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Function Types of Thumb Pistons

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

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Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostMon Aug 07, 2017 8:57 pm

Hi all. Am planning a conversion of a Baldwin that has no pistons other than three hard-wired buttons.
Just want to confirm the types of pistons that I could be adding and programming in Hauptwerk.
The obvious are:
    General
    Divisional
    Cancel
    Set
Then I've also seen Incrementals set that step through the presets:
    Up
    Down
Am wondering if some couplers would be useful as pistons:
    Choir to Swell
    Choir to Great
    Swell to Great
Anything else that is fairly common out there?
Thanks!
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telemanr

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostMon Aug 07, 2017 9:20 pm

Swell, Choir and Great to pedal are generally useful and common.
Rob Enns
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johnh

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostMon Aug 07, 2017 11:42 pm

Sfortzando/Tutti

Transposer Up/Down
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IainStinson

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostTue Aug 08, 2017 3:24 am

If you are going to make significant use of the stop sequencer, then it is useful to have physical pistons to select the sequencer frame numbers (0-9, +100, -100, -010, +010, 000) and perhaps one per manual to increment the frame.

If you are going to have any floating divisions, it is useful to have pistons to activate your selection.

In the English tradition you might also have reversible pistons for some stops (such as pedal 32ft flue and 32ft reed) which you may wish to add to the selected registration at 'significant' times.

Iain
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engrssc

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostTue Aug 08, 2017 3:45 am

Page turn - forward/backward

Rgds
Ed
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IainStinson

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostTue Aug 08, 2017 4:35 am

You might find this link to an earlier thread helpful http://forum.hauptwerk.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=15500&p=116045&hilit=piston#p116045

Iain
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ldeutsch

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostTue Aug 08, 2017 2:43 pm

When in doubt, simply install the pistons without engraving. HW lets you use them for any of the above functions and you do not really need to decide before hand. You can use them in different ways on different organs too. My advise is install as many pistons as you can afford (in terms of both space and money.) You will not regret it in the future.

Les
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engrssc

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostTue Aug 08, 2017 10:37 pm

A while back, someone told me of seeing "second touch" thumb pistons. In other words, these would operate similar to how second touch keyboards work. Is there such a thing?

Rgds,
Ed
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organsRgreat

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostWed Aug 09, 2017 5:33 am

There certainly are “second touch” pistons – in the UK Compton was one company which often fitted them. The second touch was generally used to provide a pedal registration which matched the manual stops the piston activated – usually on the Great.

Compton also fitted second touch tab stops – extra pressure on the tab cancelled all the others in that division. This could be useful to change quickly from a fairly full registration to a solo stop. Nowadays, with multiple memory channels and sequencer pistons, such a facility is probably not needed.
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George Langley

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostThu Aug 10, 2017 12:18 am

Thanks everyone! Had forgotten about a Tutti piston, and of course thought of the Pedal couplers after I'd posted the question.:oops: Appreciate the other ideas and links too.

So, speaking of coupler pistons - under which keyboard would you put them: the one you are playing and adding to; or the one you are adding?
For instance, Choir to Great - would it better to have it under the Great (since you're probably playing the Great when you need to add the Choir), or keep it under the Choir to associate which Division you are adding? I suspect the first option makes the most sense.

Then the Division to Pedal pistons - would they make more sense under their respective Divisions (ie. Choir to Pedal under the Choir)? Or should they be all in one place together, for instance under the middle keyboard to split the difference between all three, or under the lowest keyboard to be closest to the Pedals?

Thanks again!
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George Langley

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostThu Aug 10, 2017 12:31 am

engrssc wrote:Page turn - forward/backward

Hi Ed. Would these go through Hauptwerk? Or would they be wired separately to a completely different system to control an iPad or other digital display? Something like AirTurn as described here:

https://www.stjohnsottawa.ca/digitalorg ... page-turns

Thanks.
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mdyde

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostThu Aug 10, 2017 3:42 am

engrssc wrote:Page turn - forward/backward


Hello George/Ed,

Hauptwerk doesn't currently have functionality to control music-reader applications (although we do have that logged as an enhancement request potentially for the future), so currently you would need to use some external means to achieve that, if you wanted to implement it.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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smfrank

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostThu Aug 10, 2017 4:34 am

mdyde wrote:
engrssc wrote:Page turn - forward/backward
Hauptwerk doesn't currently have functionality to control music-reader applications

MusicReader works very well on multiple platforms (Mac, Windows, iPad, Android) and has the built-in ability to turn pages forward and back based on a midi signal that choose.

http://www.musicreader.net

No affiliation - just a user.

Steve
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ludu

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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostThu Aug 10, 2017 6:11 am

George Langley wrote:
engrssc wrote:Page turn - forward/backward

Hi Ed. Would these go through Hauptwerk? Or would they be wired separately to a completely different system to control an iPad or other digital display? Something like AirTurn as described here:

https://www.stjohnsottawa.ca/digitalorg ... page-turns

Thanks.

I suggest you have a look on this post: http://forum.hauptwerk.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16262#p122122. Personally I have dropped out Music Reader, preferring a conventional PDF reader with the accessories described by Organorak.
Luc
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Re: Function Types of Thumb Pistons

PostFri Aug 11, 2017 2:34 pm

Nice to know that someone's managed to follow my workflow and get their own MIDI pistons to control page turns via a pdf reader!
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