Instructions for using geoCZLIBRARIAN V1.1
geoCZLIBRARIAN is a four-bank MIDI patch librarian for the Casio CZ-series of synthesizers; however, it is generally oriented toward the CZ-101/1000. Effects (Tone Mix, Bend Range, etc), sequencer data, and CZ-1 operation memory and keyboard set-ups are not supported.. All versions of geoCZLIBRARIAN to date require a Passport-compatible MIDI interface. geoCZLIBRARIAN gives you the utilty operations of other similar Librarians, with the added advantages of operating within the GEOS environment:
- Load and Save CZ patch data from and to disk as GEOS
Application Data files
- Access to up to seven GEOS Desk Accessories
(calculator, notepad, Convert DA, etc)
- REU (Ram Expansion Unit) access*
- Import CZPL- and CZSL-type seq. data files
- and many other features
*geoCZLIBRARIAN will support the 1764/1750 REU providing you are also using a cartridge-port expander (i.e, Aprospand) to accomodate both the REU and the MIDI interface. This version of geoCZLIBRARIAN has not yet been tested on the 128.
Please be sure to read the Addenda section later.
OVERVIEW
Before running, make sure:
1) your synthesizer is on
2) the write protect switch is off
3) the proper MIDI cable connections have been made
4) the CZ is set to transmit/receive on MIDI channel 1
Open geoCZLIBRARIAN from the deskTop. If your MIDI interface is inaccessible you will get a dialog box with some possible solutions. Once the problem is fixed---if it can be fixed---click "OK" and the program will resume. The screen will display four user-Banks, the Operation Menu, 16-patch display with the "in use" box wherein the currently active Bank is displayed, and MIDI channel display.
You can only perform Operations on one selected Bank at a time, which you activate by clicking on its Bank Icon, i.e:
You can change the Bank in-use at any time after the completion of an Operation. No Librarian Operations will be performed unless a Bank is activated by Icon first.
Some Dialog Boxes may ask you to enter a Bank A-D. The Bank letter must be entered with a shift. If you enter "a-d" instead of "A-D", you'll get an "input out of range" error, and the operation will be canceled.
The Operation Menu has twelve Menu Icons which allow you to: send banks or individual patches to and from the CZ and geoCZLIBRARIAN; load from and save to disk a bank of patches; print a bank of patch names; rename a patch; swap patches between Librarian Banks; and audition patches. The Operation Menu is explained later.
Exit the program by selecting quit in the geos menu. Unlike geoWrite or geoPaint files, geoCZLIBRARIAN files are not automatically updated. Unless the Banks have been saved to disk, they will be lost by quit.
To import CZSL or CZPL type patch files into geoCZLIBRARIAN click on the clone menu and select open file. You will be instructed to insert a disk of "CZ."-prefixed files into drive A (device #9/drive B cannot be used to import "CZ."-type files). The selected "CZ." file will be loaded into the current in-use bank. It can then be saved as a GEOS-type CZ file. The original "CZ." file will not be destroyed. See notes on File Manipulation later.
To change the MIDI channel, click on MIDI ch. in the clone sub-menu. Enter a new MIDI channel between 1 and 16. The default channel is 1, as it is on the CZ.
This can be a convenient feature if you use two or more CZ's in your set-up. Please note though that whichever CZ is in use must have both its MIDI IN and MIDI OUT connected to the interface, perhaps through a MIDI splitter or matrix device. A Slaved CZ set only to receive data through its MIDI IN will not be able to transmit data back to the computer, which it must do in compliance with the CZ's particular data handshaking protocol.
Be CERTAIN that after setting the MIDI channel on the librarian the CZ is set to the same channel. Failure to do so will crash the program.
FILE MANIPULATION
At this point, a few words might be necessary on how Data files are handled by geoCZLIBRARIAN.
Currently, only the first fifteen patch files on a disk can be viewed in either the load or clone dialog box at a time. Therefore, it may be necessary to arrange your CZ data files in such a way that the ones you want to access are closest to the first page of the deskTop.
A GEOS-type CZ Application Data file is created by geoCZLIBRARIAN when data is saved by the program. It has a GEOS header and icon, and looks like this on the deskTop:
It can loaded by geoCZLIBRARIAN from either the disk drive or REU. This type of file cannot be reverted back to a "CZ"-type data file by the librarian, nor loaded by non-GEOS librarians.
A "CZ."-type CZ data file refers to the type of file created by non-GEOS CZ librarians, so-called here because of the "CZ." prefixed filename, sometimes called "Dr.T" format (actually, they are Commodore sequential files). Generally, most CZ librarians save data in this format.
("CZ."-type data files can only be imported/cloned from the drive/device #8. Why? First, in order for GEOS to access these files, the GEOS Turbo has to be "purged" from the drive. I was not able to do this with the REU, nor do I believe it can be done. Secondly, your stash of "CZ." files are presumably already on disk---how would they get into the REU?. Nonetheless, this small shortfall shouldn't be an inconvenience.)
geoCZLIBRARIAN can load both file formats, but will only save data as a GEOS-type.
