New Website for jOrgan

[j reimer]

I have created the jORGAN DISCOVERY website to help new users have a good experience of installing and using this fine Virtual Pipe Organ program. It contains a GALLERY page with sound samples to showcase what jOrgan can do. Of course, the quality of what you hear depends on how good your audio system is.

In my opinion, jOrgan is capable of matching the sound quality of the two better-known programs, and excels in the much smaller demands it places on the resources of the computer you are using. It even works very well on the Raspberry Pi. However, it is probably not as easy to get it going, especially for those people less confident about using computers. This website aims to address that.

The web address is http://jorgan.info

John Reimer

[jbird604]

John,

This is a superb bit of work! If anything can make new friends for jOrgan, this should do it. Anyone should be able to install the program without problems using your detailed guidance here.

As you know, I was an early user and tester of the program. At one time I felt pretty comfortable with it, even made up a number of custom dispositions (using samples and such borrowed from existing dispositions, as I never got into doing my own sampling). For a while I was using a little 5 or 6 stop jOrgan disposition to augment a Rodgers analog which I had midi-fied. But eventually I obtained a newer Allen digital, then another, finally graduating to an Allen Renaissance at home. So I stopped working with jOrgan because I was having so much fun just playing the Allens, and finding the sounds sufficiently satisfying.

But now, listening to these lovely recordings, I realize how much I actually miss the vast resources of jOrgan, and the gloriously realistic sounds, that really do surpass even the best ready-made digital organs in many ways.

Perhaps I'll get back into jOrgan and/or some other VPO's at some point, now that I'm finally able to slow down and not have to work full time. I'm grateful to you for providing this easy on-ramp for a guy like me who would love to be able to jump back on the bandwagon without too steep a learning curve!

[j reimer]

listening to these lovely recordings, I realize how much I actually miss the vast resources of jOrgan, and the gloriously realistic sounds, that really do surpass even the best ready-made digital organs in many ways.

John,

Thank you so much for this glowing response to the new jOrgan website. I have had the advantage of being retired from full-time parish ministry now for 14 years, and so I have had the time to learn how to use jOrgan, and to develop means of creating top-quality samples from recordings which always have a measure of unwanted noise to have to deal with. I feel that sometimes the methods used to remove the noise also degrade the quality of the sound. About two years ago I hit upon a method which to my ears has cracked the code! (It is not automated but is hands-on, but I see no point in saving time merely to end up with a sound which is disappointing.)

As a teenager, I learnt to play on a small tracker pipe organ in my local church. This meant playing in close proximity to the pipes. I have always wanted to reproduce what I was hearing, but using an electronic substitute. That has proved to be surprisingly elusive, but I am now satisfied, after 60 years of hoping.

I believe strongly that the Virtual Pipe Organ has an important part to play in maintaining interest in the real thing. Pipe organs are, regrettably, becoming less accessible, and a whole generation is growing up with no idea of their musical value. If VPO’s with high artistic merit but an affordable cost are available, this may help stem the tide.

John Reimer