In response to John Breen's questions regarding the PowerRoll and
transcription of rolls:

We are currently preparing a brochure about the PowerRoll and will
be posting its contents on our web site, http://www.erolls.com/
(Right now only a poor copy of our ad soon to run in the MBSI and AMICA
bulletins is posted there -- a good copy will be posted soon).

The artwork for the etched brass cover plaque is in the works, and
I hate to display the plain unit without it, so I have been avoiding
sending photos; but I will send them to John and anyone who contacts me
directly and requests them.

The following is a description of the procedure for installing the
PowerRoll in any spoolbox, after the unit has been adjusted to the
spoolbox for the first time:

First, a thin plug attached to a 14-pin ribbon cable is placed in a
receptacle on the bottom of the unit (I have been rolling up this cable
and inserting it in attractive braided old-fashioned-looking sleeve).

Then, the PowerRoll is attached to the spoolbox similarly to the way a
music roll is inserted.

There are adjustable brass arms at each end of the unit, at the ends of
which are sockets (or pins, depending on the type of spoolbox) which
engage the music roll chucks.  The unit can then pivot on the chucks,
and its chassis (a steel plate) swings towards the tracker bar.

A loop at the end of a 1/32" diam. spring-loaded flexible bronze cord is
attached to the hook on the take-up spool.  The tempo is set at about
10, to put a little tension on the cord (except if the instrument has
an electric roll drive, in which case it is set to zero, which locks
the take-up spool).

And that's it!

If the piano has an electric pump, its switch is left on all the time,
because a small junction box into which the piano's electric cord is
plugged, automatically turns the pump on and off in response to a
signal from the software.  The reroll-play switch is always left in
"play."

The first time the unit is installed, the front-to-back and
side-to-side positions of the unit are adjusted, by means of simple
locking screws and a micrometer adjustment.  This procedure takes only
a couple of minutes.  Once set, these adjustments need never be
changed, unless the PowerRoll is reset to be used on another type of
instrument.

By the way, once installed, the PowerRoll protrudes only about 1/4"
from the spoolbox; therefore, the spoolbox cover panels or drawer can
be closed while in use!  (The only exception is the Duo-Art grand,
whose tracker bar is positioned at a peculiar angle).

Wayne Stahnke does not scan rolls directly into MIDI (although he can,
if necessary, convert them into MIDI); he has his own format, which he
prefers.  Our hardware and software will be able to play his .WEB/ANN
format files directly, as well as Richard Brandle's .ROL format and, of
course, MIDI.

Wayne's optical scanning apparatus is very sophisticated and may be the
most accurate in the world, producing roll files which actually equal
the factory master rolls in fidelity to the original.  It is highly
flexible and my understanding is that he can scan rolls in any hole
spacing or format.  He is willing to scan rolls for customers, for a
fee.

Our software will support the eventual addition of an accessory clip-on
LCD screen for PowerRoll, which will show the image of the roll passing
by and words, as well; especially for those who wish to use PowerRolls
on their foot-pumped players, but for others, as well.

In the meantime, the program Cakewalk, which works fine with PowerRoll,
has a screen mode which highlights lyrics as the tune is played; but of
course, the words must be first typed into memory.  It also has a
"Piano Roll" mode showing the perforations going by, but the two can't
be used simultaneously.

The PowerRoll sells for $1495 complete (plus sales tax, if in
California).  It can either be operated from a PC or a standalone disc
player, soon to be available from Octet Design Corp.  (The price of the
disc player has not yet been set).

Units are currently available on a subscription basis, first-come-
first-served.  Delivery dates, depending on manufacturer's lead times
for parts subcontracted, are expected to be two to three months from
the receipt of deposits.

Larry Broadmoore, Broadmoore Research Corporation
1709 First Street, Unit "C", San Fernando, CA 91340
(800) 497-4266 (49-PIANO); Phone: (818) 365-6231; Fax: (818) 361-0911
e-mail: larrybr3@loop.com