Proposals for improving the firmware of Casio CT - X3000.

[Casio Key]

11 minutes ago, Akshansh said:

Did you saw my above comment about? My keyboard got fully unresponsive in one Tone Deletion. I was scared that what happened suddenly! 

 

If there had to be some improvement, it would have been done by now. But I'm not thinking this will be fixed in future.

 

Like CT-X, the flagship keyboard MZ-X500 also having many bugs but all the bugs are not important or noticeable then Auto-hiding of user samples imported into the keyboard.... This should be fixed for MZ-X makes the keyboard better then others.

 

My 32 GB Stick takes aprox 3 to 5 minutes to mount-in the keyboard in half used storage conditions. While MZ-X mount it with in a seconds.

 

But, both MZ-X and CT-X are perfect keyboards with their capabilities!

My CT-X5000 mounts my flash drive in approximately 30 seconds.

[Akshansh - Alex]

28 minutes ago, Casio Key said:

 

 

This happened a few times on my CT-X5000, but after I took it to Casio for service, they updated the firmware to version 1.08 and it never happened again. My CT-X5000 was the first CT-X5000 in the world that received firmware 1.08, then months later Casio made firmware 1.08 available on the website for download.

 

For Region-wise, V1.08 is not available for my keyboard because I have CT-X8000IN (3000) and CT-X9000IN (5000).

 

I dont know even what are the improvement(s) with this version? And why this update is not be made for CT-X9000IN!? 

 

With V1.07, some known bugs are fixed and CT-X is not capable to export recording in midi file format (SMF)

May be V1.8, it is only for manufacturing process, and it doesn't have any improvements or bugs fixes?

[Casio Key]

5 hours ago, Akshansh said:

For Region-wise, V1.08 is not available for my keyboard because I have CT-X8000IN (3000) and CT-X9000IN (5000).

 

I dont know even what are the improvement(s) with this version? And why this update is not be made for CT-X9000IN!? 

 

With V1.07, some known bugs are fixed and CT-X is not capable to export recording in midi file format (SMF)

May be V1.8, it is only for manufacturing process, and it doesn't have any improvements or bugs fixes?

CT-X3000/5000 is capable to export recording in midi file format (SMF) in version 1.08

 

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Casio Key

[Akshansh - Alex]

53 minutes ago, Casio Key said:

CT-X3000/5000 is capable to export recording in midi file format (SMF) in version 1.08

 

 

It will not list in the site because it has no changes. Changes like that are usually only for manufacturing purposes. The keyboard is still on the version 1.08 condition.

[Silvano Silva]

On 2/13/2022 at 7:14 AM, Executor said:

When the CtX is connected via usb to a DAW, it starts to experience lag and stutter. The usb port on the ctx shouldn't even go as high as 1.0. You've seen for yourself how long it takes to mount a usb stick.

We are in 2022 and seeing Computers with USB 3.0 ports of high speed NVME HDs among others. A keyboard with a 3.0 port I believe could easily play Wave Files straight from the flash drive without installing it in memory. It could even be a sample link to the PADS.

[Silvano Silva]

On 2/13/2022 at 9:59 AM, Casio Key said:

My CT-X5000 mounts my flash drive in approximately 30 seconds.

It's still a long time for "digital" media I believe that old floppy disks get almost equal times without joking.

I have a Roland E-50 with Floppy Drive and it would be embarrassing to do a comparison video.

I also have a CT-X3000

[Jokeyman123]

The music industry has almost always lagged behind the computer industry. Look at multi-threading computer CPU,s then compare to clock/data rates/busses of most music synth CPU's. almost every modern keyboard I've disassembled still isn't even using 16-bit data busses. I have only found 8/9 pin ribbon connectors throughout even some of the more expensive instrument. I have not torn apart a Montage, Kronos, etc I don't recall seeing anything broader than an 8-bit data cable in any of my Casios. Even with multiplexing-how much data can go through an 8-bit connector? Not much especially if you are now trying to access multiple keyboard functions. This might be why some keyboards have trouble performing even 2-3 processes simultaneously-even just firing up an auto-arranger rhythm then trying to make other real-time changes might be pushing-might be bottlenecks from one board to another, or the CPU is just not fast enough or powerful enough to push 8-bit data through 2-3 or more busses. And yet even older laptops can run 64-bit OS's and have 32/64 bit data busses.

[Silvano Silva]

2 hours ago, Jokeyman123 said:

The music industry has almost always lagged behind the computer industry. Look at multi-threading computer CPU,s then compare to clock/data rates/busses of most music synth CPU's. almost every modern keyboard I've disassembled still isn't even using 16-bit data busses. I have only found 8/9 pin ribbon connectors throughout even some of the more expensive instrument. I have not torn apart a Montage, Kronos, etc I don't recall seeing anything broader than an 8-bit data cable in any of my Casios. Even with multiplexing-how much data can go through an 8-bit connector? Not much especially if you are now trying to access multiple keyboard functions. This might be why some keyboards have trouble performing even 2-3 processes simultaneously-even just firing up an auto-arranger rhythm then trying to make other real-time changes might be pushing-might be bottlenecks from one board to another, or the CPU is just not fast enough or powerful enough to push 8-bit data through 2-3 or more busses. And yet even older laptops can run 64-bit OS's and have 32/64 bit data busses.

