FAQ
 

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This page includes a list of issues that may arise when installing DX Manager and a list of general issues relevant to SY Manager and the SY synth series

 

DX Manager FAQ listing

 

Message : Runtime Error '430'. Class does not support automation or does not support expected interface.

Message : Setup cannot continue because some system files are out of date on your system....

Download DX7II MIDI Specification

Message : Runtime Error '430'. Class does not support automation or does not support expected interface.

 

This error message sometimes occurs under Win98SE after a successful installation of DX Manager. It usually occurs immediately the program is run. The error indicates that the version of Microsoft Data Access Components installed on your machine is not compatible with DX Manager.

 

The problem can be resolved by downloading and installing a compatible version of MDAC - click here

 

Message : Setup cannot continue because some system files are out of date on your system....

 

This error message sometimes occurs during installation. It occurs because DX Manager requires later versions of some system files than are installed on your system and a dialog box appears asking whether you wish these files to be updated. If you choose yes the updated files will be installed, your system reboots and installation can then complete.

 

Occasionally, rebooting does not complete the installation of the newer system files and you may get multiple "System files are out of date" messages. The following MSKB article (click here) explains the circumstances under which this condition can occur and the steps to take to resolve the problem. Typically the problem arises when you try to install DX Manager on a different drive to your system drive.

 

If you know which files are causing the problem you can update them manually although from Win2000 on this cannot be done from within Windows as the operating system files are protected. One alternative in these circumstances is to boot up your system to DOS and use the Copy command to transfer the updated files to your system directory (thanks to Detlef Kruse for this tip).

 

Here's some suggestions for the brave : try them entirely at your own risk. If you don't feel comfortable working in DOS then don't experiment as you could easily end up trashing your hard disk :

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is most likely that Oleaut32.dll is the file that is causing the problem. However there are several system files that must be installed before DX Manager setup can run. Here's the complete list which is contained in the file Setup.lst in the DX Manager zip file.

 As well as the name I've listed each file's creation date/time, size in bytes, and version. It is this information which is used during Setup to determine if your existing system files are out of date:

 

VB6STKIT.DLL,7/15/00 12:00:00 AM,101888,6.0.84.50
COMCAT.DLL,7/22/02 7:05:04 PM,3856,5.0.2195.1
STDOLE2.TLB,7/22/02 7:05:04 PM,16896,2.40.4518.0
ASYCFILT.DLL,7/22/02 7:05:04 PM,143632,2.40.4518.0
OLEPRO32.DLL,,7/22/02 7:05:04 PM,164112,5.0.4518.0
OLEAUT32.DLL,7/22/02 7:05:04 PM,626960,2.40.4518.0
MSVBVM60.DLL,3/12/02 3:26:44 PM,1388544,6.0.92.37

Compare the properties of your existing system files carefully with the above before continuing and substitute one or more of the above for oleaut32.dll in the following steps if they are newer than your current versions

 

·        Make a boot disc or a copy of the one you created when you installed Windows - you did make one didn't you? If not you'll find instructions on how to create one in your Windows Help system.

·        Unzip the DX Manager zip file to an empty directory. Click on the .cab files (DXMan1.cab etc.) to locate the file(s) you want to put in your system directory

·        Right click on your selection and choose the Copy command on the menu that appears. Copy OLEAUT32.DLL (or whichever files need to be replaced) to the boot disc

·        When you've copied the file(s) you need to update, leave the boot disc in your machine and reboot. Your machine will boot to DOS.

·        At the A: prompt type Copy c:\windows\system\oleaut32.dll a:oleaut32.bak - This makes a backup copy of your system file. If your Windows directory is on a different drive then substitute the appropriate drive letter

·        Now type Copy oleaut32.dll c:\windows\system\oleaut32.dll - This puts the updated file in your system directory ( again, substituting for c: if your Windows directory is on another drive).

·        Repeat the last two steps for any other files you need to replace

·        Remove the boot disc and restart your machine.

·        Run the DX Manager setup program.

 

 

 

 

SY Series FAQ listing

 

Broken Disk Drive

Message:  " SY Manager encountered an error whilst checking  xxxx.dat  - the file may be corrupted "

Transfer SY floppy disk files to SY Manager not possible

Convert multiple DX files to SY format using X2Y ?

SY Manager compatibility with SY85, SY55/TG55 and SY22?

TG77 Midi Issues

Win95 compatibility

SY Manager not Mac compatible

Load custom samples with SY Manager

MIDI troubleshooting

Floppy disk won't work in SY's disk drive

User manuals for the SY series

*.t01 files not compatible with SY Manager

 

 My SY's Disk Drive is Broken - How do I get my data off floppy disks ?

