Does anyone know the best kind of organs (hammond, rodgers, etc.) that produce to best CLASSICAL/ CHURCH organ stops. Such as diapasons, pricipals, mixtures, saliconial, flutes, flues, reeds, and all other realistic pipes that fit under the divisions of great,swell,positiv,choir,pedal etc. I am just tired of finding and ORGAN, with sounds such as percussion, Tenor Sax, or um.... Acually male voice choir. Those are called to me, synthesizers not ORGANS.
Thanks
Joseph
Ya, Hammonds are good for people who like to fool around with organs, but not to people who truley are inspired to practice and learn. To ME, they are just a waste of time. I guess Hammonds are good, but make sure you have a better organ to acually PRACTICE on.
Well Joseph,
Electronics is electronics. no matter what you try to do with it, the doubling of sound because of everything coming out a couple of speakers is unavoidable,. the only way around it is to have a speaker for each individual pipe which is not practical. so, depending on the wealth of your family and the size of their music room \ living room etc. you are confined to the limits of electronics. Although they are making some nice practice trackers these days that will, with some effort, fit into a room in a standard size house. The way I had to do it and I'm sure for most here in this forum was to obtain a church position that has an installation you are happy with. Then, as most of us did, practice when the sanctuary is empty.
Allen and Rodgers do make some fine instruments with Classical/Church organ stops. From my experience, the only place where I would find "Male Voice Choir" on a Rodgers would be in the second voice bank. Onth e Rodgers that I have used, I have not found more than three synthesizer-like voices in that bank. The rest of the voices on the organ are regular, pipe-like stops. With regard to Allen, I have played several of their organs in my career as an organist, and I have not found a synthesizer-like voice on any one of them. And when playing tapes of myself playing an Allen, and then playing an Aeolian-Skinner, I have found it very difficult to tell the difference between the two. In addition, Allen has a very good record for the amount of maintenance required. If you get a Hammond, yes you will find synthesizer voices on it, because Hammond's history would suggest that many of their organs are meant for home entertainment (one does not find all too many Hammonds in churches, these days).
Of course, an electronic organ is an electronic organ, and to get true pipe sound, one would have to purchase a pipe organ. At approximately $15,000 a rank these days, a small practice tracker can be very expensive. For example, a ten-stop tracker would cost about $150,000, far out of the price range of most organists. However, there are some good quasi-pipe organs that can be acquired for far less. Phoenix makes very fine digital organs, which are very convincing, and would almost certainly cost less than a small practice tracker organ. Copeman Hart of England could make a two-manual digital organ for about $100,000 USD. You will not find any synthesizer voices on Copeman Hart's organs.
Has anyone here heard or played an Eminent or Cantor organ? I'd never heard of them until recently when I happned to stumble upon them on the internet. The Eminents sounds better than the Cantors, which sound better than ANY Allen or Rodgers I've ever heard in person. Of course, with Allen you have 100% reliability. I will never ever be able to afford a new electronic organ and if I were going to have my church spend that kind of money, I'd definately get a real pipe organ of modest means, even if it had fewer 'ranks' than a toaster oven. Don't get me wrong, all my small parishes do very well with toaster ovens, but if we were ever to shell out the kind of money it would take for one of these organs, we'd be paying for real pipes or sending the money to pay for a roof for some mission school somewhere in the Thrid World. But, once again, I digress.. Any thoughts on these companies?
I would highly encourage you to look into the Phoenix instruments. The price is remarkably reasonable for an instrument which is completely custom. As a pipe organ builder/technician, I was impressed enough to become affiliated with this firm as a way to offer an affordable alternative to my customers, and to raise the standard a bit in the realm of what we have come to expect in the world of electronic instruments.
If you like true pipe organ sound, like you can ear in a cathedral...
If you want to have tremendous sensation of deep bass and shiny mixtures...
If you have ear a french baroque organ with its fat reed stops (bombarde, Trompette, Clairon)...
Until today I have find ONLY ONE digital organ brand able to reproduce perfectly the big organ sound. This brand is Johannus Monarke.
Monarke is absolutely out of competition. When you ear for the first time a Monarke organ, all the other competitors become ridiculous : you can immediately forget Allen, Rodgers, Phoenix, Cantor, Viscount, Ahlborn, Wyvern and so on. They are expensive and like-toy sounding !!!
You are not convinced ?
You need an evidence ?
OK, you are right, you must listen two examples at this adresse: http://arpege.site.voila.fr/mozarteum.html
Click on the MP3 button on the top of the page, you will have two organ pieces played on a Monarke organ (french baroque style).
Enjoy it !
I think Phoenix is setting new standards that other digital organ builders have not yet met, but I'm biased. Still, why not find one, and play it.
Here are some comments others have made about Phoenix:
"LISTEN and BELIEVE! I have never, ever heard an electronic instrument reproduce pipe organ pedals with the heft and weight that a Phoenix does, not to mention the ensemble."
and another..." from one of my former choir members in Illinois "Such soothing and rich, mellow tones! That is truly a glorious instrument." ...." one of my good friends (who has played and recorded at National Cathedral and St. Thomas in New York City) has been listening to it [Phoenix CD] in the car and she's really impressed by the quality of the sound.
I still think that pipe organs sound most like a pipe organ. But even only 1 or 2 ranks of pipes on an otherwise decent electronic organ is far better than all the best that electronics can do. I remember one Rodgers from back in the analog days which had only one pipe stop, the 2' Super Octave on the Great. It was remarkable how real the whole thing sounded, even when you had to stand right next to the pipes to be able to tell they were playing. Even with all the Swell reeds plus the big harmonic trumpet, those pipes still made the whole thing sound quite real. And of course, almost any combination which did not include the Super Octave sounded flat and lifeless, so a modest Gedeckt would also be nice to have, even 8' tenor c, which would not be too expensive.
And of course, the other argument, we have all heard poor pipe organs, or even fairly good pipe organs in poor acoustical spaces, where a good electronic might actually sound superior.
...couldn't argue with a thing you say, but the thread in discussion here is about "electric [digital] organs". <G>
FYI, all Phoenix organs can control any number of ranks of pipes, and the "front-end" of the Phoenix system can be used for new pipe organs or as console/control replacement.
"Dks" can speak in his own stead, but I'll speak for myself... yes. I was convinced by the sound and the technical design to invest my life into this company.
Now that I have introduced myself, could you be kind enough to let us know a bit about yourself?
Ok, so it just MAY bwe my computer speakers, but this organ does nothing for me. It sounds very nearly ATARIesque. You probably have to see and hear one to be wowed by it, i understand that. The Eminent organs still sound much better to my ear. Of course, this could just be a recording issue.
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