Im new to all this keyboard technology so i hope someone here can help me out with my problem.
I have a casio Wk-1800 and I have managed to record and save my songs that i play on it onto a floppy disk via the in built disk drive. What i would like to do is open them on my computer so that i can save them and burn them to CD. The problem is when i open up the floppy disk on my computer all the song files are in a strange format that the computer cant play. The file extension says ".CS3".
Can someone pleas tell me what i am doing rong or tell me how to convert the files so that they will open/play on my computer.Thanks.

It's been a while, but I think there is an option to save files in the SMF (midi0) format...check out your manual. If you don't have one...here is a link. http://world.casio.com/emi/download/en/manual/
If the end result you want is a 'wave' file (used to burn CD's)...get this audio recorder (free download). http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
You can play the song on your Casio, and hook up a cable from the Casio headphone jack (or speaker output jacks), to the computer's 'line in' (you will hear the Casio tones over your computer speakers...if you are set up correctly. You can even 'layer' in additional recordings...for more parts. If you record more 'tracks'...you will also hear the other track(s) as you 'play live' ...adding in new layers.
A final way to record is with midi cables, where you record your playing to the computer...using a program like this: http://www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm
This method lets you 'edit' your song...making corrections...and the finished song is in the 'midi' format...playable on any computer. You can play the midi file back to the Casio, or from the disk to the Casio...and use the computer's audio recorder (Audacity or Power Tracks) to capture the 'Casio sounds' rather than the computer soundcard sounds. You would use the 'save as' option to save the midi file as a 'midi0'...so that the Casio can recognize the song.



[This message has been edited by Jim Wintringham (edited 12-22-2004).]

I did a 'search' of the 1800 manual...and it looks like you cann't save a song as a 'midi'(SMF) file. it is a 'play only' type file. So, that leaves you to make the 'SMF (midi0)' type files...using a midi cable connection to your computer, and a computer based music program (like the PG Music's Power Tracks). The nice thing about Power Tracks (or many other sequencer programs)...is that you can record Midi and (or) audio with the one program. Then you just need the CD burner in your computer to make music disk that can be played on a regular CD player.

[This message has been edited by Jim Wintringham (edited 12-22-2004).]

Thanks for this, it should help alot.

Hi
I used to have a WK-1800. I like them very much. It's true, you can not save the wk-1800 sequence (aka song) as an SMF (either 0 1 or 2). In order to convert the sequence into standard midi, you have to run a MIDI out of the Casio to a MIDI in on a PC sequencer. Problem is, all data in all tracks will load to the one receiving track on the sequencer. Then you'll need to delete all messages in the track that originated from other tracks. This requires the pc based sequencer to have this functionality. Let me try to explain:

Lets say your songs has
Piano on part/track 1
Strings on part/track 2
Flute on part/track 3
horns on part/track 4
drums on part/track 10

The PC sequencer (all I've worked with anyway) only allow you to selecet one track on the PC to record to. Lets say you select track one in the PC to record to. Now you should probably also sync the PC sequencer to the Casio. Hit record on the PC and it should enter a wait state. Hit start on the Casio and your song plays and the midi data streams over to the PC. But data from all part/tracks on the casio will merge into track one of the PC. When the song is finished, you would have to, using the PC sequencers ability to delete selected messages, you would delete all messages from track 2, then from track 3, then from track 4 and then from track 10.

see what I mean? It's a pain in the butt. but works. That is the only way I've ever been able to convert my Casio WK-1800 sequecnce in the .cs3 format to smf.

There may be better pc sequencers out there that I've not used that might filter the incoming midi messages for the parts you don't want to record. But you still would have to replay your song for every track you used.

That's the jist of the situation. What would have been really cool if Casio or if someone would write a program to convert the .cs3 file to smf format. But that's never happened as far as I know. That trouble is why I eventually sold my wk-1800. I'll probably pick up a wk-1630 someday because I did enjoy the wk-1800 but didn't find the disk drive all that usefull because of this conversion problem.

Best wishes
Bob
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One thing to be aware of when trying to s

[This message has been edited by RW (edited 12-23-2004).]

PG Music's 'Power Tracks' will let you seperate things, under the 'edit' dropdown / extract channels to tracks. It seperates each part to the Channel the Casio assigns to the part. No pain at all http://www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm