SYNTH ZONE
Visit The Bar For Casual Discussion
Topic Options
#43763 - 08/30/03 04:21 PM Song Files?
larry gosmeyer Offline
Member

Registered: 01/23/02
Posts: 394
Loc: La Verne, CA USA
I seem to remember seeing info on one of our postings that said you can go to a certain "site" and get an explanation as to what each file extension is used for on the KN3000, through the KN7000 keyboards.

Can anybody give me the site to use for this purpose?

Thanks a million.

Larry

Top
#43764 - 08/30/03 04:31 PM Re: Song Files?
Bill Norrie Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 2330
Loc: North Yorkshire UK
Hi Larry,
The list was originally compiled by our good and learned friend Alec. (technicsplayer)

I'm sure he won't mind if I 'Publish' it on this Forum.

Willum

KN Series File Data

KN800 (1989)

cmp - Composer file consisting of 8 patterns only, no intros, fills or endings. Bass, Drum and 3 Accomp tracks of limited polyphony (Accomp 3 would drop out at polyphony limit).
lsw - Panel Memory, only 8.
seq - Sequencer Song file, 1 song.
tm - Sound Memory, 24 edited sounds.

This machine had an optional memory card and optional plug-in floppy disk drive.

KN1000 (1991)

cmp - Composer file consisting of 10 patterns, 1 intro, 1 ending, 2 fills. Bass, Drum, and 3 Accomp tracks where Accomp 2 and 3 now had greater programming polyphony.
lsw - Panel Memory, still only 8.
seq - Sequencer Song file, 1 song.
sqf - Sequencer set up conditions (sequencer reset).
tm - Sound Memory, now 30 edited sounds.

Floppy disk drive now more commonplace and often sold with the machine.
Could load 800 files.


KN2000 (1993)

cmp - Composer now 2 banks of 6 patterns, 1 intro, 1 ending, 2 fills available for each bank. 5 part accompaniment, Bass, Drum & 3 Accomp parts with no polyphony problems now.
lsw - Panel Memory, now 24, 3 banks of 8 each.
seq - Sequencer Song file, 1 song.
sqf - Sequencer set up conditions (sequencer reset).
tm - Sound Memory, now 36 edited sounds.

Disk drive now built in as standard. Could load 1000 files.
Also KN1200 and module version AC1200 in 1994. Both of these machines had the same files as the 2000, but with different file identifiers in the code.
They had a mode to save files as KN2000 files rather than 1200 files, and this enabled 1200 files to be loaded into the KN2000.

Up until this time, all the floppy drives had been DD drives using 720K disks.
This led to problems if you used HD disks and formatted them as DD in the machine, and then wanted to load them into later machines like the 3000.
Covering the disk type hole (not the write-protection hole) often allowed reading in these circumstances.




KN3000 (1995)

cmp - Composer now 3 banks of 4 patterns each, 2 intro, 2 ending, 2 fills for each bank. 5 part accompaniment. Bass, Drums & 3 Accomp. Also Composer Chord Map allowing different patterns for major, minor, seventh and diminished chords.
lsw - Panel Memory, 24, 3 banks of 8 each.
msp - Manual Sequence Pads, 9 pads, 3 banks of 3 now with phrase programming.
seq - Sequencer Song file, now 10 songs at once.
sqf - Sequencer set up conditions (sequencer reset) for 10 songs.
tm - Sound Memory, now 40 edited sounds.

HD floppy drive, and hard disk option, sold as 3500 in some markets. Could load 2000 files.
KN1500/920 in 1996. These keyboards would load 3000 format files, but the 3000 would not load 1500/920 files without first changing the code identifiers in the hex.

KN5000 (1997)

cmp - Composer, same contents as KN3000. Composer Chord Map dropped, also no more Dynamic Accompaniment on presets.
lsw - new Current Panel memory file.
msp - Manual Sequence Pads, 12 pads - 2 banks of 6.
pmt - new Panel Memory file consisting of 10 banks of 8 memories each. Approx 76k if 10 banks saved, 7k8 if only 1 bank saved.
sqt - new Sequencer file for 10 songs and setups.
tm - Sound Memory, same contents as 3000.
rcm - new Custom Rhythm section of 20 sets of composer patterns in flash memory.
md - new midi user file, 3 setups in flash memory.

