Technics Software Installation for Windows XP

This explanation is not intended to replace the procedure outlined in the Installation Leaflet, supplied with the KN7000 / KN2600 and other Technics Keyboards, fitted with a USB interface - it is merely complimentary to the leaflet. Much of the information is simply a repetition of  that contained in the leaflet, but it will be useful if the user has lost or misplaced the original leaflet.

It is very important that the Driver installation procedure is followed exactly, if trouble free operation is to be achieved.

As mentioned in the leaflet, there may be problems associated with some computer USB systems, particularly if the keyboard is routed through a USB hub expansion device. Because of the possibility of problems associated with other devices on the USB, it is suggested that during the installation procedure, the keyboard is connected directly to the USB and any other devices are removed temporarily. Once satisfactory communication has been achieved, between the keyboard and computer, then other devices may be introduced and overall system compatibility checked.

The USB cable used to connect the keyboard to the computer should not be longer than 5 metres.

USB Driver Installation.

The following applies to a computer which has Windows XP installed as its operating system.
It is recommended that any applications which are running on the computer, including Anti Virus programs, are closed,  before installing the USB drivers.

1. Insert the 'Applications and Drivers' CD in the CD drive - the program should Auto start and display the initial screen.
If the application does not start automatically, double click on 'My Computer' and in the My Computer Window, under 'Devices with Removable Storage', double click on the CD Drive. This will open a Windows Explorer type window, showing the files on the CD. Navigate to the file named 'index.html' and double click on this file. After a short delay, the initial screen should appear.

2. Observe the 'CAUTION' instruction at the top of the screen........

3. Click on the ' 1. Device Drivers Installation' text - a second screen will appear.  It is advisable to read the informative text on this screen. Note that the screen is split into an upper and lower portion.

4. In the lower portion of the screen, there are Four Icons - Double click on the 'setup.exe' Icon - a small window will appear in the middle of the screen. ( Install USB Driver )

5. Click on 'YES' - a 'warning' screen will appear, informing you that the driver software has not 'Passed Windows Logo Testing'. This does not necessarily mean that the driver will not work - click on 'Continue Anyway'. After a short delay, the drivers will be installed and another small window will appear indicating 'SETUP COMPLETED'.

6. Click on 'OK' and close the Device Drivers Installation window.  Do not remove the CD from the drive at this stage..........

7. Connect the USB cable to the computer and the keyboard and switch on the keyboard.

8. After a short delay, a number of small information windows will appear at the bottom right of the computer screen, indicating that the computer has found new hardware and is installing the appropriate drivers. The final window will indicate that the Hardware has been successfully installed and is ready to use. However, this may not be quite true as far as Windows XP is concerned...............

The following procedures may seem a little involved for users who are not familiar with the more complex operations of the Windows operating system. However, if the steps are followed carefully a successful outcome should be achieved.

9. Click on the Start button at the lower left of the screen, move the mouse pointer to 'Settings' and across to highlight 'Control Panel'.

10. Left click on 'Control Panel' and when the control panel window opens, double click on 'Sounds and Audio Devices'

11. Along the top of the window, there are Five tabs ( Volume, Sounds, Audio, Voice, Hardware ) - Click on the 'Hardware' Tab

12. In the 'Sound and Audio Devices Properties' window, scroll down through the list of devices and look for a device called 'Panasonic USB MIDI'. If this device appears in the list, then no further is required - the driver installation is complete and all windows can be closed.

13. If the 'Panasonic USB MIDI' device is not present in the list, then the following actions should be carried out.

14. At the bottom of the list, there should be two entries called 'USB Audio Device'. Click on the LAST entry to highlight it and then click on the 'Properties' button. Along the top of the next window, there will be Three tabs - click on the 'Driver' tab.

15. In the Driver Tab window, click on the 'Update Driver' button - The 'Hardware Update Wizard' window should open.

16. At the bottom of the window, click on the small circle to the left of 'Install from a list or specific location (Advanced) and then click on 'Next'

17. In the next window, near the bottom, click on the small circle to the left of the text - 'Don't search. I will choose the driver to install.' then click on 'Next'.

