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I bought a 2010 DGC1B that has the updated DKC 850 box. Everything works fine accept it will not record my playing. It records the pedal movements but not the keys. I spoke to Yamaha and installed the latest conversion cable but it made no difference. Any ideas what could be the problem?

Dear Donal,

The hammer/key sensors are hooked up with a cable-connector that can be removed, so that the action can be taken out for servicing. It is possible that this connector has come undone, or is loose.

While I strongly suggest that you get a technician so check it out....you might be comfortable pulling the keycover and taking a quick look at the connector. Turn-off the DKV, even unplug it, before doing ANYTHING related to connections on the electrical equipment. Even powered-down, systems can retain enough voltage to injure or kill...which is why you should have a technician service the piano. 'Nuff 'said?

You'll see an electrical cable that attaches to the action with a simple connector to send the information to the control-box. That connector may be slightly loose or unplugged. It is on the right-hand side of the action housing and should be obvious to you with the keycover out of the way.

If it is not as simple as a loose connection here; your problem may be more related to misadjusted sensor rails. The piano will play with poorly positioned sensor rails, but not record. It won't register the that the note has been played! It can be a tiny amount high, and it won't see the hammer/key movement. You will need a tech who knows the piano to get them right. I do not suggest you try adjusting sensor rails without taking a class on servicing the pianos. You need access to the Maintenance Mode of the controller to properly change the position of the sensor rails.

Yamaha's service dep't generally does a great job on the phone with help, or they may be able to direct you to a tech who knows the pianos.

Hope that helps!
Good-luck, sir.
Sincerely,

Thanks Jeff for coming back to me. I live in Ireland and I don't think there are many Disklavier Service Enginners in the Country!! I would like to see if that cable is loose as you suggested if its not too difficult. I am sorry if I am being a bit silly but is the keycover you mentioned under the piano or on top of the piano or are you talking about the fallboard cover?

Dear Donal,

No problem, those idiots across the pond just use the language differently sometimes. Techs over here use the two terms for grands and uprights; properly a grand has a fallboard and an upright a keycover. I do mean the fallboard cover. And once that lifts out, you can see the keys/action clearly and find that connector and cable.

Has the piano been shipped recently? That could explain why a connection is loose, or the sensor rails slightly misaligned. It seems a good bet that the DKV simply doesn't realize that the notes are being played. It sees the pedals moving, but it is quietly waiting for input from the hammers/keys.

I do see that yamaha.com has a support listing for Ireland in the queue. Have you tried an eMail, or Tweet, to Yamaha directly?

Sipping the morning coffee,
On the Oregon Coast,
I am,

Jeff, piano only delivered Friday morning. Hoping to get an engineer next week as I am terrified I will break it on a permanent basis. Enjoy ur coffee

Very good, sir!

The issue is likely going to be an easy-fix for someone who knows the system. The Disklavier is remarkably stable, when properly adjusted, and should serve you well! I'm sure you'll let the technician know what your issue is before he (..or she!) comes to take care of the piano. Let them know the model and about the controller upgrade, too...so they'll know which tech-sheets or manuals to bring.

In an article I wrote many years ago I suggested to technicians that the servicing for the Disklavier 'while not idiot-proof, is at least moron-resistant'. They do a pretty good job at making the Disklavier accessible to piano technicians doing the servicing...you don't have to be an electrician to handle the basics of the system.

Enjoy!

Can it be tweaked to play at a lower or higher volume. I find the lowest (-10) does not play the keys properly and misses notes while the next notch up volume (-9) is too loud. I have one visit from the disklavier engineer and want him to get my new toy working as best as possible!!

Dear Donal,

It very much sounds like the issues are going to be with the sensor rails. The Disklavier plays with more control, softer or louder, than most systems; for your's to be so unpredictable is a sign that it can't properly register the movement of the hammers/keys. Again; this is not likely to be a major problem, just a minor adjustment of the sensors, so that it knows that's happening when the notes play.

One of the very first things your technician will do is have the Disklavier run through a calibration, a keyboard measurement, that will let it know how much energy it needs to play at ppp and FFF. Dampers on, and dampers off. It will look for the lightest amount of keystroke to kick the notes, tripping each one from fail to just registering, and then giving it a series of strokes, from ppp to mf to fff to see how much energy is required to get particular speeds from the hammers as they approach the strings.

It is this calibration that makes the Disklavier so nuanced and sensitive to record and playback. One of the best on the planet.

You mention that the piano has the new DKC-850 controller, the upgrade to the system, and I now wonder if the two (...the piano and the controller) have been properly introduced! When the new controller is installed, the calibration and keyboard measurement functions must be run by a technician for the piano to give you the best playback and record.

I do believe that once your technician has given the Disklavier a chance to run through its self-diagnostics, and 'feel' how things are working, it will perform far better than you expect! Right now, it sounds like the poor wee thing is trying its hardest to dance for you, but just can't feel its fingers and toes the way it should.

Do let your technician know that you are having a volume and playback issue, so that he/she can plan enough time to do more than just a tuning on the piano. They may need a little extra time (perhaps an hour) scheduled for running the calibration and possibly adjusting the sensor rail...and it may only need that keyboard measurement function run to introduce the controller and piano to each other. In a perfect world, that is.

The sensor rail is adjusted fairly easily, too. There are adjustment screws that raise and lower the sensors, and as the technician pushes the key, it will give an audible 'beep!' when it can see the note play. This lets the technician quickly move across the keyboard, and get the rail aligned from bass to treble. 4 adjusting screws (with locknut) across the action. Not too time consuming, when they know their job.

I hope that I have explained things well enough to give you a basic understanding of the relatively simple service your Disklavier needs. It really does not seem to be a major problem. It just wants a fine tweaking of the system, and a chance to let the controller see what's happening when the notes play. You should enjoy it a lot more when it is running and dancing at its best! Have fun, sir!

Sipping the morning coffee,
(no Bushmill's this early),
I am,

I am still waiting to get my record function fixed as yamaha have a part on back order for me but in the meantime does anybody know how to calibrate the dkc 850 box while I am waiting as this should improve the uniformity of playback

If this was on my piano I would consider it a blessing.

But the OP clearly wants his playback system to function and values having this system.