Yamaha MDF3E User Manual
FCC INFORMATION (U.S.A.)
1. IMPORTANT NOTICE: DO NOT MODIFY THIS UNIT!
This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modifications not
expressly approved by Yamaha may void your authority, granted by the FCC, to use the product.
2. IMPORTANT: When connecting this product to accessories and/or another product use only high quality shielded cables. Cable/s
supplied with this product MUST be used. Follow all installation instructions. Failure to follow instructions could void your FCC authorization to use this product in the USA.
3. NOTE: This product has been tested and found to comply with the requirements listed in FCC Regulations, Part 15 for Class “B” digital
devices. Compliance with these requirements provides a reasonable level of assurance that your use of this product in a residential
environment will not result in harmful interference with other electronic devices. This equipment generates/uses radio frequencies and,
if not installed and used according to the instructions found in the users manual, may cause interference harmful to the operation of
other electronic devices. Compliance with FCC regulations does not guarantee that interference will not occur in all installations. If this
product is found to be the source of interference, which can be determined by turning the unit “OFF” and “ON”, please try to eliminate
the problem by using one of the following measures:
Relocate either this product or the device that is being affected by the interference.
Utilize power outlets that are on different branch (circuit breaker or fuse) circuits or install AC line filter/s.
In the case of radio or TV interference, relocate/reorient the antenna. If the antenna lead-in is 300 ohm ribbon lead, change the lead-in
to co-axial type cable.
If these corrective measures do not produce satisfactory results, please contact the local retailer authorized to distribute this type of
product. If you can not locate the appropriate retailer, please contact Yamaha Corporation of America, Electronic Service Division, 6600
Orangethorpe Ave, Buena Park, CA90620
The above statements apply ONLY to those products distributed by Yamaha Corporation of America or its subsidiaries.
* This applies only to products distributed by YAMAHA CORPORATION OF AMERICA.
1
PRECAUTIONS
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING
* Please keep these precautions in a safe place for future reference.
WARNING
Always follow the basic precautions listed below to avoid the
possibility of serious injury or even death from electrical shock,
short-circuiting, damages, fire or other hazards. These precautions include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Do not open the instrument or attempt to disassemble the internal
parts or modify them in any way.
The instrument contains no userserviceable parts. If it should appear
to be malfunctioning, discontinue
use immediately and have it inspected by qualified Yamaha service personnel.
• Do not expose the instrument to
rain, use it near water or in damp or
wet conditions, or place containers
on it containing liquids which might
spill into any openings.
• If the AC adaptor cord or plug becomes frayed or damaged, or if
there is a sudden loss of sound during use of the instrument, or if any
unusual smells or smoke should
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appear to be caused by it, immediately turn off the power switch, disconnect the adaptor plug from the
outlet, and have the instrument inspected by qualified Yamaha service personnel.
• Use the specified adaptor (PA-3B or
an equivalent recommended by
Yamaha) only. Using the wrong
adaptor can result in damage to the
instrument or overheating.
• Before cleaning the instrument, always remove the electric plug from
the outlet. Never insert or remove
an electric plug with wet hands.
• Check the electric plug periodically
and remove any dirt or dust which
may have accumulated on it.
CAUTION
Always follow the basic precautions listed below to avoid the
possibility of physical injury to you or others, or damage to the
instrument or other property. These precautions include, but are
not limited to, the following:
• Do not place the AC adaptor cord
near heat sources such as heaters
or radiators, and do not excessively
bend or otherwise damage the cord,
place heavy objects on it, or place it
in a position where anyone could
walk on, trip over, or roll anything
over it.
• When removing the electric plug
from the instrument or an outlet, always hold the plug itself and not the
cord.
• Do not connect the instrument to an
electrical outlet using a multipleconnector. Doing so can result in
lower sound quality, or possibly
cause overheating in the outlet.
• Unplug the AC power adaptor when
not using the instrument, or during
electrical storms.
• Always make sure all batteries are
inserted in conformity with the +/–
polarity markings. Failure to do so
might result in overheating, fire, or
battery fluid leakage.
• Always replace all batteries at the
same time. Do not use new batteries together with old ones. Also, do
not mix battery types, such as alkaline batteries with manganese
batteries, or batteries from different
makers, or different types of batteries from the same maker, since this
can cause overheating, fire, or battery fluid leakage.
• Do not dispose of batteries in fire.
• Do not attempt to recharge batteries that are not intended to be
charged.
(4)
PRECAUTIONS
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING
* Please keep these precautions in a safe place for future reference.
CAUTION
Always follow the basic precautions listed below to avoid the possibility of physical injury to you or others, or damage to the instrument or other property. These precautions include, but are not limited to, the following:
• If the instrument is not to be in use
for a long time, remove the batteries from it, in order to prevent possible fluid leakage from the battery.
