Disklavier

I will try to answer, and if I give you bad advice, maybe Mark Wisner will 
step in and correct me!

A DSR1 Upgrade Kit is a control box that plugs into your old system.  You 
then use only the new box's floppy drive and other buttons, and yes, it 
plays HD disks.  It will also play MIDI format 0 and MIDI format 1 files.  
What makes the system an XG system is that the soundcard that makes those 
fancy XG sounds is included in the new control box.

The new CD player plays audio data at the same time you are playing MIDI 
data.  For example, when you hear Simon and Garfunkle singing Scarborough 
Fair, their singing is audio, but I believe the guitar and instrument sounds 
are MIDI.  If you were to press the L and R buttons, you would be cancelling 
the piano parts (and any other MIDI data on Channels 1 or 2) but not the 
singing.  On some CDs the orchestra is audio and some it is generated by 
MIDI data.  Perhaps PianoBench on this list can give you some information on 
Home Concert.. This may be more what you are looking for.

As far as the Third Party Mute Rail is concerned, I have posted before that 
if you really want this "silent feature" you should buy a piano with it 
already installed at the factory.  Briefly, Yamaha uses special piano action 
parts on pianos equipped with this feature so that when the mute rail in 
enabled, the touch of the keyboard feels the same to your fingers.  The 
sound on those systems is also generated by a different amplifier than the 
sound generated by MIDI information.  No third party mute rail comes close 
to what you get from a Yamaha factory installed system.

If you want a MarkIII, then buy a MarkIII. The solenoids that actually play 
the keys are a newer generation; the sensor system for recording music is 
different on some models; and of course it already comes with the Silent 
feature AND Smart Key.  Better to work a good trade-in if you want all these 
features.

Carol Beigel
DKV owner and Piano Technician



>From: cfmuller@...
>Reply-To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com
>To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [disklavier] Upgrade Mark II to Mark III
>Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 21:09:09 -0000
>
>  I am the proud owner of a DA1 II Disklavier Grand Piano.  Since
>this is a Mark II piano I would like to upgrade to a Mark II XG
>capability.  If the DSR1 Upgrade Kit is used (1) will I be able to
>use HD Floppy's or will the upgraded unit require DD Floppies only?
>(2) will two of the unused Mark II buttons (Repeat, "0", Disk) be
>modified and designated as new Mark IIXG buttons (Voice & Balance)?
>(3) if I also purchase the DCD1 CD playback unit, can I use the Part
>Select buttons (L or R) to disable the piano track from the CD to
>allow me to  become the pianist for the musical piece with full
>orchestra background (as is provided by the Mark III series pianos?
>
>I am also considering using a Third Party Mute Rail System to cancel
>the acoustic piano sound and allow me to play into headset or
>speakers.  Does anyone have knowledge of this modification, pro and
>con.  I am trying to achieve as close to a Mark III update as
>possible.
>
>


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