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Korg X3 broken floppy drive

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Posts: 4
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Korg x3 Workstation

I have a floppy disk with my .SNG files but my X3 floppy disk drive isn’t working.

I have songs on the floppy disk that I want to recover.

Is there any software that I could use to convert the .sng to Standard MIDI (*.mid) so I can load them into my sequencer (Cubase).

I would be grateful if someone could help me out with this,

Best regards,

Mike

 
Posted : 10/06/2025 10:10 am
Posts: 1
New Member
 

Hey Mike, classic vintage gear woes! If your X3 floppy drive is dead, try using a USB floppy drive on your PC to copy the .SNG files. Once you have them on your computer, you’ll need a special tool to convert Korg’s .SNG to standard MIDI. There’s no official universal converter, but searching for Korg X3 editor software or community tools like sng-to-midi converters might help. You can also try importing SysEx data into Cubase if you can extract it. If nothing works, recording the MIDI output live from your X3 (if it powers up) is the last resort. Retro gear can be tricky, but the tunes are worth it!

 
Posted : 30/06/2025 5:09 am
Posts: 4
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Topic starter
 

Hi, thank you for replying. As you say there isn’t an official converter for the .sng to midi. I’ve tried every app I can find on the internet but none of them will do the conversion. It seems that the only way to do the conversion is with another X3. I have the .sng files on a floppy and backed up on my computer, but I cannot load them into the X3 because of the faulty floppy. I’ve had some quotes to replace the floppy with the usb floppy in the region of £500 which I cannot afford. I’m still hoping for a friendly X3 owner to do the conversion for me, I would be happy to pay for their time.

Best regards,

Mike.

 
Posted : 10/07/2025 2:37 am
Posts: 1
New Member
 
Found an X3 for cheap with floppy drive problem. I figured I could just use sysex and bypass the floppy drive but the seller neglected to mention the faulty ...he guy told me that the floppy drives are no longer available for replacement. He was able to REPAIR the floppy drive, but said a new one wasn' ...

Diagnosis: The most common cause of this problem <a href=" removed link " target="_blank" rel="noopener">monkey type  is simply trying to use the drive with no disk in it. It can also be caused by a problem with the drive itself or a bad disk. Recommendation: Make sure that there is a disk in the drive and that for a 5.25" drive, the drive door is closed. Ensure the internal mixer levels for each part are properly adjusted. Verify that the output routing isn't set exclusively to external outputs. Resetting the unit to factory settings can resolve configuration errors.
 
 
 
Posted : 17/07/2025 11:26 pm
Posts: 4
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Hi, thank you for replying. As you say there isn’t an official converter for the .sng to midi. I’ve tried every app I can find on the internet but none of them will do the conversion. It seems that the only way to do the conversion is with another X3. I have the .sng files on a floppy and backed up on my computer, but I cannot load them into the X3 because of the faulty floppy. I’ve had some quotes to replace the floppy with the usb floppy in the region of £500 which I cannot afford. I’m still hoping for a friendly X3 owner to do the conversion for me, I would be happy to pay for their time.

Best regards,

Mike.

 
Posted : 21/07/2025 2:49 am
Posts: 4
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Hi Nora, thank you for replying. I will follow your diagnosis advice and see if it resolves things.

Best regards 

Mike

 
Posted : 02/08/2025 6:13 am
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