• Keep batteries away from children.
• Before connecting the instrument to
other electronic components, turn off
the power for all components. Before turning the power on or off for
all components, set all volume levels to minimum.
• Do not expose the instrument to
excessive dust or vibrations, or extreme cold or heat (such as in direct
sunlight, near a heater, or in a car
during the day) to prevent the possibility of panel disfiguration or damage to the internal components.
(4)
• Do not use the instrument near
other electrical products such as
televisions, radios, or speakers,
since this might cause interference
which can affect proper operation of
the other products.
• Do not place the instrument in an
unstable position where it might accidentally fall over.
• Before moving the instrument, remove all connected adaptor and
other cables.
• When cleaning the instrument, use
a soft, dry cloth. Do not use paint
thinners, solvents, cleaning fluids, or
chemical-impregnated wiping
cloths. Also, do not place vinyl or
plastic objects on the instrument,
since this might discolor the panel
or keyboard.
• Do not rest your weight on, or place
heavy objects on the instrument,
and do not use excessive force on
the buttons, switches or connectors.
• Do not operate the instrument for a
long period of time at a high or uncomfortable volume level, since this
can cause permanent hearing loss.
If you experience any hearing loss
or ringing in the ears, consult a physician.
Yamaha cannot be held responsible for
damage caused by improper use or
modifications to the instrument, or
data that is lost or destroyed.
Always turn the power off when the instrument is not in use.
Make sure to discard used batteries
according to local regulations.
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Handling the Floppy Disk Drive(FDD) and Floppy Disk
Precautions
• Be sure to handle floppy disks and treat the disk drive with care. Follow
the important precautions below.
Compatible Disk Type
• 3.5” 2DD and 2HD type floppy disks can be used. A blank 2HD floppy disk
has been included with your instrument for you to record your performances.
■ Inserting/Ejecting Floppy Disks
To insert a floppy disk into the disk drive:
• Hold the disk so that the label of the disk
is facing upward and the sliding shutter
is facing forward, towards the disk slot.
Carefully insert the disk into the slot,
slowly pushing it all the way in until it
clicks into place and the eject button
pops out.
To eject a floppy disk:
• Before ejecting a floppy disk make sure
that the floppy disk drive is not in operation (the DISK IN USE indicator should
be off.)
• Press the eject button slowly as far as it
will go; the disk will automatically pop
out. When the disk is fully ejected, carefully remove it by hand.
• Never attempt to remove the disk or turn the power off during recording,
reading and playing back. Doing so can damage the disk and possibly the
disk drive.
• If the eject button is pressed too quickly, or if it is not pressed in as far as it
will go, the disk may not eject properly. The eject button may become
stuck in a half-pressed position with the disk extending from the drive slot
by only a few millimeters. If this happens, do not attempt to pull out the
partially ejected disk, since using force in this situation can damage the
disk drive mechanism or the floppy disk. To remove a partially ejected
disk, try pressing the eject button once again, or push the disk back into
the slot and then repeat the eject procedure.
• Be sure to remove the floppy disk from the disk drive before turning off the
power. A floppy disk left in the drive for extended periods can easily pick up
dust and dirt that can cause data read and write errors.
Cleaning the Disk Drive Read/Write Head
• Clean the read/write head regularly. This instrument employs a precision
magnetic read/write head which, after an extended period of use, will pick
up a layer of magnetic particles from the disks used that will eventually
cause read and write errors.
• To maintain the disk drive in optimum working order Yamaha recommends
that you use a commercially-available dry-type head cleaning disk to clean
the head about once a month. Ask your Yamaha dealer about the availability of proper head-cleaning disks.
Never insert anything but floppy disks into the disk drive. Other
objects may cause damage to the disk drive or floppy disks.
4
Handling the Floppy Disk Drive(FDD) and Floppy Disk
■ About the Floppy Disks
To handle floppy disks with care:
• Do not place heavy objects on a disk or bend or apply pressure to the disk
in any way. Always keep floppy disks in their protective cases when they
are not in use.
• Do not expose the disk to direct sunlight, extremely high or low temperatures, or excessive humidity, dust or liquids.
• Do not open the sliding shutter and touch the exposed surface of the floppy
disk inside.
• Do not expose the disk to magnetic fields, such as those produced by
televisions, speakers, motors, etc., since magnetic fields can partially or
completely erase data on the disk, rendering it unreadable.
• Never use a floppy disk with a deformed shutter or housing.
• Do not attach anything other than the provided labels to a floppy disk.
Also make sure that labels are attached in the proper location.
YAMAHA is not responsible for damage caused by improper handling or operation.
To protect your data (Write-protect Tab):
• To prevent accidental erasure of important data, slide the disk’s writeprotect tab to the “protect” position (tab open).
