Disklavier

Hi Kevin

 

I agree that it's not DKVBrowser that causes the problem, but the files
supplied by Yamaha.  I can reproduce the problem just using the PRC 100.
I've worked out the problem and it is reproducible.  In the music files that
came with the DKV, there is a file called "Introduction to the Piano" (intro
piano.pspg) in a  folder called PianoSoft Plus Graphics (Demo).  Towards the
end of this file is a pedal demonstration which plays a segment from Fur
Elise.  If I drag the progress slider in DKVBrowser (or the PRC 100) back a
bit to play the pedal demo again (why would anyone want to do that!) it
often disables the sustain pedal.  The soft pedal continues to function and
going to Standby and back again restores the sustain pedal function.

 

Another file in the same folder is Fur Elise itself and this also produces
peculiar results.  Each time I play it (including from a power-down and
reboot of the piano and laptop - I also did a reset to factory defaults),
the right hand plays the acoustic piano and the left hand plays the Tone
Generator piano (and no LH key movement).  This is easily fixed by changing
the Piano Part Ch R in Song details in DKVBrowser from ## to 2.  I don't
understand this, as it is the left hand that is not functioning correctly,
not the right hand.  Piano Part CH L was set to 1.  Why also would Yamaha
create files to showcase their pianos which don't play properly?  I have
also found other files where the setting for Piano Part Ch R is ##.  This
leads me to wonder whether there could be something wrong with my setup
which is causing the DKV to not respond correctly?  Any comments on this
would be welcome.

 

You asked about my wireless setup.  I use vanBasco's Karaoke Player to play
my midi files on the DKV using a Sony Vaio laptop.  I like the very
versatile playlist manager in vanBasco and I have several hundred midi files
with lyrics added by means of the great piece of software - Lyric Adder -
offered by Spencer Chase (http://www.spencerserolls.com).  VanBasco is
perfect for my needs.  My real interest lies in collecting and creating midi
files from player piano rolls.  I also have a QRS keyboard scanner under the
keys of a player piano and can make respectable midi copies of 88 note rolls
from my roll collection.  More than 10,000 midi files from scanned rolls are
available online, including more than 5,000 from Spencer Chase.

 

I have a NETGEAR wifi extender mounted under the piano and connected to that
is a device from IO Gear (iogear.com) called a wireless 4 port USB sharing
station  (GUWIP204).  This device essentially gives me a wireless USB link
to the USB port of the DKV, using my home wifi network.  The NETGEAR wifi
extender also has the normal Ethernet cable connection to the DKV to give
the DKV a connection with the internet, my iPhone and DKVBrowser.  As a
later improvement, I mounted a separate router under the piano and set this
up to provide an extra, dedicated network comprising the DKV and my laptop
only, with no internet connection.  On Christmas day there were more than 10
devices connected to my home wifi network (kids with iphones and iPads, etc)
and this interfered with the orderly flow of data to the DKV.  Having a
dedicated wifi network for the DKV with no internet also means that bulky
updates from Microsoft and McAfee, etc. don't interrupt the data flow to the
DKV (as sometimes happened in the past).  One downside is that I now have
different networks for DKVBrowser and vanBasco.  I might have to re-think
the use of the second router.

 

With this arrangement, I can play midi files wirelessly from my laptop on
the DKV from anywhere in the house.  I also use Cakewalk home studio for
recording midi files from the piano, and this also works over the wifi USB
link.

 

So, installed under my piano at the moment is a network extender, a router,
a wireless USB link and 2 powerboards - one always on and one switched by
the DKV.  There's not much space left.

 

Kind regards

 

Geoff

 

 

 

 

  _____  

From: disklavier@yahoogroups.com [mailto:disklavier@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Kevin Goroway
Sent: Monday, 30 December 2013 12:11 AM
To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [disklavier] Pedals not working

 

  

Hi Geoff,

 

I don't think DKVBrowser has anything to do with this.  My best guess is
that the songs that you are playing when using DKVBrowser are somehow
exercising the pedals quite a bit more than the songs that you normally play
from your laptop.  If this is a reproducible situation, you might want to
try moving some of the songs from your laptop to the piano's "From-To-PC"
folder, and then play them from DKVBrowser.  You should experience the same
pedal-failure rate as playing from your laptop directly.  (I think the demo
songs on the MarkIV are marked as "don't copy", so you probably can't do the
reverse.)

