Accessing an Akai s3200xl via SCSI - question

[Tekhed66]

Hi all

Here's a question(s) for those of you living in those dark, scary days of pre-USB...

I have a s3200xl and I am trying to access it via SCSI. I have a PCI-e SCSI card in my desktop that I know works under Win7 64 as I can access a SCSI CD drive without problems but I can't use it to talk to my sampler.

When I connect my sampler, the computer says it's installing a driver ... thinks a bit and then says installation wasn't successful. I have tried turning the sampler on first and then booting the computer (correct way) and also trying it with the computer booted.-

So ... questions:
Does anyone know what this driver might be?
Do I have to configure my sampler in any special way?
If anyone here can talk to their sampler via SCSI, do you use it under Win7 or are you also using an old Win95/98 computer and SCSI card of the same vintage as the sampler?
Is there a SCSI 'fuse'???

I know it's a bit of a doozy but ANY info would be really appreciated

Thanks for your help

[madtheory]

You need Akai's MESA software to talk to it over SCSI. A quick google turned up a few videos explaining it. I didn't check where to download the software, or that it works in Win7.

[Tekhed66]

You need Akai's MESA software to talk to it over SCSI. A quick google turned up a few videos explaining it. I didn't check where to download the software, or that it works in Win7.

No... it's a bit deeper than that...

There's a missing link somewhere... I think it's to do with the aspi layer but I'm having trouble getting one that works on my desktop running Win7 64bit ... I've managed to get as far as the computer recognising the sampler in Device Manager but I can't pass info to or from it.

Mesa doesnt run under Win7 64bit ... I've got that software and have tried it many times, even under a virtual Windows XP environment... the software runs under virtual XP but the drivers dont.

I've seen a few videos where this system works but what I dont know is what OS was running .... my gut feeling is that it's either a dedicated XP computer (so Old can talk to Old) or its Win 7 32bit.

I'll keep tinkering... it'll probably be something not in the manual eg. copying a .dll file to a specific folder... just trial and error

[madtheory]

I don't think that will get you anywhere. There never was a way to have the sampler appear as a drive in Windows or Mac.

[Baus]

Hi Tekhed66,

What is it that you want to accomplish?

You could look around for Recycle 2.0 This version of the software still has sample dump over SCSI implemented and what I understand from the Akai Hardware Sampler Users on FB is that is works, even with the older S1000 sampler. This is only for sample dumps, not for program editing. Also programs like early Wavelab and Soundforge supported this functionality.

MESA...hmmm.... that sure is a long time ago for me. I remember having that on a Windows 95 or 98 machine. Although it communicated with my S3000XL (I think it did not even involve SCSI but MIDI) it was full of flaws and I never got it to work properly for longer than 5 minutes so I went back to editing on the sampler which at that time was a breeze to do.

By the way, it is correct... you don't need drivers for the attached SCSI sampler, just software that will recognize the unit.

PM-ing is free

Hope this helps,

Robin
The Netherlands

[Tekhed66]

I don't think that will get you anywhere. There never was a way to have the sampler appear as a drive in Windows or Mac.

Hi madtheory

I'm trying to do this (as per the video)



The sampler doesnt appear as a drive ... I'm just trying to get a clear scsi path setup so that they can talk to each other. CD drives appear as drives though ... I've got a scsi cd-rom drive that pops up an icon each time I want to use it.

Either way, it still requires an aspi driver to grease the tracks...

[Tekhed66]

Hi Tekhed66,

What is it that you want to accomplish?

You could look around for Recycle 2.0 This version of the software still has sample dump over SCSI implemented and what I understand from the Akai Hardware Sampler Users on FB is that is works, even with the older S1000 sampler. This is only for sample dumps, not for program editing. Also programs like early Wavelab and Soundforge supported this functionality.

MESA...hmmm.... that sure is a long time ago for me. I remember having that on a Windows 95 or 98 machine. Although it communicated with my S3000XL (I think it did not even involve SCSI but MIDI) it was full of flaws and I never got it to work properly for longer than 5 minutes so I went back to editing on the sampler which at that time was a breeze to do.

By the way, it is correct... you don't need drivers for the attached SCSI sampler, just software that will recognize the unit.

PM-ing is free

Hope this helps,

Robin
The Netherlands

Hi Baus

Thanks for the info on Recycle ... I've never used it and didn't know that it also has sample export... I found an old copy of Wavelab 6 and that is the last version to support scsi sample export ... the developers dropped that function after Wavelab v6 ... I also have MESA that is just sitting there... no matter what software I use, the software and hardware don't really want to talk to each other (see my post to madtheory to see the you tube video that explains what I want to set up).

I've tried to find aspi drivers that are compatible with a win7/64 environment... my Adaptec scsi card works fine and I can access my scsi cd-rom drive but it cant pass/receive data from the sampler.... Adaptec state on their website that anything beyond Win 2000 is no man's land .... anything scsi-related either isn't available, won't work or isn't supported... there are 3rd party aspi hacks out there so it's just trial and error.