Write protected Write enabled
Data backup
• For maximum data security Yamaha recommends that you keep two copies of important data on separate floppy disks. This gives you a backup if
one disk is lost or damaged. To make a backup disk use the Backup function on page 54.
YAMAHA provides no guarantee against disk damage.
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* Atari is the registered trademark of Atari Corporation.
* IBM PC/AT is the registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
* MS-DOS is the registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
* The company names and product names in this owner’s manual are the trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.
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C
ONGRATULATIONS
You are now the proud owner of a Yamaha MDF3 MIDI Data Filer. This compact data storage unit is capable of storing bulk data
from nearly any MIDI-equipped synthesizer, tone generator, or sequencer on convenient 3.5" 2HD/2DD floppy disks. The MDF3 is
also able to record and play back sequencer data in realtime, a feature which makes it handy for use as a portable sequencer.
To put the MDF3 to work, you will need to connect it to at least one other MIDI device. If you own the Yamaha QX3 or a MIDIequipped personal computer with a 3.5" disk drive, the MDF3 will also be able to read the data from disks you create with these
devices, for maximum flexibility and convenience in data management.
This Owner’s Manual has been written for easy reference, and includes helpful advice for a wide range of applications. In order
to take full advantage of the many capabilities of your MDF3, we urge you to read through the manual carefully first, then keep
it on hand for future reference.
F
EATURES
!
• MIDI data recorder capability
The MDF3 is able to receive, store, and re-transmit MIDI
System Exclusive data from nearly any MIDI instrument with
bulk data transmission capability, including devices made
by manufacturers other than Yamaha. The MDF3 can also
read and transmit bulk data files created by the Yamaha
MDF2 Data Filer and the QX3 sequencer in that device’s
MDR mode.
• Sequencer capability
The MDF3 is capable of recording sequence data to disk,
and playing back this data in realtime. It can also play back
data files written by other MIDI devices using Standard MIDI
File format 0/1, as well as ESEQ sequence files created by
the Yamaha QX3, etc. (You can also play back the MDF2’s
SEQ data). Other convenient playback functions allow you
to play a program of up to 99 sequence data files in a specified order, and to play back files repeatedly in an endless
loop.
• Ample data storage capacity
The MDF3 can store as many as 99 bulk or sequence files
— on each 2HD/2DD floppy disk. If necessary, a single
bulk or sequence data file can occupy the disk’s total capacity of roughly 1,200/600 kilobytes of data. In sequencer
mode, this corresponds to approximately 150,000/75,000
notes’ worth of sequence data.
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A
BOUT THIS MANUAL
This Owner’s Manual introduces the MDF3’s functions in an order close to that in
which you are most likely to be using them. As you read through the manual, you
will soon learn how the MDF3 works; and you will find, in addition, a number of
hints on how you can put its features to use.
Nearly every operation in this manual is described as a series of simple steps, often
including diagrams that make the procedure easy to follow. Supplementary information about the operation will be preceded by the words ”Note”, “Hint”, or ”Caution”. Hints and notes serve as clues to details about the operation that you will not
want to overlook.
For further information regarding the operation of the MDF3,
you can refer to the following sections:
■
MDF3 Mode Overview (page 20)
This map summarizes the MDF3’s major functions, and
serves as a convenient guide to common operations.
■
What Error Messages Tell You (page 63)
If an error message appears in the LCD while you are using
the MDF3, refer to this appendix for an explanation of the
problem and advice on how to solve it.
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This manual is accompanied by the following supplementary
documentation:
■
MIDI Implementation Chart
This chart summarizes the MDF3’s MIDI capabilities, and
helps you to determine whether the MDF3 is compatible
with the other equipment you are using.
■
MIDI Data Format
Advanced MIDI users who do their own programming will
want to refer to this document for a detailed description of
the MIDI Data Formats used by the MDF3.
