How to modify MIDI files for lessons functions

[Mohammad-Rashad]

I downloaded Midi files for using as a lessons, but after transferring it to keyboard via manager, I had experienced various grades of failure:
 

• The file was there but not working, no sound of metronome or any sign of progress
• Another file worked, but only a sound with no key notation on the lcd
• Another file worked after editing in Anvil Studio, but it was not devided and have no finger tips on the lcd
• I look for a perfect example for midi file have the sound, keys notation, finger tips, devided, so I can modify any file on the same way

Finally I dont follow lights, so I need notes shown on my LCD and maybe need to add fingers numbers and divide difficult songs
My keyboard is WK-225

[- T -]

Mohammad

 

Welcome to the Casio Forums and congratulations on the WK-225.  I had one for about a year and a half, until I traded it in on a WK-7500.  I really liked the WK-7500, but missed the WK-225's clean look and simplicity of operation.  I wish I still had it.  It was the only keyboard I have ever had that would allow me to connect my iPad-3's audio output to its Audio In without that dreaded USB ground loop hum.  So, you want to modify downloaded MIDI files to use the WK-225's "Learn" features.  OK !  Start by reviewing the information titled "Navigate Channels" in the right hand column of Page E-60 of the WK-225 manual.  Continue on through the left hand column of Page E-61 for turning the right (Treble Clef) and left (Bass Clef) parts on and off for proper "play-along" operation.  Setting the Navigate Channels assigns these parts to the channels of your choice on the keyboard.  You really only need to set the right (Treble Clef) channel. The next lower channel is automatically set as the left (Bass Clef) channel, so you obviously can not set Channel-1 as the right (Treble Clef) channel, as that would leave nowhere for the left (Bass Clef) channel to go.  Other than that, you are free to use any of the 16 channels, but based on my many years of experience with this, I am going to make a very strong recommendation for best work-flow.  Set Channel-2 as the right (Treble Clef) channel.  That makes Channel-1 the left (Bass Clef) channel.  Set that on the keyboard and leave it - permanently.  From this point on, modify the MIDI files with your DAW software to match the keyboard.  Trying to continually reset the keyboard Navigate Channels to match the MIDI files gets really frustrating very fast.  Now, load your first MIDI file into your DAW software and identify the right (Treble Clef) and left (Bass Clef) data.  You need to copy this data into tracks/channels 2 and 1 respectively, but if there is other data (backing track data) in either of those tracks/channels, it will need to be moved (copied) to other available tracks/channels, and then CLEARED from tracks/channels 1 and 2.  Once this is done, copy the Bass and Treble Clef data into tracks/channels 1 and 2 respectively, clear the data from their original tracks/channels; save the file, and you are finished.  That file will now properly use all of the "Learn" features on any CTK/WK keyboard that offers the "Learn" features, as well as "key lighting" on any LK keyboard.  If you are unable to identify separate Bass/Treble Clef channels in your original file, then they are combined, but not to fear.  They can be separated.  Once again relocate any extraneous backing track data from tracks/channels 1 and 2, and copy the combined (Grand Staff) data to both tracks/channels 1 and 2.  With the edit mode of your DAW software, delete all note data Middle C and above from track/channel 1 - leaving only Bass Clef note data.  Then edit track/channel 2 to remove all note data below Middle C - leaving only the Treble Clef note data.  Once again, save your file, and you are finished.  If you occasionally find a "cross-over" note that belongs in the other clef (Navigate Channel), you can use the DAW's edit mode to move that one note to the correct track/channel.  The WK-225 has a GM (General MIDI) voice bank, so any MIDI file that uses GM voices (that is, it is a Standard MIDI File {SMF}) will sound OK when played through the WK-225, but these will be lower quality voices than the WK-225's higher quality "native" voices.  At some point in the future, you may want to use your DAW software to substitute higher quality voices, especially if it is a file with fully orchestrated backing tracks, but that is a story for another day.  This all may sound a bit daunting, at this stage, but believe me, after you have done it successfully two or three times, it becomes second nature very quickly.  By your 4th or 5th file, you are asking yourself what you have forgotten, because what originally took you a half an hour is now only taking you a few minutes.  Oh! I should have mentioned at the outset, never do the above procedure(s) on your only copy of a file.  Always make a backup copy first.  That way, if you blow something up, you have a backup to make a new copy of.  I am going to give you a link to a YouTube tutorial that shows the above.  It is a good one, but I strongly disagree with the author, in one respect.  He makes it sound like a combined (Grand Staff) file is next to impossible to split into its separate Bass and Treble Clefs, and that just is not so.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Bzlu-16dI

 

He uses the LK-280 and ports the file between the computer and keyboard on an SD Card.  Your WK-225 does not have an SD Card slot, so you will need to just "play" your finished file with your DAW software or MIDI file player on the computer to the WK-255, or transfer it to the WK-225's User Song Memory with the Casio Data Manager 5.0 software.  Make sure you get Data Manager 5.0, not 6.1.  Data Manager 6.1 will not work with the WK-225.  You can download it from:

 

http://support.casio.com/en/support/download.php?cid=008&pid=20 (Scroll down to the Data Manager section.)

