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Not sure how to download sounds or want to know how our e-mail delivery works? It’s quick, simple, and FREE! And best of all, you can have your new sounds within hours of placing your order.

Here is how it works: After you place your order, we e-mail you a user name and a password along with a web address. Go to the web address that we send in the e-mail and sign in with the user name and password, click on the download link and download your new sounds. Easy as pie.

After you download our sounds, PC users unzip the file using your winzip program. Macintosh users unstuff the file using your stuffit expander program. You can download winzip at: winzip.com or stuffit expander at: stuffit.com. They are both shareware programs and are free and easy to use.

After you unzip or unstuff, what you do next depends on if you have a synthesizer or digital sampler. If your working with a synthesizer, save the files to a Floppy Disk, Smart Media Card, USB Stick, Hard Drive, CD-ROM or whatever you happen to be using for storage. Then you can load in our sounds from your Synthesizers Floppy Drive, CD-ROM or Smart Media Device. If your using a digital sampler then simply take the new samples that you download and import them into whatever software program or hardware sampler that your working with. That’s it!

If your synthesizer does not have a floppy drive, cd or smart media device built in then you can load in the sounds through the synths MIDI port doing a System Exclusive (.syx) data transfer. We provide the software with your order that lets you load the sounds into your synth.

We also provide the synth sounds in standard midi file format (.mid). You can use your sequencer program (Logic, Cubase, Digital Performer etc) to load in the data. To load via your sequencer just import the file into a track. Then play the track and the data will load into your synth. The midi files will also work with windows media player. Just import them into windows media player and play.

So you see, there are several different ways to get the sounds into your synth. We try to give you as many options and make it easy as possible for you to start using your new sounds right away.

Over 90% of our catalog is available for download delivery. Just about everything except the sampled sounds on floppy disk for vintage samplers. For more info on how that all works check out our “Sysex Made Simple” page. You can also find out more about all our “available formats over here”.

Of course.. if you have any questions or problems with the e-mail delivery we will be happy to assist. Out customer support rules!

Check it out… If you never did it before you will be amazed at how quick and easy it is. Why spend more money on shipping and have to wait longer too? Our downloadable sounds and e-mail delivery is the way to go.

We wanted to set the record straight when it comes to what sounds you can and can not order and also what format to pick when placing an order at our web site. It’s understandable that with the large number of products in our catalog and the many formats that you can get sounds in, there is bound to be some confusion.

Let me first clear up the confusion about our “Sound Patch Libraries”. You can NOT order any of our synthesizer “Sound Patch” collections unless you actually have the same synthesizer that we are selling sounds for. (Lets use the Oberheim OB8 as an example) In other words, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A OBERHIEM OB8 IF YOU WANT TO BUY OUR OBERHEIM OB8 PATCHES!! These Patches were created “specifically for the Oberheim OB8″ and get loaded into the OB8′s internal memory and a OB8 is required to access them. You can NOT load these sounds into your hardware or software sampler or any other instrument besides a OB8.

We are using the OB8 as an example, but I could just was well be talking about any of our sound patch collections. So anything that’s labeled “patches” fits into this category. If your anywhere in the Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Kawai, Sequential or Oberheim section of our web site then anything we have for sale over there are considered “Patches”. Yeah, it’s a lot of stuff. Probably the largest in the world. That’s why we are called “The Patch King”!

That’s not to say that you can’t get some really cool Oberheim OB8 sounds for your software or hardware sampler. You just need to go to a different part of kidnepro.com to find it. What we have done is “Digitally Sample” some of the best sounds from our OB8 patch collection and turn them into AIFF, WAV, Akai, Kontakt, and many other sample based formats. You can find all of that at our “Sample City” section of our web site. This is where you want to go if you are looking for new sounds for your hardware or software sampler.

