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| Why won't the lyrics display for a Karaoke .kar file? |
| This was once a HOT topic of conversation in the CVPUG as folks were finding out that they could download Karaoke files from the internet in
.kar format and they would play fine on the CVP, but the lyrics wouldn't show up in the display. According to Yamaha, the CVP will display the
lyrics on TUNE 1000 formatted Karaoke files, which you can buy from TUNE 1000, but which can't be found on the internet (due to copyright
laws).
All manufacturers of keyboard products adhere to the Tune 1000 format, since this is THE approved standard for the Karaoke format. MIDI composers who publish their files on the internet, however, aren't following the standard. Rather, they are including the lyrics as text in the MIDI file instead of as lyrics. I took a disk with .kar files and tried to play it in a Roland, Kurzweil, Technics, Baldwin, Kawai, Korg, and others. Guess what I got? NO playback at all! These other brands of pianos wouldn't even recognize the file as a MIDI file. At least the CVP played the file properly even if it didn't show the lyrics. The problem is that the group on the web that is putting out the .kar files is using a program that does not require you to have a sequencer to place lyrics into a MIDI file. The program has the lyrics show up as "text" events and not as "lyric" events. Glenn (a member of our group) created and published the JAVA applett called KARCrusher that he designed to convert .kar files to TUNE 1000-style MIDI format. He built this for the CVPUG during the heat of our discussion, but I haven't tried it yet (I haven't had the time to figure out how to run it), but someone else may have. There's another Shareware utility called Kar2Midi that will do the conversion. I understand that it works quite well. A search of the WWW for "KarCrusher" should help you find it. Kar2Midi is available in the CVPUG Files repository. |
| How will the Guide Control help me learn to play new music? |
| The Guide Control has several modes that can help you learn to play new or difficult music. The Users Manual gives an explanation of the
several modes, so I'll just elaborate a bit and discuss how I use this wonderful feature.
First, let me mention that the internet is just full of great MIDI files. I've roughly estimated that there are well over 10,000 different files on the net that can be downloaded for free (some are better quality than others so beware). There are even search engines that are designed to help you find MIDI files for specific pieces of music. Besides the plethora of free MIDIs that exist, there are also sites that will sell you professionally mastered MIDIs. Yamaha produces some very good ones under the PianoSoft label, and these can be purchased from Hal Leonard Corporation through just about any neighborhood music store. The point is that you can find a MIDI for just about any piece of music that you're interested in learning to play. Once you find the MIDI for the piece of music you want to play, simply download it, save it to a diskette, and pop it into your CVP. The Guide Control mode I use most often is "Next Note." In this mode, the CVP will prompt you to play the correct notes in the correct sequence using lights over the keys (red lights for the white keys and green lights for the black keys). After you insert the diskette that contains the MIDI file, page over to Page 3 in the display and select the file you want to work on. Press the Next Note button then the Play button. The display will turn to the Piano Roll, the file will advance to the first note of the song, the lights over the keys for the next note will illuminate and begin to flash, and the CVP will wait for you to play the correct notes. (The lights will illuminate over the keys shortly before the appropriate time to play them, then will flash when it's time to play them.) The CVP will wait for you and continue to flash the lights over the appropriate keys until you play them correctly. Working through the piece this way, the CVP will let you learn at your own pace and will continue to prompt you to play the correct notes. If you would like to keep repeating a particular passage, you can set the Repeat function. The Repeat function will let you mark the beginning and end of the passage you wish to repeat. Once this is set, the CVP will prompt you only through that passage and will keep repeating it until you turn the Repeat function OFF. I find this particularly useful while learning very difficult passages. Here's another method that Dennis Stanfill suggested to the CVPUG: Once you have selected the part you wish to have the guide mode work on (using the Repeat function mentioned above), you can use "Sound Repeat" to learn the part you want to play. First, go to Page 5 in the display. Then, press the button under the box marked "Sound Repeat" to highlight the box. Then, press the - (minus) button until the display reads AUTO. At this point, using the page arrows, I usually go back to the first page. Start the song with the Sound Repeat button pressed in the Guide Control section. When the lights appear, do not start playing along. Instead, let the lights show up. The CVP will stop after a few measures or notes, then play back the phrase the way it should be played showing you the order and rhythm of the part. Once you play the notes back in the correct order, the CVP will go on to the next phrase! In an attempt to answer numerous questions about use of the Guide Control, let's see how you can use it with a standard Piano Concerto... First, say there is a passage with very difficult rhythms in both hands. Perhaps a triplet against straight eights. This has always been trouble for pianists. However, using the Guide Mode function "Easy Play" (don't ask me why they named it this - I think it's a dumb name), you would play the passage through. If you play the correct rhythm in both hands (even missing notes or just tapping on the keyboard without regard to having to play the correct note) the passage will play with the correct notes. If you miss the rhythm, the passage will not play back correctly. Up until this time, we have had students clap or tap the rhythm pattern. This is a large muscle activity and bears little actual use to the small muscle activity of pressing the keys. By using the Easy Play function, you bring in the small muscle motor skill activity by isolating just the rhythm without regard to having to play the correct notes. Really facilitates rhythm development. Next, a fermatta appears in the score. How do you do this on any other digital piano? You have to yield to the length of time that is programmed for the fermatta -- you have no control over the duration.&nnbsp; Using the Guide Mode "Next Note", you could insert what is referred to as a "Cue Note". This Cue Note would allow you to control how long the fermatta is held as you play, not by how long it's programmed on the disk. This gives you much more expressive control over the music. In addition to fermattas, say the concerto has a cadenza. How long do you have till the orchestra starts back up? On other digital pianos, you must watch the measure indicator and if you're not ready, tough luck. However, using Next Note and inserting a Cue Note, you can determine how long the cadenza should last. What Next Note can do is give you control over the playback of the disk. There are books that have been written to illustrate how this can be used. There are (I think) 10 Cue Time books at this point with more on the way. However, I have used these books as a guide to learn how to do it myself. I insert Cue Notes in all my performance files. Anytime I need the orchestra to follow what I am doing, I insert Cue Notes. It has to be the best thing that has ever happened for performers. Now, I can add ritards, fermattas, and play cadenzas without having to "time" them out! In fact, the better the pianist you are, the more valuable this function becomes. BTW, all Guide Mode functions can be used on any file that can be played on the CVP and that includes Standard MIDI files. Now, you must realize