Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

[Philip the organist]

At last, the search is over. No longer will I be posting with questions about tuning analog spinets, gyrophonic projectors, and my inability to play any of the organ repertoire at church! </p>

We have found a used Allen MOS-301B, in a local church that has switched to contemporary music. Their loss is our gain! They just want $1, and someone to haul it out of their sanctuary! What an unbeatable bargain!
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We'll pick it up Sunday afternoon after choir rehearsal and I'll work on installing/voicing it on Sunday night.Here is a diagram of my church:</p>

[img]/photos/philip_the_organist/images/98095/original.aspx[/img]</p>

Hopefully the console will go where the digital piano is now. JBird604 has already advised me about speaker placement, setup, etc. so I can't wait to get it playing!
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[Tony Pipe Milwaukee]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!



I got a 301-C, You'll love it!</P>

[Clavier]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

Ditto. I'm so happy for your organ victory! Enjoy the music.

[OrgansR4Me]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

The Scriptures says, "Let Patience have her perfect work in you" and you have been most patient Philip. I'm happy to see you blessed with such a nice instrument at so little cost.

[ebach1]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!



see phillip ? :)i thaought it is teme to find bargains :) .</P>


is it digital ? and when was it manufactured?</P>

[Philip the organist]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!



You're right, OR4ME! I've thought about that verse MANY times....also, "In everything give thanks." Even for a spinet-which was not easy![:)]</p>

ebach1, yes it is digital, part of the first generation of Allen digitals. I believe it was manufactured sometime in the late '70s. </p>

Joe/Tony, any tips/tricks for setup and registration? Is there a toestud for Tutti or should I set it on general 10?</p>

What's the difference between a 301, 301-B, and 301-C? Does the B not have a <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">C</span></span>ard reader or something?</p>

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[RandMN]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

How are the acoustics? If the environment is dry, you'll want to add reverb. I have an Allen from the same era, and the reverb makes a huge difference in the sound. You just need a two-channel reverb, cables and the Expression Pedal Isolators from Harrison Labs. I use an Alesis Nanoverb, which is available for $99. Enjoy the "new" organ.

[Philip the organist]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

duplicate

[Philip the organist]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!



@RandMN</p>

The acoustics are fairly dry right now but they are working on improving the sound of the building little by little. They replaced the platform carpet with laminate wood flooring and now it sounds so much better-microphones are no longer needed for the spoken word and when the building is empty, the old organ can sound pretty good with the gyro running.</p>

That said, it has under a second of reverberation. I don't know how much money the church will want to add right away for a Nanoverb. The sanctuary is very big and the ceilings are very high, so with proper speaker placement, hopefully the sound will bloom nicely and we won't have to add anything on. Also, due to our style of worship, I will be playing more full-trem Singspiration gospel hymns than classical pieces [:$] so maybe we don't need too much reverb.
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Thoughts?
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[RandMN]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

It sounds like it might be OK without the reverb. I agree that reverb is MUCH more important for classical repertoire. For hyms--especially in the gospel tradition--you naturally play in the more legato style that works in a dry acoustic environment. But I wanted you you be aware that it's pretty inexpensive and easy to add the reverb if you need it. It also warms up the tone of the older digital Allens, which tend to sound a bit "grainy." I've installed the same setup in two churches after bringing mine along to use when I played a concert/hymn festival. People were amazed at how much better the organ sounded, and while I would have liked to take credit personally [:)], I thought it best to admit what made the difference.

[Philip the organist]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!



[quote user="RandMN"]It sounds like it might be OK without the reverb. I agree that reverb is MUCH more important for classical repertoire. For hyms--especially in the gospel tradition--you naturally play in the more legato style that works in a dry acoustic environment. But I wanted you you be aware that it's pretty inexpensive and easy to add the reverb if you need it. It also warms up the tone of the older digital Allens, which tend to sound a bit "grainy." I've installed the same setup in two churches after bringing mine along to use when I played a concert/hymn festival. People were amazed at how much better the organ sounded, and while I would have liked to take credit personally [:)], I thought it best to admit what made the difference.[/quote]</p>

Thanks RandMN! I will listen carefully to the sound and report. The DSP addon from Harrison looked quite effective and easy to install, and would be a great thing to have-however, we will probably just end up trying the organ alone first. I'll keep it in mind.</p>


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[Tony Pipe Milwaukee]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!



I don't know the difference between models A, B, or C.</P>


My organ does not have a Tutti piston.</P>


If you do set a piston for Tutti, just a word of caution, with my organ if you play all the stops at the same time you can blow the computer in the organ. I've heard that Allen fixed this problem in later models. On my 301-C you can play all but 2 stops at the same time and still not harm the computer. That isn't a problem, since you can't hear strings or soft flutes when you got a full organ sound, and you don't need to use all of those soft stops any way in that case. Just DON"T put down all the stops and set them to the piston.</P>


Myorgan didn't have any speakers at all so I've been experimenting with different ones I have from older organs and even a stereo system.</P>


A couple of months ago I got the three sets of Conn pipe speakers, THEY ARE WONDERFUL! I can't believe the improvement in the sound! If you ever come across some of these I suggest you get them. The have a little bit of reverb and sustain in them too. The small unit really brings out the upper stops and the mixtures. However, the larger onesare weak with the lower octave of the 16' stops and you still need a big speaker for them.</P>


If your organ has a card reader let me know what cards you have. I do have some extras that you might need.</P>


Aren't you glad that some churches are going with contemporary music! Their loss is surely your gain! LOL In this case you can trulysay, "thank God for contemporary church music! AMEN!!"</P>
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[Clavier]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!



Do yourself a favor and get TC Electronics M-350 or M-300:</p>

- It sounds much better than the Alesis units. </p>

- It's a dual engine, true stereo reverb/effects unit</p>

- It's comes in a shallow 1U rack mount case that can fit tidily just about anywhere. </p>

- It has knobs for real time control and a 99 preset memory that allows you save your favorite settings with instant recall of saved presets for varying repertoire.</p>

- really easy to use
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- It's higher quality (pro level)</p>

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Here's one on the 'Bay:</p>

http://cgi.--------/TC-Electronics-M350-Effects-Reverb-Processor_W0QQitemZ370290061131QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ LH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item563701ef4b
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Here's a picture:</p>

http://www.tcelectronic.com/media/M350_front_sm.jpg </p>

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Here is another guy who uses one with his home organ: http://www.youtube.com/user/organpipe8
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It was actually on his recommendation that I got mine. Don't forget to get a pair of attenuators ($30) from Hlabs to use with whatever reverb you get.</p>

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Enjoy.
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[Clavier]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

Oh, the difference between the 301-C and the 301-B is that the B is a traditional style roll top and the C is a contemporary style folding top.

[Guest]

Re: Allen 301-B on its way, replacing a Theatre Compact!

Great!