Getting back to our OB8 patches it may be a bit confusing when you see that at the OB8 page it say’s they are available in WAV file format. In this case the WAV format means that instead of purchasing the data cassette tape which gets loaded though the OB8′s cassette port, you can purchase the WAV file from us. We have saved the cassette data as a WAV file so that it can be downloaded from us and you don’t have to wait for the cassette tape to be delivered in the mail. Once you download it from us, just connect your computer audio card output to your synths cassette interface input and you can load in the sounds the same way you would from a cassette tape. The files will open in any program that plays .WAV files. This is true for any of the vintage synths that we sell patches for that load in sounds via the old style cassette interface. This includes instruments like the Roland Juno 106, Juno 60, Jupiter-6 Jupiter-8, Korg Poly 800, DW6000 and DW8000 as well as a few others.

So basically the main thing to remember is that “Patches” are for your synthesizer (and you need to have the same synth) and “Samples” are for your digital sampler.

Another issue which we would like to address is the various “formats” that you can purchase sounds in. Sounds are available in many different formats so try and take a look at your options before placing an order. We have put together a web page which fills you in on all the different options. You can find it “OVER HERE”. Please try and have a look at it before ordering and it should address most of your questions.

Also note that our online order form has a “comments” section in which we ask you to include the synthesizer or sampler that your working with. Please include that along with any other info about your computer set up or anything else that you think might be helpful. That will help us avoid any mistakes when processing your order and make sure that your getting the right stuff!

If after reading this your still confused then don’t worry. Just give us a call at: 718-732-0553 or email us with a brief description of your set up and we will be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Many vintage digital samplers use SCSI ports (pronounced “scuzzy) in order to connect them to external devices such as CD-ROM, Zip or Hard Drive. SCSI stands for “Small Computer System Interface”. Since the advent of the USB and Firewire protocols SCSI has long since been discontinued, but is still popular with musicians using older equipment. We are one of the few companies where you an still get a SCSI CD-ROM or ZIP Drive. All our drives have been refurbished and come with a one year warranty.

If you have purchased a drive from us, here are a few tips about working with our SCSI CD-ROM or ZIP Drives:

1- Do not connect or disconnect the CD or ZIP drive when your sampler is turned on. Make sure to connect everything first and then turn on your sampler.

2- The CD-ROM or ZIP drive is set to a “SCSI Channel”. In the SCSI chain you can connect up to eight different devices. Each device must be on a different SCSI channel in order for everything to work properly. In other words, if you have both a CD-ROM drive and a ZIP drive your CD drive must be on a different SCSI channel then your zip drive. Our CD and Zip drives usually get set to channel four, five or six, however SCSI devices can usually be set to channels “zero through seven”.

All digital samplers that have SCSI ports have a parameter inside them that lets you set the SCSI channel in order to connect them to external devices. Remember that your sampler must be on the same SCSI channel as your CD, ZIP or Hard Drive. It’s done a little differently on every sampler so we can’t get too specific on exactly how that’s done with every one. Best to check your owners manuel or contact the manufacture for details.

Here is an example on how it’s done with the original Akai MPC2000:

A- Select Shift and Disk.

B- Change “device” from floppy to SCSI channel using the data wheel. Keep scrolling with the wheel until you see one of our programs pop up in the MPC’s screen. The drive is probably on channel 4, 5 or 6. Once your connected to can scroll though the programs and pick the one that you want to load.

C- Our program sets are broken up into “partitions”. Each partition usually has 12 or 13  programs on it. To get from one partition to the next, just change from partition A to partitions B, C or D. Go to “part” and use the data wheel to switch partitions.

Each of our Millennium Zip/CD Disks has 50 programs. Each program has multiple samples in it and the samples are mapped out across the MPC’s pads for you. We recommend you load the sounds as a “program” (.pgm). You can also load in the sounds as individual samples and create your own custom programs.

If you need any more info please contact us via phone or e-mail.

If you found this page from a search engine and are interested in purchasing a SCSI CD-ROM or ZIP drive just CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO..

That’s right. We get a lot of calls and e-mail from synth owners in a panic because they just turned on their keyboard or module and all the sounds are gone. They want to replace them as soon as possible for that gig on the weekend or tonight’s recording session.

Many of them ask…..”What Happened”???

