It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 9:04 am


Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

Building organ consoles for use with Hauptwerk, adding MIDI to existing consoles, obtaining parts, ...
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

MikeOfBonsall

Member

  • Posts: 20
  • Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2016 11:32 am
  • Location: Bonsall California

Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostThu Nov 24, 2016 2:42 pm

I am midi-fying an old Allen TC-1. It has a full AGO pedalboard and I have the bits to do that. Still deciding on whether to wire into keyboard (2) which are still in good shape but the TC-1 has no working pistons so I will likely get new keyboards (looking at Fatar Ebony TP/64) with pistons to avoid hassle and cost of adding them.
So ending up with 20 or 40 pistons I have all the options I need to set registration and I see no need to pull stops while playing, so why have a touch screen? Am I missing something or is it just a matter of having fun and realism?

Regards, Mike Stevens, Bonsall, California
Regards,

Mike Stevens, Bonsall California
Console: Allen TC-1. Two manuals, AGO pedalboard, 34 thumb pistons, 4 toe pistons. Midi cards from DTS. Amplification Krell KSA250 stereo, Speakers B&W 801 Series3. Favorite Sample Set Grafthorst-027 (Bad Ass SubBas16)
Offline
User avatar

johnstump_organist

Member

  • Posts: 547
  • Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:15 pm
  • Location: San Antonio, Texas

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostThu Nov 24, 2016 3:18 pm

If you are going to play sample sets small enough to have all the stops controlled by the tabs of the Allen, then you may not need a touch screen. However, if you are going to have larger sample sets, even to set registrations to pistons, it is much easier with a touch screen than moving the cursor around with mouse and clicking stops to then set to a piston. Even to draw a hand registration to try it out before setting to a piston, I think a touch screen will make your life easier, although I guess you could certainly manage without it. John
Offline
User avatar

csw900

Member

  • Posts: 269
  • Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:40 am
  • Location: UK

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostFri Nov 25, 2016 7:20 am

Have you tried playing an organ and using a mouse at the same time?

I think this clinches it -- you need a touch screen or some other type of push button
which does not need a mouse.

csw900
Offline
User avatar

NickNelson

Member

  • Posts: 880
  • Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:31 am
  • Location: Yorkshire, UK

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostFri Nov 25, 2016 11:52 am

Hi Mike,

If you are happy, as you suggest, to set up all the registrations you need in advance on pistons then no, you don't need a touch screen or any other registration control. I suspect that quite a few HW users use exactly this approach.

Of course you may find, in time, that lacking the ability to make on-the-fly registration adjustments while playing is restricting, in which case you might need reconsider the matter.

Nick
Offline
User avatar

IainStinson

Member

  • Posts: 1391
  • Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:08 pm
  • Location: NW England, UK

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostFri Nov 25, 2016 12:01 pm

LaunchPads can be a very good alternative to touch screens - though you need to find some way to know which button operates which stop. There a re numerous suggestions in the forum about how to do this.

Iain
Offline

amun

Member

  • Posts: 242
  • Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 3:20 am

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostSat Nov 26, 2016 3:51 pm

So ending up with 20 or 40 pistons I have all the options I need to set registration and I see no need to pull stops while playing, so why have a touch screen? Am I missing something or is it just a matter of having fun and realism?


IMHO TScreens are only for fun and your approach is the most advanced one. Why?
- registering on a TScreen consumes a lot of attention apart from the haptic feeling when hitting a just a hard surface instead of a tab/drawstoop: one will have to control by eye if the hit was precise and the intended action is exed,
- what people call "registering on the fly" is necessary due to the lack settertechnique on older organs,
- "registering on the fly" may be used when improvising, but on bigger organs without setters is always very limited,
- on Theatre Organs, which have often more than 100 stops a registration change "on the fly" would be almost impossible. This is why they all have pistons, as now have all modern organs.
- registration changes IMHO have to be planned very carefully and normally are fixed in timing and stops. HW provides the possibility and storage to store them without limits. Why then try to do all this on a TScreen?

