Re: Proportional Solodant
By Dan Wilson
Robbie said:
>[ In my (American) Aeolian Themodist the accomp regulator
>[ vacuum is fixed with a spring, and the slide valves are
>[ a crude variable bleed to the theme supply. I'd much
>[ rather the accomp vacuum were a _regulated percentage_
>[ of the main reservoir vacuum. A slide lever won't do this.
>[ Have you ever seen a regulating mechanism which could maintain
>[ a constant proportion?
I think what you describe above is the usual arrangement, but in my experience it works quite well. The snag I can see to anchoring the accomp suction to a lever-set proportion of the theme suction is that at fail-point pedalling strength, any use of the levers will cause failure, where the present system allows theme to sink into the accomp automatically whatever you're doing.
I am reminded at this end that some people like the extreme throw of the subdue levers to suppress the piano entirely with foot pedalling. They in fact do this on some earlier upright pedal-electric Duo-Arts where the subduing levers are held over with a little catch to play DA rolls and the massive pump suction permits the piano to speak at level zero.
Some people (notably Michael Broadway who has a reputation in Milan of "il maestro del pianola") like them to stop where I'd be only two-thirds over so they can't suppress the piano by mistake. No accounting for tastes !
On later Hupfeld players you squeeze the subdue levers together, the bass-subdue (ie treble emphasis) being (fortunately) the same way 'round as Aeolian's and the treble-subdue being beyond it and working backwards. This is a good system, because to obtain plenty-theme with personal tilt of accomp towards bass or treble, you pinch a certain amount and then swing the two levers together to bias the accompaniment. You get the same merging of powers at the soft end. In fact, as I've said earlier, I suspect Aeolian pinched a lot of their good ideas off Hupfeld.
Dan Wilson
[ I love my old Themodist Pianola's! Thanks, Dan. -- Robbie
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