I am writing an article on player piano/phonograph combinations for the
Antique Phonograph Society. In my research, I found that Melville Clark
and Aeolian both had expectations that the piano could be played in
concert with the phonograph. Both companies had designs and patents to
allow some form of synchronization between the record and the roll.

The Talking Machine World trade journal mentions that QRS and Mel-O-Dee
both issued rolls designed to be used with specific vocal phonograph
records. These rolls likely would have been issued in 1915 or 1916.

Has any reader seen any of these rolls? Better yet, can anyone provide
a photo of a label for one of these rolls?

The trade journal had reports of concerts given by dealers, with the
notation that getting a satisfactory performance required some practice.

Does anyone know of any player piano/phonograph combinations other than
the Apollo-Phone and the Seeburg Phono-Grand?

Robert Baumbach

 [ In the AMICA Bulletin Vol. 27, No. 3, May/June 1990, Mark Reinhart
 [ wrote about the "Welte-Mignon Player Piano/Phonograph". A special
 [ series of T-100 'Red' rolls would play a live accompaniment on the
 [ Welte-Mignon piano while a Victrola or Phonograph reproduced the
 [ singing voice of Enrico Caruso or the like. An unused roll channel
 [ contained synchronizing holes punched at regular intervals. The
 [ phono turntable was fitted with a pallet valve and its hose was
 [ connected to the synchronizing mechanism in the piano. The phono
 [ record accompaniment rolls are listed on page 298 of the Welte-Mignon
 [ rollography by Charles Davis Smith.
 [
 [ Ref. http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Welte/patents1.html --
 [
 [ No. 1.325.066
 [ Edwin Welte of Freiburg, Germany, Assignor, by mesne assignments,
 [ to Welte-Mignon Corporation of New York, N.Y. a corporation of
 [ New York.
 [ Means for synchronizing the operations of sound-producing
 [ instruments and moving-picture apparatus or other moving parts.
 [ Patented Dec. 16, 1919, Application filed June 11, 1914, renewed
 [ April 17, 1918
 [ 2 p. dr., 21 p text.
 [
 [ The pneumatic logic block of the patent (No. 1,325,066) is known
 [ nowadays as a Type I phase-lock loop logic element. It looks
 [ complicated but it's actually about the same complexity as the
 [ valves of the Standard Pneumatic Co. 4-hole roll tracker system.
 [
 [ MMD articles on this topic are indexed at
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/P/phonograph.html 
 [ -- Robbie