Fantom-S trick: a cheaper way to get more storage capacity

[sambasevam]

A forumite in KVR posted this a while ago. Basically for users of smartmedia cards (us fantom S users), there's an xD to SM adapter that costs less. You can then get an xD which costs less too. This way, we dont have to chase for expensive SD cards.

Here's what i'm talking about :

http://www.amazon.com/Media-Gear-MGXD-3 ... lectronics

http://www.card-media.co.uk/resellers/xd+adapter.htm

Costs 12 USD.

Then you can get this :

http://www.amazon.com/FujiFilm-Picture- ... lectronics

Costs 15 USD.

under 30 bucks., you get 256 MB storage. Now, my question is this : Can you use more than 128 MB in that card ? If no one has tried this, i'll be the first to buy it and try it out.

The reason i ask is that, i'm NOT able to load TWO smart media cards to my fantom S at the same time. In other words, the 256 mb ram that i have is not getting used. One card is 128 MB and the other card is 32 MB.

Quinnx posted a solution to this, but it DOESNT work for me since my cards are already filled up and i cant erase anything (important stuff).

So, if any of you tech freaks are out there to find a solution to this ever-growing problem, please do so now. I beg this of you.



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If at first you dont succeed, then skydiving is definitively not for you.

[Artemiy]

You can load samples from several cards provided that the sample numbers do not coincide, e.g. card 1 has samples in slots 1..100, card 2 in 101...200, card 3 in 201..300 etc.

BTW, I'll rename this thread a little and stick it!

[sambasevam]

Thanks artemio. I feel honored. :=> *bows down*

Art, thats what i did initially. I wrote the samples of a roughly 25 MB sax patch into the 128 MB card starting from location 2000. Now, when i used that patch in a song, and then when i loaded another card's samples (and i still have the sax patch on ram), I find that the patch doesnt play.


This the problem. I cant play one multisample of one card's samples when another cards samples are also loaded and nothing overlaps. If i could do that, I'll load the damn thing with 256 MB so that i dont have to switch cards. Last gig was quite embarassing when people requested songs that were in another card (128 MB) when i had one card loaded up (32 MB). Loading the samples takes like 5 mins, so ANYTHING i can do to prevent that would be really nice.



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If at first you dont succeed, then skydiving is definitively not for you.

[pianodick]

Thank you sambasevam for letting this out!

"I believe I have correctly calculated string theory in comparison to Einstein's, inadvertantly and I am afraid!"

[tompz]

Hi guys,

I went whole hog a bought a 5gb PCMCIA drive off eBay for $54 including postage all the way to the UK!!

Bargain....

Let me know what you think and if anyone else has gone down this route.

Tompz

if you're not living on the edge, you must have bought a crap No Fear t-shirt from the flea market.... buy a snowboard instead, you worthless piece of crap.

[Quinnx.]

Actualy if you read the beginners guide
Im starting to favor low capacity 128mb cards(and lots of them)

Reason:
1) There now VERY Cheap!
2) Song/project development keeps all new projects in one place
without the need to use any copy/move or create other folders

Also when you want to load an old or current project
Load S+S is quick and simple from a 128 card
and there is no chance of sample number duplication

this is all explained in fileSystem Master Class


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[pianodick]

I am sure interested in knowing where you get 128 Mb smart cards for "VERY" cheap. It seems to me they are getting harder to find and the price is anything but cheap. I am hoping for a link to the source.

"I believe I have correctly calculated string theory in comparison to Einstein's, inadvertantly and I am afraid!"

[Quinnx.]

Where talking XD cards now to go with the adaptor are we not?

http://www.shop4memory.com/products/xd-picture-card.asp
i think this is cheap


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[pianodick]

My error. I mistook your prior post to imply that you had a cheap source for the smart cards. I see now that you were referring to the cheaper Xd type rather than the rare and expensive smart cards. My apologies for the error.

"I believe I have correctly calculated string theory in comparison to Einstein's, inadvertantly and I am afraid!"

[Cloudschatze]

Within the past year,"cheap" and "SmartMedia" have become mutually exclusive terms. That said, I purchased a new, 128MB card for $62.50 last week from Norman Camera - the cheapest I could find.

http://www.normancamera.com/shop/Search ... ock=200753


Has anyone considered swapping out the SmartMedia "slot" for a CompactFlash, et al unit on their synth? It would be nice if Roland would offer some sort of official replacement, however, it would probably require an OS update, in addition to some faceplate modification (to accommodate the wider CompactFlash reader/writer).

Best regards,
Eric

[Sami Cokar]

You can officially swap out the smartmedia slot for a compactflash slot by purchasing a Fantom X series synth.

[Cloudschatze]

Ooh, good one!

Well, I suppose I'm stuck since Roland has yet to release a suitable replacement for the XV-5080.

[sambasevam]

Quinnx, your solution only works when i start from a fresh new card. I already have all three cards on use. I cant erase anything from them. In that case, i think your solution wont work.



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If at first you dont succeed, then skydiving is definitively not for you.

[sambasevam]

To be totally honest, this is really what i'd love. And if i have this, i wont even look for adding another card (for now) :

1). Be able to load all my existing samples from my 128 mb and 32 mb and 8 mb cards simultaneously
2). load samples from a xD card (yet to buy) and load up my samples from ultimate strings collection CD, and public enemy cd (for making individual drum kit) and some tabla phrases i collected from the net.

Thus my goal is to load atleast 256 MB of samples onto RAM from my 128 mb , 32 mb, 8 mb, 128 mb card so that i still have space on my cards to put the songs, midi files, etc. In the end, i'll have a couple of hardcore drum kits (the ones i made are pretty damn cool), some nice strings, nice sax, decent tabla percussions, and a couple of tabla loops.



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If at first you dont succeed, then skydiving is definitively not for you.

[Quinnx.]

The only way this will work is to remap your samples

copy all card contents to your pc in to seperate folders

open the sample folders for each

look at the sample numbers

note them in notepad for easy access to list
you you dont want to type you could do

dir >list1.txt
dir >list2.txt
dir >list3.txt

pull this into excell for maping

import these in to xcel
start maping them in to a xcell list

fields
import list1
do a find replace SMP > CARD1 SMP

Sample name/Orig------- New name/Loc
card1 smp001-------------smp001
card1 smp003-------------smp004

card2 smp002-------------smp002
card2 smp003-------------smp003

When you have completed the maping in xcell
your ready to remap

you can use the xcell to create a batch script to rename you samples as you have maped them

depending on what you want to achieve there are several options

if you just want to dump all to the fantom memory and dont care where they go

do a find replace card1 > rename

rename smp003 smp004
rename smp003 smp003

copy and paste from xcell to a txt file
save as list.bat to the folder with the samples for list1
double click
all reaname
do this for all lists

when finished you can use sample list select all to load all samples from each card
unless you have them all now copied to a larger card
and then use it to load all samples (assuming larger card work with the S)

Hopefully this is not too complecated 4 U


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