Playback Midi Records with RD700GX

From the experience that I (and several others) went thru last year, the RD-700GX does not function this way. The only thing that you can do is play back with a dry (no effects) piano tone. I know that there are a few people here that think this is possible but NO ONE has been able to get it to work and even Roland says that it wasn't designed this way. It's a stage piano (live performance) not a sequencer.

It is the only thing that sucks about this piano!!!

Ramon,

It is possible to play the RD patches via Sonar, but you cannot make patch changes from the RD.

1. Connect your RD to PC by USB.
2. Download the attached RD instrument definition file. Place in Programs/Cakewalk/Sonar LE.
3. Sonar > Options > Instruments. Set the RD to play all channels.
4. Sonar > Option > MIDI Devices. Make sure the RD is selected as Input and Output.
5. Open a MIDI file in Sonar.
6. Pick your instrument track, and set I/O's to the RD.
7. Change the channel/bank/patch accordingly.

Your RD will now play the sounds. I might have missed one or two things, but this is the basic sequence. If you get stuck, post a reply and I will try help.

Note, any changes you make to EQ's, MFX's etc. from the RD will not be saved in Sonar.

There may be a SYSX message on your MIDI file, which changes patches and the like from within Sonar. Usually, if I download a MIDI file, I remove these messages first, so they do not over-ride my own settings, or change the RD into any particular mode (i.e. GM).

Regards,

Wes B.

Yes, this is the procedure that is both in the manual and the one that was read to me over the phone by Roland tech support. And while it WILL play a piano sound it WON'T observe any of the external settings that you've made to, say the reverb or the lid position, etc... and saved as a SETUP (SETUPs don't observe these settings??).

It just plays back a flat dry piano. Roland confirmed with me that this is how it was designed to work. Maybe they (and I) are missing something but this is as far as we got with this last year.

I wish this would work because I would love to go back to working in MIDI and playing back through my new superNATURAL upgrade! As it is I have to record live audio instead which makes edits time consuming and messy.

Curt

I don't think you are missing anything, Curt. It is a shame that the RD is limited in such a way.

Can you not play the sN SRX board from Sonar? Is it not just addressed like any other SRX board?

I couldn't even play my Expressive Grand preset from SONAR...

I haven't even bothered with trying to trigger my SN preset. Would probably require an updated INS file to define the new pianos as well...

I'm hoping that someday there will be a simple OS update for the 700GX that allows this. REALLY hoping!