that people who created the standard MIDI files had to do so for all the other instruments that do not have Guide Mode. So, those files have timed out fermattas, cadenzas, etc. However, it has become a simple process for me to edit the file either on the CVP or using Cakewalk on my computer to insert Cue Notes so that I can control the file's playback as I play on the keyboard. This is for the Cueing process. If you want to use the other Guide Control modes, or even Next Note, you can still do so without editing the file. The "Easy Play" and "Sound Repeat" modes work just fine without any editing of the files. Now, using Sound Repeat is perfect for sightreading and memorization work. Sound Repeat can be set where as you play, if you miss a note, the CVP will stop at the end of the phrase you are playing and repeat the phrase from where you missed the note. You must then play the phrase correctly before the CVP will continue with the performance. As you continue, if you miss another note, once again the CVP will continue until the end of the phrase, stop and repeat the phrase until you play it correctly and then go on. This is a great way to tell if you "got it". Also, there are times when you wish that you could learn a certain jazz solo or other melody that someone played on the instrument. Well, when you take it to the computer, it looks so bad in a notation program that you can't read it. Well, using Sound Repeat, you can learn the solo, phrase by phrase. This is very much like the old way of transcribing where you would sit and listen to the record over and over again. BTW, if you go to the Piano Roll view, the display screen can help show you where the next notes in that solo occur. If used properly, the Guide Control is far more than a "gadget". It is now proving itself to be a very strong teaching aid for those who use it. Here is a quick summary of how it is being used by professional educators... EASY PLAY mode: In this mode, a student has to press the keys in the correct rhythm for the piece to play back accurately. In the past, teachers have had students "clap" rhythm patterns of a song. This was done because there was no way to allow for the rhythm only to be done on the keyboard. The problem with clapping is that it is a large muscle motor skill and playing the keyboard is a small muscle motor skill. The Easy Play mode of the Guide Control section gives the student a way to do the rhythms as a small muscle motor skill directly on the keyboard. In addition, this mode also allows for the teacher to focus on dynamics as the keys are played louder or softer based on how hard they are played. This mode has caused quite a stir in the teaching community as it appears kids who use it develop better rhythmic and dynamic skills. It has only been used a short time in this capacity, but the results do look promising. NEXT NOTE mode: When a student is learning where the keys are, use of pre-recorded accompaniment software is very difficult. The software "runs away" from the student. Slowing the performance down helps, but does nothing to assist the student in correctly identifiying the proper key to play. The Next Note mode answers both of these deficiencies. The lighting system can be turned off and in many cases is for this use. By selecting Next Note, the accompaniment software will stay with the student with no need for "tempo" adjustment. While the student is focussing on "where" the keys are, Next Note waits until the student plays the proper key before going on. Teachers are finding that when used in this manner, to isolate the correct position of the notes to be played in the song, students progress at a faster pace. It becomes a challenge to get all the way through without having the disk stop. Again, most teachers use the Next Note function with the lighting system turned off. This way, students must read the music to locate the proper key to play. SOUND REPEAT mode: With a change in the mode to "Auto" (this is done on a page in the Song Play section of the LCD), the student now must play the proper notes, in the proper order, and with the correct timing. If the student does not, the CVP will stop, play a phrase beginning with the note that was played incorrectly, then the student must play the phrase correctly to proceed. In this mode, the lighting system is turned back on as it serves a great purpose. If the student plays the notes when they are to be played, you will see no lights. If however, as is the case with students who have just learned a piece, the notes are played a little behind where they are suppose to be played, the lights will flash above the keys. This is a great way to know if you are playing on the beat or off. Teachers who are using this are reporting that the students will practice a piece for a longer period of time to get where the lights don't flash and the piece doesn't stop and repeat a section. Note how these three modes work... Easy Play = isolated rhythmic development without need for correct pitches Next Note = isolated note development without need for correct rhythm Sound Repeat = combine rhythm and note development to lead to correct performance of piece. Guide control is a very powerful teaching tool and those who are using it have found far better results with their students overall musical achievment. Also see the section titled "How can I learn new music using the CVP's Guide Control instead of sheet music?" |
| How do I get the Guide Control lights to work for a MIDI file? |
| Usually a MIDI file will work properly when you download it from the net. If the creator of the file followed all of the rules, it'll work without
modification. On the 200-series CVPs, you should never have a problem. However, for 90-series and 100-series CVPs, I have downloaded lots of MIDIs that would play properly, but I wouldn't see any notes in the Piano Roll view, and the Guide Control feature wouldn't work on it. Very simply, if you don't see the notes in the Piano Roll view or if the Guide Control won't work on the file, there are two possibilities. Either the piano voice is recorded on a track other than Track 1, and you've not reassigned the Guide Control to a different track, or the creator didn't record the note events properly. In the latter case, select the file on Page 3 of the display and press the red RECORD button on the control panel. The display will ask you if you wish to convert the file to a CVP song file. Respond by pressing the button under YES - this doesn't change the format of the file; it'll still be a MIDI or .mid file. Wait for the conversion to complete and then press the RECORD button again to turn OFF the record mode. This should fix the problem. If the piano isn't recorded on Track 1, you have two things you can do. First, You can use Track Assign to select the track you want to assign to the Guide Control's Right or Left hand. If, for example, the piano is recorded on Track 3, then change the Track Assign for Right hand to Track 3 (by selecting the Right Hand button in the display and using the Tempo + button to increment the assigned track number to 3). The Guide Control works on the recorded track that is assigned to either the Right or Left hand. The disadvantage of using this method is that you'll have to make this assignment modification every time you select this file. The second, more permanent method of fixing this involves moving the recorded piano to Track 1. To do this, you'll have to identify an unused track so that you can move whatever instrument is presently recorded on Track 1. Once you move the instrument off of Track 1, you can then move the recorded piano to Track 1. See the Users Manual for instructions about how to Mix tracks. (Mixing is the correct process to move a recorded instrument - you're simply Mixing a recorded voice to a new track.) An easier way to do this is with a sequencing program on a computer where you can simply copy, cut, and paste the tracks. |
| Is there a way to delete wrong notes from a recorded sequence? |
| Occasionally you'll find a MIDI file that contains a wrong note that you'd like to remove. This procedure will let you remove the note or notes.
