Hello MMD.  Being something of a classical music snob, normally
I wouldn't go near a roll entitled "Breezy Broadway Medley" even in
a fit.  But yesterday there was only one contribution to the Digest,
I had a mug-full of tea to drink and was in no hurry to do anything,
so I clicked on the web site link provided by Robbie.  Usually my
attempts to connect to a source of web-based music result in silence
or an invitation to download some vital extra program -- an invitation
I regard with deep suspicion and shy away from.

Yesterday, however, within a few seconds "Breezy Broadway Medley"
was booming out of my loudspeakers, and I followed it with "Along
The Rialto", the other MIDI file on that web page.  The fact that
my four-year-old sound card emulates a piano that hasn't been voiced
in fifty years and has rusty strings suited the music perfectly.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and my tea and the music finished
almost simultaneously.  So thank you to the person who MIDI-fied the
rolls (J. B. Roth?).

John Phillips in Hobart, Tasmania

 [ The project producer is J. B. (Ben) Roth.  Music rolls from his
 [ collection are transcribed to MIDI files by Paul Manganaro.
 [
 [ My computer has the Sound Blaster Live sound card of circa 1998,
 [ which is realatively pleaseant to listen to, but when I'm editing
 [ MIDI piano performances I still create the sound using my rather
 [ ancient Roland RD-250s synth keyboard.  Its timbre varies with the
 [ MIDI note velocity as does a real piano and so I can hear accented
 [ notes better.
 [
 [ MMDer Warren Trachtman offers sound fonts featuring actual audio
 [ "sound bites" recorded at several different hammer velocities.
 [ Visit http://www.wstco.com/pianosounds/  -- Robbie