How long does the Mutec 2GB board take to format?

After installation and formatting, how much space does it show as being available?

How long can I expect the load time to be for an .X3A file that’s almost 2GB in size?

The Mutec board is 2048MB. With the formatting itself consuming some of the space, I’d imagine the available space will show as being a bit lower than 2048MB.

Using the Melas Waveform Editor I have created a 384-voice .X3A file, compiled from multiple source libraries, to load into my MOXF8.

The Melas software shows 1988.2MB as the space used by .X3A file I have created. The file is made up of 415 waveforms and 7403 keybanks so I’m comfortably within the MOXF flash limits on that front.

I would hope that the space consumed by the formatting will be such that I will have no issue loading a 1.9882GB .X3A file?

Formatting takes about 25 minutes for 1 GB.

Writing “typical” data takes about 5 minutes per 128 MB, so about 40 minutes per GB. It could be more or less time, depending on your particular data.

A newly formatted FL512M has 510 MB available (free). For an FL1024M, it’s 1022 MB. I don’t have a Mutec 2 GB module, but I’d expect the same overhead for the format.

Based on your description, what you have should theoretically fit. Please let us know if that also turns out to be true in practice.

Thanks 5pin!

So we could be looking at 45-50 minutes for a format of the 2GB flash board, then another hour plus maybe longer for the 1.9882GB .X3A file to load.

Well I’ll let you know how it all goes for sure, and how long it takes!

By the way, can I still play while all this stuff is going on? So, for example, play the factory ROM voices in the PRE banks?

Yes, it will be a while, and you should find something else to do during that time.

5pinDIN - 30 July 2016 12:24 PM

Yes, it will be a while, and you should find something else to do during that time.

So doesn’t sound like I can play the PRE voices as will that interrupt things right?

moxfman - 30 July 2016 12:41 PM

So doesn’t sound like I can play the PRE voices as will that interrupt things right?

I don’t believe that it’s possible to play the keyboard then (although I admit that I’ve never tried). Allow the operations to complete, because interrupting formatting or writing data to a flash module can cause it to become corrupted.

5pinDIN - 30 July 2016 01:04 PM

I don’t believe that it’s possible to play the keyboard then (although I admit that I’ve never tried). Allow the operations to complete, because interrupting formatting or writing data to a flash module can cause it to become corrupted.

OK, makes sense...I’ll go off an occupy myself with something else while all this formatting and loading is going on!

OK...so an update on how I got on with the Mutec 2GB expansion board.

The Mutec took all of 26 seconds to format. However, the loading/installing to flash of the 1.9882MB .X3A file took around 3.5 hours! I was surprised at how the quick the board took to format but didn’t expect 3.5 hours for the samples to load.

As mentioned in a previous post, the .X3A I created using the Melas Waveform Editor is comprised of 415 waveforms and 7403 keybanks. Two of the waveforms are 230MB each, by far the biggest (these are CP70 samples from Keyboard Waves and they are awesome!)

However, I noticed that I had duplicated the CP1 Piano voices in one of the user banks when I created the .X3A file. I didn’t notice I had done this until I started playing the user voices I had finish loading the samples onto flash and was able to try out sounds.

So here’s another question:

If I edit the .X3A I created using the Melas software, remove the duplicate voices (NOT duplicate waveforms as there are none), save as a new .X3A file and load it into my MOXF8, what will happen? And do I need to load “With Sample” or not, given that the waveforms and samples are already on the flash board? This is where I’m a little confused!

Keeping in mind the ONLY changes I’m going to make to the .X3A file are to remove the duplicate CP1 voices and change the position of the other voices in the user bank where those duplicate CP1 voices currently reside.

moxfman - 31 July 2016 04:00 PM

OK...so an update on how I got on with the Mutec 2GB expansion board.

The Mutec took all of 26 seconds to format. However, the loading/installing to flash of the 1.9882MB .X3A file took around 3.5 hours! I was surprised at how the quick the board took to format but didn’t expect 3.5 hours for the samples to load.

My experience with formatting and loading data to the Yamaha flash modules on my XF is quite different, so I’m surprised at the times you’ve reported.

 

moxfman -

As mentioned in a previous post, the .X3A I created using the Melas Waveform Editor is comprised of 415 waveforms and 7403 keybanks. Two of the waveforms are 230MB each, by far the biggest (these are CP70 samples from Keyboard Waves and they are awesome!)

However, I noticed that I had duplicated the CP1 Piano voices in one of the user banks when I created the .X3A file. I didn’t notice I had done this until I started playing the user voices I had finish loading the samples onto flash and was able to try out sounds.

So here’s another question:

If I edit the .X3A I created using the Melas software, remove the duplicate voices (NOT duplicate waveforms as there are none), save as a new .X3A file and load it into my MOXF8, what will happen? And do I need to load “With Sample” or not, given that the waveforms and samples are already on the flash board? This is where I’m a little confused!

Keeping in mind the ONLY changes I’m going to make to the .X3A file are to remove the duplicate CP1 voices and change the position of the other voices in the user bank where those duplicate CP1 voices currently reside.

Since there are currently no duplicate Waveforms, my suggestion would be to directly load (on the MOXF) other individual Voices to the duplicate CP1 Voice locations. Then make a .X6A file, which will reflect the change in Voices.

5pinDIN - 31 July 2016 04:41 PM

moxfman - 31 July 2016 04:00 PM

OK...so an update on how I got on with the Mutec 2GB expansion board.

