- T -

Hey ! - Welcome back, traveler ! Did you bring us any nice souvenirs back from Tokyo ? Hope you had a productive trip and a good time on the side.

The whole point to these settings are that you adjust them until they sound good (or correct), at least to your ear, at any rate, rather than setting them to some value predetermined by some book or manual and then leaving them there - whether they sound good or not. This is similar to a genuine oil painting, where the artist smooths and blends the colors to make a particular impression in a very pleasing (or maybe not so pleasing) manner as opposed to a paint-by-number where the various colors are kept rigidly within their pre-assigned areas ala "coloring book style" with a much less effective result. In other words - there IS an art to this stuff. Regards, Ted

This is a V E R Y tastefully done promo site by Casio International for its 4 top of the line CTK / WK units. The specs page has the specs for all 4 units spreadsheet style for easy comparison to assist prospective buyers with their choice, so if anyone asks about the differences, send them to this site. http://www.casio-intl.com/emi/sp/high_grade/en/

Gary Here is Mozilla's official position on Firefox for Apple products: "We can't deliver Firefox itself to iPhone users because of Apple's restrictions." As to the second part of your question - Steve Jobs and Adobe had a big falling out over Flash Player for future Apple products, so when you go into YouTube with an Apple product, it is an Apple alternative app or "Flash Player look alike" that is actually playing the video clip. Jobs felt that Flash was outmoded and inefficient, so they have headed down the path of the HTML players. Mozilla is headed that way too, but it doesn't seem to be catching on very fast. I think the interest and investment in Flash is much more deeply embedded than either Apple or Mozilla estimated.

Mike Many thanks for these sound banks. Sorry to be so long getting around to this. I downloaded them some time ago, but just got around to installing them on the P1 last night so I could try them out. It's always nice to have a full arsenal of professional sounding mono synth sounds, but as a long time fan of massive stacks, the Hex Layer stuff just blew me away - especially the first two - the Analog Strings and the Arp Strings. I must have spent over two hours just running different chord progressions through them and switching between the two - getting loads of ideas of how I can use them. Hats off to Chris Geissler for his part in this.

David Many apologies ! I have been testing several new keyboards for the last couple of weeks and do not have space to rack them all up at the same time. I had tried something on the XW-P1 for another member of the forum, and then put it back away so that I could rerack a different unit. I did not see this post until the next day. I now have the XW racked back up in the studio here. I could not remember exactly how I got the first set of new tones on the XW that Mike had posted for us, and wanted to check the procedure before I replied. Yes ! You can copy multiple files at one time. With the XW Data Editor screen up and the list of files you want to copy showing in the "PC" panel, left click on the first file you want to copy. Now go down the list to the last file in the list you want to copy and (WHILE HOLDING THE SHIFT KEY DOWN) left click on the last file you want to copy. The first, last, and all intervening files will be highlighted in blue - indicating that they have been selected. Release the SHIFT key. Point to one of the highlighted files and LEFT CLICK AND HOLD as you drag the list to the XW panel to the data position where you want your list to start copying to. You will see a cursor change from a circle with a slash through it (NO COPY) to a square with a plus sigh in it (OK TO COPY). Release the left click button and your files will transfer.. Lets say you want to copy just the first, second, fourth and sixth files. Use the same procedure as above, only hold down the CTRL key instead of the SHIFT key as you left click on the first, second, fourth, and sixth files. Only those files should be highlighted. Release the CTRL key, point to a highlighted file, left click and drag to the XW panel. A word of caution about transferring large numbers of files at one time: I discovered an anomaly when trying to transfer a large number (100) of files from my PC to the WK-7500. Since the hardware and software are all very similar, I suspect all of the Casio units would exhibit the same behavior. Whenever I tried to copy 100 files at once, around 15 files at random got lost in the process and did not transfer. One other member of the forum has reported this as well. This appears to be some type of buffer overflow between the PC and the keyboard. If it is keyboard oriented, then probably all of the Casio units will have it, but if it is PC or Operating System oriented, then only certain users will see it. My work around was that, since the Data Manager 6 for the WK-7500 only shows 15 files on screen at a time, that is all I select and transfer at a time. I have had no problem since, so I would use the same limitation on the XW, if I had a large number of files to transfer. Good luck and, once again, sorry to be so long in getting back to you.