Hard disk option with pc backup link available.
Could load 2000 and 3000 files, also 1500 and 920. Also Style Conversion now available.
KN1600/1400/930 in 1998. 930 basically the same as the 920, but 1600/1400 incorporated features of the 5000 files, although obviously more limited (fewer Panel Memories, no Custom etc).


By now the file sizes were getting so large that the number of saves on even a 1.4MB floppy were limited.
Therefore it became important to selectively save and leave out files not needed in the save, in order to save space to fit more files on the floppy.
A useful trick if saving single songs on the 3000, was to save twice, once as an 'all' file, and once sequencer only.
Then delete the 'all' sequencer files, and substitute the sequencer only save files on the pc, re-numbering to suit.
The 'all' files were now much smaller, enabling 15 or 17 files on floppy, rather than the normal 9 or 11.




KN6000 (1999)

cmp - Composer, 3 banks of 4 variations, 4 intros, 4 endings and 8 fills each. Now 8 Part - 2 Drums, Bass and 5 Accompaniment.
efc - new Effect Memory file with 50 DSPs.
lsw - Current Panel memory.
msp - Performance Pad files. Now 18 pads, 3 banks of 6 each, pads now 2 track with ability to control auto chord as well as follow.
pmt - Panel Memory file of 13 banks of 8 memories each. Approx 9k6 if 13 banks saved, 2k6 if only 3 banks saved.
sqt - Sequencer file, 10 songs and setups as per 5000.
tm - Sound Memory, 40 sounds and drum kit now with full edit suite.
ast - Custom Style section in flash memory. Now 20 complete styles, each style with 20 composer patterns, 4 registrations , 6 performance pads, and any edited sounds, drums, effects etc. needed.
fav - 4 Favorites Pages of individually programmable menu functions in flash memory.
hmp - the individually programmable Home Page in flash memory.
md - 3 User Midi setups in flash memory.
cst - a single Custom Style in flash memory. 20 composer patterns, 4 registrations, 6 pads etc.

Two hard disk options available, professional sx6 and domestic sx3.
2 programmable stereo send and returns and clearer karaoke display with technics lyrics on the sx6. PC backup and programming link promised for sx6.
Can load 2000, 3000, 5000, 1600 and 1400 files. Style Converter as per 5000.




KN6500 (2001)

All information same as KN6000.

The 6500/6000 has compression on all these files so loading is much faster than 5000 or 3000.
20 normal files can easily be accomodated on a HD floppy with plenty of room to spare, for instance another 80 or 90 single custom styles, which load in 1 second each, can be saved too.
More than 120 single customs can be accomodated on a blank HD floppy.
The 4 pages of programmable menu shortcuts and the programmable home page take little space, so it is easy to load different versions of these with different files, eg a home page with information for song playback loaded with songs, and a home page with information for pattern & registration loaded with these files.

Song saves have always had password protection available, it is possible to remove pre 6000 passwords.
_________________________
Willum

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is Music.
Aldous Huxley
( especially when the music is played on a KN7000....)

Top
#43765 - 08/30/03 11:11 PM Re: Song Files?
Gunnar Jonny Online   content
Senior Member

Registered: 04/01/01
Posts: 4333
Loc: Norway
You can find this info on the "Technical pages"
at my website too, in "Alec Pagida's Corner"
GJ
_________________________
Cheers 🥂
GJ
_______________________________________________
"Success is not counted by how high you have climbed
but by how many you brought with you." (Wil Rose)

Top
#43766 - 08/31/03 02:32 AM Re: Song Files?
Bill Norrie Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 2330
Loc: North Yorkshire UK
Hi Gunnar,
Thanks for reminding us all. I knew I had seen the data somewhere but I couldn't remember where either However, I knew I had downloaded it to my PC.
Hope you and yours are keeping well


------------------
Willum
_________________________
Willum

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is Music.
Aldous Huxley
( especially when the music is played on a KN7000....)

Top
#43767 - 08/31/03 06:55 AM Re: Song Files?
larry gosmeyer Offline
Member

Registered: 01/23/02
Posts: 394
Loc: La Verne, CA USA
Thanks all for the info.

I assume the KN7000 is the same as the KN6000 with the addition of one file.

Thanks again,

Larry

[This message has been edited by larry gosmeyer (edited 08-31-2003).]

Top

Moderator:  Admin 



Help keep Synth Zone Online