Piano Roll Cutting
By Robin Pratt
A rather depressing outlook for roll collectors it seems, if I am interpreting the article correctly. So, if no one has a perforator of any worth and the subjective tests in the '70's (the "70's???!!!) performed on instruments restored to the dubious restoration standards of the time, both in regard to technique and materials (remember "Perflex") prove it and the rolls are no good, should we all just throw out our Ampicos, Duo-Arts, Weltes etc. and buy midi players or electromagnetic players and discs?............I think not. But technology will always find a "better" way, won't it????????????????
By the way, I am not so sure about your Keystone conclusions, I think I would investigate the perforator situation before putting it in print.
My understanding is that Keystone uses 3:1 original AMPICO masters for ALL AMPICO production IF such masters still exist in their library. Their master library for the most part is complete in the classical series from roll #6xxxx through the end of production. This of course excludes those later selections in this series arranged on cardboard keyframe read Duo-Art style masters for use on the converted Duo-Art perforator. A notable exception is #71173 the Chopin Bflat minor Scherzo by Rachmaninoff which survives in original 3:1 paper master form. The cardboard arrangements begin to infiltrate with #70903 Waltz Medley, Jan. '31. Many classical masters prior to #6xxxx survive, but with increasing gaps of missing selections.
Additionally, some sporatic popular masters do survive in 3:1 form. When they are available and intact, 3:1 masters are of course the medium of choice for AMPICO production at Keystone.
New information is constantly surfacing concerning the historical background of the AMPICO and other libraries. For further information one should contact the two leading authorities on the subject which are Richard J. Howe and Jeffrey M. Morgan. Both are major contributors to AMICA (The Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association) and MBSI (The Musical Box Society International) and all of the most recents discoveries in the area of perforating equipment can be found within these publications.
When a master is not to be found in the Keystone library, AMPICO selections are then and only then copied on a 1:1 basis.
Upon their arrival in Pennsylvania, Keystone sidelined the "Pianola" perforators, by the way. Their production equipment presently on line consists of 1/2 of an original tandem AMPICO production perforator cutting synchronously from original 3:1 AMPICO paper master stencils. And 1/2 of another original AMPICO tandem unit cutting asynchronously 1:1 from original rolls, be they AMPICO, Duo-Art or Welte as well as selected 88-note. Rumors about the absence of synchronouus 3:1 cutting at Keystone are extremely erroneous and misleading.
Electronically operated reproducing pianos and roll scanning in this last decade of the 20th century are not one hundreth the intellectual accomplishment that the invention of pneumatically operated reproducing pianos were in the first decade of this century. These marvelous authentic instruments are to be treasured as the works of art that they are. The current state of today's technology makes mimicking their performances electronically a relatively simple task. Time might be better spent researching and re-discovering lost restoration techniques and materials (considered archaic by some) which are desparately needed in order to preserve the surviving examples of these noble instruments.
Have a Happy Fourth of July!!!
Robin Pratt (Pianola)
P.S. It is my understanding also that Don Rand who owns the Clark Orchestra Roll Company and makes A and G rolls posesses the capability to be one of the only SYNCHRONOUS 1:1 operations in existance. His modified ACME perforator cutting 6 to the inch was equipt by its creator, Edward Freyer, with an ingenious method of acheiving multiple step rates. At last count this perforator could be operated at nearly 60 separate step rates. This capability coupled with a finely tuned bleed system resulted in a critcal selection threshold and an extremely high level of resolution. This perforator produced the best1:1 copies of 6 to the inch rolls known to date.
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(Message sent Mon 3 Jul 1995, 01:14:11 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.) |
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