Disklavier

Thanks for the warning Jim.  I too have been disappointed with Yamaha software on more than one occasion.  
 
I find it curious that, although I monitor DUG, I only received this message on our egroup board.  I haven't received anything on the DUG group for a few days.  Did anyone see this posting on DUG?

Todd Muncy <(���)>
disklavier-owner@...
Check out my family website which includes a disklavier music page.
http://MuncyFamily.com
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jim Gerren 
  To: disklavier@egroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2000 1:00 AM
  Subject: [disklavier] Nat King Cole "Unforgettable" Diskette


  For those of you who don't visit DUG, please read the following 
  message I posted there.
  ===============================================

  Dear Duggers,

  I've been a member of DUG for over three years.  You've never heard 
  from me before as I tend to be a quiet person, usually keeping my 
  opinions and feelings to myself.  But I am now breaking my silence in 
  hopes that other DUG members don't make the same costly mistake I 
  made.

  Being an avid Nat King Cole fan, I've been pondering for several 
  weeks, the purchase of Yamaha's PianoSoft Plus diskette 00506056 - 
  Nat King Cole Collection - "Unforgettable" album.  So, this evening, 
  I went to http://www.yamahamusicsoft.com and downloaded the file.  
  With great anticipation, I immediately inserted the diskette into my 
  disklavier, expecting to hear great music for the next 30 to 40 
  minutes.

  What a disappointment!  The first problem I encountered was over-
  powering bass, having to totally eliminate the bass by adjusting my 
  amplifier bass control.  Apparently, Yamaha doesn't have recording 
  standards relating to volume levels on XG files, as I've found that 
  bass and other instrumentation volume levels, in relation to the 
  piano volume level, can vary widely from disk to disk.

  My second disappointment was with the orchestration accompaniment.  I 
  don't expect synthesized instruments to sound exactly like the 
  instruments they are emulating, although some of the voices do sound 
  remarkably like the real thing.  But bending the pitch of 
  instruments, which does occur on this diskette, is a total turn-off.  
  Obviously, the person(s) making the recording must have thought 
  it "cute".  I didn't.  Additionally, the instrumentation was slightly 
  out of synch with the piano at times.

  As for the pianist?  On a scale of 1 to 10 for professional pianists 
  (which you would expect from Yamaha), I would rate this a 4, and that 
  might be generous.  Timing was a bit off on some songs and, at least 
  to my ears, there were mistakes in the playing.  This is 
  unacceptable, as the file can be edited to remove mistakes.  Perhaps 
  it's just me.  The mistakes were not blatant, but they were there.

  If I didn't know any better, I'd almost guess the songs on this disk 
  were downloaded from one of those midi internet sites where amateur 
  musicians upload their works.  In fact, I've downloaded better from 
  some of those sites.

  And, as if I weren't disappointed enough, the diskette lasted for 
  only 26 minutes!  That's right, 26 minutes for $34.95, and I 
  furnished the double density diskette.  Shame on you, Yamaha.  Where 
  is your PianoSoft quality control?  And don't you feel just a bit 
  guilty for gouging your loyal customers?

  Regards,
  Jim Gerren



------------------------------------------------------------------------------



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  To Post a message to the group, send it to:   disklavier@...

  To Post a private message to Todd Muncy, the group's founder and moderator, send it to:
  disklavier-owner@egroups.com

  To reach our group's web site go to:
  http://egroups.com/group/disklavier

  To visit Todd's family web site that contains some fun disklavier content among other things, go to:
  http://MuncyFamily.com

  THINKING OF LEAVING THE GROUP?
  If you are thinking of unsubcribing because you are getting too much mail, go the the web site and change your email delivery option instead.  That will fix the problem, while maintaining your access to the group.  If you insist on leaving us completely send a blank email to:
  disklavier-unsubscribe@...

  Know someone who wants to join?  Have them send a blank email to:
  disklavier-subscribe@...