Yamaha Disklavier Delays
By Bob Fitterman
As a follow-up to Rick Cooley's comments in MMD 960309 regarding timing differences between Channel 1 and the other channels for the Disklavier, I add the following.
If you attempt to transmit a multi-channel MIDI file from an external source to a Disklavier and other MIDI devices (sound module, second instrument, etc.) all of the MIDI information must pass *first* through the Disklavier and then to the other devices. This is because the Disklavier is supposed to introduce a delay of exactly 500 milliseconds (1/2 second to us humans) in the MIDI signals it forwards to the other devices. The delay is introduced because the Disklavier takes 500 milli- seconds to produce the notes it receives on the MIDI channel it is assigned to play from. The result is synchronized music from multiple instruments.
It turns out there is a way for the user* to fine-tune the transmission delay for the secondary instruments, and this may be another means of addressing the problem that Rick has encountered. I have not tried it for music played *from* the Disklavier, but since the delay for transmitting to the other MIDI devices is the parameter being adjusted, I believe that modifying it influences the MIDI OUT port timing, whether the data source is the Disklaviers floppy or the MIDI IN port.
Bob Fitterman
bobf@ilx.com
* I guess the pneumatic guys would refer to the user as the pianolist, but I think it wouldn't befit the the technology to use that term here.
[ As used by Douglas Henderson and Dan Wilson, "pianolist" is one who
[ controls the performance of the music as it is playing, by manually
[ altering the tempo and volume and operating controls such as the
[ pedals. In most cases the Midi instruments are more like a repro-
[ ducing piano performance, which has no means of real-time alteration
[ other than the tempo. -- Robbie |
(Message sent Mon 10 Mar 1997, 21:04:25 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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