"RANDOM MOTION" IN HAUPTWERK/PARAMOUNT THEATRE ORGAN

[Jay999]

I'm wanting to reduce the amount of "random motion" I have in my Hauptwerk/Paramount organ. Don't know if this is an adjustable feature, and if so, where it is created...Hauptwerk or Paramount programs.

I have Hauptwerk's 4.1.0 advanced program and Paramount's 3/32 theatre organ. I'm using a basic stereo configuration of left and right channels, coming out of my Firewire unit, and feeding 8 stereo amplifiers. Each amp is feeding two speakers, one right side, one left side. One of the amps is feeding a stereo sub-woofer, designed to play both right and left channels thru it's single speaker.

I realize that a certain amount of random motion (what I call "animation") is necessary to breath life into the sound of any electronic or digital organ. But for my ears, I've got too much of it. To me, the sound is more like a giant celeste constantly going on. Since I'm a pipe organ tuner/technician, my brain keeps telling me that this organ needs a serious tuning session.

So my question is...is there a way to tame some of this random motion? Thanks for any advice.

[m&m's]

Jay, try going to Organ Settings, and then to Organ Preferences. There you will see "Wind supply model". Disable that and see if that helps. Also, under Organ Preferences, try reducing "Random pipe detuning adjustment" and "Air flow randomization (turbulence) adjustment". See if that helps. As a last resort, you can go to Pipe and Rank Voicing, and try working with the parameters for Wind supply sensitivity. Good luck.

[Admin]

I realize that a certain amount of random motion (what I call "animation") is necessary to breath life into the sound of any electronic or digital organ. But for my ears, I've got too much of it. To me, the sound is more like a giant celeste constantly going on. Since I'm a pipe organ tuner/technician, my brain keeps telling me that this organ needs a serious tuning session..

I wouldn't assume that the organ is properly tuned out of the box. I have the Paramount 320 and there are certainly notes that are out of tune. While the Paramount organs are hybrids rather than specific instruments, sample sets of installed organs often do not correct out of tune notes in the interest of authenticity. Of course, you can correct the tuning on a rank by rank, note by note basis.

[Jay999]

Thanks Admin. Yes, there are still some stops that could use a tightening up, and I'll probably do that, soon as I get thru the next few weeks of practicing for a couple of cameo appearances. I'm so happy with the results of adjusting that "Random Pipe Detuning" feature, that I'm able to do some concentrated work for now. I'll probably be in touch with you, M&M, and Danny again soon, about other issues I'm wanting to "fix". Jay.

[Jay999]

Update to Admin: You are absolutely correct about that tuning! I'm still getting a lot of out of tuneness, and I put a Tuba and a Diapason together and did some putzing on the "Voicing Panel"....(which also allows you reset tuning. Those two stops are significantly out of tune with each other. Didn't take time to try others this evening, but I see the beginnings of a tuning session coming up! I usually charge $96.00 an hour to do this work....reckon I could send Paramount a bill when I get through? Ha Ha.

[LTDan]

Hello Jay:

basic stereo configuration of left and right channels

Have you read the multichannel setup PDF on the Paramount Organ works website?
The reason I ask is this signals to me you have multiple stereo pairs all playing the same (L & R) sound where as in a true mulit-channel config notes and ranks are distributed across multiple channels (speakers). So when playing single notes on a single rank, its easy to hear them move from speaker to speaker. I apologize if this is redundant.

I have a multichannel setup using the Paramount 3/20 and colleague of mine here has the 3/32. For "random motion", the xylophone notes jumps from left to right in some predetermined fashion, not quite diatonic as it changes depending on the octave. A celeste rank and its unison counterpart (regardless if its Main or Solo) is panned hard left and hard right so the undulation happens in the air not in the speaker. That is a very nice design!

If your definition of "random motion" is how notes (and ranks) are spread in a speaker array, then there are two suggestions:
The way notes divvy up in a speaker array (audio group) by a Hauptwerk algorithm. The most popular and efficient algorithm is called "CYCLE WITHIN OCTAVE, OCTAVES AND RANKS CYCLED". Using this one, notes and ranks are evenly divided amongst the number of speakers in the audio group. It's also the one recommended in the Paramount Organ Works multi-channel PDF. The other modes can work well too as they do their best to keep minor 3rds played in the same rank routed to different speakers as this is the most noticeable when it comes to intermodulation distortion. So suggestion is to try a different routing algorithm (there are 5). Of course when you do, Hauptwerk will build a new cache again since this is a rank/routing change.

my Firewire unit, and feeding 8 stereo amplifiers.

This calculates to 16 channels (8 stereo pairs). If indeed this is the case, to reduce "random motion" instead of having 1 audio group of 8 stereo pairs you can split it and have 2 audio groups with 4 pairs. Again this is my setup as I have 7 stereo pairs (14 speakers) with one audio group with 4 stereo pairs and the other with 3 stereo pairs. After much experimenting, as it pertains to my setup in my space, this worked the best. As I went along slowing building up my Hauptwerk rig, when I added my 5 stereo pair to my Main audio group I didn't get a 20% improvement! The sound was just 'wider'. Maybe if the speakers were tucked farther away in chamber it would have been okay. Regardless I starting a second audio group and routed just a a couple ranks to them. Later I acquired more speakers and thus moved a few more ranks to this new group. Happily I achieved my 20 maybe 3o percent improvement. :-)

Hope this helps.

Danny B.

[Jay999]

Thanks so very much for these inputs, M&M, Admin, Danny! I think the problem is solved by adjusting "Random Pipe Detuning". Surprisingly, it took a lot of adjustment on that....90% cut back, to achieve a pleasing "in tune" sound. There's still some "anamation" in the sound, but no more celesting going on. Incredible! I've been living with that for six or seven years, ever since I started with my Hauptwerk/Paramount set up. I wrote to Hauptwerk twice about this, but they never wrote me back. So again, thanks so very much for leading me to the right switches!

Danny, I look forward to meeting you one day at our favorite instrument...Bertha! Larry D. tells me you're quite the expert on Hauptwerk, so now that we have had this meeting, I look forward to meeting you, and consulting about Hauptwerk.

All best wishes....and again, I can't thank you all enough for helping me out here! Many thanks. Jay999