Greetings automuse,  I re-read the article on the comparison between
Duo-Art and PianoDisc several times and I fail to see the validity of
the comparison.  Comparing different pianos playing entirely different
music does not seem like a comparison to me at all.

At the AMICA meeting in Denver I had the opportunity to present
a better comparison.  A Steinway Duo-Art was played with my electronic
interface and emulations of the very same rolls were played on a Mason
and Hamlin fitted with the PianoDisc system.  The files played on the
PD have exactly the same notes as the files for the Duo-Art; the files
were made from scans of the same rolls.  The emulation is very convincing
but there are certainly some minor departures from the sound of the
original roll.  Regulation varies from piano to piano, etc., etc.

The opinion of many attendees was that the Mason and Hamlin did a more
than respectable job of presenting the Duo-Art music.  This was due in
part to some important factors.  First, the emulation software, written
by Warren Trachtman, does an excellent job.  Second, the Mason and
Hamlin is a fine piano in good condition with a PD installation by one
of the best installers in the country.

When the PianoDisc was playing popular Duo-Art music (difficult for
even an original Duo-Art), many people were convinced that it was a
reproducing piano.  I was asked several times how a Mason and Hamlin
Duo-Art came about and also if it was an Ampico.

Best regards,
Spencer Chase
Laytonville, Calif.
http://www.spencerserolls.com/