What happened was that their synth’s “Internal Battery” died. That’s right… All hardware synths come with a battery that is inside the casing. Most have “Lithium Battery’s” similar to a cell phone or digital camera. Those little round ones that are about the size of a U.S. nickle. They are designed to last about ten years and when they die whatever you have in your synth’s memory is wiped out.

It’s great if you have your data backed up. Of course if you don’t then your in trouble, so make sure you back up your sounds. However, even if you do have your data backed up you will have to replace the battery or else the synth will not hold the data in it’s memory. As soon as you turn off the synth everything gets wiped out again.

What you have to do is open up the synth and take the casing off so you can get inside and replace the battery. That can usually be done pretty easily with just a philips screw driver. Some synths are easier to get inside then other ‘s so if your not quite sure about how that works then best to call a service tech who can go in and do it for you. In general it’s a fairly simple job that you can probably handle without having to pay a tech to do it for you.

Once you have the synth’s casing off then look around for that little nickle shaped lithium battery that I talked about. Simple remove it and then look for the model number that should be on the face of the battery. If the model number is not on the battery then contact the company who manufactures the synth (if they are still in business) and ask them what it is. You can also try doing a search on google or any internet search engine. You never know what your gonna find on that!

The good news it that it’s usually pretty easy to get a replacement battery for most synths. Places like Radio Shack, J&R music or many computer stores carry a wide selection of lithium battery’s. They only cost a few dollars so you can be back up and running without having to go too deep into your pockets.

Once you’ve replaced your battery and put the casing back on then just load everything back in and you will be back in business. Many newer synths can be “re-initilized” from the synths front panel which will get you back to the factory settings. Check your owners manuel to see if your synth can do that.

If for one reason or another you have not backed up your stuff then contact us and we will try to help you out. We have a large inventory of patch data from many vintage synths going back nearly twenty five years and there is a good chance that we have a great collection of sounds that you can use to get you going again. It may not be the same data that you originally had, but it will certainly get you back on track and there is a good chance that you will find a big improvement over to what you had in there originally. After all it’s from “The Patch King”!!!!

The morel of the story is “BACK UP YOUR DATA”. You never know when your synth’s battery is going to die and best to be prepared. There are several ways to back up your stuff depending on your synth. Vintage synths produced during the 70′s and early 80′s usually did it to a data cassette tape although with the advent of MIDI in the mid 80′s that all changed and the newer synths let you use “sysex – system exclusive”. That store’s the sounds on your computer hard drive. More info on how to save and load sounds via midi can be found at another article we have put together called SYSEX MADE SIMPLE. Be sure to check that out if your interested in saving your sounds on your synths hard drive.

If you need any more info please contact us and we will be happy to help you out.

We get a lot of questions about how to “Key-Map” our AIFF and WAV files so we thought we would fill you in at the “Midi Tips” section.

Two of the most popular formats in which most sound companies (including us) save their digital samples is the “AIFF and WAV” formats. AIFF (.aif, .aiff) stands for “Audio Interchange File Format” and was developed by Apple for storage of sounds on the Mac. Windows WAVE: (.wav) format was created by Microsoft and IBM, and it has become a popular standard in saving sounds on the PC. WAV sounds will also work on the Mac, but AIFF will not work with windows PC’s.

Almost all of todays music digital hardware and software samplers can read AIFF and WAV files, but before you can actually make music with them you need to know a few simple things.

AIFF and WAV files are individual samples that must first be set up as “programs” before you can create songs with them. In other words, each AIFF or WAV sample is a different musical note. The samples must be “key mapped” across the keyboard so you will be able to play all 12 notes in a typical octave or all 88 notes over the entire keyboard. Each sampler does this a little differently so we won’t get into the exact steps on how it’s done, but here are a few general tips that should help get you started.

For most instruments we usually sample in “Root” and “5th” of the scale and give you several C’s and G’s to work with. We then sample the same notes across several differnt octaves (C1,G1,C2,G2 and so on). We usually sample five octaves which then fill’s in a typical 61 note keyboard. In most cases that is all that’s needed. If we sampled every single note then the file sizes would be so large that they would not be able to fit in many samplers. Even with todays software samplers which have tons of sampling RAM, it would be a great waste of space and take longer to download if we sampled ever single note. Instruments like an acoustic piano require you sample more notes, but in most cases just sampling the Root and 5th’s are enough to create a realistic sound for instruments such as basses, leads, pads and strings.

