Casiokid

As usual Ted thank you for your very  detailed explanation.  I've learnt quite a lot of what seemingly will be  going on to achieve the shadowing (albeit flashing) of LK notes played remotely by another keyboard

Instead of routing through a laptop or pc I'm wondering if a USB to 5-pin Midi host box might make it possible to couple a keyboard with 5-pin midi directly to the LK USB port ?  Without the need to go through software?

Like you I am too an 'old-schooler' concerning the need for dots but in my old age I am trying to gain a better and natural and visual appreciation for musical intervals a'la tonic solfah in a long term bid to play without the need to rely on dots as some player have a natural ability to do  -which I envy!  Also before the invention of written down music notation in the 11th century musicians didn't play from dots.

With best wishes and health Ted

Thanks Brad

Maybe an LK280 Brad 

Is it possible to connect an LK keyboard to my MZ-X500 so that when I depress a note on my MZ-X500 the corresponding key lights up on the LK.  -Maybe via midi?

This would be useful for teaching purposes

I've downloaded some extra Casio styles under X500 user downloads:

Can Chordana be used to share User Songs (own generated user midi files) with other Chordana musicians  for the purposes of teaching ?

From reading other keyboard blogs 'monitor' type headphones is the way to go -not hi-fi headphones .  It would seem some connoisseurs, here in the UK, seem to favour the Grado SR 60 series of headphones for this purpose,  Like you Jokeyman123 i'm learning about these things too! 

This impedance matching also applies to choice of external amps and the use of DI Boxes which can be another mystical 'black art.'

Yamaha, Korg and Roland etc...don't have such a dynamic forum as this.  The short comings of Casio HQ is in my opinion  outweighed by the Administrators and members' input into this Forum.   I've learnt so much and am very grateful for all the help given, to enable me to get the most out of my Casio instruments... more perhaps than I could have obtained from Yamaha, Korg or Roland whose instruments do have their own shortcomings but whose user forums lack so much compared with this Forum.

Casio and Mike Martin have been very clever in creating this forum and providing such customer help and support which IMHO is second to none !

Anybody had any experience of using Bluetooth busking amps like the Mackie FREEPLAY when performing ?  Apart from the problem of latency, although some buskers say they often can cope with up to 13 ms, there's the possibilities of playing along live to midi/mp3 tracks with no wires especially with a battery powered Casio keyboard or piano.  Which now makes for a truly portable setup when performing inside or outside.

Quote: Brad Saucier said:

'I record a new user rhythm of various drum patterns (intos, endings, fill ins, variations) using the pattern sequencer. I used an edited version of Standard Set 1 for that. Next, I use the MIDI recorder's system track to record the control buttons for the rhythm. I now have a complete drum track. Next I record a solo track using an edit of a preset acoustic bass tone. Next I record a piano rhythm using an edited concert grand tone. The last major step to the backing track was using two solo tracks to create an acoustic guitar strumming rhythm. One track is strum down, the other is strum up. I used two tracks because it's easier to tweak each motion separately, to help it sound more realistic. The guitar sound was made using factory waves as a hex tone (because of the advanced synth abilities available in hex layer editing). The rest of the work on the backing track involved tweaking of effects, levels, tone edits....all the usual stuff to make a finished recording what it is. To make the video, I used an EQ'd concert grand. I'm simply playing along with the finished MIDI recorder song. You'll notice the rhythm button lights for the drum track being controlled by the MIDI recorder. The hardest part after that was not flubbing notes while shooting video.'

This is a great tutorial Brad you have written on the Casio MX-500/300 Facebook Page.    I've certainly learnt something reading it and  post it here for the benefit of others....  I would never of thought about recording the Tone button changes first on the Midi track etc....

Following a piano recital Mozart once said that 'he didn't play the piano with his fingers ! '

I quite agree Ken the classical/traditional music world is being left behind.  It first started with the invention of Midi, classical/traditional musicians these days 'can't afford to bury their heads in the sand' without  embracing today's technology

Good work !  Why not post them in the 'Downloads section for the benefit of others ?

For those who haven't seen and heard it, here is a player making full use of the Pads

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=dDONIGi-hZE&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIpaPGJLzlhA%26feature%3Dshare

A 21st century take on Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons?'

I read that Arthur Rubenstein, the great pianist, once said that, players should be like the bees seeking and collecting  nectar, to make honey, not just solely from one flower, but from a variety of different flowers.  -Taking from one player, what you like, but leaving the rest, then moving on to listen to other players and doing the same....and so let your own unique technique develop and evolve.

It would appear Casio's MZ series are LIMITED EDITION models with fifteen years gaps between models ie the MZ-2000 vs MZ-X500/300

These models are fast becoming collectors items  -What an investment !

Klaus Wunderlich never had a lesson in his life.  Paul Mccartney rejected music lessons because he didn't want lessons and music theory to interfere with his creativity  -These two gents' didn't need to !

Just learn the basics and go your own way from there IMHO

The trouble with the 'arts' as opposed to more science and mathematical based subjects, is that often there are no absolutes, and rarely will two teachers of the 'arts' agree about the same approach and technique

With regard to the quality of Casio keyboards I would add that in my experience, despite their low cost and budget build quality, their internal components and keys can withstand a lot of rough treatment,. I've seen Casio keyboards thrown into the back of cars and vans time and again, without being in gig bags or cases, but amazingly they still  operate! -Which says a lot about their low budget construction?

I have owned much more expensive keyboards and organs which in comparison with Casio are flimsy.  Yes the noisy Casio Key-bed comes in for a lot of criticism on this forum, but Casio keys have never let me down unlike so called 'quality' instruments where I've put out keys playing glissandos.

It's interesting to note too, those instruments that have let me down are those manufactured in Italy?  I believe some of Korg's products also come from Italy??

I just don't get tired of many of the Casio tones unlike the more expensive keyboards I've owned ?   I have my set of personally selected default tones which I always use for practising a new song before  I choose and firm up my final performance tones and then go on to create my song registrations

A Midi Host unit will take the CTK6200 USB midi messages and give you conventional DIN Midi 'in' and 'out'.  If the CTK6200 has an inbuilt mixer,midi channels can also be further controlled, by means of the mixer controls transmitting on midi port 'A'   -See the CTK6200's Midi implementation chart for details

What you need is a Midi Host unit which converts the USB messages to Midi DIN 'in' and 'out' into which you can plug in conventional DIN Midi  controllers and equipment The keyboard's Midi Implementation Chart will tell you which Midi channels are exported from the keyboard's Rhythm tones etc... which can be controlled by the keyboard's mixer.   I don't think the CT-X700/800 has a mixer but the 3000 and 5000 models do.

Any manuals on the CT-X3000/5000 yet?

Thanks again Brad