Disklavier

The loud pedal adjustment procedure involves more than what your tech 
apparently did. Yamaha's maintenance procedures have been detailed on a 
2002 CD-ROM titled, "Hybrid Piano Service CD."  I don't know that this 
CD has been updated for the Mark IV, but Yamaha has surely documented 
the procedure.

To troubleshoot your problem, the complete performance of this procedure 
is a must.

In general, the adjustment includes the following steps in this order:

* Adjust the solenoid gap.

* Adjust lost motion.  (It sounds as though your tech did that.)

* Adjust the pedal stop.

* Put the DKV in the Maintenance Mode and perform the pedal calibration 
and adjustment of the half-pedal point.

You might consider contacting Yamaha for help in locating a qualified 
Yamaha-trained technician in your area.  

On the Mark II, and surely on the Mark IV, there is a demonstration 
piece in ROM, Schumann's Traumerei, beautifully pedaled, which should 
play perfectly when the adjustment has been properly completed. A wise 
technician would demonstrate his work to you by playing this piece to 
assure you that he did properly adjust the pedal.

Wise, because many MIDI performances do play on a perfectly adjusted 
Disklavier with a terrible thump.  Some files, even older PianoSoft 
disks that are still offered today, have on/off sustain pedaling, rather 
than continuous pedaling, that thump when the damper assembly drops from 
the full-open to the released position. Thumping can also occur when the 
pianist records and drops the dampers fully and abruptly.

In other words, the problem you are experiencing could be caused by the 
file(s) you are playing.

As you probably know, the MIDI values of a released and fully open pedal 
are 0 and 127.  I have had some success in mitigating the thump of 
problematic files by limiting that range to about 25 to 90.  On my Mark 
II instrument, a value of 25 is still fully damped and at 90, completely 
undamped.  Of course, that means that the pedal solenoid is energized 
throughout the playing piece--a condition that might occur when a 
skilled artist records.  I have had no problems with the solenoid 
overheating.

jaallc wrote:

>Anyone out there have a Mark IV?  My right pedal seems very
>noisy to me, I can hear it thumping throughout the song (each
>time it is pressed).  It also makes a noticeable noise, beyond
>a thumb, almost as if a quiet clapping noise.  My dealer has
>already been out and made some adjustments, but it's not really
>any better.  I'm wondering if this is normal or if these pedals
>are supposed to be perfectly quiet?  
>
>Incidentally, the tech who came out complained that Yamaha gives
>them no training, that they have to call Yamaha for anything but
>the most basic problems.  Didn't exactly inspire confidence.  The
>only adjustments he made to my pedal were to two washers on the
>top and bottom of the pole itself, surely there is more that can
>be done than this? 
>
>Regards,
>Jason
>
>
>
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-- 
Robert Welcyng
Anchorage, Alaska