IMPORTANT! ALWAYS WORK ON A BACKUP OF THE FILE! Select the song file to edit. On the 90-series and 100-series: Press Play and fast-forward to the note(s) you want to remove, then press Pause immediately before the note(s) you want to remove. Next, press REC. This will bring up the Punch In / Out Mode. On the bottom of the screen, change the settings in the boxes to PNCH.OUT PEDAL RECORD Make sure the Punch Out display is set to RECORD and not to PLAY. Now, when you press the left pedal, the CVP will begin to record, just don't play any keys. When you have gone to the point after the "wrong" note(s), press the pedal again. This will erase just the notes between the first time you pressed the left pedal and the second time. On the 100-series only: You can use the same PUNCH-IN/OUT capabilities described in the 90-series above, or starting with the CVP-105, the new series has an option called “Step Edit”. You get to this by having the red REC panel button ON and going to Page 3 of the Record Pages. Here’s and example for how to record a song without playing it that will give you an idea of how it can be used to edit a file... Take a piece of music. Press the red Record button and using the page button, go to the “Track Record” page (page number 2). Select the first box by placing the small cursor (the underline) in the first box on the upper row of boxes in the lower left side of the display. Next, select the sound to use (piano if desired) then using the right page button, press the button below the box in the lower right corner till it reads Record, then move on to page three by pressing the left page button. Once at page three, select the box marked Step Edit by pressing the button under the box. This will take you to the Step Edit pages. Once there, press the right page button once to get to page 2, “Step Edit Note Record.” Looking at this page, you will see boxes on the bottom of the page that represent note values. On the right side of the display, you will see options. The first box, Keyboard, refers to what will set the volume level of the note played. If you press this box's button, you will see it cycle through FFF, FF, MF, MP, PP, PPP or Keyboard. Setting this box to anything except Keyboard will cause the notes to be played at a specific volume level selected by the dynamic level. Using Keyboard will have the volume level set by the player when the note is played. The remaining boxes also have options. You might press the buttons and cycle through the options to see what they are. One will let you set notes with dots or change to triplets. Once you become familiar with how to set the options, look to the bottom of the screen. On the bottom of the screen you will see boxes representing notes. These boxes can be changed to Rests by pressing the button next to the box that reads Rest. To get started entering notes, look at the note in the music, take as much time as you need to find the correct key on the keyboard, you press and hold the key you want, then press the button cooresponding to the length of the note in the screen. This enters the note. Continue this process to enter all the notes in the melody. When done, press Play/Stop once to rewind to beginning then again to hear what you entered. You can then go back to page one of the Step Edit section and use the options there to edit volume if desired, set the sound for the track, and other options. It will take a little time to get comfortable using Step Edit to enter melodies. However, for those who lack keyboard skill but still want to record, this is a wonderfull new option on the new CVP 100 series. BTW, to get the accompaniment, one could use “Chord Seq” and just put the chords in one at a time to create the accompaniment. Bottom line, a person could create an entire song with accompaniment without really playing. Once created, you could then use the Guide Control section to learn the song you just put in one note at a time. |
| Is there a Service Manual for the CVP? |
| Yes, and it's well worth the price (less than $30 including shipping inside the US). When my son spilled a glass of orange juice onto the keyboard of my CVP-96 two days before Christmas, I was VERY glad I had the Service Manual since I knew there wouldn't be any service available until after the holiday. Following the directions in the Service Manual I was able to disassemble the piano and the keyboard and clean it up before it became a sticky mess. You can order the Service Manual by calling Yamaha's Service and Support number at 714-522-9000 during regular west-coast business hours. |
| Can the overall sound quality of the CVP be improved? |
| Yes. As good as the Yamaha CVP sounds - and it really does sound fantastic right out of the showroom! - there are things you can do to change
or improve the sound. There is a built-in five-band graphic equalizer on some CVP models that can be accessed from a button on the control
panel. The equalizer has several presets, but will also let you set up your own custom settings. The CVP also has many effects (e.g., Hall, Room,
Basement, etc.) that have an effect on the sound.
Furthermore, you can combine two or more samples and adjust the spacial resonance between them to make them sound like a single instrument -- this is very useful when combining two different piano samples, for example, to create a different piano sound. These capabilities give you lots of opportunities to sculpt the sound of the CVP. On occasion I will connect the AUX OUT Left and Right outputs of the CVP to the AUX IN connectors on my home stereo, which has a dual channel 16-band equalizer which I can use to dramatically sculpt the sound. I have some fabulous speakers and the CVP sounds really unbelievable through them! When connecting your CVP to a stereo, there are some things you should consider. The placement of the speakers is every bit as important as the quality of the speakers. Some people have asked why Yamaha put the tweeters on the top of the CVP, beside the control panel, and the trebel speakers under the CVP pointed at your knees. As it turns out, this is a very logical speaker placement when you consider the acoustical physics of a grand piano. As you are probably aware, lower frequencies tend to travel along the floor, and higher frequencies tend to travel toward the ceiling. (This might sound bizaar, but it's true.) In an acoustic grand piano, with the lid raised, the higher frequencies eminate from the strings out the top of the piano. The lower frequencies cause the piano's sound board to resonate and eminate from under the piano to the floor. It's the soundboard resonance that makes the piano sound different than a harp, which is essentially what you'd have whithout a soundboard. Anyway, that's why Yamaha placed the speakers where they did. And that's what you have to consider when you connect stereo speakers to your CVP. Without proper speaker placement, the CVP will sound more like a piano recording on a stereo than like a piano. This was a shock to me the first time I connected stereo speakers! I have a fantastic stereo, but the CVP sounded like everything else I play on the stereo -- a recording. After I figured out the acoustic variances of a piano, I was able to rearrange my speakers so that the tweeters were at the right level in front of me (because that's where the higher frequency sound would come from on an acoustic grand), and the trebel speakers were lower to the floor. Once I got the speaker placement right, I had a very nice improvement to the overall sound of the CVP. Now, if you really want to get deeper into the acoustical physics of a piano, there's another consideration you should make related to the type of speakers you connect to your CVP. The frequencies you hear coming from an acoustic piano are the result of two characteristics of the string's vibration -- actually there are more than two, but only two relevant to this discussion -- the speed at which the string vibrates, and