RBK Mixer Hub Thread (Layer & Split Volume Balance Fix for CT-X700 X800 X870IN and CDP-S350)

[Chandler Holloway]

 

 

RBK Mixer is a free software utility that allows Casio users to edit hidden parameters in their Registration Bank (RBK) files to unlock advanced functionality that is normally inaccessible on entry-level and intermediate instruments in the product line. The most important (and most requested) added feature is the ability to change the volume balance of the layered and split tones on some of the recently released AiX instruments that lack this capability, specifically the CT-X700, CT-X800, CT-X870IN and the CDP-S350.

 

RBK Mixer is open source, and currently supports both Windows and Mac OS. We hope to offer some Linux builds in the near future, as well as add support for upcoming Casio models like the CT-S400 and the CDP-S360. You can download the most recent version of RBK Mixer on the GitHub release page here.

 

NOTE TO WINDOWS USERS - This program requires Microsoft’s WebView2 to run properly. Recently updated Windows 10 and 11 machines have WebView2 already installed, so you likely won’t need to download it separately, but if you are having trouble getting RBK Mixer to run, you may be missing WebView2. You can download it here.

 

This start-up guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to create Registrations, edit them with RBK Mixer, import them to your keyboard and organize them after testing the results.

 

You are of course welcome to ask questions, give feedback, and share your custom Registrations in this hub thread. You can also leave a comment on one of the YouTube videos linked above, but commenting in this thread is the quickest way to get a response, as I check these forums very often. Note that you must have an account on the forums to download attachments hosted in this thread.

 

If you've never transferred Casio files to and from your instrument before, these tutorial videos I did for Casio's official YouTube channel are a great way to learn more about that process.

 

-Tutorial for transferring files via Casio’s Data Manager software (CT-X700, X800, X870IN)

-Tutorial for transferring files via USB Flash Drive (CT-X800, X870IN, CDP-S350, CT-S400, CDP-S360):

 

While I'd imagine the bulk of Casio owners are only going to use RBK Mixer to tweak the volume balance of the internal sounds, muting or hard panning the internal sounds can open up a bunch of extra functionality with regards to interfacing with external gear.

 

I created these Utility Bank files using a much earlier build of RBK Mixer and released them as a sort of preview of all the extra features added by advanced Registration editing. Each Utility Bank comes with a demo video that explains the purpose of muting or hard panning and showcases some practical examples of these bonus features in studio or performance settings.

 

Utility Bank Demo Video #1 - The MIDI Control Banks:

 

Utility Bank Demo Video #2 - The Panning Banks:

 

Please note that this software is not an official Casio release, but rather a community project that would not have been possible without the contributions of several users here with regards to testing and interpreting file types. Special thanks goes out to @mrmr9494 in particular, whose expertise in reverse engineering Casio's proprietary file types was invaluable for the early stages of this project.

 

Thanks for using RBK Mixer, and enjoy your new Casio Registrations!

-Chandler Holloway, Project Lead for RBK Mixer

-Miguel Guerrero, Lead Developer for RBK Mixer

 

[Chandler Holloway]

Reserving second post just in case.

 

Also tagging @vbdx66 @keroleen @Fábio Pavan @Rod Tompkins and @Qw Erty for visibility, and also to thank them for their assistance with testing.

[vbdx66]

Hi @Chandler Hollowaygreat job indeed. For the time being I only have an old Windows 7 machine at my disposal. Will I be able to install Webview2 and RBK Mixer?

 

Vinciane

[Chandler Holloway]

I would say try running RBK Mixer first before you worry about WebView. If the mixer controls don't load in after the window pops up (wait a minute or two since you're on an old machine), we'll proceed from there.

 

I didn't have any beta testers on Windows 7 so I can't say for sure, but nothing bad is going to happen if the program doesn't run. Run the MSI installer and try launching RBK Mixer from the shortcut on your desktop (or from the executable in your Program Files folder).

 

Let me know how it goes!

[keroleen]

Chandler:  Thank you for this. I’ve attempted it with great results. While this is better than nothing, it does require you to pre-plan your patch settings and hope the sounds blend well.  I found it doesn’t always sound they way you planned especially when you playing in external (Studio PAs) and ensemble of guitars.

Would you have tips to balance the volume to avoid distortion but while being able to cut through everyone else?

Two questions: 

in your video you were able to quickly recall Registration bank patches ; can you explain that? i have to through function - bank - scroll and it’s not able to so in real time.