The Mutec took all of 26 seconds to format. However, the loading/installing to flash of the 1.9882MB .X3A file took around 3.5 hours! I was surprised at how the quick the board took to format but didn’t expect 3.5 hours for the samples to load.

My experience with formatting and loading data to the Yamaha flash modules on my XF is quite different, so I’m surprised at the times you’ve reported.

 

moxfman -

As mentioned in a previous post, the .X3A I created using the Melas Waveform Editor is comprised of 415 waveforms and 7403 keybanks. Two of the waveforms are 230MB each, by far the biggest (these are CP70 samples from Keyboard Waves and they are awesome!)

However, I noticed that I had duplicated the CP1 Piano voices in one of the user banks when I created the .X3A file. I didn’t notice I had done this until I started playing the user voices I had finish loading the samples onto flash and was able to try out sounds.

So here’s another question:

If I edit the .X3A I created using the Melas software, remove the duplicate voices (NOT duplicate waveforms as there are none), save as a new .X3A file and load it into my MOXF8, what will happen? And do I need to load “With Sample” or not, given that the waveforms and samples are already on the flash board? This is where I’m a little confused!

Keeping in mind the ONLY changes I’m going to make to the .X3A file are to remove the duplicate CP1 voices and change the position of the other voices in the user bank where those duplicate CP1 voices currently reside.

Since there are currently no duplicate Waveforms, my suggestion would be to directly load (on the MOXF) other individual Voices to the duplicate CP1 Voice locations. Then make a .X6A file, which will reflect the change in Voices.

On the first point (the long load time of the .X3A file) I can only guess it was because it was nearly 2GB worth of data! The Mutec reported exactly 2.0GB as free after I had formatted. So we can safely say the formatting takes up 48MB on the 2048MB Mutec board.

Regarding the second point, yes I have saved an ALL file (.X6A as it’s an MOXF).

I may have been talking gibberish when I mentioned “with samples” when loading the altered version library back in. As it’s a .X3A file I will have created, as I understand it only “with waveform” appears. That’s what I saw when I first loaded the .X3A file earlier today. If it was an .X6A file then I understand I would see “with waveform” AND “with sample” options but I didn’t as it’s .X3A format.

What I’m thinking of doing...and this is where it might get complicated...is taking the .X6A file from the save I made from the MOXF8, importing into the Melas Waveform Editor and then saving as new .X3A file as the Melas Waveform Editor does not currently allow .X6A file save. So far so good.

Then I will go about importing new voices to replace the duplicate CP1 Piano voices (but possibly adding some new voices that use NEW waveforms assuming I don’t go over the 2GB capacity limit and I’m close to that already - I know I’m well under the limit in terms of the actual number of waveforms).

So, I have my new .X3A file with some new voices (and maybe some new waveforms too). So what will happen when I try to load it as an ALL file, “with waveform?”

Will the MOXF8 ONLY install the waveforms it doesn’t have on the flash board or is it going to crap out on me because it’s going to try and load the waveforms already on the flash board all over again? This is where I am confused!

Or would I be better off just adding new voices “with waveform” where appropriate (i.e. if the voices do in fact have new waveforms not already on the flash board?)

My only concern with the last option is what if the voice has an arp? Will it not load if I select only the voice? I thought voices that used arps needed an ALL file to be loaded?

Boy am I getting confused with all this stuff. The basics are easy to get your head around but after that…

Having given this some more thought, what I will do for now is edit the .X3A file I created but remove the duplicate CP1 Piano library and replacce those 16 duplicate 16 voices from some other libraries I have with voices that use the factory waveforms.

When I go to load the newly edited .X3A file in the MOXF, I will just load those individual 16 voices, one at a time. It’s not many voices to load so I can live with that.

I will then perform a Save ALL, creating a new .X6A file “with sample”

How does that sound?

moxfman - 01 August 2016 10:23 AM

Having given this some more thought, what I will do for now is edit the .X3A file I created but remove the duplicate CP1 Piano library and replacce those 16 duplicate 16 voices from some other libraries I have with voices that use the factory waveforms.

When I go to load the newly edited .X3A file in the MOXF, I will just load those individual 16 voices, one at a time. It’s not many voices to load so I can live with that.

I will then perform a Save ALL, creating a new .X6A file “with sample”

How does that sound?

That should work.

By the way, I’ve sent a Private Message to Julian David of Mutec, asking about the 26 second and 48 MB formatting, which are quite different than my experience on my XF using Yamaha flash modules. So far, no reply.

5pinDIN - 01 August 2016 10:41 AM

I’ve sent a Private Message to Julian David of Mutec, asking about the 26 second and 48 MB formatting, which are quite different than my experience on my XF using Yamaha flash modules. So far, no reply.

I’d be very interested in his reply, assuming he sends you one!

moxfman - 01 August 2016 06:10 PM

I’d be very interested in his reply, assuming he sends you one!

No reply to my PM, nor to email sent to him at Mutec.

I’d appreciate any other users of Mutec FMC-07 2 GB posting with the time it took for that module to format, and what the Total Size indicated was right after formatting.

I didn’t time it but initial formatting didn’t take that long. On the order of a minute, not tens of minutes.  Moxf reported 2G available if I recall.

motidave - 05 August 2016 09:48 AM

I didn’t time it but initial formatting didn’t take that long. On the order of a minute, not tens of minutes.  Moxf reported 2G available if I recall.

So same experience I had…