the mass of the string. These two variables are directly related to each other, and this is how they can build grand pianos of different lenghts (6-foot, 7-foot, 8-foot, etc.). The shorter the piano string, the faster it will vibrate and the higher the frequency you'll hear. You can adjust how tight the string is to some degree -- as the piano tuner does when he tunes an acoustic piano -- and this will affect the speed of the viibration, but only so much. In order to get a shorter string to vibrate slower, they increase the mass of the string by wrapping another string around it. You can see this on the lower strings in the piano. By making the strings thicker, they vibrate slower, and bring the frequency down. So how does all of that relate to speakers? Speakers are designed around the same physics. An electrical signal creates a magnetic field that causes the cone of the speaker to vibrate to create the desired frequency. The slower the cone vibrates, the lower the frequency you'll hear. Smaller cones inherently vibrate faster and produce higher frequencies, so speaker designers either add mass to the cone to slow it down, or they increase the diameter of the cone to slow it down, or they increase the distance (called excursion) that the cone travels when it vibrates. All three of these methods will affect the frequency. Now, with all of that said, I've finally gotten to the important point about all of this. You want a speaker that produces the frequency you want, and any of the three methods I just mentioned will provide that. However, there's a very very important characteristic of the sound of a piano string that makes it hard to emulate through speakers. That's the attack. The attack is basically the amount of time it takes for the sound to become a sound. Whether it's a piano string or the cone of a speaker, it takes time for it to reach its vibrating velocity, and it's the attack that creates what you hear as the very very initial beginning of the sound produced. It's hard to find a stereo speaker that can recreate the attack of a piano string, but the problem is multiplied 88 times when you consider that each string has a different attack. Essentially, you're expecting one speaker to correctly create what it takes 88 different strings to do. So, cone-shaped speakers are fine for the higher frequencies, because they vibrate fast enough to recreate the attack. Larger speakers, however, have to vibrate slower to give you the correct lower frequency, but that reduces their ability to correctly recreate the attack. Have you ever noticed how nice the bass sounds on a pair of expensive headphones? With such small speakers, how can that be? Well, the answer to that question is the solution to our dilema. The small drivers used in headphones can be made to vibrate slowly enough to provide the lowest frequencies and still be able to provide the attack you want. But the problem with these small drivers is that they're very weak -- you can't hear them unless they're practically inside your ear. But this tells us that the answer to the attack problem is that we need a small enough speaker to handle the attack, but it has to be loud enough to hear. That's what a horn does. A horn speaker uses a very small speaker attached to an acoustically near-perfect megaphone. The megaphone amplifies the sound so that a small speaker can be used for bass frequencies. However, the shape of the horn is essential as it must acoustically match the shape of the sound wave it's amplifying. For lowever frequencies, that would require a horn that would be many feet in length. However, it's possible to "cheat" the physics of sound, and fold the horn inside itself which accomplishes the same thing in a much smaller space with only a little distortion. Even a folded horn, however, is many orders of magnitude clearer than any cone-shaped speaker. So, the bottom line to this whole discussion is simply that you need a speaker that's efficient enough to recreate the attack at low frequencies, and also you need to place the speakers appropriately relative to the keyboard. |
| Which file formats will the CVP recognize? |
| The CVP is the most cross-compatible of all the digital pianos on the market. The disk drive recognizes DOS-formatted disks and can format
them itself - suitable for use in your home computer. Macintosh disks must be formatted in the DOS format to work with the CVP.
The CVP will play all of the following file types without conversion: Type 0 and Type 1 MIDI (.mid) files, Yamaha XG files, Roland GS files (if saved as standard MIDI files), Karaoke (.kar) files, TUNE 1000 files, PianoSoft's Disk Orchestra files, PianoSoft Disklavier files, PianoSoft Plus files, Yamaha's Style Files, and ClaviSoft files. The CVP will not play MPEG (.mp3) files, WAVE (.wav) files, or Module (.mod) files. Dennis Stanfill provided the following answer to this question: In answer to your question, a Roland GS file that is saved as a Standard MIDI file will play back fine on the CVP. The only item to change, having to do with the GS spec, is the special effects voice set found usually on Channel 11. On non-GS instruments, this will come out as random notes. This occurs on all other non-GS brands also. All you have to do is to mute channel 11 and you're fine. As for the file type, if the file was saved as an ISM file, it will only play back on a Roland or a Kurzweil. Interesting side issue here. Every manufacturer plays Yamaha software. Reasons? Yamaha shared information that allowed them to do it and Yamaha has the best software in the industry. Why did Yamaha do this? They know and have complete confidence that their product is superior and that they did not have to make their software only work on Yamaha to force people to buy Yamaha equipment. Now, it doesn't sound as good as on a Yamaha, but it will play on other equipment. Today, all manufacturers can play Standard MIDI file Type 0 on DSDD disks. Most brands can play Standard MIDI file Type 0 or 1 on HD disks. However, not all brand pianos can play Type 1 files the same way. For example, the Technics requires you to load the Type 1 file before it can be played (no direct play) where the Yamaha can play it straight from the disk without spending the time it would take to load the entire file. Also, some large Type 1 files may not play at all on the Technics due to their size. The CVP can play a song of any length because it reads from the disk as the song is played rather than having to load the entire file into memory before playback can begin. Because so many of the files found on the internet are Type 1 files, this is an important consideration. Some companies make software unique to their own products. Technics software only plays on Technics. Kurzweil only on Kurzweil. Baldwin does everything as a standard MIDI file (the best way to do it in my opinion). Roland ISM is only on Roland. Yamaha E-SEQ is another format that everyone, except computer sequencers, can read. However, with some Yamaha Disklavier software, the file will play but the piano part will not. This whole comparison is far greater than what I can begin to put into this reply. The key points when considering a digital piano is what types of MIDI files the instrument plays and if it saves a standard MIDI file and if there are any quirks. To that end, here is a brief summation... Yamaha, Roland, Baldwin, and Kawai are companies that when using the auto accompaniments, will have those accompaniments stored as note data. This is important because if it is not note data, the file's auto rhythm patterns will not play back on any other device, including a computer. The Technics, Kurzweil, Casio, Viscount, and Korg save auto accompaniments as chord data. When the file plays back, only the chord data is stored so you just hear a chord when it should be bass parts, drums, etc. You can get around this by connecting all the keyboards to a computer. However, if the computer is in the