In fact, the computer industry has evolved tremendously. From Windows 98SE to Windows XP things have improved dramatically for digital audio. Many keyboard companies were forced to evolve their instruments to contain the new Kontakt One Man, Band and other DAW software. In the old days sound cards were horrible they had hiss and today any computer comes with a basic Realtek that meets even ASIO in a minimal way for the world of VSTi. The cheapening of new technologies is no excuse for keyboard Bigs to make excuses. The world moves at a speed that not even us, who are following technology, know everything. And certainly those extra seconds it takes for such a keyboard model to execute a file are the extra seconds to guarantee a great live tragedy. In the war of components we have A B C options and sometimes cents of difference are what drive the success of a manufacturer.

[Jokeyman123]

Very true. As you said in an earlier post-keyboards were still using floppy drives when the computer industry had already abandoned those for faster storage mediums.

 

USB 2.0 had been around for years and most keyboards didn't even have any usb storage at all for the longest time.

 

Direct-to-disk recording has existed in computers for, I can't even recall how long-but how many of even the most expensive advanced keyboard workstations can do this?

 

I could sample with my Atari ST-520FM with a dongle easily obtained-in 1986-87, but again even some of the most advanced workstation keyboards can't do that at all, or require an expensive add-in card for even rudimentary sampling, and then charge more for additional sample memory, and in 2022!  I could go on, but I'm even boring myself....

 

When one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, I guess the feet take over, or something.

[Just Alex]

The USB data transfer lag is due that actually there's inside USB<>COM translator, which converts high speed USB to low speed serial port data, so you can't do anything against that, this is an hardware issue.

 

[Casiobird]

Hi there . My CASIO CTX came already with firmware 1.09.   1.08 is old. But is cannot be downloaded from the Casio site.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Casiobird

[Just Alex]

Another bug in current firmware.  Here's how to reproduce it.

 

We need two user tones, say #810 and 811, they can be any number you like.

 

1. Set 810 as main tone, press layer key and set 811 as upper layer tone.

2. Turn off the upper layer, by pressing the corresponding key.

3. Now set 811 as main tone and edit it's voice significantly (just to hear the difference with previous one). Save it

4. Now set main tone again to 810

5. Press upper layer button again, you had set 811 as upper layer tone before, right?

 

For your surprise, 811 tone will sound like it was BEFORE editing, and to hear the "new" 811, which you made in step #3, you need to change upper layer voice to something different, and then back to 811.

 

[Mclandy]

I don't necessarily see that as a bug.  When you set the upper or lower layer tones to one of the tone definitions (built-in or user), it's basically like you are loading a "profile" or a "preset" from permanent storage (similar to a file in a file system) into that "active" voice element.   When you edit a tone, you are only manipulating the settings in the currently active voice element, which is why you must select to "Write" it back to the permanent storage -- in other words, as a User tone (profile) -- if you want to keep it.   However, if you use the Main voice element to load, edit, and write a tone, that does nothing to the currently active settings in the Upper voice element, even if it happened to have been previously loaded from that same User Tone number (with the settings it had from before the edit).  That Upper voice element is in no way bound to the tone, other than it simply happens to be the last tone definition that got "loaded" there.  So it makes sense that the tone would need to be "reloaded" from permanent storage for the latest changes to take effect, just like an altered profile on a computer doesn't take effect until it is reloaded.  As it turns out, the only way to do that is to change to (load) a different tone, and then change back.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Mclandy

[Just Alex]

Well this is the typical response "This is not a bug, this is a feature".  I was not expecting any understanding or support for that  

Like that rhythm tempo keeps falling back to default value, even if it is different in current rhythm, when power off.

[Just Alex]

Another bug.

Set keyboard to any DSP effect sound, press any key and hold it pressed while sending GM Reset over MIDI. Release key.

Sound will be reset to Piano, but DSP from the previous effect will be applied to it, but DSP indicator will be OFF on the screen and this effect will be applied to any other tones you select. To clear this, need to send GM reset again, or power cycle keyboard.

 

[Just Alex]

Another bug/error.

If you modify tone #333 by adding DSP "AutoPan" with default settings, when you edit the style live and assign this "new" voice to any track, when you modify ending for a style, when it ends, this tone actually continues to sound (stucks) and you can't silence it, unless you turn keyboard off and on.

[Akshansh - Alex]

1 hour ago, Just Alex said:

Another bug/error.

If you modify tone #333 by adding DSP "AutoPan" with default settings, when you edit the style live and assign this "new" voice to any track, when you modify ending for a style, when it ends, this tone actually continues to sound (stucks) and you can't silence it, unless you turn keyboard off and on.

I'll try it. 🙂

[Just Alex]

Another bug found, which is again related to one posted above.

Say we have some custom sound, say, number 810.

Say, we have some custom rhythm, say, number 350

Let's assign that voice to some line in that rhythm, say, to bass line.

Play it, everything works ok.

Now let's edit that sound, say, change octave for it. Change and save.

Now play back that rhythm again, and discover that there is no octave change in that sound! it still plays one, that was saved at the moment, this rhythm was edited.

To change the octave in that rhythm, you have to edit it, change that instrument sound to another, and back to the original one, for changes to be reflected.