The reason I originally subscribed to this group was in
the hopes of finding some way to transfer some of my older rolls into
MIDI format for preservation purposes. To this date, unless I've really
missed something, I have not found any way to do this.

So... what I was considering was to remove the player action from
the piano and remount it into a box of some sort - coming up with
a way to convert it to Midi, which seems like a workable solution.

Considering the feelings I've observed about removing a player mechanism
from its home, am I wrong in what I wish to do?
Opinions appreciated.

jwmiller
Saint Paul Minnesota USA

 [ Editor's Note:
 [
 [ The spectrum of possibilities include
 [
 [      1) putting a "MIDI record strip" under the keys of
 [         an existing pneumatic piano,
 [
 [      2) recycling the pneumatics of an old player and adding
 [         micro-switches and a MIDI input box,
 [
 [      3) building a bank of new pouches connected to micro-switches
 [         and a MIDI input box,
 [
 [      4) reading the roll optically by putting light-sensitive
 [         diodes into the holes of a tracker bar,
 [
 [      5) reading the roll optically similar to 4) above, but using
 [         a custom "fiber-optic" tracker bar,
 [
 [      6) scanning the roll with a linear (1-d) CCD camera (similar to
 [         how a page scanner works, and
 [
 [      7) scanning the roll with a 2-d CCD camera (like a camcorder)
 [         and using a frame-grabber to collect the data.
 [
 [ I believe that each of these techniques has been discussed here
 [ before, and devices using most of these methods have been constructed
 [ by readers of MMD.  Each of these methods has advantages and
 [ disadvantages.  There are probably other techniques which are
 [ not represented here, but the ones above are the ones most frequently
 [ talked about.
 [
 [ All of the pneumatic-based methods suffer from errors caused by
 [ variations in behavior from one note to another, plus the errors
 [ caused by the mechanical delays.  However, these methods are the
 [ ones most frequently used because they are within the grasp of
 [ the hobbyist.  MIDI record strips are available from Gulbransen,
 [ PianoDisc, QRS, and probably others.  Although these strips
 [ do a reasonable job of recording live pianists, its the least
 [ accurate way to record a roll.
 [
 [ Recycling the pneumatics of a player piano to operate micro-switches
 [ which connect to a MIDI input box will certainly work.  Such MIDI
 [ input boxes are available from a number of suppliers including
 [ Devtronix and Octet Design.  A more direct method is to make a
 [ bank of new pouches which operate micro-switches. The trick is to
 [ "calibrate" the system for variations in operating performance to
 [ that what you record really is what was on the roll.  Wayne Stahnke
 [ developed a way of calibrating such a system by having a special
 [ test roll he developed.
 [
 [ Today, the most accurate way to record a roll is optically.  This
 [ avoids all problems related to mechanical variations (including
 [ those caused by dust in the bleeds).  It is possible to record
 [ a roll so accurately that you can see the "scalloping" of the
 [ edges of the holes of the original.  This level of accuracy may
 [ sound unnecessary, but it is useful for both research and practical
 [ reasons.
 [
 [ I think that a number of our subscribers who have built readers
 [ or are in the process of building readers will talk to you about
 [ your interest in this area.  Some may be willing to scan your
 [ rolls.
 [
 [ We've not had a discussion about this topic here in a while, so I
 [ encourage others interested in this topic to let us know what
 [ they are up to.
 [
 [ Jody