other room, not being able to transfer a complete orchestrated file with the auto accompaniments does not seem to be desirable. All the instruments appear to save the files as Type 0 MIDI files. However, I could not get the Kurzweil, Casio, or Korg to do it. So I can not say for positive that these will save as a Standard MIDI file (they say they can). As for sound formats... The most popular over the years have been DOC, GM, GS, and XG. By far, the vast majority of software on the market and the web uses one of these 4 groups. Yamaha CVP series is DOC, GM, and XG comliant while being GS compatible (note reference regarding Channel 11 above). Technics, Roland, Kurzweil, Baldwin, Korg, and Kawai all claim compatibility with DOC. Sometimes yes, most of the time not. Fact is, if it doesn't have the logo on the unit, then it is not compliant; it is only compatible. To that end, you will note that the Yamaha, with DOC, GM, and XG logos, is compliant with more of the sound sets that are being used in disk production than any other instrument. As for file formats other than Standard MIDI file... Yamaha E-SEQ can be played by most all other brands. Again, reason why is the Yamaha software is hands down the best. While it can play on other instruments, Yamaha software has been optimised for Yamaha. So, you will not get what the composer had intended unless the proper logo appears on the instrument in question (DOC, GM, XG) As for other brands, Kurzweil and Baldwin appear to be the only brands that claim to play everything. However, I took a Yamaha disk, put it in both machines, and neither would play it. Display read, "File Too Large." This means that they cannot play everything that Yamaha produces for their instruments. Also, being able to play a disk does not mean being able to use a disk the way it was intended. The Yamaha CVP has a Guide Control function that is not available on any other brand of digital piano. This means that while other brands may be able to play the software, it cannot be fully used. Cue Time is the prime example. It will play on other instruments but will not wait for the soloist due to there being no Guide Control Mode on any other brand. When you add it all up, the CVP Clavinova is far more versatile than any other instruments. When adding the fact that with today's newest model CVPs, you can edit the MIDI files on the CVP to add XG to pre-existing GM software, plus you can use the Guide Mode functions to assist you in learning to play the music, the CVP becomes the best tool for learning today. No other brand covers all the bases as well as the CVP. Maybe that's why it has won the Music Industrie's "Keyboard of the Year" so many times and every keyboard dealer would love to have the "Yamaha" franchise. |
| Where can I find Follow the Lights music software for the CVP? |
| Basically, any MIDI file can be used with the Guide Control's Next Note feature, allowing you to learn by following the lights over the keyboard.
You simply need to tell the CVP which MIDI track you'd like to assign the lights to -- you can assign up to two tracks to drive the lights at the same
time. You do this using the "Part Assign" feature that's explained in the manual.
Some MIDI files, however, don't seem to work well (or at all) with the Guide Control. This is due to the file being created in a way that doesn't comply with established MIDI standards. This is easily corrected, though, by simply converting the MIDI file to a CVP Song File. You do this by inserting the disk into the CVP, selecting the file you wish to convert, pressing the RECORD button, and acknowledging YES to convert the file. When you do this, the file is "upgraded" to be more compliant with MIDI standards. It will still be a General MIDI file, playable by all other MIDI devices and your PC, but the CVP will correct most common flaws. Once the file is converted, it should work properly with the lights. As far as commercial software goes (ClaviSoft, PianoSoft, CueTime, etc.), a few dealers carry the software and it's generally distributed by Hal Leonard, which means that virtually any music shop can order it. The dealers who don't carry it will be happy to special order it, and I'm sure they'll be happy to show you a catalog. Yamaha, however, has recently put up a web site where you can order their software on-line. The Yamaha MusicSoft web site is www.yamahamusicsoft.com. Yamaha charges their full price when you purchase from them on-line. However, most of Yamaha's MusicSoft software is available at discounted prices from on-line superstores. www.sheetmusicplus.com carries over 200 discounted titles under the PianoSoft label. Simply search on "PianoSoft" from their home page. Other on-line discount music stores (some who carry CDs and books) also carry them, so it's worth checking around. |
| What's the difference between PianoSoft and ClaviSoft software? |
| Yamaha creates software under various labels. PianoSoft and ClaviSoft are just two, but the list goes on. Below is a glossary of the various
labels you might see offered by Yamaha. All of these are compatible with your CVP digital piano.
ClaviSoft -- ClaviSoft is the general name for all software created specifically for the Clavinova digital pianos. Cue Time -- Strictly compatible with guide lamp capable Clavinova digital pianos (e.g., CVP-series digital pianos), Cue Time is the software that follows you. The player controls the playback tempo of a piece simply by playing the Clavinova in a completely traditional fashion. In the course of playing, the player will strike strategically placed "cue notes" which advance the background sequence. Disk Orchestra Collection -- The Disk Orchestra Collection was the fiirst multi-timbral software developed for the Clavinova digital pianos. This delightful series from Japan features many styles of music in many levels of difficulty. There are arrangements of famous classics, jazz piano trios, standards and studies. Many of the selections feature lush orchestral backgrounds. This library is in DOC format, a Yamaha exclusive voice library. Disk Orchestra Collection XG -- With the introduction of the XG format, the Disk Orchestra library was re-mastered and mixed to take full advantage of the wide musical parameters offered in XG. The same Disk Orchestra Collections sounds even more realistic. Educator Collection -- Educator Collection is a general term foor methods, studies, standard repertoire or other teaching materials. There is an Educator Collection in the ClaviSoft library and the PianoSoft library. MusicSoft -- MusicSoft is the general name for all software created by Yamaha. PianoSoft -- PianoSoft is the general term for software developed specifically for the Disklavier reproducing piano. It is also compatible with Clavinova CVP-series digital pianos. PianoSoft Plus -- PianoSoft Plus features the solo piano plus instrumental backgrounds played by a tone generator. PianoSoft Solo -- PianoSoft Solo is PianoSoft that features only the piano playing. Style Disks -- Style disks may be loaded into compatible Clavinova digital pianos to add various styles to the existing, on board library. You Are the Artist -- You Are the Artist is a style of MusicSoft that is interactive. An instrumental background is provided as well as the performer part which can be muted allowing the user to play along. There is You Are the Artist MusicSoft in the ClaviSoft library and the PianoSoft library. |
| How can I get my CVP to play through all the song files on my disk? |
| The CVP can play all the files on your disk. If you have a CVP-9x or CVP-10x, you simply press the two left-most buttons under the
display (when the display is set to Page 1 or Page 3) to change the song file you want the CVP to play. If you press the button that
decreases the song file number, and go past song number 1, you can select ALL or RANDOM. Naturally, ALL will play all the song
files beginning with the one that's selected in the display.