 

You also said that you play your files from your laptop "wirelessly via
USB".  I'm confused.  I assume you mean that you are playing MIDI files
(using what player?) via USB, but the wireless part has me intrigued.

 

Anyway, for further conversations on DKVBrowser, I run a yahoo group
dedicated to the software over here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/dkvbrowser/info

 

Enjoy!

-Kevin

 

  _____  

From: Geoff Ward <gward1211@...>
To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2013 10:17 PM
Subject: RE: [disklavier] Pedals not working

 

  

Hi Bill

 

Thanks for your detailed reply.

 

I have carried out the tasks you set and the pedals worked flawlessly.  

 

The piano in 9 months old - purchased March 2013 from a Yamaha Australia
dealer.  The serial no. is 6338593.  I would be interested to know when it
was manufactured.

The problem only occurred yesterday when I was playing around with
DKVBrowser.  After the comment in these pages "The best software since the
dawn of time", I thought I should check it out some more.  The only files I
played were those demo and sample files which came with the DKV (I retain
all my music files on a laptop which I connect to the DKV wirelessly via
USB).  In doing that the pedals stopped working 3 times.  The first time I
completely powered down and fixed it.  The 2nd and 3rd times, going to
standby was sufficient.

The piano has the latest operating system and was calibrated when new. I
think the pedal problem I experienced yesterday will remain a mystery.

 

Another question, if I may:  How often should a full keyboard calibration be
done?  I have the full service manual and have previously done a full
calibration myself.

 

Kind regards

 

Geoff

 

 

 

 

  _____  

From: disklavier@yahoogroups.com [mailto: disklavier@yahoogroups.com ] On
Behalf Of Bill Brandom
Sent: Sunday, 29 December 2013 6:00 AM
To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [disklavier] Pedals not working

 

  

Hi Geoff,

 

I am sorry to hear about the problems you explained in your email. If your
pedals are failing as often as you say, then you have a hardware problem.
Having your pedals quit 3 times an hour is NOT the norm with the Disklavier
Mark IV and is a problem that needs to be corrected. The problem I described
in an earlier post is something that occurs after leaving the Disklavier on
for long periods of time (typically longer than 2 weeks.) This problem is
corrected by doing a complete power down, disconnecting it from power and
letting it "rest" for 30 minutes or more. Through the years of Mark IV
production, this problem was pretty much solved, but not totally eliminated.
I have found that if I go through this power down procedure about once a
week, then I never have a pedal playback problem.

 

Lets troubleshoot this a little bit. How old is your piano? If you are not
sure, give me the serial number of the piano (a seven digit number on the
plate or harp) located under the treble end of the music desk. How long has
this problem been happening? Have you reported this problem to Yamaha? If
so, what was recommended and what was the result? When was the last time you
had the piano calibrated? Has your piano been updated to the latest
operating system?

 

If I was there, I would try the following. Normally this is done by a
Disklavier technician, but if you are careful, you can do it yourself. Power
down the piano again and disconnect it from power. On the back side of the
key drive unit under the treble end of the piano, you will find a box that
contains the CSP (Central Signal Processor) board. There are a number of RCA
connections to this box. Disconnect and re-insert the the two connectors
labeled TO I/O BLUE and GREEN. Disconnect and re-insert the connector
labeled TO PD. Go to the I/O unit and disconnect and re-insert the BLUE and
GREEN connectors located on one end of the I/O Center above the LAN
connector.

 

Plug the piano back into the A/C and power back up. Record a two minute song
of playing the damper pedal and shift pedal (right and left pedals),
depressing each pedal every two seconds. Then, play this song back 4 or 5
times. If the pedals continue to work, then play your music as you normally
do and see if the pedals continue playing or not.

 

Let me know the results. Hopefully, your pedal issue is solved.

 

Bill

 

On Fri, Dec 27, 2013 at 7:27 PM, <gward1211@...> wrote:

  

Hi Bill

 

I also have a Mk IV  (C3 DKV).  I experience the pedal problem often, 3
times in the space of an hour when playing files on the HDD through
DKVBrowser.  I can fix it simply by going to standby mode and on again.  I
rarely have the problem when playing midi files from my laptop using
VanBasco's Karaoke Player.

 

I power down and turn the power off at the wall socket every night.

 

This seems to be an identifiable and common bug affecting a lot of users -
probably every Mk IV user.  Do you know why Yamaha doesn't  put out a fix
for it?

 

Many thanks for your knowledge, wisdom and help in these pages.

Geoff

 

Long live Disklavier