 

Edited February 28, 2022 by keroleen

[Chandler Holloway]

On 2/27/2022 at 8:47 PM, keroleen said:

Chandler:  Thank you for this. I’ve attempted it with great results. While this is better than nothing, it does require you to pre-plan your patch settings and hope the sounds blend well.  I found it doesn’t always sound they way you planned especially when you playing in external (Studio PAs) and ensemble of guitars.

Would you have tips to balance the volume to avoid distortion but while being able to cut through everyone else?

 

Thanks for the kind words and the feedback, keroleen, glad to hear it's working out well for you.

 

With regards to pre-planning patches, yeah, that's an unfortunate limitation of this workaround. One feature we are currently working on is the ability to send Registration slots directly from inside RBK Mixer. That way, you can adjust sliders for volume rebalancing, send the Registration slot to the internal memory (from within RBK Mixer) and recall the registration to immediately hear the different volume levels.

 

This removes the step of having to export an RBK and transfer it via Data Manager or USB Flash drive, meaning you can make fine adjustments to volume levels without having to move files back and forth over and over again. It will still require some amount of pre-planning (obviously you don't want to bring your computer to the gig/jam sash and have to click and drag sliders just dial in the mix while you're on stage), but it should speed things up a bit.

 

As far as on the fly changes to the sound for cutting through the mix, don't forget that you have those preset Equalizer profiles in Function -> scroll to Equalizer -> use + and - to select an equalizer preset. These EQ presets are not saved in registrations and you can freely switch between them to make more subtle adjustments to your output signal.

 

If you want to avoid distortion, I would say make everything quieter and use your external amplification on the master output from the CT-X800 to raise the overall volume. Basically:

 

1. Say you want to make a Registration with U1 (Elec Piano) as the most prominent (loudest) tone in the mix. U2 (synth strings) should be a bit quieter than U1, and L (elec bass) should be quieter than both.
2. Normally, you'd leave U1 (EP) on the max volume of 127, set U2 (Strings) to something like 110 and put L (elec bass) on 90. But we're making everything quieter and then boosting with the external amp/mixer/audio interface, so we'll make adjustments accordingly.
3. Set U1 (EP) to 85, which will be your new "max" volume. U2 gets set to 70, L gets set to 60 because again, we're making everything quieter relative to that new "max volume".
4. (Optional) If you're using the built-in accompaniment features, use the Function menu to lower the Accomp Volume, Song Volume and/or Metronome volume to match the new lower volume level of the keyboard tones. You can adjust these volume levels at any point using the onboard controls, so I would recommend getting the keyboard tones all balanced correctly first (using RBK Mixer) and then adjusting the accomp/song volume afterwards on the CT-X itself.
5. Once you've made all the internal sounds quieter (but with a satisfactory balance), use the volume controls on your external amplifier/mixer/audio interface to boost the output signal of the CT-X externally. You're starting with a quieter signal so you may need to apply more gain/master volume than you normally would, but this should help you push the master volume level without introducing distortion or clipping.
6. Select an EQ preset in the function list and make more adjustments to the volume/gain on the external amp/mixer/audio interface to suit the newly selected EQ.
7. Save a Registration with the new volume levels (both the keyboard tone volume levels you changed in RBK Mixer and the accomp/song volume levels you changed on the CT-X itself) and make a note of where the knobs are positioned on the external amp/mixer/audio interface.

 

Quote

in your video you were able to quickly recall Registration bank patches ; can you explain that? i have to through function - bank - scroll and it’s not able to so in real time

 

Could you point out which video you're talking about and what point (timestamp) the registration switches are occurring? Happy to give more details, it's just that there's a lot of Registration switching/recalling in the videos so it's hard to narrow down what you're referring to.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Chandler Holloway

[Fábio Pavan]

My first banks made with RBK Mixer are ready: 

 

[Qw Erty]

Hey Evereyone, 

I have generated rbk files from my ctx 870in for testing. 

There are three files that can be downloaded from the link below

1st file : All registrations are stage piano layered with mellow strings

2nd file : Different intruments layered and splited with different instruments

3rd file : Different indian instruments layered and splitted with various other instruments.

 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11-OhpSpeH7YnEYiTC2v1k9BC2RO8NqxR?usp=sharing

[Chandler Holloway]

22 hours ago, Qw Erty said:

Hey Evereyone, 

I have generated rbk files from my ctx 870in for testing. 

There are three files that can be downloaded from the link below

1st file : All registrations are stage piano layered with mellow strings

2nd file : Different intruments layered and splited with different instruments

3rd file : Different indian instruments layered and splitted with various other instruments.

