Cheap sequencer for stage?

[jeff0633]

Hi.

I play with a guy who plays his own bass on the keyboard and uses an SR16 for drums. We want to use his GM keyboard and be able to use all my songs that I have on floppy disks in the GM midi format. I play with another person and this is what we do. This other person uses a Yamaha Clavinova, which has the built in disk drive, and a great midi module built in. This other guy uses a yamaha S80 keyboard, which does not have a drive built in, and isn't even GM compatible, (though we have another GM keyboard, but no disk drive).

We are looking for a cheap sequencer or midi filer so that I can use all my songs that I have on floppy disk. We realize we can buy a lower end laptop with a usb connection, and then get one of those usb midi connections mrom midiman, but this will still run us around 300 bucks, and we are poor musicians. Is ther any other options for us that might be in the 100 dollar range?

He also has a Korg M1 keyboard I think, and it has a floppy drive in it, but I don't think this is GM compatible, is it? If my midi songs have been setup in Sonar, which I have and use for this, would the korg be able to play these GM midi files, and send the proper midi signals out to a GM compatible keyboard? Even though the Korg is not GM compatible for it's own sounds? Would it simply passs the GM patch numbers through to the GM module and keep everything working properly? Does Sonar have a Korg M1 patch map that would allow me to setup the instruments for the M1 and simply use it?

God, any help would be appreciated.

Jeff

[jake-owa]

I am selling this one on ebay. I am including the power supply, computer interface cable and MIDI filer software.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2545384759

Cheap, but it's one hell of a sequencer.
That Korg HAS to be GM compatible.
I believe any info that the Korg puts out will be storable and recallable as sys ex messages. It's all just info after all.

[TexRoadkill]

Jake, will that sync to SMPTE or Midi sync by any chance?

[jeff0633]

I appreciate your attempt to sell your auction, but this unit does not do what I want. It has no floppy drive, and also not much storage. The Korg is definitely NOT GM compatible. Do a search on it at google. I like it when people try to help others, but this was a little much in an attempt to sell an auction. I use Sonar as a sequencer, so all I really need is something with a floppy drive that will play my GM files and send them to a module. I am trying to get something for under two hundred dollars if possible.

Thanks anyway.

Jeff

Originally posted by jake-owa
I am selling this one on ebay. I am including the power supply, computer interface cable and MIDI filer software.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2545384759

Cheap, but it's one hell of a sequencer.
That Korg HAS to be GM compatible.
I believe any info that the Korg puts out will be storable and recallable as sys ex messages. It's all just info after all.

[jake-owa]

Originally posted by TexRoadkill
Jake, will that sync to SMPTE or Midi sync by any chance?

It syncs fine, why? It chases MTC like a dream. Makes a great master too.

You interested texie baby?

It's only up to $152.00...cheap!

[TexRoadkill]

Thanks Jake but it looks like it's getting a little pricey.

Jeff- all 'GM compatible' means is that the patches/banks are arranged in a certain order. It has nothing to do with wether or not you can read the midi file and it's usually only touted on consumer gear. The purpose of GM is so that standard midi files can be played and the appropriate type of instrument will be played by default. Anyone who is halfway serious about their music would pick the specific patches they want anyway so GM really isn't all that important.

Jake's sequencer would work because you can just do a midi dump from your computer into the sequencer.

If you save the file as a Standard Midi File it should play on any sequencer. You may have to setup the patches and channel assignments but the note info should be there. As I recall the M1 is only an 8 track sequencer but I could be mistaken. I haven't used one in awhile.

[jeff0633]

Originally posted by TexRoadkill
Thanks Jake but it looks like it's getting a little pricey.


Jake's sequencer would work because you can just do a midi dump from your computer into the sequencer.
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But His sequencer would not hold enough songs for a night's worth of music on stage. That's why I need something with a floppy drive, so that I have storage. Also, I have heard that the XG sounds in these boxes are not very good.
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If you save the file as a Standard Midi File it should play on any sequencer. You may have to setup the patches and channel assignments but the note info should be there. As I recall the M1 is only an 8 track sequencer but I could be mistaken. I haven't used one in awhile.

And it also only has fewer patches per bank than normal GM banks. I think it has 120 patches. Also, what if the midi drum

[jake-owa]

Originally posted by jeff0633
I appreciate your attempt to sell your auction, but this unit does not do what I want. It has no floppy drive, and also not much storage. The Korg is definitely NOT GM compatible. Do a search on it at google. I like it when people try to help others, but this was a little much in an attempt to sell an auction. I use Sonar as a sequencer, so all I really need is something with a floppy drive that will play my GM files and send them to a module. I am trying to get something for under two hundred dollars if possible.

Thanks anyway.

Jeff

Well, how about this? I have already sold that and I still suggest the QY70. It has no floppy drive but it doesn't need it as it can download straight to the computer. I have yet to find a device it is not compatible with. You can just use the MIDIfiler software that comes with it and play MIDI files back to it from the computer or to another device. The QY70 is a great, versitile sequencer and if you'd do a search on it here you would see that I have recommended it a lot of times before I started selling mine. You can get one for right about 2 hundred if you spend some time on ebay.