Message
Re: [disklavier] DC3 delivery report and DCD1 Owner's Manual?
2009-04-17 by athomik
athomik
On Apr 16 2009, Freeman Richard wrote:
>I also have a Mark II XG (DSC2) without the DCD-1. Having a bit of
>envy for Mark IV capabilities, I set upon a task to try to emulate
>capabilities via external sequencers, MIDI players, etc. I'm using Mac
>OSX with the Yamaha MIDI (UX 16) cable. So far, my results have been
>unsatisfactory. I'm able to playback general MIDI files, but so far,
>haven't found a solution to record piano soft titles (eseq files).
>There is the Yam player, but unfortunately, its only available for
>windows.
>
>Short of selling my lovely piano and investing another fortune to
>upgrade to the Mark IV, I called Yamaha. The DCD1 is no longer being
>made and I'm told by Yamaha that a new design / replacement is in the
>works. They hinted that the entire control box (XG module) will be
>replaced, with an integrated CD player and possible hard drive. If
>they go this far, I'm certain the will extend the internet radio
>capability. This was supposed to be released this year, but its being
>pushed back to 2010 - likely to be introduced at the NAM show early in
>the year. If Yamaha delivers a total solution, they will satisfy all
>the pre-Mark IV owners.
>
>In the meanwhile, if anyone reading this post has experience in using
>a combination of Mac OSX with a Mark II XG - love to hear what
>sequencer or MIDI software you are using. BTW, the best results I've
>had so far is using Garageband with a MIDI out plugin.
>
>Rich Freeman
>
>
>On Apr 16, 2009, at 7:10 AM, George F. Litterst wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Good morning, everyone.
>>
>> On Apr 14, 2009, at 3:59 PM, John Cheever wrote:
>>
>> > My DC3 Pro Mark II arrived yesterday, what an awesome piano. Of
>> > course, it came with no documentation and no disks, so I've yet to
>> > feel the full power of disklavier. I plugged it in and everything
>> > fired right up. There were a couple songs and test scales in the
>> > flash memory which played nicely, and I was able to get it to record
>> > my own playing.
>>
>> Congratulations on the purchase. I have a similar instrument: DC3 Pro
>> Mark IIXG. (Your is actually a Mark IIXG; there were no Mark II Pros.)
>> It is a wonderful instrument. In my case, my instrument is enhanced
>> with computer software for:
>>
>> --playing accompaniments that follow me and turn my pages
>> automatically
>> --teaching my students
>> --connecting to other MIDI instruments over the Internet
>> --recording and editing MIDI data
>>
>> I also have the DCD-1. The main feature of a Mark IV that I am missing
>> is Disklavier Radio.
>>
>> > I noticed the sustain pedal was not lifting the dampers, but that
>> > turned out to be an easy fix. A little dowel rod popped out of it's
>> > socket. Got that back in place, and I was in business. During auto
>> > playback, I noticed the sustain pedal solenoid gives the pedal a
>> > real whack. No wonder that dowel rod popped out. BTW, my sustain
>> > pedal requires quite a bit of force, and it doesn't spring back
>> > quicky. Is that characteristic of Disklavier?
>> >
>>
>> The proper adjustment of the pedals stands at the heart of the record/
>> playback system. If they don't feel like the do on a non-Disklavier,
>> it is time to schedule a visit from a Disklavier technician.
>>
>> > Today I found and downloaded the Mark II XG owner's manuals from the
>> > Yamaha site, but I could not find an owner's manual for my DCD1
>> > upgrade anyhwere. Anyone know where I can find a copy?
>> >
>>
>> If you are in the U.S., I recommend calling Yamaha Piano Service:
>> (800) 854-1569.
>>
>> > I have one question about MIDI ports and I'm sure there's a simple
>> > fix. The DCD1 occupies both MIDI ports on the DKC500RW controller. I
>> > was hoping to connect the piano to the MIDI out of a computer or
>> > other MIDI player. How can I have two MIDI INs on the piano? Can the
>> > "to Host" be used as a MIDI IN?
>> >
>>
>> The To Host can, indeed, be used as a MIDI In and a MIDI Out. If you
>> are using an older computer that has serials ports (i.e. Windows 98SE
>> vintage or Mac OS 9 or earlier), you can connect using a serial
>> cable. Unless, however, you are willing to live with an older computer
>> and older software, that is not a practical solution.
>>
>> I use a Yamaha MIDI interface called the UX-96. It has MIDI IN, MIDI
>> OUT, and Serial MIDI. To use it, you must:
>>
>> --install the Yamaha USB MIDI driver (http://www.global.yamaha.com/download/usb_midi/
>> )
>>
>> --move the To Host switch on the back of the control box of the
>> Disklavier to Mac or PC1 as appropriate
>>
>> You will have to move the To Host switch back to MIDI whenever you
>> want to use the DCD1 which is connected to the MIDI ports.
>>
>> Alternatively, there are MIDI splitters and mergers that you could
>> purchase so that the MIDI ports are shared. See:
>>
>> http://www.midisolutions.com/
>>
>> Regards,
>> PianoBench
>>
>> www.georgelitterst.com
>> www.timewarptech.com
>>
>>
>
>