I recently had a customer ask me to tune their piano to A432, and had to quickly calculate how many cents flat relative to A440 to tune. This calculation isn’t especially complicated, but it’s inconvenient to do quickly in the field. I decided to create this simple tool for my own quick and easy reference. … Read more
I frequently recommend PianoStream for older Disklaviers and other player pianos. This page answers the most common “PianoStream isn’t working” questions, especially for Yamaha Disklaviers (Mark I, Mark II, MX‑series, Wagon Grand) and systems that use Nalbantov USB floppy emulators. We’ll cover floppy/USB requirements, Analog and Digital mode, MIDI‑Bluetooth issues, and how to use PianoStream’s … Read more
Normally your ENSPIRE will inform you that an update is available, and will apply it at the push of a button. However, if you don’t have an internet connection, or if your ENSPIRE stopped mid‑update or the app now won’t cooperate, the fastest, least‑painful fix is an offline USB update. If you can’t connect with … Read more
If you’re struggling to read your Yamaha Disklavier or Clavinova floppy disks, you’re not alone! This guide explains why older Yamaha disks often look unreadable to PCs, what tools reliably extract the files, how DD/HD media mismatches and drive issues cause read failures—along with what to do to recover your songs. Yamaha Disks Have Copy … Read more
I periodically receive requests from customers reporting that their keyboard or Nalbantov floppy disk emulator can’t read their USB stick. Usually, the issue is that the USB stick isn’t formatted correctly as a FAT32 device, or that it’s corrupt. I’ve created this guide to explain how to format your USB sticks in a manner that’s … Read more
The Yamaha PPR-200E remote control plays a key role when converting the Yamaha DKC-800 to a DKC-850. In fact, it isn’t possible to change the PianoType parameter without a working remote control! I’ve also been collecting signals from other Disklavier remotes, such as the PPR-103E for the Mark III, and even the PPR-100 for the … Read more
In my Disklavier Upgrades guide article, I make reference several times to DKC-850 conversion cables. These are the cables you use to connect your older Yamaha Disklavier to a newer DKC-850 control unit (or a DKC‑800 converted to act like a DKC‑850). The original conversion cables were provided by Yamaha as part of the DKC-850 … Read more
The E3’s DKC-800 control unit can be repurposed as a DKC-850 upgrade system with nothing more than the correct power adapter, a single DIP‑switch change, and one adjustment to your settings. Now that the DKC-850 upgrade kit is discontinued, this approach is one potential way to bring your old Mark I, II, or III Disklavier … Read more
Over the years, I’ve replaced the power supplies on most of the Mark II generation Disklaviers I’ve worked on. These second-generation Disklaviers are terrific instruments—until the original power supply quits. When it does, the piano either won’t turn on, whines loudly, or randomly shuts off after running for a short period of time. This also … Read more
Unlike full E3 systems, the DKC-800 and DKC-850 piggybacked upgrades are powered by external AC adapters, such as the PJP-PS02. The original Yamaha Disklavier E3 installations use the Disklavier’s power supply, but these piggybacked installations require their own source of power. I recently had a customer reach out to me using an aftermarket power adapter, … Read more