Re Matthew Caulfield's Request for Info on the Dynavoice Piano Player

Having owned two Dynavoice Players more than a few years ago, I can
provide some technical information on this self-contained keytop player
unit.

These units were, as Robbie indicated, manufactured in Plymouth,
Michigan and retailed (if memory serves me) for about $295.00 in the
early l960s.  They used standard 88-note rolls.  Promo literature
showed folks carrying these units to parties!

The "turbine" appeared to be nothing more than a very noisy vacuum-
cleaner motor whose output was sent to two banks of approximately
84 pneumatic actuators.  Each plastic actuator resembled a blunt
hypodermic-syringe with the barrel made out of a soft-rubber bellows
with circular cross-section.  A primary valve sat at the base of each
syringe-actuator.

Each actuator assembly was permanently attached to the cast-iron
Dynavoice player's base with what looked like a Tinnerman speed-nut.
All of the unit's assembly techniques were such as to render repairs or
restoration impossible.  The actuator assemblies were permanently glued
together and could not be individually repaired.

Each unit had three volume settings, soft medium and loud, determined
by the vacuum-cleaner motors rpm.  The roll-frame was indeed operated
by an electric motor with variable speed control.

In operation, the Dynavoice Player did produce a clunky, very noisy per-
formance after the unit was secured to the piano.  The noise was mostly
from the vacuum-cleaner motor but each pneumatic generated noise, too.
If it was in good repair, the Dynavoice would automatically rewind the
music roll without destruction.  After several years, the pneumatics'
valves would begin to malfunction and there was simply no way to
perform surgery.

I do not know how many of these units were manufactured.  The last unit
I saw was at QRS Music Rolls in Buffalo.

In contradistinction to the Dynavoice Player, the Pianocorder System
P-200 Vorsetzer Reproducer is a far superior electronic Vorsetzer.
Unlike the Dynavoice, all of the Pianocorder System parts are still
available, and I've yet to encounter a P-200 Vorsetzer which couldn't
be restored to like-new condition.

Of course, the P-200 uses no vacuum-cleaner motor.  When it was first
introduced in l978, the P-200 Vorsetzer had a dealer cost of $l,l95.00
which included a library of 10 free l0-cassette albums.  I think its
suggested retail price was $l,795.00 or so.

Finally, all Pianocorder Systems (installed or Vorsetzer) can be
equipped with MIDI Converters which permit them to respond to any
suitable MIDI program.

On a more sober note, both the Dynavoice Player and the Pianocorder
System represented technical innovations of their respective times.
Both had unhappy endings for different reasons.

Bob Baker

 [ Bob is _the_ source of Pianocorder supplies!   -- Robbie