-pin-DIN MIDI-IN/OUT connections. You can connect those to your computer with an adapter. Just do a Google or Bing search on: "5 Pin DIN to USB MIDI adapter", and take your pick of suppliers, but it is best to stick to a reputable one. https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.mHUizm3y489o7ChzNhM1oAHaHa&w=100&h=105&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&dpr=1.2&pid=3.1&rm=2 https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.xNlQl543VAUFOBPjf84mqgAAAA&w=112&h=105&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&dpr=1.2&pid=3.1&rm=2 If you go with the first type of device above, then the cables on the adapter are usually long enough, but if you go with the second type of device, you will need to supply your own MIDI cables between the keyboard and the adapter (not advisable). By all means, purchase only an adapter with BOTH IN and OUT connections. Do not purchase a money saving IN only or OUT only adapter. They would be useless for what I think you want to do. Most of the newer models do not require drivers, but if they do, they will come with the adapter, or the documentation that comes with the adapter will give a link to a download site. The models at the lower end of the price range have a history of poor performance and reliability, especially with the newer versions of Windows (8/10). You are best sticking to the $15 USD and up models. There are also wireless models available, but I have had no experience with those, and so can not speak for their performance or reliability. They are also at the top end of the price range, which might not be advisable for what you are trying to do. The real trick to getting these devices up and running is knowing how to connect them. The ports (connectors) on the adapter are labeled as what they are not what they connect to on the keyboard. The IN connection on the adapter is an INPUT, so it connects to the MIDI OUT on the keyboard, and the OUT connection on the adapter is an OUTPUT, so it connects to the MIDI IN on the keyboard. When you set up your software on your computer, you will need to select the adapter as your MIDI-IN/OUT device. Bear in mind that everything discussed thus far is strictly MIDI. The keyboard's MIDI ports and these adapters in no way support any type of audio data (sound) transmission. If you are looking to connect your keyboard's audio output to your computer, then you need the necessary audio cables and audio adapters to connect your keyboard's PHONES output jack to your computer's MIC/LINE-IN jack - none of which requires any type of driver. When making this type of connection, always start with the keyboard's volume control at minimumn and bring it up very slowly, so as not to overdriive and damage your computer's MIC/LINE-IN circuitry. Good luck! - T -

TJ The connection you show in your image is not what Jools has. You are showing a newer generatiion iPad with the small "Lightning" connector. Jools has the older iPad 3 with the large 30 pin connector. The iPad 3 was the last release to use that connector. The problem there is, I have never seen a "genuine" Apple 30 pin Camera Connector Kit with a power connection. They can be had, but to my knowledge, they are not "genuine" Apple accessories. Also, that "lack of power" message that Jools is getting is an iPad error message, not a Casio error message. None of the Casio operating systems have the capability of generating that error message. It is indicating that the iPad 3 has insufficient power to drive the connected device - in Jools' case - the PX-160. Jools Here is a link to a YouTube video of Casio Australia's Jared Beany connecting a WK-7500 to an older iPad (1 or 2) with the large 30 pin Camera Connection Kit. Note that several times he stresses that his demo of this applies across the entire line of Casio keyboard products. Note also, that he is not using any kind of additional power adapter to power the connection. To be sure, at the time he made this video, I personally owned a CTK-6000, a CTK-7000, a WK-7500, and a WK-225. I was able to connect my iPad 3, using the standard 30 pin Camera Connector Kit, to every one of them, just as shown in this video, and they all worked fine with it, and without any additional power connections. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V52wSTUxCw4 Besides this video, I read 5 or 6 text reviews of the PX-160 last night, and every one of them mentioned the ability to connect it to an iPad, using the Camera Connector Kit, but not a one of them mentioned having to use any type of special power adapter. I also checked the compatibility lists in the "Connecting to a Computer" section of the PX-160's manual, as well as those of the other keyboard's mentioned above, and all of them mention only the PC's and MAC's with their various operating system versions, but none of them mention compatibility with IPads and iOS. Since these include keyboards that have been verified to work the iPad line, we have to conclude that lack of mention of iPads in Casio's compatibility statements is really no indication that they are, in fact, incompatible. My point in all of this is, if I were you, at this stage, I would be very reluctant to purchase an after market connection kit with a power adapter conector, and connect into my setup. From all we have seen and read, your connection should work fine, as is. The fact that it is not, and is generating that "power" error message indicates that something is wrong. Bringing additional power connections into the mix, at this stage, runs the risk of damaging the connector port circuits on either or both of your devices - the iPad or the PX-160. The PX-160 was released in mid-June 2015, which is just 4 years ago, and puts it well within the same age range of the other keyboards in this thread, so there should be no reason it should operate differently from those other keyboards, in this respect. To be sure, our iPad 3's are getting a bit "long in the tooth", and as they age, their lithium batteries have increasing problems coming to a full charge and/or maintaining it for a reasonably useable period of time - especially when subjected to newer operating system versions that are known to increase battery stress. Luckily, my iPad 3 has not shown any of these signs, to date, but I have kept it at iOS version 6.3, in order to keep it compatible and working with my Akai SynthStation 49, which is absolutely essential to my work, but also has never had its firmware updated by Akai to work with the newer versions of iOS. So there may be a bit of a hidden blessing in this. You should check your iPad 3's battery performance to see if it is coming up to a full charge and is holding it for a reasonable period. If it is not, then that could explain that "power" error message you are getting, and could make using a "powered" adapter in your set up a reasonable (and safe) option. - T -