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roland compatibility & music data formats

roland compatibility & music data formats

2003-02-14 by jpbtacj <jpbtacj@yahoo.com>

I know this is a disklavier forum but maybe someone here knows...

What degree of compatibility is there between Yamaha 'musicsoft' 
titles and Roland KR (intelligent) digitial pianos? I know Roland 
plays smf (standard midi files) but can they play, for e.g., a 
pianosoft solo, xg, or clavisoft title? If so...is playback 
equivalent?

Also, within the Yamaha musicsoft site(www.yamahamusicsoft.com), 
music is categorized based on instrument--clavinova, disklavier, 
etc. Within Clavinova you'll see subcategories such as CueTime, & XG 
Piano and within Disklavier you'll see subcategories such as 
PianoSoft Solo and Virtuoso Performance. The data format for 
PianoSoft titles is 'Yamaha pianosoft' but for Virtuoso the data 
format is 'Midi Song'. What is the difference? Is 'Yamaha pianosoft' 
a proprietary format that ONLY Yamaha instruments will play 
and 'Midi Song' is non-proprietary, i.e., playable on non Yamaha 
instruments? Is Midi Song = SMF?

If there is a one stop resource someone could point me to inorder to 
sort all of this out, I would appreciate it. 

A confused newbie ;)

thanks, jpbtacj

Re: [disklavier] roland compatibility & music data formats

2003-02-14 by Robert Welcyng

I can answer a few of your questions.

PianoSoft, PianoSoft Solo, PianoSoft Plus, and PianoSoft Plus XG 
diskettes are all in E-SEQ format.  E-SEQ files can be converted to SMF 
using the Giebler Utilities (www.giebler.com) or reportedly by the 
DKVutils downloadable from this Yahoogroup.

Since the Roland KR series expects 3.5" diskettes with SMFs, I doubt 
that you could play E-SEQ files on the Roland.  You'd likely have to 
convert them to SMFs.

The Virtuoso Performance products are third party, not Yamaha.  Their 
products are advertised as "Compatible with most electronic pianos 
including Disklavier, Clavinova, PianoDisc, Roland KR, [etc.]"  It is 
not clear to me from their advertising whether their diskettes are 
available in SMF only or if an E-SEQ version can also be purchased.

A word of caution regarding PianoSoft Plus and XG:  These include MIDI 
instrument tracks, of course.  In order to hear them exactly as Yamaha 
intended, you may need to play them on the Yamaha (or equal) tone 
modules for which they were designed.

The E-SEQ file format used by Yamaha's PianoSoft line was a predecessor 
of the present MIDI standard. PianoSoft diskettes also make a feeble 
attempt at copy protection.  Much of the information in the two types of 
file carries the same meaning.  However, the formats of the files, and 
of the diskettes, are different.  Converting between the two is pretty 
straightforward.

Your question about the whether the PianoSoft format is "proprietary" is 
one for the lawyers. I wouldn't worry about the issue as there is 
software available to convert between SMF and E-SEQ.

jpbtacj wrote:
> I know this is a disklavier forum but maybe someone here knows...
> 
> What degree of compatibility is there between Yamaha 'musicsoft' 
> titles and Roland KR (intelligent) digitial pianos? I know Roland 
> plays smf (standard midi files) but can they play, for e.g., a 
> pianosoft solo, xg, or clavisoft title? If so...is playback 
> equivalent?
> 
> Also, within the Yamaha musicsoft site(www.yamahamusicsoft.com), 
> music is categorized based on instrument--clavinova, disklavier, 
> etc. Within Clavinova you'll see subcategories such as CueTime, & XG 
> Piano and within Disklavier you'll see subcategories such as 
> PianoSoft Solo and Virtuoso Performance. The data format for 
> PianoSoft titles is 'Yamaha pianosoft' but for Virtuoso the data 
> format is 'Midi Song'. What is the difference? Is 'Yamaha pianosoft' 
> a proprietary format that ONLY Yamaha instruments will play 
> and 'Midi Song' is non-proprietary, i.e., playable on non Yamaha 
> instruments? Is Midi Song = SMF?
> 
> If there is a one stop resource someone could point me to inorder to 
> sort all of this out, I would appreciate it. 
> 
> A confused newbie ;)
> 
> thanks, jpbtacj  
> 
> 
> 
> To Post a message to the group, send it to:   disklavier@...
> 
> To Post a private message to Todd Muncy, the group's founder and moderator, send it to:
> disklavier-owner@...
> 
> To reach our group's web site go to:
> http://Yahoogroups.com/group/disklavier
> 
> Todd's family web site was completely updated 01/15/03.  It contains some fun disklavier content and links to midi sites among many other things, The url is:
> http://MuncyFamily.com 
> 
> THINKING OF LEAVING THE GROUP?
> If you are thinking of unsubcribing because you are getting too much mail, go the the web site and change your email delivery option instead.  That will fix the problem, while maintaining your access to the group.  If you insist on leaving us completely send a blank email to:
> disklavier-unsubscribe@... 
> 
> Know someone who wants to join?  Have them send a blank email to:
> disklavier-subscribe@... or give them this link:
> http://Yahoogroups.com/group/disklavier/join 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> 
> 
> 