T
ABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS MANUAL ................................................ 8
BASIC TERMS AND KEYWORDS ............................... 10
INTRODUCING THE MDF3....................................... 12
PREPARING TO USE THE MDF3 ................................ 14
Supplying Power ...................................................... 14
Connecting a MIDI Device ...................................... 15
Turning the Power On .............................................. 15
Formatting a Floppy Disk ......................................... 16
Handling Floppy Disks ............................................. 18
Protecting the data on a disk .................................... 19
MDF3 MODE OVERVIEW .......................................... 20
MDR MODE ................................................................ 23
Receiving Bulk Data ................................................ 24
Transmitting Bulk Data ............................................. 27
Notes on MDR Data Reception and Transmission .... 29
SEQ MODE .................................................................. 31
Recording Sequence Data ........................................ 32
Playing Back Sequence Data .................................... 35
Notes on SEQ Data Recording and Playback ........... 38
JOB MODE .................................................................. 39
Repeating Playback .................................................. 40
Creating a Playback Program ................................... 41
Changing the Record Tempo .................................... 43
Selecting a MIDI Sync Mode .................................... 44
Enabling MIDI Control Messages ............................. 45
Notes on MIDI Synchronization ............................... 46
UTILITY MODE ........................................................... 47
File Names in UTILITY Mode ................................... 48
Renaming Files ........................................................ 49
Deleting Files ........................................................... 51
Copying or Appending Files ..................................... 52
Copying Disks .......................................................... 54
Formatting Disks ...................................................... 56
Displaying Disk Information .................................... 57
THE STANDARD MIDI FILE AND ESEQ FORMATS .... 58
ADVANCED FILE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES..... 59
Reading MDF3 Disks with a Computer .................... 59
Changing MDF3 File Name Extensions .................... 60
APPLICATIONS ........................................................... 62
A Portable MIDI Playback System ............................ 62
An Extended MIDI System ........................................ 62
WHAT ERROR MESSAGES TELL YOU ....................... 63
ABOUT THE MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART ....... 65
SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................ 66
INDEX .......................................................................... 67
JOBSEQMDR UTIL
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B
ASIC TERMS AND KEYWORDS
MIDI-related terminology
Here we define several basic terms used in this manual. These terms are frequently
used in describing the functions of MIDI equipment.
MIDI An abbreviation for Musical Instrument Digi-
tal Interface, which is the name of an international standard providing for the communication of data between electronic musical instruments. MIDI allows musical instruments such
as synthesizers and drum machines to communicate with each other, and to be controlled
by sequencers or computers.
MIDI Any piece of electronic equipment capable of
device receiving or sending data in a manner that com-
plies with the MIDI standard. This term is often applied to synthesizers, tone generators,
rhythm machines, and sequencers; however,
it also includes a variety of peripheral devices
including signal processors and patch bays, not
to mention MIDI data recorders such as the
MDF3.
MIDI data Data in a format that complies with the MIDI
standard. MIDI data can be divided between
two broad categories : sequence data and bulk
data.
sequence The data used to record and play back music.
data Generally speaking, sequence data consists of
note on and off messages, control change messages, and program change messages. In special cases, however, it may also include certain types of system exclusive data.
bulk data Data transmitted in units known as blocks, usu-
ally for the purpose of storage or retrieval. Each
MIDI device usually transmits bulk data in a
unique format that distinguishes it from the bulk
data of other devices; thus, it is also known by
the name “system exclusive data”. Bulk data is
usually not directly related to a musical performance; rather, it is used as a means for transferring large blocks of data, such as voice data,
samples, or system setup data, between two
MIDI devices.
bulk dump A transmission of bulk data from one MIDI
device to another.
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Keywords for MDF3 operation
The terms defined below are used throughout the manual to describe functions peculiar to the MDF3. The same words are frequently used in describing other MIDI
devices, as well; but keep in mind that in many cases the actual function in question
may differ considerably from that performed by the MDF3.
file A position on a disk where data is stored and
assigned a name. The MDF3 is capable of managing up to 99 files on a single disk. The number of files that can be created on any given
disk is physically limited by the size of the files
and the disk’s capacity of approximately 1,200
(MF2HD)/600 (MF2DD) kilobytes.
MDR mode The mode of operation in which the MDF3 is
used to receive and transmit MIDI bulk data.
MDR data The contents of the data file that is created
when the MDF3 receives bulk data from another MIDI device.
reception Generally, the receiving by one MIDI device
of MIDI data from another. In this manual, “reception” refers specifically to the MDF3’s reception of bulk data. The MDF3 automatically
writes the bulk data it receives to disk as an
MDR data file.
transmission Generally speaking, the sending of data from
one MIDI device to another. In this manual,
“transmission” means specifically the transmission of MDR data by the MDF3. When the
MDF3 transmits the contents of an MDR data
file, it simultaneously reads data from the disk
and outputs it via the MIDI OUT jack.
SEQ mode The mode of operation in which the MDF3 is
used to record and play back sequence data.
SEQ data The contents of the file that is created when
the MDF3 records sequence data. Such data is
often referred to as “song data”. Strictly speaking, however, such a file can contain as many
as several songs, or as little as a single phrase.
recording The reception of MIDI sequence data. Record-
ing is different from the reception of bulk data
in that the data is received in realtime. The
MDF3 automatically writes the sequence data
it receives to disk as a SEQ data file.
playback The transmission of sequence data from one
MIDI device to another. Playback differs from
the transmission of bulk data in that the sequence data is transmitted in realtime. When
the MDF3 plays back a SEQ data file, it simultaneously reads data from the disk and outputs
it via the MIDI OUT jack.
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