 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11-OhpSpeH7YnEYiTC2v1k9BC2RO8NqxR?usp=sharing

 

@mrmr9494 could you take a look at these? Thanks to Qw Erty's help, Miguel and I discovered that the current version of RBK Mixer is actually incompatible with the CT-X870IN. It can import the files just fine, but we get an error upon export (it won't actually modify the file in the output location, even if it's the same name. If he renames, it doesn't show up in the output at all).

 

I just assumed it would work with no problem because the CT-X700/X870/X870IN are all cross-compatible in terms of importing each other's registrations. Qw has been able to make it work in the interim by simply editing a CT-X700 file to apply volume balance changes, then recalling it and resaving it with the tones he actually wants to use on his X870IN.

 

If there are any updates that you need to make to the underlying library, be sure to let Miguel know so he can roll it in to the next update. I'm also hoping I can score some CDP-S360 RBK files for your inspection soon, there's one on display in a store very close to me.

[mrmr9494]

@Chandler Holloway, that is good input from Qw Erty, very useful to have community members provide feedback for all the variant keyboards. I've sent a change across to Miguel as a "pull request" so it should be available soon in the next update.

[Chandler Holloway]

Thanks for the help as always @mrmr9494. Congrats on the recent developments with tone tyrant by the way, looks like it's coming along nicely.

 

Tauri has a 1.0 stable release out, and so RBK Mixer is gearing up for a proper v1.0 update to follow suit. I also recently gained access to a CDP-S360 to grab an RBK file from, I've attached it below with the usual accompanying table of values if you wouldn't mind giving it a look over. If you find anything interesting in there feel free to make another pull request, would be nice to roll S360 compatibility into the next update if possible. The one new parameter to pay attention to would be "Keyboard Volume"; this is 0-127 adjustable setting in the function list that simply raises or lowers the volume of all three keyboard voices (not independently, all three share the same volume level).

 

Still trying to figure out a way to grab some CT-S400 RBK files, that would be that last model I want to add support for before I consider "phase 1" of RBK Mixer complete. I also have another demo video with a fun semi-related bonus expansion pack in the works.

 

One thing I was wondering about for a potential "phase 2" feature -- I see in your documentation of the RBK format that each specific Registration bank in an RBK file has its own unique Name parameter. While I assume it's impossible to actually get the CT-X to display this registration slot name (hence the need for my named registration workaround with Rhythm names), I'm curious as to whether editing this name field and then importing it to the keyboard will keep the name intact if that registration is exported back out as part of a different RBK file (or if the name is preserved at all once the CT-X loads it into the internal memory).

 

Eliminating the need to use the transfer software or a flash drive is already a big priority, so we want to at least include built-in file transferring (if not just clicking to send/receive bank slot values). If each registration slot could be named and those slot names could be preserved, it would be slightly more useful to build librarian features into RBK Mixer. Displaying name values from each slot in all 8 banks stored in the internal memory would make it a lot easier to see what you're doing when you're clearing out space or re-organizing registrations for a performance... although perhaps I'm overestimating the amount of CT-X700/CDP-S350 users who would make serious use of the librarian features.

CDP-S360 Test Bank.RBK CDP-S360 Registration Testing Info.docx

[mrmr9494]

@Chandler Holloway, there are so many new models coming out I wasn't even aware of the CDP-S360. Based on your example files there seems to be very little difference at all from the CDP-S350, in fact I'd guess that the registration bank files can probably be interchanged between the two. The one difference, as you say, is the "Keyboard volume" parameter, which I assume doesn't need to be touched for our purposes?

 

That said, I've updated the Casio-registrations library to recognise the new model name. Miguel will get it with the pending "pull request".

 

Just to check that the per-part volume/pan still work on this model I've uploaded here a bank to load into a CDP-S360 (or CDP-S350!) to check. If you no longer have the keyboard available to do that check then no problem -- I'm sure it's fine, this is just a confirmation. The banks are all piano/string combination with:

Reg slot 1: Very quiet piano

Reg slot 2: Very quiet strings

Reg slot 3: Piano panned left

Reg slot 4: Piano panned right

 

If all those work, it shows that the mixer functions are supported.

 

Finally, the Name parameters in the Registrations do nothing for me. The CT-X3000 just restores the default names when re-saving the bank, discarding what was loaded in. I guess that the names have no meaning to it (they're not displayed anywhere!) so it just ignores them. 

 

 

CDP-S360 Confirmation Bank.RBK

[Chandler Holloway]

Sounds good, thanks as always Mike! Hopefully I can get ahold of some CT-S400 RBKs soon, that one has a few more unique features so it should be a more interesting file to decode.

 

I will always have access to a CDP-S350 at home, and the CDP-S360 is accessible to me whenever I'm at work. I'll bring a flash drive with me tomorrow to test and will report back the results.

