We design custom software which allows you to control any MIDIzed mechanical music machine via a web browser. This includes mobile devices such as iPhones/Android phones, and iPad/Android tablets.
To keep the solution affordable the software runs on off the shelf hardware.
Our system is truly plug and play. You unplug the Midi Out connector of your existing solution and plug in the Midi Out connector of our system into your midi board and you are ready to rock and roll! Be sure and check out our videos for more information.
The solution is very unique and we have a patent pending with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
No longer are you limited to a certain platform or risk something breaking during an OS upgrade.
We are currently working on an app which will take a video of a music roll and convert it to a Midi file. The name of the app is Visual Roll Analyzer. Go to the Videos section of our web page to learn more. There is also an article about it in the March 2019 AMICA publication.
Our system has been extensively tested on the Mills Violano Virtuoso.
If you own a Mills Violano Virtuoso which has any midi system in it our solution will allow you to control the music via your smartphone or any computer with a web browser.
One of the very unique features of our system is that you can now deposit a nickel in the coin acceptor and the machine will play a midi song. This option requires some wiring inside and a special board (provided by us) and it is best installed by a professional. If you are currently having a Mills Violano restored and having a midi system installed you should seriously consider doing this. We would be happy to work with your restoration person to get the job done.
If you have a Mills Violano and it currently does not support MIDI then Contact Us.
We do not build or install the midi hardware but can put you in contact with people who do.
For more information please send us a note via the Contact Us link.
If you have any kind of mechanical music machines, whether it is a Seeburg H, Wurlitzer Band Organ, or nickelodeon our solution will work (assuming it has MIDI).
If you have something like this and it currently does not support MIDI then Contact Us.
We do not build or install the midi hardware but can put you in contact with people who do.
We offer a 100% money back guarantee. If the system doesn't work or meet your needs simply return it within 60 days and get your money back.
Most mechanical music machines run on paper rolls.
Original paper rolls are approaching 100 years old. As they age they get more and more brittle. It is only a time before these rolls become unusable or the owner is afraid to use them.
While some rolls are being reproduced, they are relatively expensive.
In addition, most music that was designed 100 years ago gets old really fast. Most people can only tolerate listening to a ballad or a waltz for so long.
A mechanical music machine that has been converted to midi allows the owner to not only play the songs of the day but many midi songs are available with modern music.
No longer do you have to change out rolls or listen to half a dozen mediocre songs to get to the one song on the roll that you really like.
In many cases, the machine that is being converted to allow midi can also be configured to run on the traditional paper / cardboard rolls. In the case of the Mills Violano all one has to do is flip a switch to allow the machine to play on paper rolls.
For example, "Phantom of the Opera" is available for the Mills Violano as well as songs by such groups as the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Want to listen to some country western? No problem, how about "Rocky Top". Throwing a Christmas party, time to play Frosty the Snowman. 4th of July? How about Stars and Stripes Forever. All with no changing of the rolls!
We do not sell music but can put you in touch with people that do.
We have produced many videos which addresses various parts of the system.
Using our wall / hand box to play music
Control multiple music machines. This video shows Dueling Banjos being played on a Nickelodeon and a Mills Violano at the same time.
Programming the wallbox buttons
Controlling your mechanical music machine via Alexa We are looking for customers willing to beta trial Version 3 of our system which has this capability.
A look at a Mills Violano with information about MIDI
Updating a legacy MIDI system to our system
A detailed look at the "Coin Play" feature.
Features that were added in Version 2 of the Universal Midi Controller
Select the appropriate product from the drop-down menu to get pricing information.
Without going into great details the way the system works is your mobile device / PC will connect to a secured wifi network.
Once you are connected you go to a web page (e.g., ViolanoPlayer.com) which will connect to your system. ViolanoPlayer.com is the default site for our Mills Violano customers. However, we can name it to anything you want (e.g., Seeburg_H.com, Decap.com, etc.).
Once you are connected there is a LOT of magic going on in the background to control the music machine. You can connect multiple devices at the same time to a single music machine.
If you have more than 1 MIDIzed music machine then we can configure a system to run multiple machines. For more information about this please Contact Us.
As of 5/1/2020 you can also use a single UMC to control more than 1 music machine at once.
Here is a YoutTube Video showing Dueling Banjos being played on a Violano and a Nickelodeon at the same time.
We have a mechanism in place where you can try out the product right now.
Go to our Live Demonstration page to learn more.
Note: Box does not come with pre-assigned labels. Labels on above box are simple stick on labels made from a Dymo Label Maker and are there for illustrative purposes.
We can also add our technology in your antique wallbox.
We are pleased to announce that we now have both wired and wireless wall / hand boxes which can be used to control your mechanical music machine.
The Visual Roll Reader is a software app that allows you to take a video of a music roll and then generate a MIDI file.
For more information click here.
We also have a Facebook group page setup for users of the Visual Roll Reader to talk to each other.