Floppy Disks

How to Use PSX (ESEQ Archive) Files for the Yamaha Disklavier

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If you’ve downloaded music for a Disklavier Mark III or older model with a floppy drive, you might have downloaded a PSX file. If you have one of these files, hopefully this article can help you out!

What Is a PSX File?

For Yamaha MusicSoft, a PSX file is an archive format that contains the music files, much like a ZIP or RAR file. However, the only way to extract these files is by using the MusicSoft Downloader, which isn’t easy to find because the link on the MusicSoft website is broken or missing. Here’s exactly what I did to make it work:

Step-by-Step Guide to using PSX Files

Step 1: Download Your Music File

First, make sure you’ve already purchased the album or song from Yamaha MusicSoft. If you haven’t yet, log in to your account on their website, go to “My Account,” find your purchases, and download the PSX file to your computer.

Step 2: Download the MusicSoft Downloader

You’ll need the MusicSoft Downloader to handle PSX files. It’s not on the MusicSoft site, but you can download it from Yamaha’s support page here: https://usa.yamaha.com/support/updates/msd_win_kbd.html.

Step 3: Install the MusicSoft Downloader

When you install the MusicSoft Downloader, it might look like nothing happened—there won’t be any shortcuts or icons added. Instead, the program associates itself with PSX files. You’ll notice your PSX files now have a new icon that looks like a key. That’s the only way you’ll know it’s installed.

Step 4: Transfer the PSX File to a Floppy Disk

  1. Double-click on the PSX file you want to use. The MusicSoft Downloader will open.
  2. It will prompt you to format a floppy diskette and extract the PSX contents to it. Make sure you check the type of diskette (2DD or 2HD) before clicking OK.
  3. The program will create an ESEQ formatted floppy disk with ESEQ music files. Once the process is complete, the disk will be ready to use with your Disklavier.

Step 5: Copy the files using PPFBU

Follow the instructions on my Floppy Disk backup page to store the actual files on your computer. These can now be prepared for use with a Nalbantov or another emulator.

Step 6: Play the Music on Your Disklavier

Insert the floppy disk into your Disklavier’s floppy drive, or the USB stick if you did step 5, and you should be able to play the songs directly from it.

Much of this is sourced from “PSX Files for Yamaha DIsklavier ESEQ MIDI Format from MusicSoft Diskette,” an older Blogger article by an unknown author. Although it’s no longer online, this article can still be accessed through the Wayback Machine. I was able to find this article through a thread on Piano World.

Recording with the Nalbantov: The Truly Blank Disk!

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In short, you probably want to download my blank virtual disk file for the Nalbantov or other emulators. These work on your Disklavier—specifically the Marks I and II—and on your computer.

If you have an early Disklavier model like the DKC5R or DKC100R, you might have decided to install a Nalbantov floppy emulator in place of the original disk drive. This is a fantastic way to keep your instrument running smoothly. And it’s much easier to transfer music files to and from your computer with a USB stick.

However, there’s a common issue I’ve run into when folks try recording using the “blank” virtual disk (HFE) on Nalbantov’s USB stick.

Here’s the scenario:

  1. You start your Disklavier and select one of the blank virtual disks.
  2. The Disklavier displays a message indicating the disk needs to be formatted or converted.
  3. After formatting, you plug the USB back into your computer… and the file won’t open in HxC Disk Browser. You can’t access your recorded files!

The Disklavier does not recognize the blank files on the Nalbantov USB. And after you format them with the Disklavier, the computer doesn’t recognize them!

This is not a concern on later Disklaviers starting with the Mark II XGs. They’ll readily recognize blank virtual disks. If you format the disk with the Disklavier as a MIDI disk, the computer it’ll be readable on the computer as well.

I’ve addressed the issue for older Disklaviers by creating special blank HFE files that the Disklavier will accept immediately—no formatting required. And they also remain readable in HxC Disk Browser. This means you can pop your USB into the Disklavier, record or store data, and then bring it back to your PC to manage or back up files without any hassle.