18. In the next window, under the 'Model' heading, you should see two devices - 'USB Audio Device' and 'Panasonic USB MIDI'. Click on 'Panasonic USB MIDI' to highlight it and then click on 'Next'. Another message stating that the driver software has not 'Passed Windows Logo Testing' will appear - click on 'Continue Anyway'.

19. The final part of the driver installation will then proceed and after a short delay, a message 'Completing the Hardware Update Wizard' and 'The wizard has finished installing the software for  Panasonic USB MIDI'.

20. Click on 'Finish', close all open windows, switch off your keyboard power, remove the CD from the drive and re-start the computer.

Application Programs Installation.

1. When the computer has re-started, insert the 'Applications and Drivers' CD in the computer drive - the program should Auto start and display the initial screen. If the application does not start automatically, carry out the procedure described in paragraph 1. of the USB Driver Installation.

2. When the Initial screen appears, click on ' 2. Applications Installation' text - a second screen will appear. In the lower portion of the screen, there are Six Icons - Double click on the 'INSTALL.exe' Icon - The initial section of the installation process will start.

3. After a short delay, a window will appear 'Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard for Technics SongManager and AudioRecorder.....'

4. Click on 'Next' and then accept the License Agreement.

5. Accept the suggested 'Destination Folder' unless you particularly wish to install the software elsewhere.

6. Click on 'Next' and in the following window click on 'Install'.

7. Wait until the program indicates 'InstalShield Wizard Completed' and then click on the 'Finish' button.

8. Close the 'Applications Installation' window and you should see two new Icons on your desktop display - 'Audio Recorder' and 'Song Manager'

Checking out the Installation.

Some simple checks can be carried out to confirm that there is correct communication between the keyboard and the computer.

Recording Test

1. Switch on the keyboard power and look in the System Tray at the bottom Right corner of the computer screen. After a few seconds, there should appear, an additional small Icon, which looks like a small box with a green arrow at it's top edge. Move the mouse pointer over the Icon and you should see a pop-up message 'Safely Remove Hardware'. This Icon, when present, indicates that the computer has recognised a device which is connected to the USB port. 
Refer to the paragraph, 'A Word of Caution' at the end of this text........

2. Double click on the 'Audio Recorder' Icon on the Desktop and a small representation of a Cassette tape recorder will appear with simulated controls for 'Record, Stop, Playback, Rewind to Start, Fast Rewind and Fast Forward. 

3. Set up your keyboard with a suitable style and voices to carry out a simple recording test.

4. Click on the Record button on the recorder (  Red Dot ) and the recording process will start
( simulated tape spools will turn and the buttons change colour)

5. Start playing a song/tune on the keyboard and you should see the vertical 'Volume Bars' responding to the digital audio input from the keyboard. The timer in the middle of the recorder will also increment, showing the elapsed time for the recording.

6. When you have finished your test recording, click on the Stop button ( Red Square ) 

7. To playback the recording, click on the Play button ( Triangle 3rd from Left ) and the recorder should play back through the sound system on your keyboard.

8. The recording can then be saved, if you wish, by clicking on the Floppy disc Icon in the recorder's toolbar and choosing a location for the file. The file can be saved in one of three formats : .WAV, .WMA, or .MP3 by choosing the appropriate option in the 'Save as type' dialog of the file saving window. When the test is complete, close the recorder window.

File Transfer Test

For data transfers to take place between the keyboard and computer, the keyboard must be displaying the 'Home Screen' i.e. the screen which appears when the keyboard is first switched on. 

1. Double click the 'Song Manager' Icon on the computer desktop - the Song Manager window will open. Apart from the Menu items at the top of the window, the window is split into three basic sections : The KNxxxx section at the top, the Technics file section on the left and the SMF section on the right. 

