YAMAHA PIANOSMART TECHNOLOGY LETS DISKLAVIER PLAY ALONG WITH STANDARD AUDIO CDS

Owners of the Yamaha Disklavier have always dreamed of having their pianos play along with their favorite commercial audio CDs. Now that dream is a reality with the introduction of PianoSmart technology for the Mark III Disklavier. PianoSmart automatically synchronizes the playback of standard audio CDs with the MIDI files containing the piano part-whether purchased from Yamaha or recorded by customers on their own pianos.

The system will be added to all Mark III Disklaviers in 2002, and can be added to existing Mark III models through an upgrade available on floppy disk. To make use of PianoSmart technology, Yamaha will add a new category of these smart MIDI files to its library of PianoSoft Solo, PianoSoft Plus and PianoSoft Plus Audio musical offerings.

Now, instead of producing disks with complex, pre-orchestrated arrangements, the Disklavier can play along with the beautiful orchestra and vocals already on the CD It's a great leap forward for the research and development team of Yamaha, and it distinguishes the Disklavier even further from other reproducing systems.

To create a piano accompaniment at home, a Disklavier Mark III owner can simply record his or her performance on the Disklavier while the audio CD plays. PianoSmart will match the two together on playback.

PianoSmart technology will be available in May 2002.