 

That's a shame about the names, but I appreciate you checking. The named registration workaround will probably suffice well enough for most CT-X power users, although having proper labels for each individual Registration built into RBK Mixer sure would have been nice. Even so, "realtime-ish" editing within RBK Mixer (i.e. values won't update immediately, but you can click a button to send current values to a bank in internal memory a la Tone Tyrant) should be a substantial upgrade on its own. Miguel and I are already brainstorming a few ways we could implement that, I'll keep you posted if anything comes up that we might need help with.

 

 

[Chandler Holloway]

@mrmr9494 can confirm, the modified bank applies all the values as you said it would. Another job well done and another supported model to add to the list, thanks a bunch Mike!

[Francisco Ruiz]

I would love to have an RBK file for my CDP-S350 that would help with the eternal problem of balancing volumes for the U1 and U2 layers, and maybe the L1 layer as well. For instance:

Bank 1:

1. All layers at 100%

2. U1 full, U2 at 75%

3. U1 full, U2 at 50%

4. U1 full. U2 at 25%

Bank 2:

1. U1 full, L1 75%

2. U1 full, L1 50%

3. U1 75%, L1 full

4. U1 50%, L1 full

And so on...

Can someone post a file like this? Somehow RBK mixer is not working well on my Mac. Thanks!

Edited June 29, 2022 by Francisco Ruiz

[Chandler Holloway]

 

On 6/29/2022 at 2:15 PM, Francisco Ruiz said:

I would love to have an RBK file for my CDP-S350 that would help with the eternal problem of balancing volumes for the U1 and U2 layers, and maybe the L1 layer as well. For instance:

Bank 1:

1. All layers at 100%

2. U1 full, U2 at 75%

3. U1 full, U2 at 50%

4. U1 full. U2 at 25%

Bank 2:

1. U1 full, L1 75%

2. U1 full, L1 50%

3. U1 75%, L1 full

4. U1 50%, L1 full

And so on...

Can someone post a file like this? Somehow RBK mixer is not working well on my Mac. Thanks!

 

Hi Francisco, I'll put something together for you this weekend. Although I would say that 25% is very very very subtle from my testing. Below volume = 60-ish out of 127 it gets really hard to notice anything (until you're completely muted, of course). I'll do full, 75% and 50% and if you really need something quieter I can put lower values in.

 

Could you elaborate on the errors you're having on Mac with RBK Mixer? What OS version are you running? Testing feedback is very useful to us, please be descriptive and post screenshots if possible.

[Francisco Ruiz]

Thanks, Chandler.

 

Actually, I got RBK Mixer to run on my Mac (OS Monterey). I was starting without loading a file first, so nothing worked. When I loaded a .rbk file saved from the keyboard, then everything worked as intended. It was easy to create the files I requested, which I am going to post next in the Files area. I made one file for U1 + U2, with everything at default except for the relative volumes, and one for U1 + L under the same assumptions. I also lowered the accompaniment volume, which is too loud for my taste.

 

There are some very loud string patches in the CDP-S350 that can benefit from a 25% setting, like the one called, precisely, "Strings". Especially if combined with a fairly soft 1st layer, like the 2nd Electric Piano.

 

I managed to find the File upload area, and here are the links:

 

Layer control registrations:

Split control registrations:

 

Edited July 1, 2022 by Francisco Ruiz

[miker]

Hi Chandler, 

I'm new to this topic and honestly a novice. I was referred to your post by Casio representative after I complained about lack of layer volume control in Casio CDP-S350. According to him it was quick and easy, just follow these video's links. I've watched all your video's on You Tube in regard to CDP-S350. I've downloaded your RBK mixer to my PC, I've created MUSICDAT folder in flash drive, I've mounted flash drive on my CDP-S350  and I'm stuck....I cant figure out how to find out RBK file (let's say piano and strings) stored in my registration bank 1 , then transfer this file to flash drive, open this file in RBK mixer , modify this file, safe to flash drive again, and load to my CDP-S350 registration bank. Can please advice on detailed step by step procedure related to CDP-S350 only?  Thank you and sorry if I miss something watching your videos.

 

Sal (CASIO AMERICA, INC.)

Aug 23, 2022, 11:20 EDT

Mike,
 
Thank you for contacting Casio America. Unfortunately, the CDP-S350 does not include a setting for the user to adjust layer balance.
 
