Disklavier

I can answer a few of your questions.

PianoSoft, PianoSoft Solo, PianoSoft Plus, and PianoSoft Plus XG 
diskettes are all in E-SEQ format.  E-SEQ files can be converted to SMF 
using the Giebler Utilities (www.giebler.com) or reportedly by the 
DKVutils downloadable from this Yahoogroup.

Since the Roland KR series expects 3.5" diskettes with SMFs, I doubt 
that you could play E-SEQ files on the Roland.  You'd likely have to 
convert them to SMFs.

The Virtuoso Performance products are third party, not Yamaha.  Their 
products are advertised as "Compatible with most electronic pianos 
including Disklavier, Clavinova, PianoDisc, Roland KR, [etc.]"  It is 
not clear to me from their advertising whether their diskettes are 
available in SMF only or if an E-SEQ version can also be purchased.

A word of caution regarding PianoSoft Plus and XG:  These include MIDI 
instrument tracks, of course.  In order to hear them exactly as Yamaha 
intended, you may need to play them on the Yamaha (or equal) tone 
modules for which they were designed.

The E-SEQ file format used by Yamaha's PianoSoft line was a predecessor 
of the present MIDI standard. PianoSoft diskettes also make a feeble 
attempt at copy protection.  Much of the information in the two types of 
file carries the same meaning.  However, the formats of the files, and 
of the diskettes, are different.  Converting between the two is pretty 
straightforward.

Your question about the whether the PianoSoft format is "proprietary" is 
one for the lawyers. I wouldn't worry about the issue as there is 
software available to convert between SMF and E-SEQ.

jpbtacj wrote:
> I know this is a disklavier forum but maybe someone here knows...
> 
> What degree of compatibility is there between Yamaha 'musicsoft' 
> titles and Roland KR (intelligent) digitial pianos? I know Roland 
> plays smf (standard midi files) but can they play, for e.g., a 
> pianosoft solo, xg, or clavisoft title? If so...is playback 
> equivalent?
> 
> Also, within the Yamaha musicsoft site(www.yamahamusicsoft.com), 
> music is categorized based on instrument--clavinova, disklavier, 
> etc. Within Clavinova you'll see subcategories such as CueTime, & XG 
> Piano and within Disklavier you'll see subcategories such as 
> PianoSoft Solo and Virtuoso Performance. The data format for 
> PianoSoft titles is 'Yamaha pianosoft' but for Virtuoso the data 
> format is 'Midi Song'. What is the difference? Is 'Yamaha pianosoft' 
> a proprietary format that ONLY Yamaha instruments will play 
> and 'Midi Song' is non-proprietary, i.e., playable on non Yamaha 
> instruments? Is Midi Song = SMF?
> 
> If there is a one stop resource someone could point me to inorder to 
> sort all of this out, I would appreciate it. 
> 
> A confused newbie ;)
> 
> thanks, jpbtacj  
> 
> 
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-- 
Robert Welcyng
Anchorage, Alaska