          (Yamaha's advice on non-functioning floppy drives is here - search for SY77)

Well first, here's the good news. Its 99% certain your disk drive is NOT broken - more likely its' drive belt has worn or broken. You can easily replace this by unscrewing the bottom plate on your SY - lots of screws but it's not difficult. There are three screws holding the drive in place - remove these and the ribbon cable connector from its' socket on the main chassis. Now you can lift the drive out of the machine - turn it over and remove the four small screws holding the drive guard plate in place. Then remove the single screw holding the plastic drive belt guide in place -voila ! You can now replace the drive belt by threading it round the motor spindle.

Replacement belts are available from audio stores - the belt dimensions are  9.6" X .025" x .124" but I have found a rubber band will do the trick just as well - thanks to Nick Martello for the tip.

The bad news is that if it's not the belt and your drive has been drinking and driving to terminal alcoholism then there is no straightforward way to transfer SY format files (*.t01 etc) to SY Manager. The reason for this is that, just like the drive itself the file formats are Yamaha proprietary which they have declined to put in the public domain.

If you are handy with a soldering iron then it is possible to replace the SY's drive with a standard PC drive, but you will need to make a custom connecting cable. Click here to download a zip file with the pinout details , and thanks to Mike Foo for the information.

I get a message  " SY Manager encountered an error whilst checking  xxxx.dat  - the file may be corrupted " when I try to load patches I got from my SY - what's wrong ?

When you select a file to open as a voice data file in SY Manager, it checks to see that the file really contains valid voice data. If it doesn't or there is anything else in the file you get the above error.

Most commonly the error occurs when downloading patches to the PatchView window in SY Manager using the Get All button. This does as it says - it downloads everything your SY has to offer which includes multis, samples (SY99) and waveforms (SY99) in addition to voice data. So when you save the download and then attempt to re-open the file you get the above error.

To avoid getting the corrupt file error message whilst downloading in PatchView:

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Select the voice patches you want to download - click on the first voice, press and hold the shift key and then click on the last voice.

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Press the Get button

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Confirm the download buffer only contains voice patches

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Press Save Buffer and choose a file name for the patches

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Open the file for editing etc.

How can I transfer my SY floppy disk files to SY Manager ?

           This is not possible at present due to incompatible file formats - see above

How can I convert multiple DX files to SY format using X2Y ?

If all your DX7 files are of the same type (for example .SYX files which are usually 4104 bytes long and contain 32 packed patches with an 8 bytes sysex wrapper)  then you can put some or all of them into a single file and then convert them using SY Manager.

To make a single file out of several files do the following:

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Make backup copies of the source files - DO IT or REGRET IT !!

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Copy the files you want to join together (it's called concatenating) to a separate directory. NB Make sure you have made backups first !!

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In the directory you have copied your source files to, from the DOS prompt, type the following :

copy *.syx /B newdx7.dat /B

This should put all of the syx files into a single file called newdx7.dat. Obviously, if you are converting some other file format (.DX7,.32 etc) then substitute the appropriate extension in the above command line.

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Run X2Y in SY Manager to convert newdx7.dat to SY format.

For more info on using the copy command: http://www3.sympatico.ca/rhwatson/dos7/z-copy.html , or just type copy /? at the DOS prompt for help.

Will SY Manager work with the SY85, SY55/TG55 and SY22 ?

 I have only tested SY Manager on the SY77 and SY99 but, as far as I know, it will work on the SY85 and SY55/TG55 which have basically the same MIDI spec. However the SY22 is a cut down version of the SY77 and is not compatible with SY Manager.

TG77 Midi Issues

Although SY Manager is compatible with the rackmount version of the SY77, the TG77, it seems their hardware MIDI implementations differ. A number of users have reported problems downloading patch banks in PatchView  from the TG - SY Manager times' out after receiving the first couple of patches.

SY Manager uses a simple polling technique to scan for incoming MIDI messages. Although normally very reliable, it is possible to overrun its' internal buffers at high transfer rates and it seems this is what happens with the TG77. At present the only solution I know of is to download patches individually. This is not as bad as it sounds however as you can select all 64 internal patches in PatchView and then drag the selection to the patch buffer.

As I don't own a TG77, it's difficult to provide further guidance, but if there is a generous enthusiast in the UK who would be willing to lend me one for a week or two, I will investigate further !

Will SY Manager run under Win95 ?

SY Manager runs under any Windows operating system from Win95 Service Release 2 onwards.

Is SY Manager Mac compatible ?

           Sorry, No !

How do I load custom samples using SY Manager ?

You can upload samples to your SY using the MIDI/Send File... menu option. The sample must be in Sample Dump Standard (SDS) format which is the only format recognised by the SY. There are several sample format converters available, but if, for example, you just want to convert a WAV file to SDS format then I'd recommend Wave-To by Richard Goodwin which you can get at

SY Manager won't recognise my MIDI setup - what's wrong ?