However, I recommend that you refer to the following post from Casio Music Forums:
 
https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/topic/21001-rbk-mixer-hub-thread-layer-split-volume-balance-fix-for-ct-x700-x800-x870in-and-cdp-s350/
 
A user there has created a piece of software called RBK Mixer, which you may be able to use to accomplish what you need. I hope that this is helpful to you.
 
We hope that we were able to assist you with your question, and again thank you for contacting Casio America. As a reminder we can also be reached at 1-800-435-7732 option 6.
 

Sal

CASIO AMERICA, INC.

570 Mt. Pleasant Avenue Dover, NJ 07801
www.casio.com

[Brad Saucier]

In regards to operations on your digital piano, you'll want to refer to your user manual, section titled "USB flash drive operations", subsection "to save digital piano data to a USB flash drive" and the following section "to load USB data...."

[miker]

Hi Brad, 

USB flash drive operation in CDP-S350 was explained by Chandler in one of his videos, and is easy to understand. My question was how to identify file already stored in registration bank 1 (RBK file) and transfer this file only to flash drive. His videos show how to transfer ALL Data. Do I need to transfer All Data to modify 1 registration bank?

[Chandler Holloway]

1 hour ago, miker said:

His videos show how to transfer ALL Data. Do I need to transfer All Data to modify 1 registration bank?

Sounds like you're close but you're just not finding the right item to export.

 

Choose "RegMemBank" after navigating to Media -> Save. Then choose the bank you want to export (Bank 1 in this case), choose a name (if desired, I find it easier to rename the file on my PC) then press STORE and ENTER to export the file. Should show up in your flash drive's MusicDat folder as an RBK file afterwards.

 

 

 

[Unseeable871]

I tried to download the rbk mixer, but it was blocked. Is there any alternative?

[Chandler Holloway]

On 3/11/2023 at 10:59 AM, Unseeable871 said:

I tried to download the rbk mixer, but it was blocked. Is there any alternative?

What operating system are you on (Windows or Mac)? Did your browser block it before you could download the latest version from GitHub, or did your computer block the program once you tried to install it?

 

You can send some screenshots along if that helps you describe it. On Windows, you may be asked to provide file modifying permissions, but I haven’t seen any antivirus software block it from being used unless you’ve got some weird settings going on.

[WarrenF]

Hi Chandler, 

I have the CDP S360. I was able to download the rbk mixer on my Windows 11. Created the MUSICDAT folder for my USB. On the keyboard I just set up a simple stage piano with a split using acoustic bass. I'm trying to boost the bass with relation to the piano. I exported that to the USB and imported into your software. It apparently took because the instrument names showed up on the U1 and lower volume control. I left the bass all the way up  and turned down the piano to very low, 20, just for test purposes. I then imported into the cdp s360 and the registration changed to reflect these two instruments. But the volume didn't change. So it seems like I've done the process correctly, but why didn't the volume change? I was looking for a "save" button on your mixer but don't see one. But apparently the volume changes I've made are not being stored. Do I need to change the export file name or something like that? 

thanks, 

Warren

[Chandler Holloway]

On 3/30/2023 at 12:55 PM, WarrenF said:

Hi Chandler, 

I have the CDP S360. I was able to download the rbk mixer on my Windows 11. Created the MUSICDAT folder for my USB. On the keyboard I just set up a simple stage piano with a split using acoustic bass. I'm trying to boost the bass with relation to the piano. I exported that to the USB and imported into your software. It apparently took because the instrument names showed up on the U1 and lower volume control. I left the bass all the way up  and turned down the piano to very low, 20, just for test purposes. I then imported into the cdp s360 and the registration changed to reflect these two instruments. But the volume didn't change. So it seems like I've done the process correctly, but why didn't the volume change? I was looking for a "save" button on your mixer but don't see one. But apparently the volume changes I've made are not being stored. Do I need to change the export file name or something like that? 

thanks, 

Warren

 

Hi Warren,

 

Did you make sure to export the file from the software, give it a distinct name, and double check that you're loading the newly exported file into the S360? Exporting is shown briefly in the start-up guide video at 6:07 if that helps. If the values are all showing back at their default level of 127 when you bring them back into the software, it probably means you're looking at the original RBK, which would indicate you didn't export the edited one with your custom volume balance.

 

As a side note, I would change the early part of the name of the .RBK file when exporting, the CDP-S360 display can only show eight characters of text at a time, so it can be easy to mix up RBK files during import if the only difference in the name is at the end of the file (e.g. "RegBankA" and "RegBankA v2" would look identical on the keyboard because only the first eight characters are actually shown in the CDP's media menu).

 

If you double check the export and the updated name and it still doesn't work, attach your RBK file in a response in this thread and I'll take a look. Might be able to see what's going on with it.