I still don't have the answer on how to stop [take-up spool] slippage.
Many of you also have the problem of newer issued rolls, of large size,
stalling out because the paper on the take up spool slides rather than
continues to wind at a steady pace.  Most Ampico owners have dealt with
this for years as the new paper just doesn't advance, without slipping,
like the original paper.  Many suggestions have come and gone, but to
my knowledge, there is no sure-fire fix.

When I have guests who are new to reproducing piano, I usually dismiss
the hesitation as a failed "page turner" who has nodded off.

Now that many of us like to post YouTube performances, this hesitation
poses a real problem when new rolls are used.  So here is how to make
YouTube videos perfect once a stalled rolled spoils your photo shoot.

First, don't consider the photo shoot with the stalled roll as failed.
Retain the footage and fix it during the edit process.  The best
YouTube performances utilize separate sound recording, not relying on
a camcorder's horrible sounding microphones.

Once the video and audio are in sync within the edit program, identify
the stalled area.  If there is a video of the roll in motion, the exact
length of he stalled event can be determined.  Using that elapsed time,
the sound track can be cut by that much at the point of hesitation.

This sounds simple, but it is not.  The audio decay during the stall
now must be dealt with.  In other words, if you merely cut out the
stalled area, the decay is more advanced at the end of the edit cut
than at the beginning, and the edit will be highly audible.

To make the edit cut inaudible, duplicate the entire unedited audio
track.  Within the edit program, place the duplicated track in a new
track in sync with the original.  Once the "slip" area is determined,
slide the duplicate track forward by that exact slip time amount.

Once that has been accomplished, fade from the original track to the
duplicate track at the slip point, and there will be no detectable
change in the "ambiance" of the music, and the slip will be removed.
I've been doing this for over three years and it absolutely cannot be
detected in the YouTube videos.

I should have posted this a long time ago, but just didn't think
about it.  Recently I've been working on new YouTube productions as
well as new instructional DVDs concerning the Ampico code.  Part two
of "The Ampico Code" is now in production.  Part One was introduced
and sold at the AMICA convention in Buffalo, New York in 2010.  Part
two is much longer in duration since it does not have to be squeezed
into a 40-minute time slot at a convention.

A more detailed announcement of the new DVD can be viewed on one of my
web sites at  http://web.me.com/bobtaylor5/Ampico/Technical_DVDs.html 

The topic of the Ampico concert grand demo piano is also covered.
At least two bonus chapters will include great performances and highly
detailed explanations of those rolls.  The featured pianos are a Mason
& Hamlin Ampico B, and a Chickering concert grand demo Ampico A.

Bob Taylor
Columbia, Missouri