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usefulness of toe studs

Building organ consoles for use with Hauptwerk, adding MIDI to existing consoles, obtaining parts, ...
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fermata

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usefulness of toe studs

PostSun Sep 18, 2016 9:13 pm

In viewing countless DIY consoles online, I notice that many of them have lots of toe studs, walls of them, even. For those of you who use toe studs, which functions would you consider most critical, if you could have only a few? How would you rank them in order of indispensability?
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telemanr

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Re: usefulness of toe studs

PostSun Sep 18, 2016 9:45 pm

Manual to pedal couplers
Stepper increment (and decrement if enough studs) if you use the registration sequencer.
Quiet general registration, medium and forte
Or whatever number of general pistons already set up you wish to duplicate on toe studs for when hands are too busy.
In general I duplicate pistons I'd like to use on toe studs so I can use whichever is easiest to reach when I'm playing.
Rob Enns
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Re: usefulness of toe studsed

PostSun Sep 18, 2016 10:10 pm

I'd like to see a console with no toe studs, pistons and such but rather with a brain "probe" whereby you could think of the registrations you wanted and it would happen. 8) : Sometimes an inspiration happens while playing and both hands and both feet are too busy. :shock:

Ever hit the wrong piston when thumbing? Or bumping a toe stud while toe heeling? 2 weeks ago I was playing a Johannes. Every time I played B flat, I hit the toe stud immediately above it and it had been programmed for tutti. :mrgreen:

Rgds,
Ed
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Erzahler

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Re: usefulness of toe studs

PostSun Sep 18, 2016 11:11 pm

Yeah, that brain probe should work a treat - loose concentration for a second and a drink with a little umbrella is brought to you at the beach.
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IainStinson

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Re: usefulness of toe studs

PostMon Sep 19, 2016 3:50 am

The position of the toe studs (or toe pistons) is critical to their usefulness. You need to be able to accurately find them quickly and easily without disturbing your use of the pedals. (The same applies to thumb pistons but toe pistons are often not so carefully placed.) The old-fashioned combination pedals are often much easier to find and use - and they can be made to work with any type of stop action....)

Some very large consoles have so many toe pistons that it must take quite a long time to get used to using them effectively - perhaps only the regular players of these instruments can really to grips with them.

Uses:
1. couplers, especially Grt to Ped (reversible)
2. divisional controls for the Pedal department
3. reversible for selective pedal stops (eg loud 32 reed, soft 32 flue ("expensive draft")
4. sequencer advance
5. Generals

Facilities to change their use (eg Generals on Swell Toe Pistons) are of added value.

On some French organs the combination pedals control the ventils: this offers a rather different approach to using them and to registration.

Iain

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organtechnology

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Re: usefulness of toe studsed

PostMon Sep 19, 2016 8:45 am

engrssc wrote:I'd like to see a console with no toe studs, pistons and such but rather with a brain "probe" whereby you could think of the registrations you wanted and it would happen. 8) : Sometimes an inspiration happens while playing and both hands and both feet are too busy. :shock:

Ever hit the wrong piston when thumbing? Or bumping a toe stud while toe heeling? 2 weeks ago I was playing a Johannes. Every time I played B flat, I hit the toe stud immediately above it and it had been programmed for tutti. :mrgreen:

Rgds,
Ed


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johnstump_organist

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Re: usefulness of toe studs

PostMon Sep 19, 2016 10:10 pm

If I could only have a few, I would mostly duplicate Generals and have them on both the right and left side so I could set a registration on a general for whichever foot was free at the moment. I know this goes against AGO guidelines, but I'm one who thinks the AGO guilde lines are in desperate need of revision, given the advances and current sate of registration controls.
Next for service playing I would want accesible reversibles for the 32's, but which I mean within line of sight and not up the third row of toe studs at the extreme outside edge of the knee panel where you get a hamstring cramp every time you try to use it. Even worse is having the 32 flue and 32 bombard reversible out of sight and right next to each other, so when wanting to add the softest 32 to the final chord of a quiet passage you instead hit the 32 bombard.
John
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fermata

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Re: usefulness of toe studs

PostTue Sep 20, 2016 9:35 am

Hmmm. Interesting and revealing. And amusing. Thank you all for your posts. I had already decided I wanted some, and, as a newbie, was curious if there was any consensus on which functions were most useful.
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Organorak

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Re: usefulness of toe studs

PostFri Sep 23, 2016 6:42 am

The one I use more than any other is Page forward which turns the page on my music display.

Next most often used, Great to Pedal.

A dedicated 32 foot reed and/or 32 foot flue piston can be useful.

Unfortunately the furthermost pistons on my self built organ are beyond the reach of my short legs so do measure carefully!
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johnh

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Re: usefulness of toe studs

PostMon Sep 26, 2016 2:01 pm

I've just built a practice console (table) with an angled shelf to the right of the expression pedal. The shelf has a single piston that will most likely be assigned to the sequencer and room for the client's AirTurn Duo that he uses in conjuction with his iPad for music display.

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