2. For the purposes of this test, click on the small yellow Folder Icon in the top right corner of the Technics section of the window and in the 'Browse for Folder' dropdown window, click on 'Desktop' at the top of the list and then click on the 'OK' button.

3. Assuming the keyboard is still switched on,  click on the 'Transmission' Option in the top Menu and then click on 'Download Technics'

4. A new window will appear ' Technics Song Naming' comprising several boxes - the top left box being highlighted. 

5. Move the mouse pointer into the highlighted box, ( 01 ), left click once and enter a filename - for example,  Test

6. Click on the 'OK' button and  when 'Transmission may take some time.....' appears, click 'OK' again. 

7. You should then see a 'Data Transmission' progress screen and the display on the keyboard will change to display a warning message. ( Heed the Warning! )

8. When the transmission has finished, a 'Completed' message will appear on the computer screen and the keyboard screen will revert to the Home Page. You will also see a file Icon appear in the 'Technics' area of the window.

9. The above test has transferred the present setup on your keyboard to a set of files on your desktop, under the name '01TEST'. You should be able to see the components of the file on your desktop ( 01TEST.LSW : 01TEST.PMT : 01 TEST.SQT ...... ) This is the same format as files saved to the SD card or Floppy disc. 
The particular transfer which has just been carried out was a 'Performance' transfer, but individual components of the file can be deselected from the transfer by clicking on the 'Option' button in the 'Technics Song Naming' window, before initiating the actual transfer.

10. If  you wish to check the transfer of a file from the computer back to the keyboard, then carry out the following steps. The process will just send back to the keyboard, the setup file which we previously transferred - i.e. the file '01TEST'. 
To prove that the transfer has been successful, carry out an initialisation of your keyboard. For the KN7000 - Program Menus / Control /  Initial / Performance / OK / YES. I expect other keyboards will have a similar procedure.

11. Assuming the Song manager window is still visible and the file '01TEST' is still in the 'Technics' area of the window.............

12. Left click and drag the '01TEST' Icon from the 'Technics' area to the upper area of the window ( KNxxxx and a picture of a keyboard )  As you drag the Icon into the top area, you should see the cursor change from a circle with a diagonal line to two small squares -one dotted and the other with a plus sign inside. When this latter cursor appears, you can release the mouse button.

13. The 'Technics Load' window will then appear - click on OK and the transfer will begin. You should again see a 'Data Transmission' progress screen and the display on the keyboard will change to display a warning message.

14. When the transmission has finished, a 'Completed' message will appear on the computer screen and the keyboard screen will revert to the Home Page. Your keyboard should now be setup as it was,  before you re-initialised.

15. When the test have been completed, you can easily delete the '01TEST' file from the 'Technics' area and also all the components on your desktop.

16. Right click on the '01TEST' Icon and on the pop-up menu, click on 'Delete File' and then confirm 'YES'. The file and all it's components on the desktop will be deleted. Note : They will not be sent to the Recycle Bin.......

Close the Song Manager program. 

A word of caution 

 To ensure an orderly process and avoid possible computer 'hang-ups', when you wish to switch off your keyboard, you should always follow this procedure.
1. Click on the 'Safely Remove Hardware' Icon in the System Tray ( Bottom Right Corner of the computer screen ) 

2. In the window which appears, click on 'Panasonic USB MIDI' to highlight it and then click on the 'Stop' button.

3. Confirm the device in the next window and then click on 'OK'. A small pop-up window will appear in the lower right area of the computer screen, indicating that it is now safe to turn off or disconnect your keyboard.

I have on occasions, forgotten to carry out this procedure and when switching on my keyboard at a later date, everything appeared to be working OK. However, Microsoft have provided the facility so why not use it ???    The computer I use with my KN7000 is dedicated to that purpose and does not have any other USB devices connected. It is possible, if other devices such as printers, scanners, modems etc. are connected to the computer's USB ports, when the keyboard is turned off, problems may arise, if the 'Safely Remove Hardware' facility is not used.