Hal Davis' article on the praise of manual trackers was a hoot.  I agree
with Hal that a manual tracker is the way to go if you're going to be
at the piano pumping the roll, versus putting the roll on the piano and
letting the machine handle it from there.  Generally, you have faster and
more accurate control if the roll mistracks.

Craig Brougher must be right when he says adjusting an automatic tracker
is an art because I've found it difficult to come across an automatic
tracker that works without a hitch.  I do disagree with Craig when he
says "the idea of a tracker is to prevent rolls from self-destructing."
Weren't they really designed so that folks wouldn't have to fiddle with
them while they were playing a new, pristine roll?  And, as Hal
mentioned, it was a great marketing point for new pianos at the time.

Paul Johnson
The Piano Roll Shop