This file is available for download here: https://www.alexanderpeppe.com/transfer/s/Gg6X5ydTzLWssSy

Add my blank HFE files onto your Nalbantov USB stick, and you’ll be all set! It’s a quick fix that saves you from reformatting loops and potential data loss.

If you have the Nalbantov eXtreme or a Gotek with an OLED and FlashFloppy, you can name this file whatever you’d like. If you’re using a Nalbantov Slim or other device with a numerical display, make sure to use the naming conventions on the disk. Use names such as DSKA0001.hfe, DSKA0010.hfe, or whatever number is appropriate in your case. If you’re doing a lot of recording, add a bunch of copies!

For more information about Nalbantovs, see their website at https://floppyusbemulator.com/. Use AlexPiano for 5% off.

Properly Shipping Floppy Disks

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Are you shipping floppy disks to me so that I can transfer them to modern media? Or perhaps you’re just shipping some floppy disks, and arrived at this article? I can provide some guidance!

When shipping floppy disks, the most important objective is to package them securely to prevent damage during transit. Physical trauma is by far the most significant danger.

Ship your floppy disks to this address:

Alexander Peppe4 Scamman St. Ste 19-406Saco, ME 04072

Follow these steps for safe and efficient shipping:

Shipping One or Two Disks

Place the disks between two flat pieces of cardboard with a rubber band to prevent bending and protect the disks from minor impact. Make a protective floppy disk sandwich!

Place the wrapped disks in a padded envelope and mail. Kraft Bubble Mailers are a good choice for shipping small numbers of disks, but make sure the envelope isn’t too roomy, as you don’t want them sliding around inside.

Shipping Multiple Disks

Use a cardboard box for better protection.

Bundle the disks in sets of five using rubber bands to keep them secure.

Wrap the bundles in bubble wrap for added protection.

Fill any empty space in the box with dense foam, crumpled paper, or extra bubble wrap to prevent movement. Your goal is to keep the disks physically secure, but cushioned should they be buffeted.

For extra protection, try to keep disks bundled at least two inches away from the edge of the box. Floppy disks are vulnerable to magnetic fields, although those fields decrease at a cubic rate. In other words, even an inch or two of separation creates a considerable amount of protection.

Additional Tips

  • Label the package “Magnetic Media” and “Do Not Bend” to prevent mishandling.
  • Avoid using packing peanuts, as they offer poor protection.
  • For hard drives, use dense foam or small-bubble bubble wrap for proper padding.

By following these simple steps, you can begin shipping floppy disks safely!

Further references: RetroFloppy’s “How do I package my disks?”

Yamaha Electone Performance Disks

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I was recently contacted by a person attempting to copy their Yamaha Electone Performance Disks. These files are not visible on Windows, and if you attempt to open the drive you’ll see “The disk in Drive A is not formatted.” This is typical of Yamaha’s proprietary ESEQ format, and does not necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with the floppy disk at all.

Copying the Files

None of the tools I typically use for reading Yamaha Disklavier floppy disks worked with the Yamaha Electone disk. However, I was able to easily open them with WinImage (https://www.winimage.com/). This was exciting! Give this piece of software a try, and see if you’re able to copy the contents off of the disks directly.

This will allow you to write them to another floppy disk, or store the files for the future. The software is shareware, and costs $30 after 30 days; however, this will give you plenty of time to verify that it works for your disk duplication needs!

Imaging the Disks (with optional Greaseweazle)

You can also save these images as .ima files, and they should be suitable to convert to .hfe files for use on USB floppy disk emulators such as the Gotek or Nalbantov. This is an option even if you cannot read the floppy disks at all.

If the approach of duplicating the disks for use in your Yamaha Electone without copying the contents or opening the disk appeals to you, you could also duplicate these disks using Keirf’s Greaseweazle. See my article on copying Yamaha Disklavier floppy disks using the Greaseweazle. The steps are fundamentally the same.

File Format

The files on the Yamaha Electone performance disks do not easily convert from Yamaha’s ESEQ format to MIDI. The files on these disks appear to be .b00 and .evt files. The .b00 files are consistently sized at 14,336 KB, and there’s one for each .evt file.