Besides the fact that Slider #5 does not control the level, I am concerned that no matter what I connected, the level was so far down as to be useless. It's almost like that jack needs a pre-amp ahead of it. I don't think that is right either. I wonder if, by chance, the OS update could have caused this, and Casio just hasn't picked up on it yet.

Please reread my previous post. I have already done that:

Sorry, Lune ! I have not had my P1 readily available here to try what you are talking about, but I moved it back into the studio this evening and racked it up. I see what you are talking about. I first tried a mic and then one of my guitars (not both at the same time). The only time I could hear anything from the mic is when I thumped it with my finger, but if I blew or shouted into it - nothing, nada, even with the P1's master volume set to max. I got a little more out of the guitar, but with the P1's master volume, my power amp's volume, and my guitar pickup levels all set to top, it was not loud enough for even a decent practice session. In either case, with the mic or the guitar, Slider #5 had absolutely no effect on the level. I even went into the Mixer settings on Page 67 of the manual and set the Slider #5 level in there, but still no help. Besides, I think that is for using the P1 as a 16 part multi-timbrel sound source, not for a live performance. I can not help but think that you and I are missing something. If this is a common problem, why are more users not complaining about it ? Either that, or Casio has provided the P1 with a feature that not very many users have a use for. This is not a show stopper for me. I am strictly an instrumentalist, not a vocalist, have no interest in a vocoder, and have several top-of-the-line guitar effects processors that cost as much or more than the P1 itself, but anyone who has use for this feature may find themselves thoroughly disappointed. Maybe someone else here on the forum can shed some light on this for us.

Lune You do not say what mode you have the XW-P1 in. Slider #5 only controls the volume of the external source when it is in the Solo Synth mode. If it is in the Hex Layer mode, slider #5 controls the volume of Layer 5, and in Drawbar mode, it controls the volume of the 2 2/3' drawbar.

Steve I have a couple of USB-MIDI (5 pin DIN) adapters that I use with my old Roland 5 pin DIN MIDI-IN/OUT gear, but I use the "To Host" USB connections for connecting the new gear to the computer. It is easier, requires fewer cables, and has greater capabilities. The only thing that bothers me about the newer "USB only" units is that you can not connect them to older MIDI-IN/OUT sound modules without going through a computer or one of those new $150+ adapter boxes. I really don't need any more expensive clutter in here.

I am running an old 2001 Compaq Presario tower and an old 2003 Compaq Presario laptop both with XP-SP2, a 2007 HP Pavilion desktop with Vista-64, a new HP dual core laptop and a new Acer netbook, both with WIN7-64 SP1. I run ASIO4ALL on all of them, and have no problems with any of the Casio software - the XW Editor, the new CTK/WK downloaders, or the old WK3800 downloader (IDES).

You are correct. As soon as you press the DEMO/PLAY (SETTING/WRITE) buttons, it locks the XW into SOLO SYNTH mode. I have no idea why Casio would have designed it that way, for exactly the problem you are running into. In order to do what you want to do, you will need to put your music into an MP3 player and connect it to the AUDIO IN jack, but there may be an advantage to this anyway. If you use a good quality MP3 player (with built-in EQ), this will give you better control over the sound and volume of your backing music. I know, it's still a bit disappointing anyway.

Steve Even the best of keyboard sequencer editors are a pain in the neck, but they are very handy as a first pass MIDI recorder - no sync or latency problems with the PC. Just put it into record mode and set down and play. Save it to an SD RAM card. Port it to the PC and do any corrections, final editing, and mastering with the PC based DAW software. If I am working strictly with MIDI, I use Sonar, even though it does work with audio, but if I want to throw in some audio loops, I find that easier with Ableton. I have to admit, I pretty much gave up on Cubase some time ago. Even though there are many who swear buy it, I always had to struggle with it to do even the simplest of things. I finally go tired of the struggles. As I do my editing and mastering, I use the keyboard as my sound source - no substitute sound modules or VST instruments. That way I know exactly how the song is going to sound when I am finished. Then I usually keep a copy on the PC that I can play through the keyboard and put a copy on an SD RAM card that I can play strictly on the keyboard.