Key Mapping also allows you to set up your own custom drum kits where you can (let’s say) put your Kick drum on C, snare on D, hi hat on E and crash cymbal on F. You could also put that kick drum on the C and stretch out the sample using key mapping to have it play across a complete octave (12 notes) by itself. Each note then becomes a different pitched kick drum and if you do that and play two or three notes at the same time you get a super phat kick! You can also key-map two or three different kick drums on that one C to create a fatter kick drum. It all depends on how you want to set up your drum sounds.

To key-map the C and G sounds into your sampler follow these steps:

1. Take the C’s and the G’s and match them to the notes on your keyboard. Start with C1 and map out all the C’s across the range of the keyboard.
You may have to tune the notes up one octave depending if your using a 88 note or a 61 note keyboard.
2. With all the C’s keymap (stretch) the low note down to Bb and the high note up to E. Each sampler does this a bit differently so check your owners manuel on how this is done on yours.
3. With all the G’s keymap the low note down to F and the high note up to A.

That will fill in all the notes over your keyboard and enable you to play songs. If you had a “E” in the mix then you would not have to stretch the C’s and G’s as far. The more notes provided, the less stretching you need to do to fill in the whole keyboard.

In general AIFF and WAV files need to be tweaked in order to get the right sound. The files are just the starting point and it’s really up to you do get the programming together to make a “patch”. Adjustments in the envelopes “release section” and filters “cutoff switch” are sure to pop up in most files (just to name a couple). You should also add effects and modulation to complement the sound of the wavs.

AIFF and WAV files take a bit of programming in order to get the sound the way you want it. We give you a great starting point in being able to create a great “patch” and with a little practice your can do the rest. If you need any additional tips to help you along please contact us and we will be glad to assist.

Now that you know all about key-mapping check out our “downloadable AIFF and WAV files” Over Here. Order online and Download Sounds today!

Bob Dylan’s comment a couple of weeks ago about how “technology sucks” got me thinking about a few things. He’s absolutely right when he say’s “You listen to these modern records, they’re atrocious, they have sound all over them,” he added. “There’s no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like … static.” Dylan said he does his best to fight technology, but it’s a losing battle. “Even these songs probably sounded 10 times better in the studio when we recorded ‘em.”

You would think that with all the wonderful tools that we have to work with these days that the CD’s being released today would have an amazing sound. Yet they don’t. Why is that?

The problem the over use of compression. It is designed to increase the “Loudness” of the cd. but you lose dynamic range. It is a well known complaint that the unhip bastards that run the market dont seem to get. You no longer get quiet and loud passages, just medium loud all the time. I’d say it’s more like the musical equivelent of putting the contrast on your monitor past the normal value and so far it up it’s like looking into the sun. You just can’t stand to look/listen to it for that long at all without your eyes/ears imploding.

When you use all that compression then the music doesn’t have a chance to “breathe”, because everything is coming at you at about 130dB, all the time. The real blame for this can be placed on the music executives more than anyone else, because they think louder=stands out more on radio=more sales. Of course, the sound engineers and producers hate doing it, but those clueless music company bosses are supplying the paychecks.

There are exceptions. I just picked up the new U2 CD “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”. Not only is the CD filled with great tunes, but it is well recorded and mastered and sounds amazing. This is a perfect example of a band that has control over their product and cares more about how things sound then how many records they sell. Maybe Dylan should do the same thing. I’m sure his CD’s would sound better if he made sure that whoever was mastering it did it correctly.

I came across a great article that explains things perfectly. You can find it Over Here

I’ve posted our first article in the Midi Tips category titled “Sysex Made Simple”. Sysex is short for “system exclusive”. A term well known by some and a mysterious hi tech lingo to others.

We wanted to use the blog as a way to answer our most frequently asked questions in detail so I’ve started things off with probably the most popular question….“What Is Sysex and why should I care about it”?

Click HERE to learn all about sysex