sysex BANK midi file playback to update my pcr 300. How please?

Try opening it as a normal MIDI file. That is don't import it. It should have a dialog pop up for sending the sysex but if it doesn't open the Sysex View and send it manually. You need to set the right port though for the sysex. You should not need to load it into the sysex bank Sonar will do this for you.

I'll bet they are standard MIDI files with the mid extension. One should not have to load them into the sysex bank manager. Sonar should do it automatically. Than all the user needs to do is make sure the right port is selected and play it.

There is one issue with some hardware MIDI devices that the tempo may be too fast for the device to handle. Often times cutting the tempo in half with do the trick.  

Yes its also in Sonar. Sonar has a Sysex bank manager that is one of the very best. 

The below is from the manual
Auto option for System Exclusive banks. Banks that are marked
Auto are transmitted automatically by SONAR when it loads the project file they are stored in. Use
the Sysx meta-event only when you need to send a Sysx Bank during the middle

of the project. 


Settings menu
• Auto Send on/off. Automatically transmit the selected bank every time SONAR loads the
project file. You might use this option for banks that contain System Exclusive messages that load
a set of sounds for a synthesizer at or before the start of a project.
Before transmitting, SONAR asks your permission. This is a safety feature for loading a file you
have received from someone else; if it happens to contain data for your synthesizer(s), you might
lose your patches and configuration information. However, if you don’t want to be asked, go to
Edit > Preferences > File - Advanced and clear the Ask Before Sending System Exclusive
(When Opening Projects) check box.
• Output. Specify the MIDI output port to transmit the selected Sysx bank on.



To send Sysx banks at startup
1. In the Sysx view, select a bank that you want to send to an instrument when you open the current
project.
SONAR highlights the bank you select.
2. Click the Sysx view Settings menu and choose Auto Send on/off.
A checkmark appears next to the bank name in the Auto column to show that the bank is
marked for auto-sending.
3. While the bank is still highlighted, click the Settings menu and choose Output to open the Sysx
Bank Output dialog box.
4. Enter the number of the output you want to send this bank out through, and click OK.
The output number you entered appears next to the selected bank in the Output column.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for each bank you want to send, and save your project.
The next time you open a project, SONAR asks you if you want to send any Sysx banks in the
project that are marked for auto-sending. If you click OK, SONAR sends the bank(s).
If you want SONAR to send auto-send banks every time you open a project without asking you,
uncheck the check box in the Auto-Send Sysx dialog box that says Ask this question every time.
If you decide later that you want to be asked, go to Edit > Preferences > File - Advanced and
select the Ask Before Sending System Exclusive (When Opening Projects) check box.



More information can be found on page 1141 onward. 

John thanks for all the above. Your link was very helpful. When I downloaded the firmware update .zip the readme files were blank! Having followed the instructions from your link I was very hopeful but unfortunately it has not worked.

I've slowed X2 to 30bpm. Actually if X2 stops working when a tried a second playback.

Roland recommend a midi file playback prog. I'll try it on my xp office computer

I think many keyboards have some sort of key combination thing to reset the internals to factory settings.  I had to do so with an E-MU controller I had - it was like 'hold these 2 buttons and jump on your head whilst singing show tunes', but it worked for me.

There might be doc in the manual for performing such a reset - if your keyboard really did get jacked up to the point of not being functional.

Just a thought - I will do some digging and post if I come up with any concrete info.

Bob Bone

maxsax


Ah! Went to try it on my XP computer and guess what - device won't power up. I think X2 stalling on the 2nd pass must have caused the problem but having said that I didn't get and "End" message from the first pass or any kind of indication that anything was  or had happened.

Does mention in the installation file that in the "unlikely" event of the keyboard not powering up Roland can bring it back to life

Is the USB port you plugged into a powered USB 2.0 port?  Perhaps that port was an older USB 1.1 port.


Also, I downloaded the system update file for your keyboard, from the Roland support site, and loaded it into X2a by importing it as a MIDI file on a MIDI track.  Looking at the event list view there are lots of events present.  Have you tried updating your keyboard to version 1.05, via the Roland doc link from above in this thread?


Bob Bone

Thanks Bob for your help but keyboard won't power up. I've screwed the factory set up.

Maybe a call to the Roland support folks would come up with some magic key combination to undo the voodoo that you do so well?  Maybe there is something they can give you over the phone to correct things.

Bob Bone