Steve I discovered that, not only is the Data Manager a file management and transfer program, but during the download process from the PC to the CTK/WK, it will also convert the older "ckf" and "z00" rhythm files from the older WK3X00 keyboards to the "AC7" format of the newer CTK and WK units. So, I have been able to recover all the original rhythm files from my WK3800 and the 120-plus rhythm files from the Casio WK3800 site and the Casio Europe site. The 6000 and 6500 will only hold 10 user rhythms at a time, but the 7000 and 7500 can hold 100, so the Data Manager really saves time in loading that up and managing it. Even with the smaller memory of the 6000 and 6500, I still find using the Data Manager easier than the tedious and very error prone "one at a time via SD Ram card" method from the keyboard's front panel. Even though I have an iPad, I bought a small Acer laptop that is about the same size as an iPad and have pretty much dedicated it to use with the 6000 and 7500 and now the XW-P1 as well. A word of caution about downloading files to the 7000 and 7500 - if you try to download 100 files in one fell swoop, you will consistently end up losing around 15 to 20 of them and have to spend time figuring out which ones got lost and resend them. I get this with 3 different PC's, and it seems to be some kind of a buffer overflow problem. Since the Data Manager displays about 15 files on screen at a time, I just send them in bundles of 15 at a time, and everything works out fine. Also, if I have problems getting Sonar, or Cubase, or Ableton-Live to talk to the 6000 or 7500, I just bring up the Data Manager real quick to verify connectivity. Since its communications protocol is pretty simple, it is a good check. If it can talk to the boards, the rest should be able to as well, but it it can't. I know there is a definite problem and don't waste time checking out the DAW software.

David You do not need the cable you show in your attached picture. You need the same type of cable you use for a USB printer. The flat end goes to a USB port on your PC and the square end goes to the USB port on the back of the XW-P1. See the "Connecting to a computer" section of your manual. Its on Page 79 of the English manual, but I am not sure what page it will be on in yours, but it should be on about Page 79. I do not think the Data Editor can even use those 5 pin MIDI IN/OUT ports for talking to the XW-P1. Save those ports for connecting to other equipment (like sound modules) that you might have. If you use the "printer type" cable, you do not need any special drivers for your PC as the XW-P1 will automatically use the built-in drivers. Good luck !

Berthold No ! I just re-did the procedure to go into UPDATE mode and it worked. A friend, who has an XW-P1 told me I probably did get a complete load the first time, and just did not realize it, but then why wouldn't it come up after that first attempt ? Oh, well ! Sorry that won't work for you. Just wanted to share my experience with you in case you had not re-tried.

Berthold I had the same problem from a Windows Vista machine. I suspect the problem was Vista, not the XW-P1. The update stopped about halfway through, the XW-P1 rebooted and could not come up. Fortunately, I was able to get it to come back up in UPDATE mode, so when I reconnected the USB cable, the update re-ran and all was fine (wheh !). If you have not tried getting the XW to came back up in UPDATE mode, give it a try. You might just luck out like I did. Good luck !

JK The Windows version of the Editor does not do an actual "install". You just unzip the download file to get at the .exe file, but when you click on that, it just does a run-time install and runs. When you close the program, it goes away completely and you won't find it in the Control Panel's list of installed programs. The Data Manager 6 program for Windows for the new CTK/WK arrangers works the same way. I assumed if it worked the same for MAC OS, it would be possible to try to "run" it and you would just get the error message you are getting. At any rate, I hope you guys can get this worked out without having to invest in new hardware. I would find what you have now very disappointing. Good luck !

James Are you sure you downloaded the one for the MAC OS and not the one for Windows ? You should have a file named "DataEditorP1.dmg". If you have a file named "DataEditorP1.zip", then that is the one for Windows.

