Brand New M3-61 - USB defective?

raffo · Post by **raffo** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:11 am

Just got a brand new M3-61, and I'm having weird issues with USB sticks.

Background: the store gave me a floor-model loaner to use while they special-ordered a new M3-61. The loaner worked fine with any USB stick I tried -- in fact, I started sequencing a song on the loaner, and saved to a USB stick. The floor model, FWIW, showed OS version 2 (2-dot-"something"; I don't recall).

Now I have the special-ordered M3-61, and it can't read the USB stick I saved my sequence to. In fact, it can only read 2 of the USB sticks I tried: the one that came with the keyboard (containing the expansion libraries), and another Corsair-brand stick I had in a drawer. When this M3 can't read a stick, it claims the stick is "unformatted." FWIW, this new M3-61 shows OS version 1.0.6.

I thought this might be a FAT-16 vs. FAT-32 issue -- nope. The new M3 can read my FAT-32 USB hard drive just fine. And all the sticks I'm trying are FAT-16.

Thought my sticks might be going bad -- nope. My computer reads ALL of them, just fine.

Could this be related to the M3 OS version? Seems odd, but I haven't updated the OS on the new machine, so I don't know if that would help.

Anyone have any ideas?

Oldfield · Post by **Oldfield** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:07 am

All I can really say is My M3 is very fussy about the sticks it wants to read. I had a nice expensive one, one that wasn't made by "Crapola Inc" or whoever and it wouldn't read it at all. I think it was a Corsair one too, actually.

At present I'm using my ancient 512mb something or other that IS made by Crapola and it works fine.

All I can really suggest is keep trying different sticks until you find one that it wants to play with.

raffo · Post by **raffo** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:10 pm

Oldfield, thank you!

Anybody else run into something like this?

Oldfield · Post by **Oldfield** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:25 pm

Seem to remember a few things from over on KL forums:

http://karma-lab.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10898
http://karma-lab.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13866

also:
http://www.korg.com/services/downloads/pdf/U3_FAQ.pdf

But it still doesn't really explain why you'd be able to save on one M3 (from store) and then not be able to load from the same stick on your own.

Unless it does explain it, and it's more fussy about reading from certain USB sticks than it is writing to them... (?)

The_Rev · Post by **The_Rev** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:45 pm

Either way, I'd still update that 61 key that you special ordered to the latest operating system, which can be downloaded at Korg.com/m3 in the support section

Oldfield · Post by **Oldfield** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:11 pm

Yeah, best thing to do (in addition to/after updating to latest M3 OS version - make sure you do it twice, see guide on how to update your M3) - save the sequence to your PC, along with the whatever else expansion libraries...

Format a USB stick with the M3 - can't remember off the top of my head, but think it's the utility menu or something like that.

Put the files you want to load back on it from your PC and try again.

raffo · Post by **raffo** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 2:38 am

Folks, thanks for the ideas!

I've been leery of updating the OS, because the loaner (with OS 2) seemed to be MISSING sounds -- combis and programs. The name and number would show on the touchscreen, but nothing happened, when you played the keyboard.

Is that normal, when you update the OS???

Oldfield · Post by **Oldfield** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:57 pm

raffo wrote:Folks, thanks for the ideas!

I've been leery of updating the OS, because the loaner (with OS 2) seemed to be MISSING sounds -- combis and programs. The name and number would show on the touchscreen, but nothing happened, when you played the keyboard.

Is that normal, when you update the OS???

It will be normal for you (?!)
Do you have the EXB-256 memory/sampling ram upgrade? You pretty much need it to take full advantage of the "XPanded" M3.

A lot of the sounds have been upgraded with new waveforms - that is, the new stuff that fills the user banks. And these new samples come in the form of whatever it was that might be on your USB stick - the .KEP files: EXPCM01.KEP-EXPCM04.KEP - assuming you have the woodwind/brass and umm.. piano sounds (I think the latter came from the xmas present last December - see top of this forum).

These samples are loaded from USB stick each time you start the M3 - or could/should be if you've set them to auto load as most people seem to. If these samples haven't been loaded into sampling memory then the M3 can't play them in the programs/combis they're used in. Make sense?

These files weigh in at:
EXPCM01.KEP 65,173Kb
EXPCM01.KEP 65,272Kb
EXPCM01.KEP 60,355Kb
EXPCM01.KEP 29,196Kb

Since the M3 has only what is it, 64mb of sampling ram the chances are that a lot of these sounds will sound wrong and/or silent. Unless you have the 256mb upgrade too, then you can load them all in at once.

I don't know much about M3s sold as new as "XPanded", whether or not this extra sampling ram that you need to use all the extra Xpanded stuff at once is included... I think it should be (personal opinion).

So in short - if you don't have the 256mb upgrade in your M3 (which the shop one didn't, by the sound of it) then yes, it's normal for it to be missing sounds.
If it did have the upgrade, the chances are that those sample sets weren't set to auto load...

Sorry, I'm tired and typing too fast - but I hope this made sense.

You may feel a little hard done by, if you don't have the memory upgrade, but you shouldn't feel too bad, the upgrade to the OS is well worth it, and the XPanded sounds (which were free) really do sound good, and make the M3 have utter w**k brass/woodwind sounds to have quite respectable ones.

The expansion memory is extortionate, I'll give you that, but it's really the only way to get the best out of the instrument, soundswise.

raffo · Post by **raffo** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:03 am

Oldfield wrote:Do you have the EXB-256 memory/sampling ram upgrade?

Not yet, but I ordered it. When I read through the OS update instructions, it seemed like a good way to go.

I suspect the loaner I had, which HAD the OS update, did NOT have the EXB-256 installed.

raffo · Post by **raffo** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:51 am

Oldfield wrote:Format a USB stick with the M3 - can't remember off the top of my head, but think it's the utility menu or something like that.

OK, that worked. I tried it just now with a little 256 MB PNY Attache drive, and the M3 suddenly cooperated. Fortunately, the PC was happy, too: I was able to create files on the stick, and lo and behold, the M3 was able to see them, too.

It's still odd to me that the loaner M3 didn't have a problem with a pre-formatted USB stick, but that may be related to the M3 OS-version. I'll have to test that when I do the update.

At least I don't feel like my M3 is defective. If I always have to use the M3 to format, that's not a major problem... just weird.

raffo · Post by **raffo** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:25 am

UPDATE: Well, now that I have OS version 2.0.0 on this machine -- it can read the USB stick just fine!

Some of these issues must be related to the M3 OS; it's looking to me like OS v. 2 might be more "forgiving," in the USB devices can handle.