Casio equivalent of Korg PA songbook?

[TechnoBob]

Hi all

 

New member here  - I currently use a Korg PA-500 arranger keyboard. I was swayed a few years back by the PA-500's use of its Songbook database system which allows very quick finding and loading of a song; simply put, it remembers EVERYTHING that makes up a song/performance -

• patches
• splits
• layers
• transposition
• pads
• style
• rhythm

 

Also, this is remembered onboard with no loading necessary for hundreds and hundreds of songs - brilliant for band practice and playing live! Admittedly, this is all MIDI data, so NO samples etc. are saved

 

So, my question is simply, how does the Casio MZ-X300/500 store a "song"? I have read the manuals, but I'm still not certain if a song, pattern or registration does this? I would like to be able to save sample data as well, if possible 

 

Thanks in advance

 

[Brad Saucier]

Registrations are performance setups in Casio land.  The MZ-X has a total of 96 memory slots onboard. Each one can be custom named.  With a small usb thumb drive attached to the MZX, "all save" files of 96 registrations each can be saved and loaded quickly for expanding the total number that can be carried along.

 

Actual sample data is stored in another location as user waves. Assignment of samples to pads is stored as part of a "pad bank". The selected pad bank number is then stored as part of a registration.  

[TechnoBob]

On 7/29/2016 at 3:11 PM, BradMZ said:

Registrations are performance setups in Casio land.  The MZ-X has a total of 96 memory slots onboard. Each one can be custom named.  With a small usb thumb drive attached to the MZX, "all save" files of 96 registrations each can be saved and loaded quickly for expanding the total number that can be carried along.

 

Actual sample data is stored in another location as user waves. Assignment of samples to pads is stored as part of a "pad bank". The selected pad bank number is then stored as part of a registration.  

 

Thanks for the reply - more questions I'm afraid!

 

So I would have to load all my pads (containing samples, SMFs, phrases etc.) as a sample bank first, then choose a registration/song that makes use of the pads? Is this a relatively quick process, say 10mb in 1 bank?

 

Is there any way of knowing when loading a registration if a linked pad/pad bank is available/unavailable? 

 

How much space is there in a pad for user samples (samples, SMFs, phrases etc.) on board, or are they played/streamed/stored from USB?

 

How quick would it be to load another 96 registrations from USB?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Brad Saucier]

Correct. Create your pad bank setup first and save it.  Then save that selected pad bank as part of a registration.  

 

Registrations simply recall whatever is stored in a particular location. If you decide to overwrite a pad bank, that will change what the registration calls up.  There is no warning system for that.

 

The keyboard has internal memory for everything.  The usb thumb drive is used for file storage and retrieval and the wave audio recorder.

 

For the MZ-X500: There are 100 user pad banks.  16 assignable pads in each bank.  User items assignable to pads are chords, phrases and samples. Onboard memory has space for 100 user phrases, 100 user chords and 3 user samples banks. Each sample bank contains 16 samples.  4 samples in each bank are 9 seconds each.  The rest are 4 seconds each.  

 

96 registrations can be saved as one file. And loaded. It loads and saves in about one second.  

 

 

 

 

[TechnoBob]

That's great, thanks for the detailed response. A few more questions:

 

The confusion with Casio's naming conventions continues!

From reading the manual, registrations cannot be named, only numbered. This is how I thought I would save songs, but I need names, not numbers!

This leaves me with Casio songs and rhythms. Which of these will allow me to name a song, that contains a "style" with intros, fills etc. as well as pad banks? 

Confused!

 

Thanks in advance...

 

[Brad Saucier]

As I said in the earlier post, registrations can be named.  The manual is misleading. 

[TechnoBob]

Thanks for the quick reply BradMZ - I appreciate your help.

 

I've just been listening to your SoundCloud content - nice! 

 

Sorry, I missed the naming bit of your reply!! The manuals are a bit wonky on this!

I have many more questions - getting my hands on one would be the easiest way but unfortunately I'd have to travel to a different country to do this!

So, is there another online resource, apart from the manuals, where I can find further information or is this the only forum?

What I really want to do is work out a Casio workflow for setting up each of my band's songs comprising:

1. a few different sounds split over the keyboard 
2. a rhythm track made up of intro, fills, A + B variations and endings etc. 
3. some complex chords played from a pad
4. a few sequenced phrases or samples from a pad for "jazzing up" different song sections etc.
5. easy access to more than 100 of these when playing live

From the manuals I think I can do 1, 2, 3 and 4, its 5 that puzzles me - quickly loading a song by name with all the 4 elements included.

The manuals cannot help me here!

 

I struggled with the Korg PA500 to do the above, but managed to work it out in the end; I just hope I can do the same with the MZ-X500!

 

Thanks in advance...

[Brad Saucier]

Again, registrations are used to save the entire keyboard setup as you wish.  96 registrations are always in memory.  They can be chosen by name on the touch screen. They can be programmed to advance by pedal in any sequence you wish.  Or they can simply be chosen by the bank buttons. 

[TechnoBob]

Cheers BradMZ - I think I've got it now!

 

Thanks for your patience