I am working furiously on a new issue of Duo-Art music for the
PowerRoll and MIDI pianos.  I hope to have another 200 or 300 files
available soon.  An issue has arisen and I would like feedback from
MMD readers regarding their opinion.

When making the MIDI files and BAR/ANN files from the original paper
roll, I add gradual acceleration to the music to simulate the effect
of the roll's acceleration in the piano.  It is well accepted that the
paper accelerates, in a properly restored instrument, due to increasing
take up spool diameter as the paper accumulates thereon.  It is also
generally accepted that the editors were aware of this and compensated
most of the classical rolls to produce an even tempo.

The problem is that they rarely did this with the popular music and
the effect is a gradual increase in tempo.  If you ever danced to these
rolls you might have wondered why you got so exhausted by the end of
the song.  I need to decide whether to fix this problem by eliminating
the acceleration or to keep the files historically correct.  If I get
an overwhelming majority in favor of even tempi,  I will probably
modify the files otherwise I will keep them historically correct.  The
master roll images will still be available for reference.

So here is the question:  Should popular rolls be compensated to play
just the way they do from the roll on a well restored player (gradually
increasing in tempo) or should they be made to play at an even tempo
for the purpose of more enjoyable music and at the expense of
historical accuracy?

Spencer Chase
http://nt.mcn.org/spencer/