After speaking with Tom Grace, the craftsman restoring the Disneyland
Collection, I learned two things:
1) The encoder is kept on during the service hours of an instrument
with a MIDI player- the "shutoff" included in a tune file at the
end will operate a motor (and additional lamp circuit) shut-off and
thus turn off the pump and blower. When a coin is dropped or
button pushed, the pointer which evidently resides in the
encoder's memory, "points" to the next file, which it plays, and
so on.
This reminds me of pianos and organs which had a constant "hot"
wallbox circuit, and often had a separate lamp in or on the
machine to indicate it was ready to accept nickels. Mystery solved
thanks to Mr. Grace.
2) The fabled Disneyland Welte Orchestrion will have a MIDI system
adapted to it --- just like every other Welte Orchestrion being
restored today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand the
Welte at Sanfilipo's has also been adapted to accept MIDI files.
Contrary to what some say, this does not "butcher" the instrument,
but the MIDI system is completely unobtrusive and may be removed;
solenoids lift the original valve lifter wires. Original Welte
Orchestrion rolls have been scanned as MIDI files, and for the
first time in 46 years, the instrument will be able to play the
music it was intended to play (it had been converted to play - of
all rolls - G rolls!).
I understand there are plans to retain many, if not most of the
other machines that were used in the Anaheim, California,
Disneyland. Unfortunately, the "Bear Heads" stay on the Electrova
Flute Piano in "Bear Country" (one of my pet peeves, no pun
intended).
After speaking with Tom Grace, I am confident that he is extremely
skilled and more than qualified to properly restore these instruments.
The installation of MIDI will only open up their musical possibilities
to a whole new generation of potential mechanical music enthusiasts.
S.K.Goodman
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