Expansion Pack Behavior Clarification

[dlepera]

I have a number of expansion packs loaded on my keyboard and have just started making new registrations using styles, voices and modifying existing registrations that came with the packs.  I am then saving those newly created registrations on to a USB.

As I know registrations will work from a USB as long as all the necessary components are on that USB and in the exact Root Path at the time of creation.  So I can plug the USB into any SX keyboard and they should work.

My question is this?  Since I am taking things from the Expansion packs located on my Keyboard USER area and not on the USB, then building new registrations and saving them on the USB, will things work if I take that USB and plug it into a different keyboard??  I would think not and that I am wasting my time??

  Can I copy those components from the expansion pack that I need say a new style, voice folder on my USB, create the registration with those new components now on the USB after they are copied and have them work/play on a different keyboard--(I know they work on my own keyboard)?.

    Please advise.          Regards,    dom

[Amwilburn]

As long as the other keyboard has the same expansion voices you use, and in the same LSB slot, then yes. If you change the LSB slot, then no, they won't work *unless* they're Yamaha's, which have their own global LSB/MSB. But if you use any 3rd party (non Yamaha packs) I've yet to see any work with styles without assigning a specific LSB, but there are sample packs with no styles; and if they are on different LSB's then no, the registrations won't load.

A lot to keep track of!

Mark

[dlepera]

Hi Mark.

I have 6 Yamaha expansion packs(the free ones). I have no concept of LSB/MSB, so maybe a little explanation of what they are or how they are used or how I can list them would help. I don't understand how another keyboard would know of them if that keyboard does not have the expansion packs, but not necessary as you have answered my question.  I have something to google now.

So from what you said, I can then keep creating my registrations as normal and know that I can play them on any SX keyboard if that keyboard does not have any of these packs loaded. 

    Thank You!         All the best!         
   
                        dom.

[BogdanH]

hi dom,
Just a short info about LSB/MSB/PCn... When a voice is created, each voice gets it's unique ID number consisting of 3 numbers called MSB, LSB and PCn. Each of these three numbers can have value 0-127. To see these numbers (next to voice names) on keyboard display, see Reference manual (p.34). You can also see MSB/LSB/PCn value for every built-in voice in Data List.
Styles don't contain any voices, they don't even contain voice names: they contain MSB/LSB/PCn numbers, which tell which voice should be used in particular channel (or for OTS).
As for expansion packs, it's impossible to guarantee voices to have unique ID. For example: If I create some voice, I will assign certain ID to it and someone else does the same when creating voice for his pack.. and it can happen, we both used the same ID. And because of that, it can (and does) happen, that wrong voice will be used in some style. And that's the reason why we need to check those numbers (and change them if needed) when we create install pack consisting of multiple packs. Actually that happens rarely if only Yamaha packs are used, because (I assume) Yamaha keeps track of already used ID's.
What happens quite often is, style can't find the needed voice and then that channel will either be silent or wrong voice will be used instead. How can happen that wrong voice is used? Because there's certain "pattern" in MSB/LSB/PCn schema and if keyboard doesn't find the exact voice ID, it will try to find the "best match". These things usually happen when we install pack that's not made for our keyboard (our keyboard doesn't have particular voice built-in), or if certain voice is missing in pack.
All above also affects registrations, obviously.

I hope that was of some help,
Bogdan

[EileenL]

If you want to use your registrations in another keyboard that keyboard has to have the same packs loaded in as yours. Far better to use on board voices for this.

[dlepera]

Mark Bogdan Eileen, great information and detail. I now have a better understanding of what is happening and how to better manage my new registrations and sources used from these expansion packs.

  Thank you all so much.    Best regards.
                      dom   
 

[Amwilburn]

Basically, your styles/ registrations won't be able to find the other voices (nor will it find replacements automatically) on another keyboard unless the packs are in the same LSB as the ones you installed on yours. If you right click a pick, you'll see the menu items
Export Pack
Chang Bank Select LSB
Change Image
Rename
Deleta

If you pick "Change Bank Select LSB" it will highlight the LSB number of your pack. You basically want both keyboards to have the same LSB for each pack in order for the registrations to work, *except* most Yamaha packs it automatically can find the voices, regardless of where you assign the pack sequencially in your YEM. But non-Yamaha packs will not.

e.g. if you use say Oud from one Yamaha pack on your keyboard in a registration, and the 2nd keyboard has oud from a Yamaha pack, it will find it. But if you use a voice from any 3rd party, it will *not* find it on the 2nd keyboard unless you put the packs in the same order on YEM for both keyboards. (problem solved if both are loaded from the same computer)

Mark

[dlepera]

Mark, all great detail. Thanks

         Dom   

[Joe H]

If you have 2 keyboards with expansion packs, you should use the same install file in both so the LSBs are the same.

FYI... If you exchange styles with someone else who has the same expansion packs but they have different LSBs; you can change the LSB in a style or Multi Pad using MixMaster batch processing feature.

Joe H

[dlepera]

Joe thanks. I am learning alot in this post.
    dom