I am recovering from the flu and was sleeping this afternoon.  I dreamed
that I was examining a late drop-action spinet piano and discovered
that it was an 88-note player with an unusual difference.  It seems
that the piano had an unusual addition to the tracker bar.  I'm not
exactly sure if it had a phono pickup and a vinyl strip on the roll or
a tape playback head and a magnetic strip on the roll.  However it was,
the piano, in addition to playing the roll music, also had a recorded
voice or accompaniment according to the maker.

Has anyone ever heard of something like this, or is this a weird dream?
I'm sure that a magnetic pickup and a painted magnetic strip is within
the realm of possibility.

Jim Cook

 [ In the AMICA Bulletin Vol. 27, No. 3, May/June 1990, Mark Reinhart
 [ wrote about the "Welte-Mignon Player Piano/Phonograph".  A special
 [ series of T-100 'Red' rolls would play a live accompaniment on the
 [ Welte-Mignon piano while a Victrola or Phonograph reproduced the
 [ singing voice of Enrico Caruso or the like.  An unused roll channel
 [ contained synchronizing holes punched at regular intervals.  The
 [ phono turntable was fitted with a pallet valve and its hose was
 [ connected to the synchronizing mechanism in the piano.  The phono
 [ record accompaniment rolls are listed on page 298 of the Welte-Mignon
 [ rollography by Charles Davis Smith.
 [
 [ Ref. http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Welte/patents1.html
 [
 [   No. 1.325.066
 [   Edwin Welte of Freiburg, Germany, Assignor, by mesne assignments,
 [   to Welte-Mignon Corporation of New York, N.Y. a corporation of
 [   New York.
 [   Means for synchronizing the operations of sound-producing
 [   instruments and moving-picture apparatus or other moving parts.
 [   Patented Dec. 16, 1919, Application filed June 11, 1914, renewed
 [   April 17, 1918
 [   2 p. dr., 21 p text.
 [
 [ The pneumatic logic block of the patent (No. 1,325,066) is known
 [ nowadays as a Type I phase-lock loop logic element.  It looks
 [ complicated but it's actually about the same complexity as the valves
 [ of the Standard Pneumatic Co. 4-hole roll tracker system.
 [
 [ See also "Player Rolls Accompany the Phonograph" at
 [ http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199702/1997.02.26.10.html
 [ -- Robbie