korg x3 battery replacement and sysex dumps

[paul tha other]

hey there..ive got a korg x3 in and the internal battery has given up..ive changed it but now im having a nightmare trying to sysex dump the factory presets to the synth...ive got sysex librarian and it looks like its dumping the sysex..but after its finished all the presets names are garbled and there is no sound coming out of the synth apart from the gm sounds..

ive read that modern computers are too fast for these old synths so i have to slow down the speed but im not exactly sure to what

my question is , is there a programme for the mac that can do this straight out of the box because ive been changing settings all day yesterday and ive still gotten nowhere

[nickle15]

I have a low confidence level when it comes to my repair work, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, but I've encountered this exact issue with two other Korg keyboards over the last few months. Battery replaced, can't get the Librarian to send (or so I thought). I found out that in both of my cases the data took but I expected immediate results. It was only after I did the dump and powered the keyboard off and back on that the patches showed up. This may not help at all but wanted to throw it out there.

I also read about (but haven't used) a method to send the data via your DAW if you're using one. Someone a lot more knowledgeable that I am will be along soon and can add more but those are a couple of thoughts. Best of luck! I think the X3 would be a great board to have.

[nickle15]

Something else to consider is that you could have a faulty sysex file. Have you tried more than one?

[paul tha other]

thanks for the reply..ive done the very same thing with my korg m1 and i didnt have any bother with it...ill explain in full what is going on

1 i got the file from the korg website. opened it in sysex lib app...i hit transfer..everything looks like it should..the keyboard says "processing" but most of the time it dosnt go away untill i hit the cusor key on the x3..

other times when i speed up or slow down the data transfer, i get a crash on the synth and i can only switch it on and off,,strange thing also ,,after changing the battery ,im still getting the "battery low" warning on the synth
also yesterday was all done on the mac and today im trying my pc to see if midi ox deals with this better.

the annoying thing is ,im doing this as a favour to a mate and now i cant get his keyboard working at all

[nickle15]

The recurring battery low message seems suspicious. Did you try a different new battery?

[paul tha other]

no i only had the 1 battery.but i just bought it yesterday...

[nickle15]

My opinion is that the battery issue will keep you from having any good results until it gets fixed. I would try a different battery, as silly as that sounds. Also make sure the battery is oriented correctly (right side up) in the battery holder, assuming it has a battery holder. I know those are basic tips but after that someone else more advanced will have to offer some advice.

I've done batteries on the M1, Trinity, DW-6000, and 01/W over the last number of months but once I replaced them the battery messages went away.

[James Perrett]

I'd check the battery voltage - does it have a date on the packaging?

Is it made by Duracell?

[paul tha other]

no ..its a maxell...no date on it, but its not old...i opened up the synth and put another battery in (one from a tuner) and i am getting the same message...i seem to be getting on better on my pc tbh..im now seeing the "sunrise " patch on 00 combi...its the sysex dump im having problems with..surely it would still transfer across even if that battery was taken out, it would just be an empty synth when i switched it off, no?

[paul tha other]

hey guys..was a frustrating day yesterday..im no further forward...this used to be such a simple thing to do..it was something i did on my m1 weekly when i played keys in a band..new development..battery low thing has gone away...still cant get the factory presets over though....1im out of ideas..the lst resort..contact korg!

wish me luck

[BillB]

I'm not a Mac user but whenever Sysex and Macs are mentioned, Snoize is usually recommended (just like MIDI-Ox is for PCs):

https://www.snoize.com/sysexlibrarian/docs.html

Lots of control over timings and interval between MIDI messages. Probably worth a try before you head anywhere else. Good luck!

[paul tha other]

hey thanks..ive got a mac and a pc..tried sysex lib on the 1st day..its not doing the job ..niether is midi ox fr the pc..i need to this fixed by next weekend..im just wondering if anyone knows the speed i need to slow it down too..ive been trying going up in incraments of 5 but thats not working...i cant understand why im having so much bother..this should be a straight forward thning to do

[BillB]

Can't adivse on speeds, sorry. Trial and error! Also check (and replace) anything you can - try Snoize. Is the interface the same one you have had (sysex) success with previously? Check/replace USB/MIDI cables. USB especially can be flaky for this sort of thing.

[nickle15]

I would second the notion about USB being an issue. My greatest success has always been with a 5 pin DIN. I ran it out of my Focusrite interface into the Korg and got the best results. I know you mentioned getting the sysex from Korg but I would also try to get another copy from a different source in case there's any corruption in their file. I don't know if you've used this site before but you can hopefully get some good data there:

https://www.sysexdb.com/?q=x3

That should take you straight to the X3 page...

[paul tha other]

good point..im not using the same interface..im using the miditech 2x2..it connects with usb but has a 5 pin din to connect to the synth.i have changed midi leads usb cables(for the miditech).i do still have the old interface .ill give that a go tomorrow if i can still find the drivers for the old quattro interface..thanks for that idea

[nickle15]

Good luck!

[adamburgess]

You could try sending a single SysEx message to do something simple to the Korg and see how it reacts. If that works, it's eliminated the MIDI cable/interface issue.

[paul tha other]

hey..i have won....today i found the another page in midi ox with more setting adjustments for the buffers..i lowered the buffers to 8 in and out (they were set 1024) and bingo..same leads and midi interface..couldnt find the power pack for the quattro

thanks for all you guys's help..i really appreicate it

paul

[nickle15]

Excellent - glad it worked!!

[BillB]

Result! Determination pays off, you have an instrument, not a brick.

Very pleased for you