Here’s a list of common MIDI problems and solutions. Before you start troubleshooting though make sure you have the latest version of SY Manager installed (2.2.2 as at June 02) :

1. My MIDI Input or Output Device doesn’t show in the dialog box when I start SY Manager

Check that your MIDI devices are correctly installed:

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        From the Windows Start Menu choose Settings/Control Panel.

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        Click on the Multimedia icon and then the Devices tab.

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        Select MIDI Devices and Instruments – your MIDI device should be listed.

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        If it is you should see the message

                    “Status: Driver is enabled and active “

If there is a problem with your driver you will need to reinstall your device. To do this

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        Select System on the control panel

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        Click the Device Manager tab

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        Look in the Sound Video and Game Controllers section to identify your MIDI hardware

If there is a problem with your MIDI hardware or the driver isn’t working properly you will see a description of the problem by clicking the device name in the list and then the Properties button. Depending on the nature of the problem Windows has identified you may either need to reinstall your MIDI hardware or the drivers, or both.

 

         2. You  can select MIDI devices when SY Manager starts but then get an error message:

                        “SY Manager is getting no response from your synth..”

Assuming your SYnth is turned on and your MIDI devices are working OK, there are three possible reasons why SY Manager can’t communicate with your SYnth:

Possible Cause 1: Device Number set to OFF

SY Manager detects your SYnth by sending test messages on each of the 16 possible device channels (the channel number on which your SY will accept incoming sysex messages). If your SYnth’s device number is set to OFF detection will fail. The Device Number can only be switched “on” from the SYnth’s front panel.

To check this setting

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      Press the Utility button on your SYnth’s front panel then

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      Select the MIDI Settings option (press F2 button and then the enter button).

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      Check the Device Number is set to a number between 1-16 or is set to ALL (for reception on any device channel).

Possible Cause 2: MIDI cables incorrectly patched.

Check that the MIDI cable connected to the MIDI Output socket on your PC is connected to the MIDI In on your SYnth and vice versa.

You just wouldn’t believe how easy it is to get these mixed up!

If you are using a Soundblaster or compatible card, then you will have a D-Socket connector lead which branches into two MIDI cables which are labelled OUT and IN. The same principle applies: connect the OUT cable to the IN socket on your SYnth and vica versa.

Possible Cause 3: SY Manager not initialising correctly

SY Manager determines which SYnth you are using, SY77 or SY99, by sending a request for voice data to your SYnth.

If it gets no response you get the error message “SY manager is getting no response from your SYnth..”.

If a voice is returned, SY Manager then repeats the request but this time two sysex dumps are requested. This is because an SY99 voice patch has 2 dumps whereas the SY77 has only one. So if two dumps are returned SY Manager knows you are using an SY99: if one is returned, you have an SY77. In either case the format is checked just to make sure the dumps are SY patches.

If you suspect SY Manager is not initialising correctly, when you get the above error message:

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        Press IGNORE to continue without initialisation.

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        Select the MIDI manager icon in the taskbar.

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        Check that the “Show Incoming MIDI messages” option is selected in the MIDI Manager Options menu

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        Play some notes on your synth. If MIDI input is working OK you should see the MIDI stream data appear in the MIDI input box.

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        Select the Midi Manager’s Channel menu and the Send Sequence option.

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        If MIDI output is working OK then you should here a short sequence of notes played on your synth.

If both MIDI input and output are working OK but you still can’t get SY Manager to initialise then try adding /S to the SY Manager RUN command line. This instructs SY Manager to by-pass the initialisation routine.

If either MIDI input or output messages are not showing then check your MIDI devices are correctly installed as described above.

My floppy disk won't work in the SY's disk drive - what's wrong ?

Assuming your drive is working - the red indicator lights up and there is the usual grinding noise as the drive tries to read your disk before you get the message "Bad Disk" - the most likely reason for this error is that you are using a 1.44MB HD floppy disk. The SY will only read DS-DD floppies formatted to 720K. It shouldn't matter whether the floppy is formatted on your PC (note that Windows XP doesn't offer a 720K format option, you have to do the format in DOS) or the SY but if you are still getting the "Bad Disk" or "Illegal File" message then try formatting the disk on your SY first (Utilities/Disk/Format).

If this doesn't work then your drive belt may be worn - see above

Where can I get user manuals for the SY series ?

For the SY77:  http://www.yamaha.com/ycaservice/mp4model/sy77.htm

For the SY99:  http://www.yamaha.com/ycaservice/mp4model/sy99.htm

Can I use *.t01 files with SY Manager ?

No, the floppy drive in the SY series uses a proprietary format that is different from the MIDI sysex file format used by SY Manager. Unfortunately there is now no-one at Yamaha who can provide this information. If there is a commercial patch provider out there who has the format details, I would be very grateful for a copy. In return I will write a conversion utility.