-- 
Robert Welcyng
Anchorage, Alaska

Re: roland compatibility & music data formats

2003-02-15 by jpbtacj <jpbtacj@yahoo.com>

robert,

thank you very much for your timely and informative reply. it makes 
me appreciate, that much more, the usefulness of a forum such as 
this. thanks, again. 

jpbtacj

--- In disklavier@yahoogroups.com, Robert Welcyng <rwelcyng@a...> 
wrote:
> I can answer a few of your questions.
> 
> PianoSoft, PianoSoft Solo, PianoSoft Plus, and PianoSoft Plus XG 
> diskettes are all in E-SEQ format.  E-SEQ files can be converted 
to SMF 
> using the Giebler Utilities (www.giebler.com) or reportedly by the 
> DKVutils downloadable from this Yahoogroup.
> 
> Since the Roland KR series expects 3.5" diskettes with SMFs, I 
doubt 
> that you could play E-SEQ files on the Roland.  You'd likely have 
to 
> convert them to SMFs.
> 
> The Virtuoso Performance products are third party, not Yamaha.  
Their 
> products are advertised as "Compatible with most electronic pianos 
> including Disklavier, Clavinova, PianoDisc, Roland KR, [etc.]"  It 
is 
> not clear to me from their advertising whether their diskettes are 
> available in SMF only or if an E-SEQ version can also be purchased.
> 
> A word of caution regarding PianoSoft Plus and XG:  These include 
MIDI 
> instrument tracks, of course.  In order to hear them exactly as 
Yamaha 
> intended, you may need to play them on the Yamaha (or equal) tone 
> modules for which they were designed.
> 
> The E-SEQ file format used by Yamaha's PianoSoft line was a 
predecessor 
> of the present MIDI standard. PianoSoft diskettes also make a 
feeble 
> attempt at copy protection.  Much of the information in the two 
types of 
> file carries the same meaning.  However, the formats of the files, 
and 
> of the diskettes, are different.  Converting between the two is 
pretty 
> straightforward.
> 
> Your question about the whether the PianoSoft format 
is "proprietary" is 
> one for the lawyers. I wouldn't worry about the issue as there is 
> software available to convert between SMF and E-SEQ.
> 
> jpbtacj wrote:
> > I know this is a disklavier forum but maybe someone here knows...
> > 
> > What degree of compatibility is there between Yamaha 'musicsoft' 
> > titles and Roland KR (intelligent) digitial pianos? I know 
Roland 
> > plays smf (standard midi files) but can they play, for e.g., a 
> > pianosoft solo, xg, or clavisoft title? If so...is playback 
> > equivalent?
> > 
> > Also, within the Yamaha musicsoft site(www.yamahamusicsoft.com), 
> > music is categorized based on instrument--clavinova, disklavier, 
> > etc. Within Clavinova you'll see subcategories such as CueTime, 
& XG 
> > Piano and within Disklavier you'll see subcategories such as 
> > PianoSoft Solo and Virtuoso Performance. The data format for 
> > PianoSoft titles is 'Yamaha pianosoft' but for Virtuoso the data 
> > format is 'Midi Song'. What is the difference? Is 'Yamaha 
pianosoft' 
> > a proprietary format that ONLY Yamaha instruments will play 
> > and 'Midi Song' is non-proprietary, i.e., playable on non Yamaha 
> > instruments? Is Midi Song = SMF?
> > 
> > If there is a one stop resource someone could point me to 
inorder to 
> > sort all of this out, I would appreciate it. 
> > 
> > A confused newbie ;)
> > 
> > thanks, jpbtacj  
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > To Post a message to the group, send it to:   disklavier@Y...
> > 
> > To Post a private message to Todd Muncy, the group's founder and 
moderator, send it to:
> > disklavier-owner@Y...
> > 
> > To reach our group's web site go to:
> > http://Yahoogroups.com/group/disklavier
> > 
> > Todd's family web site was completely updated 01/15/03.  It 
contains some fun disklavier content and links to midi sites among 
many other things, The url is:
> > http://MuncyFamily.com 
> > 
> > THINKING OF LEAVING THE GROUP?
> > If you are thinking of unsubcribing because you are getting too 
much mail, go the the web site and change your email delivery option 
instead.  That will fix the problem, while maintaining your access 
to the group.  If you insist on leaving us completely send a blank 
email to:
> > disklavier-unsubscribe@y... 
> > 
> > Know someone who wants to join?  Have them send a blank email to:
> > disklavier-subscribe@e... or give them this link:
> > http://Yahoogroups.com/group/disklavier/join 
> >  
> > 
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Robert Welcyng
> Anchorage, Alaska

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