Message
Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?
2004-11-22 by PianoBench@aol.com
In a message dated 11/22/04 9:17:15 AM, cerio@... writes:
Hello PianoBench,
Thanks for your informative and always helpful replies.
By appropriate software I imagine you mean a "JukeBox" player and then
perhaps a wireless USB - correct?
Not as convenient as the WiFi PDA, and I doubt that the total functionality
of the Mark IV can be duplicated, but perhaps this moves a III a third of
halfway or so to a IV.
If we ignore improvements to the record and playback system (especially the ability of the piano to play at an almost inaudible volume level) and just focus on user features, the Mark IV feature set includes:
--wireless control from a Wi-Fi PDA
--additional wireless control from a Wi-Fi tablet (standard for the DC3 and larger non-Pros; optional on the other models)
--lyric display on the tablet
--80 GB hard drive for storing MIDI files and audio files
--ability to create playlists based on any stored song type (PianoSoft, PianoSoft Plus, PianoSoft Plus Audio, Smart PianoSoft)
--large suite of connecting ports
--built-in SMPTE for generating and decoding time code that can synchronize video with a piano recording
--options for displaying custom pictures and slide shows on the tablet
In comparison, by adding a personal computer to an earlier model Disklavier, you can assemble a library of song files on the computer and control the instrument from a distance (although doing so wirelessly is a challenge). A program like Van Basco will display lyrics. For about $280, you can get a box that does SMPTE, and any computer will give you the ability to show pictures and slide shows.
The biggest problem that you face trying to add Mark IV-like features to an earlier model is that you cannot store and play Smart PianoSoft albums (which consist of a floppy disk plus an audio CD) using a computer. To play Smart PianoSoft on a Mark III (or an ealier model with DCD1 and--where necessary--a DSR1), you must have the floppy disk in the floppy drive of the Disklavier and the CD in the CD drive of the Disklavier.
In addition, it is a troublesome matter to get any Yamaha-published PianoSoft or PianoSoft Plus files into your computer in a useable form. Yamaha publishes its software in E-SEQ format (which is not compatible with off-the-shelf MIDI players and therefore requires conversion to SMF), and Yamaha delivers its software on floppy disks that are unreadable in a computer (unless you use special PC-only software to read these normally unreadable disks). You can, of course, transfer these performances to computer in real time by playing them on the Disklavier and recording them simultaneously in a sequencer on the PC--but that is a time-consuming process.
For many people, the new Mark IV user features and its amazingly quiet playback capability are compelling reaons to trade up from an older model. As for myself, I have a DC6 Pro (the Mark IIXG vintage) with a DCD1. Although I admire the new features of the Mark IV, I consider my instrument to be a long way from obsolete, and I remain quite happy to use it the way that it is, supplementing its feature set with a laptop. In the latter case, as a performer and teacher, I use the laptop for showing music on the screen and controlling the tempo of accompaniment tracks as I play.
Regards,
PianoBench