Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list
Subject: Re: An1X Editor - Received BULK isn't saved on AN1X >> HELP?
From: DEREK COOK <dacook.sa432bb@...>
Date: 2015-11-19
Hi,
I'd say it is not a low battery if you are not getting a "Battery Low Message". If you watch the bulk dump to memory messages in the AN1x screen, do you see error messages. I am suspicious if you cannot get data to the edit buffer, then it is likely that the memory dump is also failing even if the AN1x is not telling you so (unusual, but....).
The other thing to check is that the SYSEX Device Number (button is in the Utility/Setup row) is set to ALL. If you only have one AN1x on a MIDI port then this is the best setting, and the AN1x will respond to dumps with any Device Number. Device number is useful if you have two synths of the same type on a MIDI chain and you want to update one not the other - you set them to have different device number, and then you have to have software that can set the device number for the dump. But having said that, are you getting "Device Number Error" messages? If not then that is probably not the problem, but worth ruling out.
I am very skeptical about USB/MIDI cables if that is what you have as your MIDI Interface. As author of products like an.factory, now and again I have users who have problems with MIDI SYSEX transfers, and my first question is are they using a MIDI/USB cable, and if so then my recommendation is to replace it with a proper interface (A MIDISport 2x2 or similar is not expensive). When the answer is "yes, I am using a USB/MIDI cable", the user swapping to a "proper interface" has always solved the reported problems.
The problem is that these cables have very small MIDI data buffers. That is fine for basic MIDI data which is 1-3 bytes in length but SYSEX messages can be hundreds of bytes in length, which mean they are prone to buffer overflows, which can corrupt the data being sent/received. An AN1x voice bulk dump is over 700 bytes long.
Whilst Alesis is usually a reputable make, I'd still treat your AN1x to a decent MIDI interface. She is worth it! :-)
You can check the data being sent to the AN1x by using something like MIDIOX (just google that and you will find it). What I would do to check the interface is to connect ALESIS MIDI OUT to AN1x MIDI IN and AN1x MIDI THRU to ALESIS MIDI In. That will provide an external "loopback" that you can use to check your links.
Send a MIDI dump to the AN1x - the MIDI Thru will echo it back to the PC, so you are checking both transmission and reception paths of the interface. Look at the SYSEX dump in MIDIOX, Compare it against the dumps in the data list manual. Does it start wit F0, does it end in F7 and is it the right length?
My money is on the interface being the issue :-)
HTH
Cheers
Derek