 

You will also need the Data Manager 5.0 User's Guide.  It does not list the WK-225 specifically, but is good for the entire WK-2XX model line:

 

http://support.casio.com/download_files/008/DL/DATAMANAGERE1C.pdf

 

The WK-225 can store up to 10 User Songs (depending upon the size of the individual song files) in its internal memory - a good place to store your 10 favorites that you are trying to learn.

 

Good luck !

 

- T -

 

[Mohammad-Rashad]

Thank you

what a bless to find the answer from advanced player who had the same keyboard model I have, and worked on it and have rich advice about what suitable or limitations, as above
I am also like wk-225, more than anything I own, and I will can not wait to put 10 songs I like and love to profession playing

I will follow your valuable steps, may be review the youtube video again while comparing his steps with yours

It was a new horizon for me to use MIDI files as a learning method -beside Sheets when available- but I hope one time I earn the experience you mentioned, when nothing will be problem anymore.. and thank you for encouraging me
 

I maybe send you a feedback for what I have accomplished

[- T -]

Mohammad

 

I thoroughly apologize.  It has been quite some time, a few years, at least, since I have discussed this subject to this depth, and most of my experience has been with my own entry level LK from some years ago (that I currently still have), although I did borrow an LK-280 recently, for a few days, in order to become more familiar with its operation.  Although I did do some experimenting on this with my WK-225, it certainly was not to the depth that I have discussed here.  After I posted my above reply to you, something from the distant past kept nagging at me that there was something wrong with what I posted.  So I have spent the past hour or so going over my years old notes, and again, I apologize.  I should have done that way before I had posted a response to your query.  As it turns out, most users who are interested in this are only concerned with getting the keys to light on the LK models - that is it.  For that, I think you can use any pair of channels as the Navigate Channels, but to get the other Learn features to display properly (fingering and notes), you need to use Channel 3 for the Bass Clef and Channel 4 as the treble Clef.  So, I have corrected my above reply accordingly, but there seemed to be something else missing, and perusing my PFD copy of the WK-225 manual brought it all back.  The Learn section ("Lesson" section, actually) of the WK-225 manual would lead you to believe that all that I have discussed, so far, applies only to the WK-225's built in songs - nothing more - and not to imported MIDI files, but we know from the YouTube video that some of this DOES work on the LK-280.  However, the Lesson section of the LK-280's manual is worded exactly - word for word - the same as the Lesson section of the WK-225's manual.  So it is natural for us to conclude that, other than the lighted keys, whatever of this works or does not work for the LK-280 applies to the WK-225 as well.  Any reference to this in any of the Casio manuals mentions only "playing" MIDI (SMF) files through the keyboard, but in no way ties any of the Lesson features to imported MIDI files - only to the built-in songs.  So, I guess that whatever we know about any of this has come strictly from user experimentation.  I do not believe that any of us, who were involved in this, several years ago, ever got the feature to work that plays a note, then waits for the player to play the correct note before proceeding.  We finally concluded that there was some non-MIDI algorithm that tied the built-in songs directly to that feature and that we would never resolve that issue for imported MIDI files.  Somehow, I get the impression that you are really not interested in that, and are concerned mostly with getting the correct notes to show in the display.  If I am correct in that assumption, the foregoing will be of little loss to you.  You should be able to accomplish what you wish with the WK-225, but once again, I am at a loss to remember if I was able to get the notes to display by "playing" the MIDI file to the WK-225 from the computer, or if the MIDI file had to be resident in the WK-225's User Song Memory, and since I no longer have access to a WK-225, I will need to leave that experiment to you, and so, now, another well meaning, but unsuspecting user gets dragged into this continuing morass, but welcome aboard !  You are in the best of company.  At any rate, I will traipse upstairs to my storage room, first thing in the morning, and drag out my old LK-whatever-it-is, and see if I can resurrect any further long forgotten knowledge from it.

 

Until tomorrow !

 

- T -

[Mohammad-Rashad]

Thanks again

I have mentioned before that I dont follow lights, not only because I do not have the device which make lights, but either because I targeted that I want to learn how to play, be the leader of my own notes, playing the only thing I wanted built-in feature is to know quickly which notes related to which hand, when it is close (interlaced) to each other or multiple (chords)

 

and -if I have understood right- finger numbering is not a Midi feature, so I cant create it to my saved song, all right and I can accept that
I found such website http://musescore.com/ I can search for a music sheet, play it, and download PDF or/and the MIDI which related to it, so it is enough for me to watch treble and bass clef, to configure left and right......but I still need the Midi on my keyboard to listen and practice part by part, right or left notes or both, I need it keeps me informed how much I am close or far from the ideal playing to the written in front of me, to purify Midi file if needed or generate a simple versions of it for practicing purposes

I will try again, and certainly any help I consider it great

[- T -]

Sorry, Mohammad

 

My old LK-1261 will no longer boot-up.  I have two different power supplies I can use with it, and it will not power up with either of them.  While it is trying to power up, the power supply seems to over heat and I detect an odor of hot components coming from within the keyboard.  I opened it up and found three electrolytic capacitors that had split open and leaked their corrosive electrolyte onto the circuit board and surrounding components.  So it looks like it is the end for it.  I called my friend at the music shop to see if he had anything I could borrow or rent overnight, but all he has in the Casio line at the moment are a CTK-6250 and a WK-7600, and neither of those have the Lesson features.  He says he will probably not have any more LK units until the year end holidays.  When they put them out at that time of year, the flashing keys make good impulse sales, but that is about it for them in this area.

