Oh, someone built a MIDI interface for an orchestron or band organ. Doing that for player pianos is not unusual. There are retrofit kits.[1]
An orchestron is basically a player piano with extra instruments attached. Retrofitting for MIDI makes a lot of sense. Regular piano rolls are available for player pianos.
Orchestrons were not standardized, so there's not much content available.
In the SF bay area, the carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has a 1894/1911 Ruth and Sohn band organ. Recent videos show that it's had a major overhaul and now runs on MIDI.[2] So they can modernize the playlist. It's amazing that thing is still running, next to the Pacific Ocean
for well over a century.
An orchestron is basically a player piano with extra instruments attached. Retrofitting for MIDI makes a lot of sense. Regular piano rolls are available for player pianos. Orchestrons were not standardized, so there's not much content available.
In the SF bay area, the carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has a 1894/1911 Ruth and Sohn band organ. Recent videos show that it's had a major overhaul and now runs on MIDI.[2] So they can modernize the playlist. It's amazing that thing is still running, next to the Pacific Ocean for well over a century.
[1] https://thompsonpianos.co.uk/pages/self-playing-pianos
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQGtprXz0Ks