Sun Jul 03, 2016 12:25 pm
I had two opportunities to play the Johannus LiVE instruments that were available at the recent National AGO Convention in Houston. One was in the exhibition area and only listenable through headphones while the other was in a dedicated Johannus room and could be heard through its internal speakers. Here is the Johannus LiVE website: http://www.johannus.com/en-eu/collection/home-organs/live/iii.
Here are my impressions:
Pros:
1. The overall concept is impressive and generally well-thought out (subject to the exceptions listed under Cons below).
2. The e-ink displays worked quickly enough to update the stop names when a new organ was selected. And the re-writable display concept may be ideal for this type of application where a variety of organ samples can be selected.
3. The overall form factor works well in terms of size and fitting into a relatively small space (just about any home should be able to accommodate this instrument) without compromising playability. There are 50 stops available in this model, although I was told that a larger-specification instrument may be in the works.
4. The self-contained speakers seemed to work well enough, although the overall volume was turned down to such a low level that it was impossible to judge the adequacy of the sub-woofer. I would definitely want to hear the system played at a much higher volume level in order to judge the adequacy of the internal sound system, especially the sub-woofer.
5. The sounds of the sample sets through headphones were generally pleasant and realistic enough, and the push-button method of selecting from different listening positions in the virtual hall worked quite well. As could be expected, certain listening positions worked better for some sample sets than for others.
6. The stop knobs were easy enough to use (momentary on-off) and incorporated a small red led in the center to indicate whether the stop is active or not. I was told that the led's are an upgrade for the U.S. market that transforms it from being a completely blind stop-selection and capture system.
7. There seemed to be a sufficient number of capture pistons to register relatively complex pieces, although the layout and labeling of the pistons was not in line with the typical American console using generals and divisionals. For instance, five or six of the pistons are labeled with dynamic labels from pp to ff, although I was told that all of the pistons are programmable by the user. I also did not ask how many memory levels are available which may or may not be a limiting factor for those accustomed to working with many memory levels.
8. The Fatar keyboards had a reasonably nice touch, although I did have some difficulty playing precise ornamentations in a Couperin piece I used as a test subject. So there may be a bit of mushiness that was not otherwise evident when playing other literature.
9. The consoles I played on appeared to be compliant with AGO specifications, including a radiating-concave pedal board. This may also be a change for the U.S. market as the picture on the Johannus site appears to show a flat, non-radiating pedal board. And the console materials seemed to be of relatively high quality (the impression was of solid or at least veneered real oak).
10. The U.S. price is about $30,000 as I recall. That may be a Pro or Con depending upon what the system is being compared to. As an out-of-the-box turnkey system with very little installation required (i.e., no external speakers and only on-site voicing and volume adjustments needed), I suspect this system does compare favorably in price to other home-oriented systems. Note that it is clearly intended as a home instrument and not for typical church or institutional installations (although as a church or institutional practice instrument, it could also work quite well).
Cons:
1. For the non-U.S. markets, the entire stop selection and capture system appears to be blind. In other words, there is nothing to indicate which stops have been selected and the capture system is entirely blind. Now why anyone would be satisfied with a blind system like this is beyond me -- I worked very hard to upgrade from my first organ which was an Allen MDS-5 with a blind capture system. And at least with that one I could see which stop tabs I had selected. With this system, you don't even have that information without the led's. I assume the led's could easily be added to all LiVE instruments upon request although perhaps at an additional cost. EDIT: Viewing the picture again on the Johannus site, it appears that regular draw knobs are being used instead of the momentary drawn knobs used for the US Model. So the stop selection system is NOT blind although the capture system is (i.e., the draw knobs are not solonoid activated). .
2. The e-ink displays, although using crisp and well-laid out lettering, were not particularly easy to read, especially with my 59-year-old eyes. I attribute the lack of readability to a variety of factors: a) the stop jambs are not angled so the displays are not pointed toward the player, b) there is no lighting on the displays (either back or front lighting) so while they were ok under the bright lights of the exhibition hall, they were very difficult to read in the more subdued (more similar to a home environment) lighting of the Johannus display room, c) the black lettering on white background used for these displays is actually less readable than white lettering on black background (which was momentarily visible upon startup of the organ), and d) the e-ink technology being used for these displays, while certainly robust and long-lasting (judging from the Kindle products), may not be the best display technology for this particular application. For instance, with OLED displays, different colors could be used and there would be no visibility (i.e. lighting) problems. Now, whether OLED or similar displays would be cost-effective when compared to the e-ink style displays could be a significant factor.
3. As mentioned, it was impossible to determine whether the sub-woofer was adequate to support the bass registers of the organ. It is unclear to me why Johannus chose to display that model with the volume turned down so low, but it did nothing to show off the capabilities of the entire internal sound system. I assume the sub-woofer was designed with adequate volume and frequency capabilities, but that assumption would clearly need to be tested prior to a purchase of the instrument.
4. As can be expected, only Johannus sample sets can be installed in the LiVE instrument, and only a limited selection of sample sets is currently available. Also, I got the impression that the U.S. instrument may only come with two sample sets installed (the website says four), so cost may be a factor when additional sample sets are desired. There was no discussion nor disclosure about the cost of additional sample sets.
5. As noted, incorporating angled stop jambs could improve the readability of the existing e-ink stop displays. I was told that another system may be in the works that could incorporate angled stop jambs and more stops. That will be interesting to see.
