It is rare, indeed, to find a player piano in which the damper
lifting [loud pedal] pneumatic works perfectly. Even if the
pneumatic works well, sloppy damper regulation (all too common) and
lost motion in the rods will have a very bad effect: usually slow
to lift, and quick to let off. I've played with these all day to
get them right.
In my attempt to compensate for this, when I arrange a roll I always
advance the sustain perforation about three ticks from the "perfect"
time. This seems to compensate somewhat, giving the pneumatic time
to lift, and is a quick and nasty fix.
I use sustain pedal mainly for a reverb effect, as I elongate the
perforations to sound natural without the sustain pedal operative.
Andy Taylor
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