Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

[andyg]

Let's start this one off and see where it goes...

Let's say that you're going to design and build a 21st century Wurlitzer, Morton or whatever. It still uses pipes, obviously, but you can use new technology to control it. What would you include? here's some suggestions.

A transposer (the organ obviously has the extra pipes to cope!)
Manual switching, so the Solo could become the Great, Orchestral etc
Velocity switched inter-manual couplers. pp to mf played the manual's own sounds, f and ff would couple sounds from another manual. Same thing for octave couplers etc.
Tremulants on second touch / after touch.
A 'hold' footswitch switch on the left most expression pedal - holds the last note(s) played on one manual while you move to play something else on another manual (Roland do this on their AT series)

Any more ideas?

Andy G

[Guest]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

MIDI capable so you can play all sorts of tunes from the internet, and also be able to plug a cheap casio piano and play the organ from the middle of the balcony!

[Hammond101]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

The console would be wireless. Other than an AC power cord the console would opperate remotely.

[buzzyreed]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

I always assume that the future will be a place without hunger, poverty, disease, or theater organs.

[andyg]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

Agree with the hope for the first three, obviously, but I'd like to keep the fourth! Anyone would think you didn't like them, Buzzyreed! We could open this up to classical pipe organs, couldn't we, as there's no reason for them not to evolve either. Before anyone starts 'toasting' me, I'm not suggesting that we replace old technology, or even that the organ HAS to evolve, but do think about it.

How about using the technology behind the best velocity and aftertouch keyboards to try and recreate the feel of a tracker? Give the organist the choice of the feel that they want?

Andy G

[buzzyreed]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

;-)

The thing is you simply can't replace the feel of a tracker, becuase the tracker, not the key, is what makes the pipe speak. Well, ok the pallet makes the speech, but you get my point...

[Tutti]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

Forget about that hold thing on the experssino pedal. Just give me a SUSTAIN pedal! Just like a piano for goodness sake. Why's that not happened yet? Just so we can act better than pianists and keep practicing our finger glissandi?

[Guest]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

Act better?
We ARE better than pianists, lest we forget...

[Havoc]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

Yes, we don't need a sustain pedal to hide all fauts.

[Tutti]

Re: Theatre Pipe Organs for the 21st Century

Speak for yourself! :)