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
- Double-click on the PSX file you want to use. The MusicSoft Downloader will open.
- 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.
- 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.