 

So, I am at stand-still on this.  Perhaps one of the folks who was part of our original discussion on this will join in, once again, and share their recent experiences.  In the meantime, I recommend taking one of your MIDI files and put the Bass Clef notes on track/channel 3 and the treble clef notes on track/channel 4, and set your WK-225 Navigate Channels to 3 and 4.  I still believe that the boards, that allow the user to set the Navigate Channels, do not require use of Channels 3 and 4, but I no longer have any way of proving that, so we will just go along with it.  Then, play the MIDI file from Anvil Studio to the WK-225 over the USB cable.  If that does not give you what you want, use the Data Manager 5.0 software to load the file into User Song Memory and see what that gives you.  If you would please, let us know your results so we can update our notes.

 

Best of luck !

 

- T -

[Mohammad-Rashad]

Sorry for your loss, with all hope to overcome it

I got a new song, put the whole staff in track one, the pass clef only in track three, treble clef only in track4, and I made track to empty of notes, using Anvil Studio

Then I converted it from .MIDI to .CM2, using SMF convertor, because Midi file never work on My keyboard

Then I transfered it, Using CasioDataManager 5, and it worked, and I could play right hand or left hand only, of course without any finger information (and it confused me somehow in the cases when the finger should still on key while playing another note, but I didnt find that a big deal)

 

the problem was, when I tried to split the song to smaller pieces for purpose of practicing, Using Anvil cue points, following instructions from some member here, nothing happened, and the song remained one long piece with no ability to spicify the part of it I want to practice on

 

I do not to be over demanding, espicially now, but I appreciate if you gave me advice about how to split Midi Song, of course if you have the knowledge about a successful way to do that

I sent you a file after splitting tracks, and putting cue points which not working

thank you

Hallelujah.mid

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Mohammad

 

I see in your file "Hallelujah.mid" that you have the combined clefs on Track 1 and the Bass and Treble Clefs on Tracks 3 and 4, but Track 1 is playing to the Grand Piano voice along with Tracks 3 and 4.  Really, you should MUTE or DELETE this track and resave the file, so that it does not interfere, at least sonically, with the sound from Tracks 3 and 4.

 

All of your CUE POINTS are there and are working exactly as they should.  In musical language or theatrical language, a CUE is a point at which something STARTS, and that is exactly what the CUE POINTS do in Anvil Studio.  They only set the Song Position Pointer to the location at which the song will START when you click the PLAY button, BUT the sequencer will not STOP or LOOP when the next CUE POINT is reached.  It continues playing from the selected CUE POINT through the end of the song.  If you want a particular phrase of the song to LOOP, you need to copy that PHRASE, into a separate LOOP track and play it from there.  Search for LOOP in the Anvil Studio HELP SEARCH menu.

 

 

 

 

[- T -]

Mohammad

 

I have been unable to discover a simpler way of looping a track or a song in Anvil Studio, but I do have a workaround from out of my distant past.

 

Aria Maestosa is a MIDI-only (no audio) sequencer/editor that is available as a free download.  Because it lacks audio recording/editing components, it is about as simple and straight forward as it can get.  It is simple enough that you could just switch to it entirely from Anvil Studio, if you would like, but if you have invested a considerable amount of time and effort developing a workflow in Anvil, you could stay with that, as your primary sequencer/editor, and just use Aria as a "playback" program in order to access its simplicity in setting and playing loops.

 

When Aria first comes  up, you are presented with three options in the center of the screen.  One of those options is "Import a MIDI file".  Click on that, and you get a Windows Explorer window for navigating to the location of your file.  Click on the file name, and it comes up loaded in Aria - ready to play.  You are not forced to "Open/name a new project" or any distracting stuff like that.  On the main menu bar, the fourth button from the left is the "Loop" button.  Click on that to turn looping on.  A little further to the right, on the main menu bar, are start/end data fields.  Fill in the start and end measures of your desired loop, click on the play button, and you are in business - no creating separate 'looping" tracks and copying data in them, or anything like that.  At the head (left end) of each track are a speaker icon and two buttons.  The speaker icon brings up a mixer type slider for adjusting the volume level of that track, while the left button mutes the track and the right button solos the track.  All of these settings need to be made while the sequencer is stopped, as their status is only detected when the play button is clicked.  Like I said, nothing could be more straight forward.  You can download Aria Maestosa from:

 

http://ariamaestosa.sourceforge.net/

 

Good luck !

 

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