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I went to a demonstration of a new Rodgers 484 organ last night (11/25/13) played by Mr. Dan Miller of the Rodgers Company. The organ is installed in a new music room built for the Convener of the Indiana AGO, Dr. ***** ****.
The room has a high hip ceiling, hardboard walls with several venetian blinded windows, a hardwood floor with wood chairs. There is a high back to the room even with the second floor, where there are antiphonal speakers. The main speakers are installed in the front of the room projecting down from the ceiling angle, 6 channels I believe they said. There is a subwoofer in the front wall, and another couple of speakers in a piano alcove off the right of the main room. I thought the L shape of the room and the hard surfaces would make the acoustics difficult but the sound was the best of any organ I have ever heard, pipe or electronic. I was sitting in the back of the main organ room, about 6' in front of the antiphonal speakers. Mr. Magee of the Carmel In dealership said that in a room with more stuffed furniture and carpet, he would have enabled Rodgers (trade name for their reverb/ambient feature). So apparently reverb was off.
Mr. Miller played hymn variants, a J S Bach Andante? & Fugue in G minor, a synthesized procession he wrote for a daughter's wedding, the dissonant finale movement of an organ symphony that had many the AGO members on their feet, and a theme and variations on Happy Birthday that I enjoyed. The JS Bach piece used a German pipe sound set, and debian? tuning, which I particularly enjoyed. I've never heard any of the pipe organs at various concerts in the Kentuckiana area, sound more like the Flentrop at Harvard on the E. Power Biggs JS Bach Organ Favorite Long Playing Records. The birthday song included honky tonk ragtime piano, and circus organ sounds that I enjoyed. I'm doing J. Phillip Sousa on my theatre Hammond and I have to say the 484 does that ensemble better.
In all the Rodgers 484 with the sound system installed is a very capable unit. I was quite impressed. I won't be buying one, I'm sure it costs two or four years of my retirement expenses, but I will be glad to listen to it any time Dr. **** choses to perform.
My apologies if Mr Miller has a graduate degree, there were no programs, only organ brochures. He was exchanging business cards for an e-mail address, but I chose to leave quickly to catch the bus home. Thanks to Dr. **** for the invitation to his home, and thanks to Rodgers or the Magee dealership for the delightful dinner buffet.
The room has a high hip ceiling, hardboard walls with several venetian blinded windows, a hardwood floor with wood chairs. There is a high back to the room even with the second floor, where there are antiphonal speakers. The main speakers are installed in the front of the room projecting down from the ceiling angle, 6 channels I believe they said. There is a subwoofer in the front wall, and another couple of speakers in a piano alcove off the right of the main room. I thought the L shape of the room and the hard surfaces would make the acoustics difficult but the sound was the best of any organ I have ever heard, pipe or electronic. I was sitting in the back of the main organ room, about 6' in front of the antiphonal speakers. Mr. Magee of the Carmel In dealership said that in a room with more stuffed furniture and carpet, he would have enabled Rodgers (trade name for their reverb/ambient feature). So apparently reverb was off.
Mr. Miller played hymn variants, a J S Bach Andante? & Fugue in G minor, a synthesized procession he wrote for a daughter's wedding, the dissonant finale movement of an organ symphony that had many the AGO members on their feet, and a theme and variations on Happy Birthday that I enjoyed. The JS Bach piece used a German pipe sound set, and debian? tuning, which I particularly enjoyed. I've never heard any of the pipe organs at various concerts in the Kentuckiana area, sound more like the Flentrop at Harvard on the E. Power Biggs JS Bach Organ Favorite Long Playing Records. The birthday song included honky tonk ragtime piano, and circus organ sounds that I enjoyed. I'm doing J. Phillip Sousa on my theatre Hammond and I have to say the 484 does that ensemble better.
In all the Rodgers 484 with the sound system installed is a very capable unit. I was quite impressed. I won't be buying one, I'm sure it costs two or four years of my retirement expenses, but I will be glad to listen to it any time Dr. **** choses to perform.
My apologies if Mr Miller has a graduate degree, there were no programs, only organ brochures. He was exchanging business cards for an e-mail address, but I chose to leave quickly to catch the bus home. Thanks to Dr. **** for the invitation to his home, and thanks to Rodgers or the Magee dealership for the delightful dinner buffet.
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