I think it's just a case of tinkering... worse case scenario is getting an old win XP computer from somewhere and installing a dedicated XP-friendly scsi card ... basically making an old computer so it can talk to an old sampler.

thanks again!

[ninja6485]

Things you've no doubt already thought about, but...

Could the Scsi IDs be a problem?

Is it the cable? Is the cable too long?

What does the 3200xlmanual say about connecting to a computer?

could you connect another scsi device to the 3200xl (is the card in the sampler working properly?

Does anything need to be terminated (aside from John Connor)? does a setting need to be changed?

Are you 100% sure the equipment in your computer is SCSI and not parallel? I thought I had a scsi cd drive in my old computer, but it turns out I have a parallel port, not a scsi port. I even got a parallel zip drive as well! They look identical!


Even though it seems like there's a new software/ old hardware clash going on, if your scsi card works and can allow you to use other scsi devices, and the wavelab software runs on your newer computer, it's unlikely that the problem is your modern computer. Unlikely, but not impossible.

As you know, SCSI is very delicate and bitchy technology. Good luck, and keep us informed! One day I will probably hook mine up to a computer and do the same!

[madtheory]

Let me put it this way- the "driver" is contained inside Wavelab. What it actually is is SMDI. MIDI sample dump standard via SCSI. As ninja says, if Wavelab is not seeing the Akai then you need to diagnose your SCSI setup.

[vinyl_junkie]

Are you using OS 2.0 on the Akai? It won't work other wise.

[Tekhed66]

Are you using OS 2.0 on the Akai? It won't work other wise.

Aahhhh .... the elusive Vinyl Junkie ... I've been looking for you .... very great of you to drop by

I've had no end of grief trying to get my sampler to talk to my software.... It doesn't matter if it's MESA or Wavelab 6 ... I just can't get info to or from the sampler.

To answer your question, yes I'm using Akai OS 2.0 ... I'm using an Adaptec 29320LPE Ultra320 scsi card and Win7 64bit in my desktop. According to Adaptec, aspi wont work and isn't supported in Win7/64 so i've looked for 3rd party software and have found Frog aspi and Mekugi aspi as a substitute.

I know that the scsi card and cable works as I can plug in my scsi Jaz drive and the computer recognises it. I know that the scsi on my sampler works because I use my Jaz drive as an external scsi disk to store samples.

The best I can get is that if I put one of these aspi drivers in my system\SysWOW64 directory, the sampler appears as an unknown device in Device Manager... I can see that the computer sees and recognises the sampler. There aren't any other scsi devices in the chain... only the sampler plugged into the scsi card and the sampler is internally terminated. I'm stumped as to what the other problems might be.

I've trawled You-tube looking for your uploads to see if I can get anymore info on how you've setup your system and I recently found one of your videos that confirmed my suspicion... that is, you use an old computer to talk to old hardware... I have tried using virtual XP on my current computer and while MESA and Wavelab both load and startup OK, the scsi drivers for the card wont work so I'm back to square one. MESA won't run under Win7 and I think even Wavelab 6 is spitting the dummy over it.

I've decided to setup a dedicated Windows XP (or earlier??? ... what do you suggest????) computer and use that just to drive the sampler... I haven't found anyone who has managed to get any joy from Win7/64 ... maybe the 32bit version is better but 64 is just grief.

If you have any setup info (eg Windows OS, scsi card type etc) that you could share, that would be really great of you and a huge help.

[vinyl_junkie]

You can do it, the issue is your 64 bit os any way...

According to this post you need to install a renamed copy of Frogaspi.dll into the program directory and then install the sampler as a SCSI CD ROM which i don't know how to do.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/forum/viewt ... 07#p560234

This is from some one that tried doing this with a EMU sampler on a Win 7 64 bit OS and it works

"Adaptec 2940UW, with some kind of adjusted vista 64 driver. The secret turned out to be waiting for the the sampler to attempt to install itself, and then manually updating the drivers of each of the 8 detected emu samplers in the device manager, to use the drivers for a SCSI CD ROM.
Not the most obvious of maneuvers, but its working with recycle, although Wavelab is having none of it so far."

"i used the one at the bottom of this page. The page also tells you how to add your card to the driver if its not on there. I just used his driver and added my card to the list.
Then i followed the advice about the Fishaspi.dll and the CD ROM installation as described on the 'Yamaha AxK in the 2010's' link i posted up there."

https://dirhyllykt.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... -included/

[Tekhed66]

Hi Vinyl Junkie

Thanks for the excellent info ... it's got my head in a spin but there's hope ... I'll try again but Plan B (getting an old XP machine) is looking better and better ... I needed a 64bit OS for my proper work (!!) which means it mucked up all of my old music/recording software .... grrrrrr

Anyway, thanks again and keep posting to you tube ... you've got some really excellent 'nuts and bolts' type of uploads there... really informative.

cheers

[solipsvs]

one option however is soundforge... its got aspi code built in. it works with win7 but only to send samples to your sampler not receive.