Disklavier

Greetings George,

I think I just discovered that the DKV (sent a file to a friend for
testing as I do not have a DKV here)wants the "sequence" or "track"
name to be the first text event in the file or it will not find it. I
wrote a script to promote the track name and will see if it works. If
this is what is needed, I can write a program to add track names in
the proper position, from a master list, but it looks like no one is
interested in such a program.

Friday, August 24, 2007, 9:46:37 AM, you wrote:
> Good morning, everyone.

> Some years ago, I did a series of tests and came up with this list
> of rules that the Disklavier seems to follow when choosing a song title to display:

> As best I can determine, the Disklavier display can get the file
> name for a SMF song from any of these four places:

> (1) a name stored in a directory that the Disklavier creates on the
> floppy disk when you make a recording to the disk,

> (2) a Yamaha proprietary meta event added to the SMF by the Disklavier,

> (3) the so-called "sequence" name meta event which is imbedded in
> the MIDI file--usually by a sequencing program,

> and

> (4) the DOS file name.

> Which name does the Disklavier use for display?

> In the case of pre-Mark IV Disklaviers, it seems as though the
> Disklavier defaults to reading the name in the directory file if one is present.

> The display name registered in the directory file is put there when
> the directory file is initially created. This directory file is
> created when a recording is made. Subsequently, whenever a new piece
> is recorded or an old one rerecorded, the directory file is updated
> with respect to the file being recorded or otherwise altered.

> If a directory file is not present, the Disklavier reads the name
> embedded in the Yamaha meta event. This meta event is created by the
> Disklavier and is embedded in the file when you use the front panel
> of the Disklavier to add a title to a SMF. Adding a title is,
> technically, a recording procedure which also updates the directory
> on the disk or creates a new one if one is not present.

> Keep in mind that a proprietary meta event will normally not be
> read by another other piece of hardware or software except one that
> is made by the manufacturer which is identified as the creator of
> the meta event. Therefore, Yamaha title meta events may be read by
> the Clavinova CVP, but will not be read by another manufacturer's keyboard or by your sequencer.

> If a Yamaha meta event title is not embedded in the file and a
> directory file is not present which contains info about the file in
> question, the Disklavier displays the sequence name. This name is
> added in a sequencer, such as Cakewalk, Vision, Performer, Metro,
> etc. For example, with Cakewalk Pro Audio 7, you can go to the File
> menu and select Info.... This brings up a dialog which lets you add
> a title. With Performer, you open the Chunks window and create the sequence name there.

> When you resave the SMF from a sequencer, the Yamaha meta event--if
> any--is usually lost. The sequencer may add a sequence name for the
> song title. If you do not specify a title in your sequencer, your
> sequencer may automatically add a sequence name anyway. This default
> title usually shows up on the Disklavier display with the name "Untitled."

> Note that the sequence name meta event is actually a "public" meta
> event--for lack of a better word; it is one that is universally recognized.

> Finally, if a directory file is not present, a Yamaha title meta
> event is not present, and a SMF sequence title meta event is not
> present, the Disklavier will use the DOS file name for display. You
> can create this last situation by taking a SMF, opening it in a
> sequencer, setting the sequence name to nothing, and resaving the
> SMF file to a disk which has no directory already on it.

> How should you add your titles? If you work with a sequencer a lot,
> your best bet is to add the sequence title when you have the SMF
> open for editing. Otherwise, adding titles using the Disklavier's
> front panel is fine. The advantage to adding titles with your 
> sequencer is that the title stays "glued" to the file, regardless of
> whether the file is opened in a sequencer by someone else or put on
> a disk to which the Disklavier later adds a directory file.

> Keep in mind that on any Disklavier other than a Mark IV, the
> display name can be up to 32 characters long as far as the
> Disklavier's display is concerned. The first 16 characters
> (including spaces) go on the top line, the rest on the bottom line. 

> On the Mark IV, there seems to be no limit as to the number of
> characters in a song title. The Mark IV provides a place to enter
> long song titles. Those names are stored a sequence name meta events in the MIDI file.

> Regards,
> PianoBench

> On Aug 23, 2007, at 5:12 PM, dirkveldhorst wrote:

> dear friends,
> I have been struggling renaming my midifiles so they show up corect on
> the Disklavier display. I see lots of numbers and irregularly some song
> names. Alas another evening spent with no results... 
> I have searched earlier messages on this group but haven't figured out
> how to do this on a Vista PC. Any help or advice is welcome!
> best regards
> Dirk Veldhorst











> =  

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