Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

I have Eloader 1.1 working - it sees patterns and saves them.

When I try to load a pattern that it has saved it gives me this error.  Note that I can load an empty pattern that was saved from a bank save - but not one with data. 

Anyone have a solution or know about a problem?

I have looked at a few problematic situations, but nothing with that error message.  On the chance that it might be related to another file transfer problem I looked at, see https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/xl7/files/e-loader%20issues/ . The last file listed is a text file that describes the issue and a possible solution. Maybe the method I used will help figure out what's going on here.

Also, perhaps you can upload the file to a temporary folder so it can be diagnosed.

Steve

Thank you Steve-

I uploaded one of the midi files that is giving this error.  The midi files seem to open in my DAW fine.

Just not sure what the issue is.

I cannot download the file. I get a 404 error. I am not sure why. Does the original filename have some non-standard characters? In the list of files, the name has ## in there.  Try renaming it.
Steve

I took one more stab at the file. I downloaded it and opened it with a MS utility called debug. It loads and the file looks superficially like a standard midi file, but evidently there is something wrong with it. It would take some doing, but it would be possible to look at it byte by byte (or chunk by chunk) to try to see what the issue is. Its been a while since I looked at the components of the standard midi file.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.  This will gnaw at me, so maybe I will think of something.

Steve

Thanks for your efforts.

I played back and recorded some of the patterns (as mid files) in Cubase, going to try to see what's wrong.

I also created some new files from an empty slot - named without unusual characters from the get go - and nothing out of the ordinary.  The emu loader won't recognize it as a valid midi file either.  I will try to record the midi file back from Cubase into the MP7 in an empty slot and see if that makes a difference. 

Cubase can explode the midi file into channels, so hopefully the MP7 will accept (record) the file just fine to use for backup purposes.

Off topic sort of - -   I started off just saving user presets with the same altered name only in a user slot.  Quickly realized that this was a mess and I was unable to determine which User preset slots were used in a pattern and which are old/ unused.  I figure I will start out with some sort of Naming system where I use first characters to reconize a saved preset in a Pattern.  Is there a way to clear/ initialize all user presets?  Probably a lot of the problem here is that the Command Station was filled with user presets already with no name changes so it was hard to tell what is used where.

If you hold down both cursor keys  while you power it up, it will boot to a diagnostic menu. The last few options initialize the box.  I name my modified patches with the pattern number and sometimes use my own category prefix (the bit before the : can be edited).

I stopped moving patches since the above sorts them and the (other) sequencer loads them. CS will to, of course.

Google Tarekith and Command Station for a list of among other things, power on function keys.

I've never successfully transferred a MIDI song from one device to another with a good musical result. I figure the songs sound a little like the sequencer that made them.

Scott

If I tweak a factory preset, I rename it with the first letter in caps. So, bts.xxxx is now Bts.xxxx. Its cumbersome, but you can take a default preset from a ROM and save it to a whole bank once at a time by incrementing the save location preset at a time. I am not sure if anyone has uploaded entire banks with default presets.

One time I used E-Mu remote control to automate randomizing and saving a whole bank of 128 presets. I am thinking if you had a template or a default in slot 000 of any given back, you could write a remote control sysex script to save that to the remaining 127 slots in that bank. If you are adventurous and want to give that a try, I highly reccomend using an offbeat sysex ID that you would never use for anything else. And then change the sysex ID back to 0 when you are done.  One of the reasons I never posted the script to randomize a whole back is that I didn't want the responsibility of someone accidentally wioing out a whole bank of prized presets.

If you have never developed an E-Mu remote control sysex script, basically it involves opening remote control mode, simulating keypresses with sysex, and then closing remote control. To do something like copy preset 000 to the remaining 127 slots in a bank (assuming it can be done), you would need to have the front panel in the right spot (at preset 000) before running the script. If you are not at the right spot, you could wipe out any consecutive set 127 of presets (for example, 032^1 to 031^2). I used pre-Sonar Cakewalk software to "play" as a sequence a series of remote control sysex comands. I think I have some demos of non-destructive remote control sysex scripts in the files section.

As for the problem with non-loadable files, that is a mystery. Other than analyzing a file byte at a ti9me, I am not sure how to sort it out. Is it possible that your midi interface, routing, or setup is introducing some stray bytes?

Steve

By the way, I mentioned copying 000 to 127 subsequent locations, but it should also be possible to write a script to take 000^0 and save it to all 4 user banks.  It might even be possible to upload it as a sequence using embedded sysex. That might get messy though. I think it'd be safer to run it from an external source (like a PC) and not risk wiping out all your presets when setting up for a performance by simply starting up the wrong sequence. OY!!!!
Steve