New organ coming soon! Now to consider adding MIDI.

[sraevsky]

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice on finding a practice organ. I bought an Allen ADC-2110 yesterday and look forward to seeing it in a few weeks! Now this organ doesn't have MIDI, and I'm fine with that for now. I expect that as the organ starts to go downhill (it is already 30 years old after all) that I'll want to add MIDI later so I can extend its life with Hauptwerk. I see lots of posts on the forum about doing it yourself, but I would prefer not to attempt it. Does anyone know roughly what it would cost to hire someone to add MIDI?

Thanks!

[jbird604]

Nice choice! The 2110 was a great model and ought to keep making music for a very long time.

To add MIDI, you need the Allen ADC MIDI kit (which also works with MADC models such as the 2110). You can only get it through an authorized Allen dealer, and the price will vary depending on his markup policies. Several hundred dollars anyway.

Installing it can be a do-it-yourself project, as some of our forum members can attest. However, if you don't feel qualified or don't want to get into that kind of work, you'll need to enlist a technician, who will need to charge you for his mileage and travel time and then perhaps a couple hours of work to get it all installed and set up to your liking. Again, several hundred dollars involved in that part of it.

So, it's not a quick and cheap thing, but maybe not too bad, depending on where you live and how generous the dealer and tech may want to be with you! Good luck!

[circa1949]

"I expect that as the organ starts to go downhill (it is already 30 years old after all)"

Don't hold your breath.

FWIW the "ADC MIDI Translator Kit" - full version with 2 chips for MADC and ADC organs - was $700 when I bought it in 2005. Unlike jbird I have no professional relation w/Allen so I can discuss prices. I have no doubt inflation will have made it go up. Might seem like a lot of money for a small PCB with a couple EPROMs, some small wiring harnasses, and a plastic MIDI stopkey. However, please find me any other electronic device manufacturer still supplying optional, complex OEM parts for a product line that was superceded in 1989. As someone else posted recently, it's a bit surprising that no one has yet come out with an aftermarket part. The original patents are long expired. The data transmission scheme for both notes and stops (the MIDI card only does notes) is a rather simple 2-wire Time Division Multiplexing. I guess there are only so many people interested in what would be a miniscule and not-very-profitable market. The fellow who developed the first aftermarket MOS MIDI product has passed away I believe, I think if he were still around he would have figured out ADC by now.

[jepsound]

Congratulations on your Allen ADC-2110 acquisition. I acquired that same model last fall and I am very happy with it and love it's voicing and features. That said, I, too, am searching for a full implementation MIDI solution for the 2110.

My 2110 came with a dealer-installed MIDI by Gulbransen. It is only installed on the swell manual. Gulbransen, of course, no longer exists today, AFAIK. Their line of MIDI items is now owned by a company MIDI9. I do not know if MIDI9 is still in business, I tried to email them but received no response.

[sraevsky]

Appreciate the comments everyone. I noticed MIDI9 still has a website and a phone number. I might give them a call sometime.