Well, if you've gone past all the song files, and have gone past number 1, then how can you have another one selected? After you select ALL, you can then press the button on the side of the display to select a song file to begin from. For example, if you select ALL and then press the button next to song number 3, the CVP will play all the files on the disk beginning with song number 3. If you select RANDOM, of course, the CVP will play randomly through the song files on the disk. If you have a CVP-20x, the process is entirely different. First, select the disk or User Folder you wish to play. Then, press the Function button and select the Song Setting tab. Once there, you can select Song Chain Play on the right side of the display and turn it on or off. |
| Which piano-learning software should I buy to use with my CVP? |
| The answer to this question was provided by Dennis Stanfill:
Teach Me Piano is ok if you are going to be using a computer connected to the CVP. If not, the Alfred's is about the best one going for use on the CVP without a computer. BTW, if you are going to use a computer with the CVP, then you need to get a program called "Piano" from Musicware. Hands down, it is the best all 'round piano course for adults on computer. It actually teaches you music not just how to play a few songs by rote. "Piano" has built in practice routines so you work on skill development much like as if you were taking private lessons. When this program was very new (originally called PianoWorks in the old DOS days), I had a music school where we had several computer systems setup (old 286's) with keyboards where we rented time on the systems. This allowed people with crazy schedules (airline pilots and attendants, doctors, etc) to learn to play without having to adhere to a set lesson time. They would come in, log on to the system, work their way through PianoWorks and learn to play. If they had questions, there was a facilitator available but for the most part, the software did what we needed. It allowed people who would normally have never learned to play the chance to learn. The current version has gone through changes since the original. "Piano" is the best adult course if you really want to learn music and how to play the piano. You can reach Musicware by going to the following site... http://www.halcyon.com/musicware/products.html No, I don't have stock in the company Really, if you are going to use a computer, "Piano" is the program to get. I believe there are four levels coresponding to four years of lessons. |
| How do I connect my CVP to a PC or a Macintosh? |
| First, you'll need a HOSA cable and the Yamaha driver that comes on a disk with your CVP. There are a couple of places you can find this
cable. If you decide to have your Clavinova dealer order it for you, the part number is “CCIBM.” You'll pay way too much if you buy it this way.
You can usually find the cable cheaper from any music “Pro” shop that carries synthesizers and such. Some computer "super-stores" also carry
them.
The HOSA cable's part number is DBK-110. HOSA has its own web site at www.hosatech.com. They don't sell direct, but the site contains an extensive list of authorized dealers. Also, I've found several sites that sell the DBK-110 on line. I ordered one from Kraft Music www.kraftmusic.com for about $18.00 including shipping. After attaching the cable to the various ports, you will need to set the switch under the back of the CVP to PC-2. PC-1 is for a computer system that is made in Japan that has a different serial port speed. After loading the driver, just go to your sequencing program and select the CBX driver for MIDI in and out. One thing... When using a computer with the serial port connection on the CVP, you must turn on the computer each time you turn on the CVP. It doesn’t hurt anything but if the CVP is turned on while the serial cable is connected and the computer is not turned on, the display shows a message stating “Host is Offline.” You can still use the buttons but the display screen will not change until you disconnect the cable from the CVP, move the switch back to MIDI, or turn the computer on. (Before anyone sends an e-mail, have already told Yamaha that they need to change this in future CVP’s). Laptops usually come with a soundcard but not necessarily a MIDI interface. The “to-host” cable will interface with the laptop and all functions thatyou can perform with the laptop & computer will work. However the switch on the CVP can only be set to either MIDI or “to-Host,” meaning that the MIDI OUT functions will not work in the “to-host” position. The rub is if you want to control other MIDI modules using the CVP with the laptop connected, you will need a PCMCIA MIDI interface card. These can be found on EBAY fora reasonable price. I bought an EXP Multimedia Game Card on EBAY for less than $50.00 and it works fine. You can search EBAY for “MIDI Interface Card”and 4 or 5 of the same brand usually will show up. |
| Does it make a difference whether I use a serial cable or MIDI cables to connect to my computer? |
| There are two basic methods of connecting the CVP to a computer system.
