CLP-990 101
Data Compatibility
This section covers basic information on data compatibility: whether or not other MIDI devices can playback the
data recorded by CLP-990, and whether or not the CLP-990 can playback commercially available song data or song
data created for other instruments or on a computer.
Depending on the MIDI device or data characteristics, you may be able to play back the data without any problem,
or you may have to perform some special operations before the data can be played back. If you run into problems
playing back data, please refer to the information below.

Basic Check Points

The data and the MIDI device must match in regards
to the items below.
• Disk Format
• Sequence format
• Voice allocation format

Disk format

Floppy disks are the main storage medium for data
used with various devices, including computers. Dif-
ferent devices have different systems of saving data,
therefore it is necessary to first configure the floppy
disk to the system of the device being used. This opera-
tion is called “formatting.”
• There are two types of floppy disks: MF2DD (dou-
ble sided, double density) and MF2HD (double
sided, high density), and each type has different for-
matting systems.
• CLP-990 can record and playback with both types of
floppy disks.
• When formatted by the CLP-990, a 2DD disk saves
up to 720 KB (kilobytes) and a 2HD disk saves up to
1.44 MB (megabytes). (The figures “720 KB” and
“1.44 MB” indicate the data memory capacity. They
are also used to indicate the format type of disk.)
• Playback is only possible when the MIDI device to
be used is compatible with the format of the disk.

Sequence Format

The system which records song data is called “sequence
format.”
• Playback is only possible when the sequence format
of the disk matches that of the MIDI device.
[Common Sequence Formats]
■SMF (Standard MIDI File)
This is the most common sequence format.
• Standard MIDI Files are generally available as one
of two types: Format 0 or Format 1.
• Many MIDI devices are compatible with Format
0, and most commercially available software is
recorded as Format 0.
• The CLP-990 is compatible with both Format 0
and Format 1 (for Format 1, up to a maximum of
17 chunks).
• Performance data recorded on the CLP-990 is
saved in the SMF format 0 in a floppy disk.
■ESEQ
This sequence format is compatible with many of
Yamaha’s MIDI devices, including the Clavinova
series instruments. This is a common format used
with various Yamaha software.
• The CLP-990 is compatible with ESEQ.