On some equipment (Such as the Alesis Synthesizers)
you need to turn-on the GEN MIDI (general midi)
setting on your controlling device. Else no
communication occurs.
As long as you stick with general midi settings, you
should be able to record/playback on any midi device,
but as Dana has pointed out, playback will only be
"correct' on the FR-18.
Programs such as Cakewalk (AKA Sonar) will let you
print what you've captured in midi onto staff.
So will programs such as the Finale suite of software.
Beware .. there are numerous tricks to make what you
had actually played, appear coherent on sheet music
print out.
The midi capture will be more literate than you want.
Sheet music uses many metaphors to make it readable.
Prepare thyself for a learning curve
I think the USB port on the FR-18 is designed to receive a memory stick to transfer keyboard setups and other customization tweaks. Pretty sure you want to use the FR-19's midi out with an appropriate cable into your computer's sound card or other hosted midi in to trigger recording software. I think you'll end up running the software synth in that computer program, using the FR-18 as the input device (controller). I tried it once with Reason, and it worked as a midi controller with that type of setup.
I might try that next, but the manual says either the midi or the USB will accomplish the same thing.
Given that insight, I just RTFM again, and I think I was the victim of my perpetual skimming when I read. I'll try the MIDI cable. I thought they did the same thing, even after skimming several times.
I'll give further progress on how effing witless I can be.
Sorry I meant "they" and not "we". My computer auto corrects if I type "te" it inserts "we" and I probably forgot the "h" in "they" so it saw it as "we" and not what it should've inserted which was "they". I helped run food stand at the Shrimp and Petrol Fest in Morgan City once. Met this dude from there named Faryl Dupuis. Funniest SOB I ever met in my life.