This may be more information than anyone cares about but here are some of my findings concerning the Technics files and compatibility.

Each file contains a header and each header has information that identifies the model.

That information (ID) for the models I’ve looked at so far (and I’ll use the ascii or letter and not HEX and _ = a space) is:

KN6000 = I_K
KN7000 = J_K
PR54 = R54
PR804 = R_H

The PR54 and KN7000 files are almost identical except for this header information and the PR804 and KN6000 are more alike.

The hard part of this is one, the order of ID is not always the same. For example sometimes it’s J_K and other times its JK_. R54 seems consistent.

Two the placement of this information is slightly different in the different models. While each file starts with the ID it also is used at other places in the beginning of the file. I’ve also found that on the PR54 model, if a song name is used it adds an additional ID at the end of it.

I have a program that successfully replaces the information in the PR54 files and allows it to load and play on the KN7000. It seemed to work fine until I added song names. Then for some reason only one of three files I sent as a test to someone loaded and played.

It would be most helpful if anyone can add to this information or has data about the file formats however, I realize that this information may be proprietary and therefore not available to the public.

I am continuing to work on this project as I have the time.

Heather

this has been done since the days of the kn800/kn1000, Heather, to obtain styles from pianos for keyboards and vice versa and as far as I can see there is nothing proprietary about it, so experiment away

Heather,

Prior to owning a 6000 I had several organs.
EA-5 the last. Converting KN 2000 styles to play in a EA/GA organs was done using a HEX Editor. Having no programming skills If I remember, we changed the ID and one letter or digit in the second line of data and were able to convert.
When I sold my EA and purchased the 6000 I tried to convert EA styles to 6000 with no luck.
Frank Bez may be able to shed some light on this subject as I belonged to the same group of Technics Organ owners (OBI) that he still does.
Searching for styles has become as much of a hobby as playing for a good many of us.

Fran in Florida

Hi Heather,
with composers, I haven't had a problem converting pr's to work on the equivalent kn7.

ie I was able to get my pr602 composer to work on a kn5, also a pr804 composer to work on a kn7.

I used to be able to get some of the other parts to work also like sounds & panel memories, but they used to require a lot more editing, and I've lost all my notes from years back. I don't think I ever managed to get a sequencer file to work, though.

If you need any more test guinea pigs, only too happy to help. My experimenting was done through trial & error ( & lots of determination) not through any computer knowledge. ( I'm pretty much computer illiterate and probably lucky I didn't wipe my poor old 3.1 windows laptop out ( haahaa)

I was told by someone it was possible, so I experimented till I got it to partially work.

If I can be of any help, let me know.

best wishes
Rikki
rikkisbears@hotmail.com
[QUOTE]Originally posted by shcox:

Hi Heather,

I have had a PR804 for about a year.

I find that almost all data/files created on the 804 can be loaded into the KN7 after replacing the instrument ID in the file header. I do the replacement by using a simple hex-editor; several of which are available free on the Internet.

Happy experimenting,

George

Hi All,

Yes, a HEX editor is easy enough to use but when converting several songs with multiple files it would be much easier to have a program do it automatically.

I'll keep working on it. I just have to find enough time.

Best Wishes
Heather

Had my PR902 before theKN7000. Have been able to load PR composer files into the KN7000.Am not able to go KN7000 to PR902. Apparently this is possible. How is it done?

Hi alikat,
I found that transferring data from the KN7 (or the PR804) into the 902 is not possible, even after changing the instrument ID in the file header.
I am not a computer expert, but after repeated unsuccessful attempts, I think that the 902 has a file structure which is incompatible with the Technics instruments produced after it. This means that if the data are at all transferable, the files would require serious computer-based alterations to make them accepted by the 902.
Please note that the above is just speculation on my part, so if anyone out there is in possession of actual facts relating to this matter, we would be most interested in hearing from you.

Regards,
George

Hi George and Alikat,

I'm not a Technics expert but I suspect that the 902 and 804 have file formats that are closer to the KN6000 since it looks to me like the format change a little with the KN7000. Do KN6000 files load on the 902 and/or the 804?

I have also found that the program I currently have will allow my PR54 files to load into the KN7000 only if I record the song using EZ-record and I do not add information. Of 3 test songs the first loaded fine and the other 2 did not and in fact they will not reload into my 54 without an error once I convert them to KN7000. The only difference in these files was that after I recorded them I went back and added Right2 parts that play at the same time as Right1 part.

What I really need is the song files for a song that was recorded on say the 6000, then the files after it was loaded and saved on a KN7000, and the files for say the 804 so I can really compare Apples to Apples and determime how these files are different.

It's so great that I can load files for the KN6000/6500/7000/PR804 on mine but I'd like to share songs as well.

This would be such an easy task for Technics and infact I'd bet their programmers already have such a tool for their own use.

Best Wishes

Heather

Hi Heather,

I no longer have access to a 902, so I cannot comment on it. However, the 804 can play back data from the following models:

PR 602/3 702/3 902/3
KN 6000/6500/7000

The following performance data is compatible:

Composer and Sequencer data
Registration data (panel and panel memory)
Sound memory data
Pads (user bank data)

The KN models' Rhythm Custom, Favorites and user MIDI cannot be loaded into the 804.

There is no "backward" compatibility from the 804 to the above listed models, although the 7000 will load most files generated on the 804 if you replace the instrument ID number in the files.

While the 804 will play back data originated on the above listed instruments, if that data contain sounds and/or patterns not native to the 804,(and if they are not loaded specifically into the Composer and Sound memories respectively) a substitution will take place and the perfomance may sound quite different from that produced on the the original instrument.

Hope all this is some help to you, and I will follow, with great interest, your efforts to diminish, or even eliminate, data incompatibility problems among the different Technics models.

Regards,
George