Yes it is true that the board only allows 10 user styles. Then again my PSR740 only lets me store 3. For both I simply store the additional user styles on a floppy. I also keep a copy in my comp's hard drive in case the floppy goes bad ( or I lose it ). There is no way I know of to delete the factory internal styles of the MZ-2000.
Al M

Stevizard

Just had to thank you for your Magic keyboard Light on the Casio comment

I have not laugh so lound and long in years ..Many Thanks A.G.

Alex

The funny part is that I actually bought a Casio with Magic Keyboard Lights for my 87 year old mother. She likes them. Now if they'd only put a "Magic Hummer" in it.

Steve

I think you're on target. The following should work, until a conversion program appears for the Casio.

Record the Casio style as a SMF. You only need the measure length of the style pattern.
Save the Casio SMF to floppy. On boards like the Casio WK1800, you would have to do an intermediate step of MIDI playback/record into an external sequencer that has SMF write capability (the WK1800 won't write SMFs - aargh!)
Take the floppy with the Casio styles SMF and load it into your other brand arranger keyboard.
Make any changes to the sequence, based on your other keyboard's sequencer capabilities. Arrange track assignments for the accompaniment sounds etc. You want to match up the accompaniment parts tracks with their new counterparts in the other brands keyboard. Make a note of where the accompaniment parts go, for future transformations. You will probably also want to change the GM sound location numbers to programs in the other brand's board that are better.
Save the edited sequence as a style in the new board.

Haven't tried this yet, but if your other brand of keyboard can read SMFs, and save sequences as styles, I don't see why this wouldn't work.

- tommyde ~

The MZ-2000 won't take your accomp creations and save them as midi files either GRRRRRRRR
. I like this board but this has to be the dumbest thing going. They did so well with all of the sequencer editing capabilities and then .. they dropped the ball. Unlike the 740 and all of the other Yamaha arrangers, when you use an internal style on the MZ to record a "sequence" on it's internal sequencer, the arrangement parts that are playing do not send note data to the internal sequencer. The only data that does get sent is the actual chord changes and pattern changes that you record in real time ( and can modify in steps as well ). Of course anything you play over and above is sequenced and stored in the normal way. That means you cannot modify any of the note data produced by the auto accomp. Not only that, but you can't put the "note" data on a disk either and modify it in an external sequencer. The only thing that goes out onto the disk it whatever you played over and above the autoaccomp.. Thanks Casio...Oh sure I save a LOT of space in the internal memory, but who cares.. That's why there is a disk drive ... You have to send the auto accomp data while its actually playing out to an external seq in real time. Then, when I send any edited data back to the MZ, the settings are all different and I have to adjust the entire mixer and voices again.. It works I guess and I can still record the styles as SMFs by recording the proper amount of bars in each part. There is one other way though to get the styles out of the board. You can save the style INFO ( notes and all ) onto a disk and the MZ allows you to save it as a Casio style ( which at this time anyway is useless ) or as a Roland or Technics style. someone with something like EMC styleworks can then easily convert from Roland or Tecnics to a Yamaha style.
Al M


[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 02-09-2001).]

I stand corrected. The style conversion feature in the MZ is to convert Roland and Technics styles TO the MZ format, not the other way around. So I will not be able to convert TO Roland and Technics styles. Have to do it by the old " record the arrangements to an EXTERNAL sequencer ( see my post above ) method. The feature is a plus for me though I guess if I can obtain some good KN or Roland styles. I already have a bunch off them converted for Yamaha though, and if I convert the styles to a midi file and save that midi to disk I can still use the song to pattern creator in the MZ to reproduce those styles. Having the original Roland or Technics styles themselves would save me a lot of work though because I could avoid the conversion of a style to mid file step and avoid the song to pattern step in the MZ as well.
Al M

[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 02-10-2001).]

Casio always had a parameter Accomp Out, turn to on and your arranger can go out to midi and I think it will enable you to make a SMF.

Thanks for the reply. Yes it does. I'm well aware that I can do that and already have done so using an external sequencer . The individual track and note data is sent out to an external sequencer via this method. What I cannot do that I want to be able to do is to make the smf from the Internal sequencer. That you cannot do ( with the arrangement pieces ). In other words , unlike the PSRs, the MZ does not write the specific notes used in an arrangement to an internal midi track. Therefore, you cannot alter any of the previously recorded individual note data from each track of the arrangement. Only what you play over and above the arrangement data ( melodies, harmonies, leads etc ) will be saved in true midi fashion ( etc ) using the internal sequencer. Even if it did send the midi data thru internal channels, the internal sequencer does not have multitrack recording capabilities. Thankfully, My xg works 3 software does. But of course the Mz is not an xg board, so in the GM conversion process, after I do my note editing and return the sequence to the MZ via disk, the voices and parameters are incorrect, and I have to readjust the parameters of the entire sequence. It's very doable, but is a waste of a couple of steps and valuable time. In spite of this, overall I still prefer many things about this board compared to my 740. For building user patterns it is excellent, and the song to pattern function is great as well. Even the internal styles are growing on me.
Al M

I posted the first 5 MZ 2000 styles onto the discussion group at the Yamaha PSR styles group. They are converted to smf files . I do not have the capability to change them into PSR 4 variation styles ( I can do 2 variation conversions only ) but I'm sure someone there can . As I get time I will convert all of the MZ2000 styles to midis and post them there and eventually onto my own future website or E / Yamaha groups site so that anyone can download them and convert them. Naturally, if someone does convert all of them to PSR or other styles and sends them back to me I will post those as well.
Al M