I have lots of software for my EA-5 organ that I would like to convert to use in my KN 6000. I know there is a program (Hex Editor?)to convert KN2000 to EA/GA that works.
Alec, you probably have the answer.

Fran in Florida

open notepad on your computer, set to 'all files' rather than just text and load a composer file from your EA5 and tell me what the first 4 characters are.

Alec and Fran, I still have some of the old files that I used with my EA5. But, I believe all of them were designated for the GA series organs. This is what I see at the beginning of the composer files that I have.

G A ZZZ

For whatever reason, the forum entries don't allow multiple spaces. The above should be G space A then about five or six spaces then the ZZZ's. The copy and paste didn't work quite right.

Alec,

G A (8spaces) ZZZ

This is similar to the program I have for converting KN 2000 to GA.

Fran in Florida

in that case change the G to F and the A to K, being sure not to change anything else. If the composer format of the EA was the same (6 patterns, 1 intro and ending etc) it will load into the 6500.

You can do the same sucessfully with panel memories and sounds etc provided that the same number of memories and menus of editing features are in both products.

You may need a proper hex editor, I've never tried it in notepad and suspect it may not work depending on your windows variables.

Alec,

Tried changing the letters but get "Different product message".

I have an older Hex Editor (Hexpert, Win 32).
Tried changing just the letters in the composer file and had the same results.

I hope I do not have to learn computer programing to convert these files.

Fran in Florida

the original composer would need to be 2 x 6 patterns each with 1 intro and ending etc to match up to kn2000 spec. Also if the maximum no of measures allowed in each pattern was different the information will be in the wrong place.

this works with machines of the same generation, using similar internal chips and architecture, you need to be sure the 2000 is the correct nearest equivalent to try, it can be a process of trial and error with no guaranteed results because the formats were never designed to be crossed over like this. However in the past when I collected every pattern from every machine the majority could be converted to some form of usefulness.

Alec,

Have been told that the EA/GA generation was 16 bit and the KN6000 is 32 bit and there can be no conversion. True?

I cannot imagine Tecnote starting from scratch to produce the same files for sale for the 6000.

Fran in Florida

In that case, if the kn2000 was 32 bit it may be the wrong format to convert to. If you can convert to kn1000 format you can use the style converter disk to load into the 6000, so this does not sound cut and dried to me. I have been told on several occasions in the past by various people that this was not possible when I had been happily doing it for years...

To repeat everything again, the key is whether the file formats have the information in the correct places to be able to fool the 6000 that they are a format that either it can load or, for instance EMC can load and convert, as I described above. If the ea5 composers do not have a similar structure to the 2000 composers, then 2000 is the wrong identifier to use.

I changed the G & A to F & K in some of the .cmp files that I had from the EA5. The file loaded into my KN5000 but when the style was played, the result was a lot of sustained sounds and little if any rhythm. There is an obvious mismatch in memory data locations using that approach. I was surprised that it didn't crash the KN5000 software. I tried using H & K (I think that's the KN3000)instead of the F & K and it wouldn't load. I thought that the EA5 was in the same design era as the KN3000. This is fascinating.

same generation can only be a guide. Sometimes the pianos and organs are a generation behind the keyboards in internal chips, if not in sound then in panel memory/composer/sequencer. Often only say composers load, so you must use single load and cut out panel memory and the rest etc as these may trigger the "wrong format" message. Different sub-file types may require different identifiers to work.

You need first to research the exact format of the composers etc in the EA and try to find a match in spec. If 2000 does not work, maybe 1200 or 901 might work, or you need to go back to 1000, or forward to 1500. If at the end of trying all the possibilities it still does not work, it is impossible.

It may work by loading into the next generation of organ and saving first,

you may need to change organ to a piano identifier format, and then physically save on that piano first before then converting to a keyboard format to have success loading into the keyboard,

you may need to load and save into a piano, then load and save into the next generation of piano before converting to keyboard - there are various tricks to try.

As I said the formats were never designed for this, but much can be achieved to find the backdoor loopholes if you go about it the right way.

Alec,

Managed to convert EA/GA to KN2000 but it takes a lot of work to make useable. The process was a good learning experience and in my spare time I will try again.

Many thanks for you and Bobs assistance.

cheers from across the ditch,

Fran in Florida