Rgds,
:wink: amun
Offline
User avatar

csw900

Member

  • Posts: 269
  • Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:40 am
  • Location: UK

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostSun Nov 27, 2016 7:48 am

You can operate your pistons from a touch screen as well as the stops. This method
is useful when your console does not have any pistons (or too few pistons).

csw900
Offline
User avatar

engrssc

Member

  • Posts: 7283
  • Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2005 10:12 pm
  • Location: Roscoe, IL, USA

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostSun Nov 27, 2016 9:44 pm

csw900 wrote:You can operate your pistons from a touch screen as well as the stops. This method
is useful when your console does not have any pistons (or too few pistons).


I have both many real pistons and a t/s. For most sample sets, the pistons on the touch screen are too small and too close together to be useful. Pistons need to be close at hand . Many times I program specific pistons so that I can use the 4 fingers on an upper manual, and punch the piston below with the thumb.

I also have LauinchPads but rarely use them during playing as th,ey are, for me, too far away and mine are easily within 1 foot of the manuals. It all depends on your style of playing as well.

One useful "feature" I have is a kick switch on the side of the left expression pedal for sustain of a selected manual. (Frees hands temporarily to do such things as hand registering). I've gotten spoiled with that at home since this is not a standard feature on other organs that I play.

Using pistons to optimum takes planning and fore thought. Some organist I know think of them only as presets. But they are more than that.

Rgds,
Ed
Last edited by engrssc on Sun Nov 27, 2016 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Offline
User avatar

telemanr

Member

  • Posts: 1576
  • Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:18 pm
  • Location: Brampton, ON, Canada

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostSun Nov 27, 2016 9:48 pm

I've got oodles of pistons but use the touch screens to program them quickly. And for a quick registration when I haven't set up a piece ahead of time with the sequencer or on pistons yet.
Wouldn't want to be without them.
Rob Enns
Offline

MikeOfBonsall

Member

  • Posts: 20
  • Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2016 11:32 am
  • Location: Bonsall California

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostMon Nov 28, 2016 11:10 am

Thanks for some great replies. To engrsse I say if I had a sustain pedal I'd use it too much like I do on the piano; use it to beat time etc. To those of you who agree precise planning and set up is a good thing, how many pistons are optimal to have maximum capability? IE play anything with preselected registration?
Regards,

Mike Stevens, Bonsall California
Console: Allen TC-1. Two manuals, AGO pedalboard, 34 thumb pistons, 4 toe pistons. Midi cards from DTS. Amplification Krell KSA250 stereo, Speakers B&W 801 Series3. Favorite Sample Set Grafthorst-027 (Bad Ass SubBas16)
Offline
User avatar

engrssc

Member

  • Posts: 7283
  • Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2005 10:12 pm
  • Location: Roscoe, IL, USA

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostMon Nov 28, 2016 12:24 pm

Depends on your playing agenda. Also on your own memory as to what registrations have been set to each piston. Minimum IMO, 40 for a 3M. Beyond that as many as you can fit and afford. I've found after a while, you come up with new uses and then can't have too many. :roll:

Then there is the useful sequencer to set up. 8)

Rgds,
Ed
Offline
User avatar

telemanr

Member

  • Posts: 1576
  • Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:18 pm
  • Location: Brampton, ON, Canada

Re: Why do I Need a Touch Screen?

PostMon Nov 28, 2016 3:51 pm

Use the sequencer to set up particular pieces or series of pieces. Especially ones which require many registration changes. Much better than setting up a host of pistons since each change just uses the same piston set up as a "advance" through the sequence. Sequences can be named and recalled.
Pistons I usually set up as sort of standard series of registrations for each organ's manuals and pedal.
Rob Enns

Return to DIY organ consoles / MIDI

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest