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Re: [disklavier] Re: 1986 Disklavier midi play back volumne

2011-03-10 by athomik

As far as I know, the velocity compression is handled within the Disklavier, not written into the song files.. This is probably done by the PK-CTL circuit board, which handles all the sensor and drive data and contains the pianos tables, which are written during calibration to the adjust offsets required to compensate variations in velocity response for each individual key.

I haven't checked it myself, but I would expect song files, even if recorded on a Disklavier to show the full range of velocities played by the pianist. The velocity limitations of a Disklavier are not down to the fact that the sensors can't capture the full range of velocities, they are down to the fact that the solenoids have to overcome the inertia of the mechanical keys/action, as well as avoiding damage to the action from excessive force.

With modern Disklaviers, the introduction of servo control allows much more precise control of the keys which results in a more accurate playback at velocities near the upper and lower limits - the E3 can play quieter than anything else produced to date.

athomik

On Mar 9 2011, Mark Fontana wrote:

>
>George, it still remains the case that the effective "typical" velocity
>range of a Disklavier (ALL past and current models) is compressed into
>the MIDI velocity range of approximately 30-95, correct? Otherwise,
>Yamaha would need to release different versions of their music diskettes
>for different models.
>
>The difference on newer models is that levels 95+ continue to get a
>little louder and levels below 30 continue to get a little softer (to
>some point), but the core range of 30-95 is intended to produce roughly
>the same dynamic range in decibels across instruments. Right?
>;
>My understanding is that XP enhancement just adds more incremental steps
>along this existing curve.
>
>It would be great if Yamaha could develop some guidelines for content
>creators (tips for ensuring consistent performance across Disklavier
>models, particularly regarding note velocities and pedaling).
>
>I'm not aware of any such documentation. It seems like Zenph,
>WebOnlyPiano and others are having to figure these things out for
>themselves. Is there anything official?
>
>Mark Fontana
>

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