K2500 General MIDI Disk Set (K25GM2.ZIP)

These files are designed to make a K2500 General MIDI compatible. They are intended for use with a 2500 series instrument with no ROM Blocks added. 

There is also a version (K25GMA2.ZIP) for a K2500 with no additional ROM blocks, and a version (K25GMF2.ZIP) for a K2500 with all ROM blocks (Piano, Orchestral, and Contemporary) added. You should be able to find these other files at the same site you downloaded this file from.

Any 2500 series instrument with a minimum of 2 meg of sample RAM may be used. Since the GM file contains RAM samples, you will have to reload the file each time you turn the K2500 on.

To use these files, you will need 2 floppy disks. the first disk must be a high density disk (1.4 meg). The second disk may be high density or double density (720k). The two disk should be formatted in DOS. (Mac users will need software which allows you to work with DOS formatted floppies on the Mac.) 

The two GMSET2 files are actually two parts of one multi-disk file. In order for the K2500 to properly load both parts, they have to have the same name. So the two parts have been stored in two separate folders (directories) called DISK1 and DISK2

Follow these steps to properly recreate the files on floppies:

1. Open the DISK1 folder and copy both RESETMST.K25 and GMSET2.K25 to the first (high density) disk.

2. Open the DISK2 folder and Copy GMSET2.K25 to the second disk.

3. Be sure to label the first disk "1 of 2" and the second disk "2 of 2".

To load the General MIDI file:

1. Make sure that there is nothing in the 200s and 300s bank. To do this, press MASTER, then the Delete soft button. At this point you can choose to either delete everything in RAM (By scrolling down to Everything) or you can delete just the 200s and 300s bank by selecting those banks, one at a time.

2. Put disk 1 in the drive and press DISK. Make sure Floppy is selected and press Load.

3. Select the GMSETA2.K25 file and press OK. The display will read "Load this file as 200-299". Press OK again. (Even though GM program changes go from 0-128, the file is designed so that the programs will be called up properly when loaded into the 200s and 300s bank. See "Basic Information on the GM file" below.

4. You will now be given a choice of the loading method - either Append or Fill. For this particular file, you may  press either button - both methods will end up loading the file in the exact same manner.

5. The display will inform you that this is disk 1 of a multi-disk file and begin loading. After disk 1 has been loaded, the display will prompt "Insert disk #2 for loading". Remove disk 1; insert disk 2, and press OK.

A note about loading methods:

The General MIDI file contains more than 100 programs. Therefore, even though you are loading into the 200s bank, the programs are actually loaded into the 200s and 300s bank.

It is not always necessary to delete the objects from the 200s and 300s bank before loading the GM file. If any objects already exist in the 200s bank, you will be given a choice of Overwrite (also Over Fill, if you have v3). If you select one of these options, the K2500 will delete the objects in the 200s bank, then start loading into it.

However, this method only initially deletes the objects in the 200s bank. If there are currently objects in the 300s, the loading process will slow down. Once the K2500 fills up the 200s bank and moves to the 300s bank, the K2500 will delete only one program at a time before loading a program into the need slot. (For example, it will delete program 300, then load in the new program 300, then delete 301 and load in the new 301, etc.) This method slow down the loading process considerably.

So it is always best to first delete the existing programs in the 300s bank before loading.


Basic Information on the General MIDI File

According to the MMA, program change numbers from 0-127 must be used to call up the programs. The Bank Controller is not supported in GM. In order to avoid having to load in this file over the preset programs, we create an alternate patch map, using programs from 201-328. Here is the way it works: In addition to loading the programs, this file also loads QA banks with the GM programs ordered correctly. Then the Program Change Type parameter is changed for the default, "Extended", to "QA 0-127". This maps program changes to the locations in the QA banks.

This allows you to load in the GM programs and still be able to access the presets and any programs you might have in other banks. Keep in mind that you would only be able to access the non-GM programs for live playing. When sending program changes from your sequencer, you will only be able to call up the 128 General MIDI programs. If you want to have sequencer access to both the GM programs and the non-GM programs, you can change the Program Change Type parameter (found on the MIDI Receive and Transmit pages) back to "Extended". But at this point, any program changes in your GM sequences will no longer call up the correct sounds, and you will have to insert new program and bank change commands into the sequence to call up the programs you desire.

Another rule of GM is that the Drum channel be set to 10. Loading the file changes the Drum Channel parameter to 10 and also sets the Program Change Lock for channel 10. There are five GM drum kits in the file, stored from 329-333. To select one of these kits, go to channel 10 and call up the kit that you want. You can do this on both the Program page and the MIDI Channels page (using the Chan/Bank buttons to switch channels), or in Song Mode by selecting the Record Track assigned to Channel 10.

Loading the file also selects a basic effect, set at 37% wet/dry mix, and sets the FX Mode to Master.

The following Global parameters are changed when the GM file is loaded:

Normal Default                                 GM Mode

Drum Channel = 1                            Drum Channel = 10
FX Mode = Auto                                FX Mode = Master
Prog Change Type = Extended           Prog Change Type = QA 0-127
Prog Change Lock (Chan 10) = Off    Prog Change Lock (Chan 10) = On
All Notes Off = Normal                    All Notes Off = Ignore

Loading the RESETMST file sets these parameters back to the Normal Default without deleting the GM programs. Simply load the file into any bank choosing Append, Fill, or Merge (but not Overwrite or Overfill).


Loading Sequences

Since the K2500 can read Standard MIDI Files (SMFs), you may have GM sequences saved from another sequencer that  you want to load. If you have version 2.13 or later, the K2500 can read both type 0 and type 1 SMFs. Previous versions can read type 0 files only.

If you load the sequence into the 200s or 300s bank, make sure you choose Append or Fill for the loading method so you don't erase the programs in those banks. Of course, you can load the sequence into any bank and it will correctly call up the right programs.

Have fun!
