Section 14 — Storage
Disk Functions
3
ASR-10 Disk Functions
FORMAT FLOPPY DISK — Formatting a Blank Disk
Before it can be used by the ASR-10 to store data, a disk must be formatted. Formatting puts
information on the disk which the ASR-10 needs to read and write files. In addition to formatting
a blank disk, the format procedure can be used to reformat a disk which has been used with some
other device, such as a personal computer or another musical instrument. Note that any data (of
whatever type) on a disk will be lost when the disk is formatted by the ASR-10.
To Format a floppy disk:
• Insert a blank, Double-Sided Double-Density or Double-Sided High-Density 3.5” micro-floppy
disk into the disk drive, with the label-side facing up, and the metal shutter facing away from
you. Make sure the plastic write-protect tab is in the closed position (no light showing
through the window).
• Press Command, followed by System•MIDI.
• Press the Right Arrow button repeatedly until the following screen appears:
FORMAT FLOPPY DISK
SYSTEM
C M D
• Press Enter•Yes. The display will read DISK LABEL=
D
ISK000
Use the Data Entry Slider and the Arrow buttons to give the disk a unique name by which
you can identify that disk. This is very important, as the ASR-10 will ask you for this disk by
name if an instrument or song on the disk is used in a bank. Also, make sure you write the
Disk Label name on the outside of each disk after it has been formatted.
• Press Enter•Yes. The display will read FORMAT TYPE=. Here you select which type of
formatting you would like to use to format your floppy disk:
ENSONIQ — this standard format allows the ASR-10 to read the disk, and offers the largest
amount of free blocks (DSDD disks format to 800k and DSHD disks format to 1600k).
COMPUTER — this unique format provides a lower disk capacity, but (having the first sector
labelled sector 1) allows Macintosh and IBM computers that are running the appropriate
translation software to read the disks.
• After choosing a format type, press Enter•Yes.
• The display will read ERASE AND FORMAT DISK?
• Press the Enter•Yes button to proceed (pressing the Cancel•No button will return you to the
Command/System•MIDI page).
• While the ASR-10 is formatting the disk, the display reads *FORMATTING* The formatting
process takes between 80 and 160 seconds, depending on the format and disk type.
• When the formatting is done, the display reads DISK COMMAND COMPLETED, and then
you are returned to the Command/System•MIDI page. The disk is ready to have ASR-10 files
stored on it.
FORMAT FLOPPY DISK Messages:
• DISK DRIVE NOT READY — No disk in the drive.
• DISK FORMAT FAILURE -- DISK IS UNUSABLE. This indicates a defective disk. If you get
this message, we advise that you throw out the disk in question. Try again with another disk.
• DISK WRITE-PROTECTED — The plastic write-protect tab in the lower-left corner of the disk
must be closed (so you can’t see through the hole) before anything can be written to the disk.
Close the write-protect tab and try again.
COPY FLOPPY DISK — Making a Backup Copy of a Disk
The COPY FLOPPY DISK function lets you duplicate the contents of one entire disk (the source
disk) onto another disk (the destination disk). This function will only work if both disks are the