Ed, Gary, I'm with you guys. In regard to the small print in the manuals, try downloading the online manual and bringing it up in Adobe Reader so you can zoom in. I know, that is really inconvenient when you are trying to set at the keyboard, but until they come out with the large print version for our tired old eyes, it's better than nothin'. The manuals for both the G1 and P1 are available for download from the Casio site. I also wish Mike could do some more videos, but he is supporting not only the XW's, but the new CTK/WK line as well. He has done a couple of videos for them too. I don't think the rationale of support for the more expensive line first applies here, as all of these lines are withing a hundred or so dollars of one another. As a matter of fact, with the deal I got on my P1, I paid less for it than I did for my WK-7500. Yamaha has fairly good support for their Motif synths, but doesn't do anything for their arranger lines. At least Mike is trying to support both. Buy a new top of the line Jupiter 50 or 80 from Roland and, other than the manual, you get zip for help, but that has been typical of Roland for years. Anyway, I have been trolling youtube for the past several days, downloading every halfway decent video I can find on either the P1 or the CTK/WK's, in ANY language. I don't need to understand what the guy is saying, I just need to see and hear what he is doing, just so I can get some ideas what all these things are capable of, but then I go to the manual to see how he did that, and I still come away wanting. Maybe the challenge is half the fun ? ? ?

Bill Both the WK-500 and the WK-7500 require all files on the SD card to be in a MUSICDAT folder in order for the keyboard to see them, so that can NOT be your problem or you would have had it on the WK-500, but the WK-500 manual shows that it supports song files with .CM2 and .MID file extensions while the WK-7500 supports song files with .CMS and .MID file extensions. If your songs are in .MID format, then the WK-7500 should see and play them, but if they are in .CM2 format, then I do not think the WK-7500 would see them. You would need to find a way to convert them to .MID format. The .CMS files for the WK-7500 are raw sequencer files, and I suspect it may be the same with the .CM2 files for the WK-500 and due to hardware differences, they are not compatible. I just copied a couple of demo .MID files from a 3 1/2 inch diskette that came with my WK-3800 to the SD card for my WK-7500 and it loaded and played them just fine. They would need some voice and drum set tweaking in order to sound right, but the loading and playing processes worked OK. Good luck !

Some years ago, my Yamaha Motif XS came with Cubase AI-4. As Yamaha described it: when you connect the two, the Motif XS knows it is talking to AI-4 and AI-4 knows it is talking to a Motif XS. This set up worked very well, but most importantly, I the user, the customer, the musician, did not have to re-invent the cyber wheel to get them to work together. Roland has now married Sonar X1 to their Jupiter 50 and 80 synths and have even launched an iPad app for editing voices in real time, particularly for the Jupiter 50, since it lacks the large color screen of the 80. Since Steinberg (Cubase) and Cakewalk (Sonar) are already taken, I don't know who Casio could partner with. Even though Cubase and Sonar are very adept at handling audio, their forte is still MIDI based, while the other DAW's are oriented more toward audio manipulation, even though they also do MIDI very well. When Mike Martin introduced the XW's at NAMM, he stated that Casio had re-purposed some existing resources to bring them to market. Now that they are out and apparently headed for some measure of success, perhaps Casio should re-purpose some of their programming resources and come out with their own DAW and iPad app - something across the board that would work with the XW's as well as the new CTK-6/7 and WK-6/7 arrangers. That would be a set up that would be hard to beat, but I say all this tongue in cheek, as I would dearly like to see a 76 key version of the XW's, or the P1 at least. When you split a 61 key keyboard 4 ways, you can run out of keys REEEEEEAL quick. Just my thoughts !

Thanks for that tip Steve. I will give it a try as soon as I get a chance. Wanted to try it this weekend, but this was a weekend for chores - and of course, that Bears-Packers game today is an absolute must .

Sweep It never ceases to amaze me what folks like yourself do with their Casio keyboards. I bought my WK-3800 six years ago, and have been following the Casio Yahoo Forum ever since. There is a whole world of professional gigging musicians over there. I am convinced that the WK's and CTK's of today see more professional use than the "pro" FZ's and CZ's of yester-year ever did - and as you have already found, with a little tender loving care, these things can last forever. My WK-3800 will have a place of honor in my studio for as long as it works. Best of luck with your "900's".