I'm sure I've left something out so edits to this post will likely be needed.
Here are my impressions:
Pros:
1. The overall concept is impressive and generally well-thought out (subject to the exceptions listed under Cons below).
2. The e-ink displays worked quickly enough to update the stop names when a new organ was selected. And the re-writable display concept may be ideal for this type of application where a variety of organ samples can be selected.
3. The overall form factor works well in terms of size and fitting into a relatively small space (just about any home should be able to accommodate this instrument) without compromising playability. There are 50 stops available in this model, although I was told that a larger-specification instrument may be in the works.
4. The self-contained speakers seemed to work well enough, although the overall volume was turned down to such a low level that it was impossible to judge the adequacy of the sub-woofer. I would definitely want to hear the system played at a much higher volume level in order to judge the adequacy of the internal sound system, especially the sub-woofer.
5. The sounds of the sample sets through headphones were generally pleasant and realistic enough, and the push-button method of selecting from different listening positions in the virtual hall worked quite well. As could be expected, certain listening positions worked better for some sample sets than for others.
6. The stop knobs were easy enough to use (momentary on-off) and incorporated a small red led in the center to indicate whether the stop is active or not. I was told that the led's are an upgrade for the U.S. market that transforms it from being a completely blind stop-selection and capture system.
7. There seemed to be a sufficient number of capture pistons to register relatively complex pieces, although the layout and labeling of the pistons was not in line with the typical American console using generals and divisionals. For instance, five or six of the pistons are labeled with dynamic labels from pp to ff, although I was told that all of the pistons are programmable by the user. I also did not ask how many memory levels are available which may or may not be a limiting factor for those accustomed to working with many memory levels.
8. The Fatar keyboards had a reasonably nice touch, although I did have some difficulty playing precise ornamentations in a Couperin piece I used as a test subject. So there may be a bit of mushiness that was not otherwise evident when playing other literature.
9. The consoles I played on appeared to be compliant with AGO specifications, including a radiating-concave pedal board. This may also be a change for the U.S. market as the picture on the Johannus site appears to show a flat, non-radiating pedal board. And the console materials seemed to be of relatively high quality (the impression was of solid or at least veneered real oak).
10. The U.S. price is about $30,000 as I recall. That may be a Pro or Con depending upon what the system is being compared to. As an out-of-the-box turnkey system with very little installation required (i.e., no external speakers and only on-site voicing and volume adjustments needed), I suspect this system does compare favorably in price to other home-oriented systems. Note that it is clearly intended as a home instrument and not for typical church or institutional installations (although as a church or institutional practice instrument, it could also work quite well).
Cons:
1. For the non-U.S. markets, the entire stop selection and capture system appears to be blind. In other words, there is nothing to indicate which stops have been selected and the capture system is entirely blind. Now why anyone would be satisfied with a blind system like this is beyond me -- I worked very hard to upgrade from my first organ which was an Allen MDS-5 with a blind capture system. And at least with that one I could see which stop tabs I had selected. With this system, you don't even have that information without the led's. I assume the led's could easily be added to all LiVE instruments upon request although perhaps at an additional cost. EDIT: Viewing the picture again on the Johannus site, it appears that regular draw knobs are being used instead of the momentary drawn knobs used for the US Model. So the stop selection system is NOT blind although the capture system is (i.e., the draw knobs are not solonoid activated). .
2. The e-ink displays, although using crisp and well-laid out lettering, were not particularly easy to read, especially with my 59-year-old eyes. I attribute the lack of readability to a variety of factors: a) the stop jambs are not angled so the displays are not pointed toward the player, b) there is no lighting on the displays (either back or front lighting) so while they were ok under the bright lights of the exhibition hall, they were very difficult to read in the more subdued (more similar to a home environment) lighting of the Johannus display room, c) the black lettering on white background used for these displays is actually less readable than white lettering on black background (which was momentarily visible upon startup of the organ), and d) the e-ink technology being used for these displays, while certainly robust and long-lasting (judging from the Kindle products), may not be the best display technology for this particular application. For instance, with OLED displays, different colors could be used and there would be no visibility (i.e. lighting) problems. Now, whether OLED or similar displays would be cost-effective when compared to the e-ink style displays could be a significant factor.
3. As mentioned, it was impossible to determine whether the sub-woofer was adequate to support the bass registers of the organ. It is unclear to me why Johannus chose to display that model with the volume turned down so low, but it did nothing to show off the capabilities of the entire internal sound system. I assume the sub-woofer was designed with adequate volume and frequency capabilities, but that assumption would clearly need to be tested prior to a purchase of the instrument.
4. As can be expected, only Johannus sample sets can be installed in the LiVE instrument, and only a limited selection of sample sets is currently available. Also, I got the impression that the U.S. instrument may only come with two sample sets installed (the website says four), so cost may be a factor when additional sample sets are desired. There was no discussion nor disclosure about the cost of additional sample sets.
5. As noted, incorporating angled stop jambs could improve the readability of the existing e-ink stop displays. I was told that another system may be in the works that could incorporate angled stop jambs and more stops. That will be interesting to see.
I'm sure I've left something out so edits to this post will likely be needed.
Last edited by sjkartchner on Thu Jul 07, 2016 9:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
Stan Kartchner, Tucson, AZ USA
