The postings either condemning or encouraging the use of the
modern music storage systems have been very interesting, for sure.
Sure, it is nice and authentic to have fully restored Ampico and
Duo-Art grand pianos in the music room and collect and store
hundreds of rolls for each of them, but some of us have moved to
smaller homes and this is just not possible anymore.

Spencer Chase's MIDI files of fine piano music is a godsend to us.
While a 9-foot Steinway and a Welte Vorsetzer is not possible to
accommodate, the music is what is so important to have and enjoy.
His MIDI disks provide weeks of fine music and the Yamaha Clavinova
does a very creditable job when playing them with full expression.

Maybe one ought to give some thought to what is really important:
a mechanical reproducing piano or two or the music.  Personally,
I want the music, thus the big project of new advanced scanners for
saving all the fine playing on the residence player pipe organ rolls
and a determined effort to find and preserve that music, along with
finding the solution to play these rolls back with all the ranks the
original players wanted and buying a new Allen theater organ and
reprogramming the three available alternate suites to play the Duo-Art,
Welte and Skinner rolls with every single rank the players want.

This solves the problem of a big pipe organ in the home, which is not
possible anymore, but now the music can be enjoyed again.  It seems
as if one has to establish what is really important.

Jim Crank