Disklavier

Good morning, everyone.

In a message dated 9/22/02 6:25:19 AM, Buddhika writes:

<< My name is Buddhika and I live in Sri Lanka where there aren’t many

Disklaviers or people who know about them around. I am thinking of

buying a second hand one soon, (one from what's available over here). I

realized that there are several types. I would like to know the

difference in the models Mark I, Mark II and Mark II models and the file

formats.


1) The mark I says the recording format is Yamaha E-Seq>>

Approximately 10 years ago, the music industry adopted standard file formats 
(called Standard MIDI Files) for MIDI files. Prior to that time, every 
company had its own. Yamaha's format was called E-SEQ. All models of 
Disklavier, including the newest ones, read the E-SEQ format, and in the 
U.S., Yamaha still publishes its own Disklavier files in this format. 
However, files that you get from the Internet or which you purchase from 
other companies will likely be in one of the two standard formats called 
Standard MIDI File (SMF) Type 0 or SMF Type 1.

In the U.S., Yamaha offers an add-on control box called the DSR1 which has a 
disk drive capable of reading SMFs. It also has an internal tone generator 
for playing the non-piano tracks--a feature which is lacking in the earliest 
model Disklaviers.

This raises another issue regarding standards: About 10 years ago the music 
industry adopted a standard sound set called General MIDI (GM). Most files 
that you find on the Internet or purchase from third-party sources require th
is sound set in order for the non-parts to play correctly. The DSR1 gives 
you a GM sound set (as well as an older Yamaha sound set called DOC and a 
newer Yamaha sound set called XG, which is a superset of GM).


<<2) The mark II says Satanded MIDI file (format0, Format1)/E-Seq>>

In the U.S., the Mark II Disklavier added support for SMF Type 0, not Type 1. 
In addition, it lacked a tone generator. Until recently, an upgrade was 
offered in the U.S. so that you could upgrade the unit with a new control box 
to turn it into a Mark IIXG unit. The Mark IIXG added support for SMF Type 1 
and included sound sets for DOC, GM, and XG.


<<3) Also What is XG and GM,>>

All MIDI files reference instrumental sounds by number. Sound number 007 in 
General MIDI, for example, is the harpsichord. Sound number 007 in DOC or 
some other manufacturer's proprietary tone format will likely be some 
instrument other than harpsichord.

People who make general-purpose MIDI files usually reference the GM sound set.

A few years ago, Yamaha proposed a new standard as a superset of GM. This new 
standard is called XG and is available on many Yamaha instruments. XG has 
also been licensed by other companies. Although XG has not become the 
industry-wide standard like GM, it is quite common. A skilled MIDI 
orchestrator can produce much better results with XG than with GM.


<<4) Do's the Satanded Midi mean that I could get the disklavier to play

Midi files such as the once down loaded from the internet instead of

only Piano soft music?>>

Yes. Please note, however, the many SMFs contain orchestral tracks that 
reference the GM sound set. This means that you need to be able to handle 
both SMF and GM. Any device that supports XG also supports GM by default.


<<5) Can I get a PSR 740 or a PSR 2000 coupled to the disklaver through

Midi and get it to play the a compliments such as Rithum, base, and left

hand strings etc while I play the piano left and right hand parts?>>

Yes. If you configure things properly, you can play a disk on a Disklavier 
and output all tracks other than the piano track(s) to an external device. 
The PSR 740 and 2000 support the GM and XG sound sets. I believe that they 
support DOC, too, but you might want to check on that. Yamaha instruments 
typically have logos on the front panel for each disk and sound format that 
they support.


<<6) what does the DCD1 player exactly do? >>

In the U.S., Yamaha is now releasing certain Disklavier software titles on 
audio CDs for use in Mark III Disklaviers as well as older Disklaviers that 
have a DCD1 added. These CDs have MIDI (for the piano part) encoded on one 
audio channel and digital audio on the other channel. During playback, the 
MIDI channel is decoded and sent to the piano. The other audio track is sent 
to the speakers. The result is that you can hear a real orchestra or singer 
performing with the Disklavier. Unlike playback of MIDI files on floppy disk, 
you cannot change the tempo.

The DCD1 works really well. However, it does not give you all of the CD 
features of the Mark III Disklavier. The DCD1 has its own, small LCD display 
and uses a separate remote control. The Mark III has the CD feature 
integrated into its control unit.

Unlike the DCD1, the Mark III can transpose the CD. In addition, the Mark III 
will soon support a new feature that enables you to record a piano 
performance to floppy disk that is coordinated with playback of your favorite 
CD. In the U.S., Yamaha plans to sell piano accompaniments on floppy disk 
that coordinate with playback of CDs that you purchase separately. This new 
feature, called PianoSmart, is not available for the DCD1 but will be 
available as a flash ROM upgrade for existing Mark III Disklaviers. 

Regards,
PianoBench