I would suggest assembling your favorite patches into a few GEOS-type data files (like me, you probably only really use about a dozen of the thousands you have anyway!), so you don't have to worry about cloning "CZ." files too frequently.
OPERATION MENU, as it appears on the screen:
Choose an Operation by clicking on the appropriate Icon.
Below are the Menu Icons and their descriptions:
Get Internal bank
Get Cartridge bank
Get patch
(note arrow points away from keyboard)
Selecting one of these Icons will get the designated bank, or a specified patch from the CZ.
Patches loaded from the CZ's Internal and Cartridge banks are unnamed, so for reference they will be listed in the patch display area as I/1, I/2. . .1/16 and C/1, C/2. . .C/16, and the entire bank will designated as either "I" or "C". If data will be saved to disk, be sure to rename the bank and patches. Otherwise you'll end up with many, many patches named "I/1", "I/2", etc
Send bank to Internal
Send bank to Cartridge
Send patch
(note arrow points to the keyboard)
Transmit the current Bank in-use to the Internal or Cartridge bank of the CZ, or an individual patch from the in-use Bank to a CZ patch location. Note that data is copied to the CZ, and remains resident in the Librarian.
Rename patch
Rename a patch from the in-use Bank. The cursor will appear in the patch display area after selecting a patch. After renaming, hit Return to resume operations
Swap two patches
Swap two patches between two (or within one) loaded Banks. A patch in the in-use Bank is chosen as the first of the swap-pairs, then a second Bank is chosen (it may be the same Bank) and displayed, and the second of the swap-pairs is selected from it, after which the two selected patches will swap places. The second selected Bank remains desplayed.
Load from disk
Load a geosCZLIBRARIAN Application Data file from a drive into the in-use Bank. Change drive/disk options are available. (Use clone operation to import non-GEOS data files.)
Refer to earlier discussion of files for more info.
Save to disk
Save the in-use Bank to disk as a geosCZLIBRARIAN Application Data file. If the file already exists, you will have the option of replacing it Otherwise, you should rename the file-to-save.
Refer to earlier discussion on files for more info.
Audition
Hear what a voice sounds like before actually writing it to the CZ. This neat operation sounds the note C from each of the five octaves on the synthesizer using a selected patch from the current in-use bank. No patch data is over-written; the patch is sent to the Compare/Recall slot of the CZ, and played via an internal MIDI routine.
Print the currently selected bank in draft mode. The filename and its sixteen patch names will be printed vertically. Your GEOS printer driver must be on the same disk/drive as geoCZLIBRARIAN. And your printer must be on!
Bank Configurations
geoCZLIBRARIAN follows the CZ101/1000 configuration for Memory Banks: sixteen-patches-per-bank x three-banks. The CZ3000/5000 are somewhat different, eight-patches-per-bank x eight-banks. Consequently, geoCZLIBRARIAN can only access patches in two of the CZ3000/5000's banks, and Banks only in pairs:
geoCZLIBARARIAN & CZ101/1000 CZ3000/5000
Internal 1-16 = Memory A-1 thru B-8
(Memory C-1 thru D-8 inaccessible)
Therefore, geoCZLIBRARIAN can only access patches in CZ3000/5000 Memory Bank A thru B and the Cartridge memory.
The Compare/Recall sound area and Cartridge Memory Configuration are the same on all devices.
I'll assume that CZ3000/5000 users are familiar with this difference and forego further discussion on it.
ERRORS
Disk errors may occasionally occur. geoCZLIBRARIAN has one error message, and tracking down the cause of the error is left to you. Here are some possible errors:
- Out of disk space.
- Disk is non-GEOS
- Missing or unformatted disk.
- Disk is write-protected.
- Filename too big.
There may be others. Just watch it.
ADDENDA
1) geoCZLIBRARIAN was conceived with a disk drive as device #8 and a REU as device #9 in mind, which is a fairly typical setup. The 1581 is accessible as the third drive with the REU. "CZ."-type files can only be imported from device #8.
2) Regrettably, the new GEORAM cannot be used for MIDI applications (GEORAM uses I/O registers required to access standard MIDI interfaces, virtually obliterating the burgeoning potential of MIDI/GEOS), and thus cannot be used with geoCZLIBRARIAN.
3) Some of the MIDI routines in this program are based on Alan Bland's public domain "CZPL" librarian, and adapted for use within GEOS. And thank you Jim Collette for answers to my geos-imponderables.
4) HEY!
Make sure your CZ is on. Make sure your CZ's write-protect switch is off. Make sure your MIDI cables are plugged in correctly. Make sure MIDI channel settings agree. These oversights will definetly crash the program. Despite all the error checking, it is still up to you to keep track of your data.
5) I do not expect to be doing much work on this program or its companion, geoCZEDITOR, in the near future. I had planned to incorporate some of Bill Coleman's excellent routines and make other modifications, but I'm afraid I've reached a plateau as far as development goes. I hope that others will do more with GEOS and MIDI.
Douglas Adams
3632 Pawtucket Avenue
East Providence, RI 02915
This program is released into the Public Domain for GEOS users, and can be copied and distributed but may not be sold. To the best of my knowledge, no copyrights or licenses have been infringed by this program.