At 5:37 PM -0500 7/1/02, Ron Nossaman wrote: >Very likely, as accurate as necessary to more than satisfy most folks. You've got to remember, there are people who enjoy accordians. >And once the adjustment and measurement of the results of the adjustment cycle >is workable, what's to prohibit uploadable and downloadable custom tunings >at the push of a button? Buy 'em like fonts from QRS. Or buy a utility of convert a spreadsheet file and make ('n'trade) your own. >How about dynamic special effects? The ingenious part in this system is the rapid conversion of the analog signal (amperage in the wires) to digital. Once digital, Yamaha's new technology comes into play, the midi/firewire DisKlavier Mark VI. The amperage in the piano wire directly drives the real-time digital waveform which can be supplied to the workstation on the OS of your choice. A giant step forward for mankind, that ability to plug your digital effects apps directly into a real live, organic waveform. At least a great step forward for computer gamers. >Slide piano, anyone - or is that just >another bottleneck? <G> Don't laugh, there are trombonists for whom the slide is an bottle-neck. I too, read the entire article in the recent PTJ. It's clear that nobody involved in the project has spent too much time in a piano factory, or out in the service market. Once their first prototypes get out there for two/three years of being thermally tuned and played uponst, the wire set will have sagged/stretched enough that the 50¢ tuning load he calculated would have to be used just to reach upwards to A440. "Couple tree years, it might be more than 50¢ flat, in its ambient and unelectrified state. Even with regular "plug-in tunings", there ought to be at least that much stretch in the fresh wire to make A440 a real long reach for that ambient/off pitch. Sure I'm impressed, a 50¢ pitch raise and fine tuning in under 2 minutes, and it gets you a nice little radiator for those cold, damp March afternoons besides. But if you do some heavy lifting, like 150-200¢ pitch raises, does the wattage go up geometrically or exponentially. Is there a fire hazard, and can we be sure the background radiation coming with the predominant InfraRed does not cause brain tumors? He didn't mention whether it had its UL-listing yet. That's when, the regional airport limo brings in the Factory Re-Tuner (accept not substitutes), to do a manual tuning (again, locked upon completion). That might be official Rolls Royce Service, but I hope that the Story&Clark itself is Roll Royce enough to reward the new owners. I hopethe piano is up to the challenge. I wish them luck. I don't know what the market is for such a self-tuner, but maybe it'll get National Piano Month back on Geraldo. I'm actually not worried by the thought of this new labor-saving (that's us, mind you) device. Take In Vitro Fertilization. We've had it for 10, 15 years. But I don't see any sign that the general population, even after seeing the clear advantages of IVF, has gleefully abandoned the time-honored (and honored in the breach) conception ritual for this "we'll-call-you-when-it's-ready" service. Tuning? It really does take a good human being and a good piano. Same with the Marines. Bill Ballard RPT NH Chapter, P.T.G. "She will slap you, she will kiss you, you will fall in love with her" ...........from a promotional t-shirt for Kendrick rock'n'roll amps. (YUK) +++++++++++++++++++++
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC