Rodgers Masterpiece Voicing Advice Needed

[fingerstoes316]

Greetings All,

I'd like some help and advice about how to use the Rodgers voicing software that I now have access to on my laptop computer.

Unlike the GS10 software, this is not as self explanatory so I need some guidance on how to proceed because I don't want to screw
things up badly.

Attached to this post are pics of the software I'll be using.

I'd like to know is there any way to regulate or change the tone of an entire stop over the entire compass of the manual, or do I HAVE to do it
note by note only?



Is there a way to make the changes I want without applying them all until I am finished and have a chance to listen out in the room before I save that voicing file?

Also whats the difference between singe note, rubber range, or override adjustment?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

[myorgan]

Fingerstoes,

You do realize you can take a screenshot by just pressing the PrintScreen button between the number pad and keyboard on a 101-key keyboard? Full disclosure--I've never voiced a Rodgers, but it looks (in the 4th screenshot) like you can download your settings to disk. Just change <factory default> to whatever other options you have. Or just simply choose the first option: Download current voicing to computer.

I hope that helps you get started. One thing to be sure of before you start, though, is to fully understand what Upload and Download mean. In computer lingo (for example, with a TFTP server), download sometimes means to download the file to your computer, while other times, it means to download it to the organ (or whatever device you have). Be sure of the meaning before you start.

Michael

[fingerstoes316]

Your advice does not apply to this situation, nor did I need your criticism for how I took or uploaded the pictures.

I'm not looking to download any voicing settings to a disk or upload either. I'm looking for advice about
what adjustments would be appropriate and ideal for this organ in a fairly dry room setting. I don't know what each adjustment does or means and would like
some explanation and help before I begin.

The Rodgers organ architect allows adjustments to be made in real time while hearing the change in tone.

Since you admitted you don't have experience with Rodgers or this software then you cannot help me unfortunately.

Thank You.

[jbird604]

Now, FT, don't be hard on Michael. He's offering some good advice, which is: be very careful and try to understand the consequences of what you are doing!

I see that is a very new Rodgers you are tinkering with. We help the dealer who covers our area install his new instruments and I've seen the voicing guy pull up those screens or similar. I assume you are using Firefox and addressing the organ directly via ethernet. So you are truly INSIDE the organ! Don't knock over any pipes or break anything!

Seriously though, these late model Rodgers organs are quite bullet-proof, best I understand. The system is capable of saving a large number of complete voicing files, and you can always "roll back" to a previously completed voicing if you don't like what you've done.

To change the level of an entire stop, there should be a way to do that under one of the tabs in your third shot. If there isn't an item that says "rank level" then perhaps you DO have to select the entire rank using the "range" tool. Try placing your mouse pointed on the lowest note and sweeping it over the entire keyboard. Not sure, but that would be my guess. Then click on + or - to raise or lower.

The "rubber" thing is a "rubber band" analogy. You choose the end points of the range you want to adjust, then chose a particular note that you will use to "stretch" the rubber band, then tug and the other notes included on the rubber band will follow to a greater or lesser degree depending on how far they are from the "anchor" key. This is useful for emphasizing or de-emphasizing a "bump" or "valley" in room response. Or for bringing up the low end of a stop, for example, and having the entire compass automatically adjust to the bass emphasis.

Surely you can hear what you are doing in real time before you have to save your changes to a file. Even voice the entire organ without saving it to a file. But once you are done don't forget to save it! If you don't like what you hear, try some more, or go back to the previous file.

Sorry I don't have more detailed instructions, as we generally leave the voicing to the expert the dealer brings in after the install. But it SHOULD be quite intuitive, especially if you are familiar with previous Rodgers voicing software. It is quite different from GC-10, but mostly just far more flexible and fool-proof. Worst case, if you really screw up, when starting up the organ, do a "cold start" and choose an older voicing file when offered the chance.

Since this is a Masterpiece Signature organ you are working with, is it not still under warranty? You might get the dealer or his voicing expert to come out and do what you want without charge, if the company is agreeable. Of course, if you own the organ, it's yours and you have the right to tinker with it at all, as long as you don't do something to void the warranty. Good luck and be careful!

[myorgan]

Your advice does not apply to this situation, nor did I need your criticism for how I took or uploaded the pictures.

I'm not looking to download any voicing settings to a disk or upload either. I'm looking for advice about
what adjustments would be appropriate and ideal for this organ in a fairly dry room setting. I don't know what each adjustment does or means and would like
some explanation and help before I begin.

My apologies for stepping on your fingers/toes. My suggestion was not intended as a criticism. I am a tech coordinator where I work, as well as a teacher. I've found with tech, it's best to assume a person knows nothing, than to give advice that is over his/her head, which can have unfortunate ramifications and lead a person to feel they're stupid. It is not intended as a criticism or an insult. Most people where I work don't know about the PrintScreen function. The fact you pressed return at the end of each line in your paragraph led me to believe you were unfamiliar with computers (note the short lines within the quoted paragraph above). Today, people know you simply continue typing, and the computer will format the paragraph on its own.

Is there a way to make the changes I want without applying them all until I am finished and have a chance to listen out in the room before I save that voicing file?

The question I quoted above (2nd quote) also led me to believe you were worried about preserving the settings (without applying them) before you heard the results in the room. My advice was to save multiple settings files to the computer (not the organ) before deciding. Any extraneous files can always be deleted later.

Since you admitted you don't have experience with Rodgers or this software then you cannot help me unfortunately.

You misunderstood my statement. I've played many Rodgers organs, and have even been involved in the voicing of a few--but not actively using this particular software package. Every time I move one of my organs from my practice/storage area, I need to re-voice the instrument to the room--beit seating 50 people or 2,000--wet or dry. I only professed ignorance of this particular software--not Rodgers organs or voicing principles for digital organs.

Now, FT, don't be hard on Michael. He's offering some good advice, which is: be very careful and try to understand the consequences of what you are doing!

Thank you, John.

It's probably best to leave you in John's capable hands and no longer participate in this thread. Again, my apologies for the offense. It was not intended.

Michael

[fingerstoes316]

Understood myorgan,

I too apologize if I reacted too strongly as I was looking for more of the type of advice that jbird604 was able to give. Albeit almost a walk through of what each adjustment does and perhaps some starting points about voicing. It always helps to hear from someone who as actually used the software in question because their experience can be invaluable to someone like me who has the ear and knows what they want the organ to sound like, but is unsure how to go about getting it without messing up the organ too badly.

I have already done some quick and dirty voicing using the rubber band adjustment and can report a good improvement already. Since this was a custom build Masterpiece 356, the great chorus reed was a Tromba which I did not like the sound of. I was however able to brighten it up considerably so that it blends better with the swell reeds and makes the organ sound less tubby. I also made the swell Hautbois less edgy and made some minor brightness adjustments to the pedal reeds. When I get time, i'll make a recording of the organ and let everyone chime in with "advice" about what they think may or may not need to be done.

Thank You Again.

[jbird604]

As it turned out, just yesterday we serviced a Rodgers Masterpiece and I took the opportunity to fire up the computer and tap into the system via Ethernet. I saw the same screens that you did, and tried a bit of adjusting to see what happened.

I was correct about the rank level option. Your second pic shows the "rank" options, and one of them is "level." You just click on the number and you are given the opportunity to raise or lower it, thus making that rank louder or softer across the entire range. Always be careful when doing this, as it's possible to make a rank so loud that it will clip the audio system or cause serious distortion when combined with other stops in normal playing.

All the other adjustments were quite intuitive. On the opening screen, the "Remote Menu System" allows you to do all the things that you would normally do through the little screen on the console without leaving the graphical environment. Altogether it seems to be a pretty good voicing system.

[NoTalent]

"...I took the opportunity to fire up the computer and tap into the system via Ethernet."

John --
Do you simply connect with a browser (like IE) or by running some kind of voicing software on your computer? Did it just let you in or did you need a password?

[jbird604]

A Masterpiece organ is in fact a real computer, running Linux, and acts just like a "website" when addressed by your computer. You connect a laptop to the organ with an ethernet cable (port is on the same panel as the MIDI jacks) and start your browser (preferably Firefox, according to Rodgers, but I use Chrome and haven't noticed any problems), then type in the address. It's a string of numbers, possibly different for different models, not sure. And there you are, on the "home page" of the organ, with a list of things to click on to perform various tasks, such as voicing with a graphical interface, downloading log files, and so on.

Depending on who set up the organ, there could be a password to get by, and an internal "voicing lock" switch may have been set to prevent changes by unauthorized persons. But a lot of organs out there are probably not protected from hacking.

This is heady stuff, and obviously the typical end user is not encouraged to break into the system in this way. It is fairly idiot-proof though, with the ability to roll back to any previously completed voicing file. But it is always possible for an over-eager user to mess something up pretty badly, resulting in the need for a tech or a factory voicer to pay the organ a visit. So I caution everyone against "trying this at home."

[JRCA]

Hello.

Your organ is just like mine.
In the second photo you posted. In the 'rank' tab it is only to change the 'Rank Level' that you change the volume of the stop.

Then you just save.