Acoustically Challenged 16' Bourdon --- Novel Improvement??

[Guest]

OK, design experts:

Our church's organ has a peculiar design due to the space limitations, the geometry of the original structure, and budget constraints at the time of organ installation.

The GOOD: the organ chamber is behind the alter with the wind chests about 6 feet over the alter area and 8 feet over the floor of the sanctuary. This puts the speaking portion of most pipe high enough over the floor for the sound to project over the room nicely.

The BAD: due to headroom in the chamber, the 16' Bourdon is mounted with the chest at the same elevation as the alter (in the crawl-space, as it were, under the main chests)

The UGLY: the main chests are constructed so that they seal-off the space below them from the space above them except for the space occupied by the bourdon pipes themselves projecting up past the chests plus a gap between the pipes and the upper chests of only about 8" x maybe 8 feet, AND the acoustic opening in front of the main areas of pipes does not extend down below the level of the upper chests- the lower portion is concrete and plaster! Our bourdon is entombed! Sound wave escape via a narrow gap and by vibrating the entire main chest platform.

Despite this strange design, there is no real problem with the volume of the bourdon in the room, but sound seems to be without much definition. I have wondered whether these low pitches escape well enough into the room, but rumble around under the main chest floor before exiting so that the result is a muddy sound.

Has anyone ever seen a situation with similar space limitations where the rank was inverted, with the chest against the ceiling and the pipes held up into it by some sort of tensioning mechanism, thereby allowing the speaking portion of the stopped pipe to be high enough so that the sound wave have a more clear exit path from the organ chamber?

CRAZY, or INSPIRED? Leave well-enough alone??

Despite this strange problem, the instrument is really quite effective all other areas.

[soubasse32]

Re: Acoustically Challenged 16' Bourdon --- Novel Improvement??



[quote user="Mekongnarra"]Despite this strange design, there is no real problem with the volume of the bourdon in the room, but sound seems to be without much definition.[/quote]

You just answeredyour question! [:)]

Low pitches are not directional - they travel around corners quite well.

Definition is not provided by a 16' pitch, but by either upper harmonics or higher-pitched stops. If the pipe has a lot of upper harmonics, it would not really be a Bourdon, but something more like a Quintaton or Pommer. But it is not; as a Bourdon, its function is to provide a rumble (which it seems to do adequately).

If you simply need more definition, draw an 8' stop - an open or string-toned stop is best. Itwill also be a lot less work than changing the layout of the organ. [:D]

[m&m's]

Re: Acoustically Challenged 16' Bourdon --- Novel Improvement??



Agreed with Soubasse. A Bourdon is there to provide a foundation under everything else. If it does that, it has done its job. A bourdon, by definition, has no definition (pun somewhat intended).

You are asking for trouble if you go the way of hanging a chest upside down. Leave it alone.

[quote user="Mekongnarra"]

Despite this strange problem, the instrument is really quite effective all other areas.[/quote]

You are very fortunate. Live with this one problem, and be glad that it is the only one.

[Guest]

Re: Acoustically Challenged 16' Bourdon --- Novel Improvement??

Thanks, another "problem" solved!

[Guest]

Re: Acoustically Challenged 16' Bourdon --- Novel Improvement??

Thanks - We'll leave that one alone!