Fw: Electronic Sustain Timer

[Sarah Fox]

Hi Ric,

Yes, any measure of sustain would show whether *more* sustain is achieved,
so long as it is objective and reproducible.  However, for the measure to be
meaningful, useful, and generalizable to other pianos, it would need to be
structured some other way.  How loudly is the note played?  How great is the
noise floor?  How do you define "not registering?"  How sensitive is the
accelerometer?

Of course the biggest problem is the one just raised.  When does the
accelerometer stop registering?  It's a bit like asking when a bag of
microwave popcorn is finished popping.  Also, how fast and accurate are you
with a stopwatch?  You could try your approach, but I'd take the data with a
grain of salt, to be perfectly honest.  IMO, the Tune Lab approach would be
far more solid.

Besides...  A volunteer has stepped up to the plate... I think.  He knows
electronics.  It's a *really* easy project.  (Really!)

Peace,
Sarah



----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: "Sarah Fox" <sarah@gendernet.org>; "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 5:32 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Electronic Sustain Timer


>
>
> Sarah and others;
>
> Sorry iff my grasp of electronics is a bit on the light side, but isnt
> all this sort of dependant on whatever we choose to use as a standard
> for sustain? I mean,,,, couldnt we just attach a simple radio shack
> accelerometer on the bridge, play a note and simply clock how long the
> thing registers when a note is played ? Wouldnt any significant change
> in sustain (for example as a result of tuning the duplex) show up this
> way as well ?
>
>
> RicB
>
>