A question about "USER"

[YammyFan]

I know how to modify a style using "USER" and how to then save it to my USB stick.
Now I would like to know if it is possible to modify a style in "USER" and then save it in "USER" and then be able to access it at a later date  if I don't have my USB stick  with me because I have left the USB stick at home.

[Normanfernandez]

Yes you can Edit it again, if it's saved in the user memory.
Just remember to Rename it. To avoid overwriting the Style.
Regards Norman.

[tyrosaurus]

As Norman says, you can do this.

However the USER drive in PSR-S and Tyros models is not very large (S970 approx. 13 MB, S750 approx. 1.9 MB) and can quickly fill up.

Also, a small amount of this memory is required if you want to install any expansion voices!

If you can live with this limitation, then fine.

However, as an alternative, you might like to consider using a compact USB drive similar to the one at this link (https://www.sandisk.co.uk/home/usb-flash/ultra-fit-usb).

Several manufacturers have similar products and they are widely available.

When connected to the keyboard, they hardly stick out from the case at all, meaning that you can leave it in the keyboard all the time, other than when you want to back it up or add new content. 

They are available in a range of sizes, although 16 GB is plenty for most people.

Using one of these means that you can reserve the USER drive for essential files and as a temporary 'work space'.  User files (styles, voices, multi pads, registrations etc,) can be saved to, and used directly from USB.


Regards

Ian

[andyg]

And using the 'tiny' USB sticks like this, also makes it really simple to back up all your data to your computer, and everyone does that regularly, don't they............ 

[YammyFan]

Thank you Andy and Tyrosaurus. You have answered my question comprehensively. I shall regard the User section of my PSR 750 as a very tiny waiting room, or a very handy work bench.  And not a place to store stuff.

[cthiggin]

Hello Ian,
Please humor me here and see if I am right?

What you are suggesting with the larger flash drive: insert into slot, make a folder called USER, then copy all of your current User Files that are on the instrument, thus leaving it clean for
more memory, such as expansion files?
When you want a user file, you access it from the flash drive instead of on the instrument??

Thanks so much, Tom

PS - Sorry for the rambling. I had a minor surgery  yesterday and am still goofy today!

[tyrosaurus]

Hi Tom,

From your previous posts, it appears that you have a Tyros5, which although has quite a small USER drive (approx. 6.7 MB), has a huge 500 GB Hard disk drive!  I personally would use this as my main storage drive, although it is not quite as quick and easy to back it up to a computer as a much smaller USB!  The OP was concerned about using a USB in case he forgot to take it along when playing out of home, but in your case you can't easily forget to take a built in hard drive with you!

However, for people with keyboards such as PSRs, that do not have an internal hard drive or large USER drive, what I was suggesting was to use a USB drive as the main storage drive for your keyboard, and reserve the keyboard's relatively small USER drive for essential system files and temporary work space, which you can 'clear out' every now and then. 

Then, as you say, you would access the files directly from the USB.  File access time from USB would be very slightly slower than from USER, but this should not normally be apparent when using the keyboard, unless you are using an exceptionally slow USB device, or it is  faulty.

You can structure the folders on the USB any way that you want, and copy everything from the keyboard's USER drive that you can,  but I would not recommend creating a folder named 'USER' since this is likely to become very confusing! 

Of course, if you do not intend to save many of your own files, for example edited styles, voices, registrations, multi pads etc., then your existing USER drive may be large enough for your needs, and it would hardly be worth the bother to switch to using a USB, depending on which keyboard model you have, and the size of its USER drive.

Remember too that any existing registrations that use styles, multi pads etc. that are currently saved to the USER drive, would need to be modified if you move these associated files. The same applies to any of your own Music Finder records that call up styles or songs currently saved on the USER drive.   This may be another reason why someone decides to continue to use the existing set up if space is not an issue for you.

However you need to think ahead, and if you think that it is possible you will fill the USER drive in the future, then the earlier that you switch to using a USB (or HDD) as your main storage drive, the easier the process is likely to be.


Regards

Ian

[travlin-easy]

Keep in mind that style files are tiny when it comes to the number of bytes it takes to create one. The average style is just under 40 kb, so it will take quite a lot of styles to fill the memory of your user area.

Gary