1. Use a MIDI interface 2. Use the "To Host" port Method 1... This method requires a MIDI Interface be installed on your computer. Depending on your system (PC or MAC), these interfaces fall into two catagories. For the PC, the first type is referred to as an Internal Interface and are either MIDI only cards or, the far more popular, MIDI/Joystick interface that is part of a Sound Card. The MIDI only cards have lost popularity as they take up an extra slot in the computer. With the introduction of the interface being made part of the Joystick port, the Sound Card MIDI interface has become the most popular for the PC. Recently, computer manufacturers have been installing "integrated" sound "chips" on desktop systems. These integrated sound chips (called integrated sound cards) do not do MIDI information correctly. Most often, the MIDI Input function has been deleted from these cards. You can tell if you have an integrated sound chip by looking on the back of your computer. Find the card slots (these will be areas of removable plates about 3 inches long and a little under 1/2 inch wide) and see if your Joystick port is located on one of these slots or is coming out of the cabinet of the computer away from the slot area. If the Joystick port is coming out of the cabinet, then you have the integrated sound chip and will probably have to get a real sound card and disable this chip for MIDI to function properly on your computer. If you have a true sound card, you still may not get MIDI to function properly as some cards did not implement MIDI In functionality. Cards known to give trouble in some systems include those made by Turtle Beach. To insure that you get the MIDI functions you desire, either go with a Yamaha Sound Card (XForce or XWave or SW1000) or any card from Creative Labs. If using an internal sound card for MIDI, you should get the Joystick to MIDI Adapter cable. This cable is readily available at most computer stores (Comp USA, Fry's, etc). However, some sound cards need a specific Joystick to MIDI Adapter cable. To insure you have the correct cable for your sound card, contact your sound cards manufacturer. Once you have this cable, you connect the 15 pin Joystick end to the sound card. On the other end of the cable, you will have two MIDI cables and one Joystick cable. On the MIDI Cables, there will be markings that read "MIDI In" and "MIDI Out." Connect the MIDI In from the Joystick to MIDI Adapter cable to the MIDI Out on the CVP. Then connect the MIDI Out from the Joystick to MIDI Adapter to the MIDI In of the CVP. NOTE: DO NOT connect IN-to-IN and OUT-to-OUT. Near the MIDI jacks on the CVP you will see a multi position switch that reads "MIDI - PC1 - PC2 - MAC". This switch tells the CVP whaat type of interface you are going to be using. For the Joystick to MIDI Adapter cable, the switch is set to the "MIDI" position. The second type of MIDI interface is designated as an External Interface. Due to the lack of card slots in laptop PC's, there needed to be developed a device that would give these the MIDI capabilities. These external interfaces are usually a small box with a cable that connects to either the Serial, Parallel, or USB ports on the laptop. The box would have at least one MIDI In and one MIDI Out jack. The user then takes a MIDI cable and connects the MIDI Out of the box to the MIDI In of the CVP. Then a second cable connects the MIDI Out of the CVP to the MIDI In of the box. The box is connected to the computer using the appropriate cable (serial, parallel, USB). These boxes come from a number of manufacturers. The most popular are ones from MIDIMAN or Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU). Some have multiple MIDI Inputs and Outputs. These "multi-port" interfaces allow those with large MIDI systems to interconnect the various devices and keyboards to a single computer. Then, instead of having to disconnect and reconnect MIDI cables to change the system, the computer configures the multi-port interface to use the desired boxes. In addition to the multi-port interfaces from the two previously mentioned companies, Yamaha makes a UX-256 USB multiport interface. Whenever using these boxes, the switch on the CVP should be set to the "MIDI" position. In fact, whenever you connect the CVP to a computer or other device using MIDI cables, this switch should be on the "MIDI" position. The third type of interface is the PCMCIA MIDI card. This is a small card designed for the PCMCIA slot on a Laptop system. It is like an internal sound card in it's function. These cards will have an adapter cable that will give you a MIDI In and Out jack. You will then connect these to the CVP in the same manner as the external boxes mentioned. The switch is once again set to "MIDI". Method 2... Along with these types of various cards and boxes, the CVP has the "To Host" port. This is a direct connection to the Serial port of a PC. Rather than having two cables to connect, a single cable is all that is needed. It is most often used on laptop systems that already have a built in sound card but no MIDI interface. The connect is taking the 9-pin serial end and plugging it into the 9-pin Serial Port on the computer. The other end is a mini 8 pin DIN plug. This goes into the "To Host" plug of the CVP. No MIDI cables are required for this connection. The user then goes to the Yamaha website (www.yamaha.com) and selects the Drivers section. Once there, the user should download and install the latest "CBX" driver. As of this writing (October 2001), the current version is 2.00 and is compatible with Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, and 2000. There are instructions on Yamaha's web site for installing the driver and verifying that it was installed and configured properly. Just go to www.yamaha.com and click on the Service and Support link, click on the Clavinova Digital Pianos link, click on the CVP model you have, and then click on CBX Driver. A word of caution here... not all cables with the proper plug configuration will work properly. Those found at the computer stores are usually wired incorrectly for use as a "To Host" cable. There is a Macintosh cable used for AppleTalk that has the right connectors, but is not wired properly. It's best to get the Hosa cable DBK-110 as it appears to work correctly in most all cases. The challenge is that computer manufacturers are constantly trying to make their systems more profitable (read less expensive to build) and are using some pretty strange things in the laptops. In some cases, the voltage coming from the Serial ports can cause the "To Host" to shut down if there is too much voltage. There appears to be a protect circuit on CVP's that is not present on all keyboards that will shut the port off if too much voltage is coming thru. This is a good thing. So, the Hosa DBK110 appears to be the best to use as even systems with too much voltage have the voltage dropped due to the 10 ft. length of the cable where the port will function. Because no MIDI cables are connected to the CVP when the "To Host" cable is used, the switch will need to be set to one of the other positions. PC1 is only for a specific computer system only available in Japan. All others should set the switch to PC2 when using a PC. A good source for all types of MIDI cables including the Hosa DBK and the Joystick to MIDI adapter cables can be found at... www.computersandmusic.com Once you get to the site, do a search on the word "Hosa". Then, select the choice for "Hosa MIDI cables" and you will get to the place for cables. What about those with MacIntosh? For those with Macintosh systems, the connections are an external box, a PCI card (only on some MAC's), or the "To Host" connection. On those MAC's with the standard 8 pin Modem or Printer ports, you can connect the MAC directly to the "To Host" port on the CVP by using a standard MAC printer/modem cable. When connecting using the "To Host", the switch needs to be set to "MAC" for a Macintosh. The other type of interface is the External Box. These boxes come from the same place as those for the PC. You would connect the box to the Modem/Printer or USB port on the MAC. Then, using two MIDI cables, connect the MIDI Out of the box to the MIDI In of the CVP. Then connect the MIDI Out of the CVP to the MIDI In of the box. These boxes also come in the multi-port design. When connecting to the MIDI jacks of the CVP, the switch is set to "MIDI". A final type of interface for the MAC comes in the form of PCI cards. Some Power Macintoshes had card slots to allow for PCI cards to be used. In some cases though, the PCI card did not have MAC drivers to allow for the MIDI interface to function. If you consider one of these