Hello people, can anyone help me? I'm trying to copy a recording from a Yamaha P85 to my laptop. I followed the instructions like they're laid out in the manual.

• Connected the piano to the computer via MIDI/USB adapter. MIDI IN on the P85 through the MIDI OUT on the adapter and vice versa.
• Connected the USB cable of the adapter to the computer.
• Turned on the piano while holding the C7 note.

The Musicsoft Downloader finds the file, it's called NPP88.BUP, like it says in the manual and it's on the system drive. I had some problems having the program find the instrument, but now I've managed to do it.

When I press Move, just like the MusicSoft help tells you to do, the program seems to start receiving the file, but after a few seconds it stops and this message appears in a message window:

Cannot communicate with the instrument. Make sure that the instrument is properly connected to the computer. (+ An OK button.)

What could I be doing wrong? I can record without problems in Notation Composer, so I don't understand why this happens in Musicsoft.

Before this thread disappears from view, I just want to make sure that noone here can provide any help or advice on this.

Isn't there anyone who has encountered some problems recording through the MIDI In/Out ports of the P85? Or had the same problems with any of the other pianos in the Yamaha P-family, like P95, P120, P155 etc.? *

If not, then...that's too bad!

* I'm assuming the MIDI functionality is identical or at least similar on models of higher rank than the P85, or other brands of Yamaha digital pianos for that matter.

You've observed the following Notes from your owner's manual?

In Dual, Voice 1 data is transmit-
ted on its specified channel and
Voice 2 data is transmitted on the
next greater channel number rela-
tive to the specified channel. In
this case, no data is transmitted if
the transmit channel is set to
“OFF.”
ALL:

“Multi-timbre” Receive. This
allows simultaneous reception of
different parts on all 16 MIDI
channels, enabling the P-85 to
play multi-channel song data
received from a music computer
or sequencer.
1+2:

“1+2” Receive. This allows simultaneous reception on channels 1 and 2 only, enabling the P-85 to play 1 and 2 channel song data received from a music computer or sequencer.

Program change and other like
channel messages received will
not affect the P-85’s panel set-
tings or the notes you play on the
keyboard.

Data for the demo song and
piano preset songs cannot be
transmitted via MIDI.

Apart from all this (and more from your owner's manual), have you thought of simply recording the audio information (instead of recording the midi information)? That's not the answer you're looking for but you'd have a copy of the performance until this is sorted.

... one more thing, after looking at that owner's manual I see that you can transfer data (such as that backup file) from your keyboard to your computer, but that's not the same as having a 'song' played back in your computer, right?

I'm certainly no expert, but I would guess this is a method of saving your information but not necessarily a way to playback what you're performed in your instrument.

Thanks, Dave Horne. Yes I noticed this part, even though I didn't understand it. But it refers to Dual, isn't that when two voices are layered, like strings and piano? I'm not trying to send data from the piano in dual (or layered?) mode.

The next paragraph talks about receiving and making the P85 play many tracks in different voices, like organ, strings, or electric piano, there are ten voices on the piano. I'm not trying to do that either.

I also fail to see how the rest of the text concerns MIDI OUT transmitting, that is from the piano to the computer, but thanks for trying to help.

Yes, I could record the audio. I got a decent digital camera today and it seems to take good video plus the sound comes across okay. At least it meets my intended uses. But I want to be able to read it as MIDI to see if I can keep time. Which I usually don't, I stop or hold the notes too long or too short.

I can of course make Notation Composer record from my piano, the same one with the same initializations Musicsoft fails to communicate with. Maybe it would be a better solution, since Composer can record for a longer time, the internal memory of the P85 is very limited.

Sorry for a too long post!

You're right about that last part, I know that MIDI is just commands sent to the computer's sound card which plays the information back as notes (roughly how it is, I think.) No dynamics whatsoever come across that way.

Dynamics are sent are part of MIDI data. MIDI sends the key velocity as well as the on and off times.

Does the piano send MIDI data as it replays a recording.

The best thing to do is record and edit using a computer. Always the piano's user interface is not great. If you have the USB/MIDI interface then just use a DAW software on the computer.

Then I apologize for stating something that was wrong, thought I had read somewhere that MIDI files didn't reflect expressions put in playing, like fortissimo, forte, mezzo forte, crescendo to name some.

I've heard of this DAW, can I get software for it as freeware, if I decide Composer isn't enough?

Edit: I did a net search for DAW and Audacity came up, which is free.

I would have recommended Audacity as well. The noise floor in both my GranTouch and AvantGrand was -60 dB. Either my wife's laptop is a bit noisy or the piano themselves are noisy but for my use I can live with it.

That's not exactly what I meant though. The manual does not state that your computer will be able to play that backup file, only that you can send that file (for the purpose of saving your settings and songs).

I would either record the audio out from the piano or record the midi file into a software program dedicated to doing just that.

What I do on my piano is this, I record my playing which is saved as a MID file (in the AvantGrand) and then I simply playback that file from the piano as I record the audio outs from the piano to the mic in of my wife's laptop.