cards, make sure that there are Mac MIDI drivers for the interface. The connection is the same as for PC and the switch is set to "MIDI". As for other systems, there are boxes or internal cards that can connect virtually any computer to the CVP (even an old Commodore64 or Apple2E). So, which is best? For the average user, any of the interface types will do just fine. The differences comes in the data transfer rate. However, unless you are saving large amounts of MIDI Bulk Data (a type of data that the CVP does not do but is most often found in synthesizers and other products), you might see a slight difference in time used. So, using either the To Host or other type of interface for the average user will not be any diffferent. So, what are the differences between "MIDI" and "To Host"? If one is interested in playing their CVP from a desktop computer, writing music, using theory programs, or other things using just the CVP, then a sound card or interface box with 1 MIDI In and 1 MIDI Out, or the "To Host" connection will work just fine. If one is interested in doing the last mentioned items from a PC laptop, then the "To Host" cable is the easiest and most direct way to connect. If one has a MAC (either Powerbook or Desktop system) and it has a standard 8 pin mini DIN Modem/Printer port, you can directly connect using the "To Host" connection and do the same as the PC's. However, if one has a MIDI system with more than two MIDI devices (say a CVP and an external Sound Box), one should use a MIDI Interface and MIDI cables. Avoid the "To Host" connection. This is due to the way Yamaha has configured the "To Host" ports on the CVP. When one uses the "To Host" on the CVP, the MIDI jacks are shut off. So, one cannot use the "MIDI Thru" to connect a second MIDI device to the MIDI ports. When using more than just the CVP and connecting at least one other MIDI device to your system, one should always use a MIDI interface. A possible connection would be MIDI Out of the CVP to MIDI In of the computer (both PC and MAC). Then MIDI Out of the computer to the MIDI In of the CVP. Then "MIDI Thru" the CVP to the MIDI In of the extra MIDI device. The CVP-10x series has a special page in the Function section for just this setup. On page 11, you will find a section labeled RECEIVE FILTER. The boxes shown will allow you to tell the CVP not to play certain MIDI Channels. When you turn off these channels, it only turns them off on the CVP and not the external box you have connected. This way, if you want to take the time to do this, one could have certain parts played by the CVP and if you set the other box to receive only certain parts, the external box would play the other parts. A better option, if you want to be able to have the parts played by different boxes is to investigate the "Multi-Port Interfaces". Having the ability to tell a sequence to send one part to the CVP and another to the other device allows a lot of freedom and makes the job of setting up the system much easier to accomplish. These settings can be stored as part of the song file so you set it once and it will reset the next time you select the song. Imagine having 4 boxes connected to the CVP. Then, a multi-port interface is essential. Otherwise, you will be spending countless hours reconfiguring your setup and moving wires. So, the big difference in using either a MIDI interface or the "To Host" connection comes down to how you're going to use the computer. If you're happy with just using the CVP with no other boxes to connect, the "To Host" is convenient and easy to connect. If you want a bigger MIDI system, use a standard MIDI interface designed for your type of computer system. |
| Why won't the Piano Roll view work with the disks that came with my CVP? |
| If you've purchased a CVP in late 1999 or 2000, you'll undoubtedly notice that the "piano roll" display doesn't work with the Follow the Lights
disks that came with your instrument while it works fine with every other disk or MIDI file you have. The new Follow the Lights disks were
programmed with special codes that prevent you from turning on the Piano Roll or resetting how the lights work. My understanding is that this was
done by request from dealers who said that having the lights blink was too distracting to customers and the Piano Roll view was confusing to
some. So, these files were created where the light comes on when you are to play the key and any other options are turned off so that a
"beginner" will not be confused. Go figure...
Nevertheless, you can fix the files on the disk to have the Piano Roll view work properly. The code to turn the Piano Roll view off is imbedded in the file. It is a System Exclusive code and looks like this: F0 43 73 01 21 00 00 02 F7 There are a couple of ways to delete this code so that you can get the Piano Roll to display. THE FIRST STEP IS TO MAKE A BACKUP OF THE ORIGINAL DISK !!! Sorry for shouting but this is the step that most people do not do and it can sometimes get you into heap big trouble. So, assuming that you have made a backup of the original disks and that you have safely tucked the originals away, let’s get started working on taking this code out of the file. One way is to use a computer-based sequencer. You load the file, select track 1, set your sequencer to show System Exclusive messages, delete the message above, re-save the file, and your done. The second way is to use the CVP’s on board editor to do this (this only works on CVP-105 and above!). First, convert the file to a CVP file by selecting the song to convert and pressing the red Record button on the panel. Press YES to confirm that you really want to do this. Once done, press the red Record button again to activate the record mode, press the right page button and go to page 3 of the Record pages. Once there, select the Step Edit option. After doing this, you will see a lot of messages appear on the screen. These are all initial settings for the file. Using the dial, turn slowly clockwise until you see the following message highlighted: Initial ex F0 43 73 01 21 00 00 Once you have this message highlighted (it’s a little ways into the file but if you get to Notes, you’ve gone to far), press the button next to the DEL in the display. Next, press the button next to the disk icon in the upper right hand corner of the display and save your changes. Now, when you select the song, you can page over to the Piano Roll on page 5 of the Song Play pages and turn on the Piano Roll View. |
| Is there a way to change the track of a MIDI file that operates the Guide Lamps? |
| The CVP will usually default to Track 1 or Tracks 1 & 2 to control the Guide Lamps, but what if you want the Guide Lamps to guide you as you play another track? That's what the Part Assign function is used for on your CVP. Using the Part Assign function, you can assign the Guide Lamps to any track you like. You can even assign up to two tracks to control the Guide Lamps at the same time. |
| Is there a way to transfer some sheet music I'm learning to play into my CVP? |
| There are some software packages available that work like an Optical Character Reader (OCR), but on musical notation. As you might expect, these applications will put the note data into a MIDI file so that you have the proper notes, and each note will have the proper duration. However, you can expect the music to sound very "mechanical" when played on your CVP since it has very little dynamic phrasing or expression. The more you pay for the notation scanning software, the more you can expect it to pick up on dynamic markings, such as "forte" or legato phrases, but it will still place each note with the same velocity (loudness), and will still sound very mechanical. This should be fine if you're intent is only to use the Guide Lamps to guide you as you learn to play the song; you'll provide the phrasing and expression as you play. However, you'll likely be disappointed in the way the MIDI file sounds if you just let the CVP play it to you. |
| Can I make an audio CD directly from my CVP? |
| Yes! Many CVPUG members do this, and the result is stunning! All you need is to purchase a CD-R, commonly referred to as a "CD Burner." You can connect it directly to your CVP's audio output. First, save all of the songs you wish to record onto a floppy disk. Once you have all the files you want to record onto CD, then let your CVP play the files from the floppy disk as the CD-R records them onto your CD. It really is that simple. There are lots of good CD-Rs on the market, and any of them will do a fine job. The ones that are mentioned most often by CVPUG members are the Philips CDR-570 and the Pioneer PDR 555RW. |
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