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Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ

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J_SCOTT

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Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ

PostSat Jan 27, 2018 4:52 pm

I bought the console at auction in 2011. It was removed from use in 2009 for a complete remodel of the St. James Cathedral in Orlando, FL., and a considerable revamping of the organ installation by Wicks.

As used in Florida, the organ was configured as 52 ranks with some rank borrowing and unification. I now have the instrument set up as 80 ranks and 59 stops. The horizontal trumpet is now 3 separate and complete ranks voiced at 4, 8 and 16 ft. The 32 foot open flue stop replaces the original resultant stop. I used the Custom Organ Design Module, CODM, to create a sound sample set to match the existing draw knob engraving. The manuals are wood core keys. The Peterson combination action and Duo-Set memory system are retained. The console is shown in Figure 1.
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Figure 1.

The sound system is two bi-amped channels with two channel plate amps in each of the tone cabinets. I have tuned the cabinets to 16.3 Hz. The woofers are Dayton Series Two 15 inch units. High end sound is from Pyle 2 inch drivers and Dayton 8 x 12 inch exponential horns. I made the cabinets from 5, 2 x 4 foot pieces of ¾ inch MDF stock. Figure 2 shows the completed tone cabinets.
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Figure 2.

The build of the plate amps is shown in Figures 3 and 4. Each plate has two LM-3886 amps and a common two-rail power supply. I built the circuit boards from chipamp.com kits.
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Figure 3.

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Figure 4.

The audio preamp is a 4th order Linkwitz-Riley electronic crossover unit that splits the two Hauptwerk audio channels into two pairs for the tone cabinets. I built the electronics board from an Audio Kits product. The completed box is shown in Figure 5.
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Figure 5.

I host Hauptwerk on a purpose built and packaged computer unit as shown in Figures 6 and 7. The packaging is a cut down Cooler Master mini tower case with the controls moved to the back face. This box has an Intel i5 quad core processor and 16 Gb of memory. There are two drives. Audio card is an M-Audio 2496 part selected from the Hauptwerk list of acceptable low latency units. A CD/DVD drive is on the top of the case. The package is 10 ½ inches deep for console mounting.
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Figure 6.

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Figure 7.

Figure 8 shows how I assembled the new parts into the console. A MFJ switching power supply (two meters) goes where the rectifier unit filter capacitors were located. The computer and preamp are mounted on studs and wing nuts in the right stop jamb. I made the packaging arrangement along the lines of commercial / military avionics as line replaceable units, LRU’s, with all the connections on one face of a given box.

The green circuit cards are the Artisan Instrument switch input board, SIB, units and associated controllers. Five SIB and two controllers take care of the needs of this console. Original console line-out board and rank drive connections are retained. Wiring follows existing console practice with #26 magnet wire and Peterson EZ-Wire connectors. These parts are essentially Molex connectors, but also have a wire organizing loom feature. I retained the crescendo pin setter board located in the lower left corner. My goal was to make the installation look like it was built as a VPO in the first place.
Image
Figure 8.

Figure 9 shows the organ system start / stop controls. This is all housed in the preamp box. The computer start is a momentary switch closure (push button). I duplicate and parallel this with a momentary relay closure that happens with console AC Power is turned on. The activation time constant is about 1 second. A diode keeps the circuit from activating on power off. Boot up, log on, and start Hautpwerk are sequential automatic functions. A 115 vac relay is held open during console operation. On AC Power off a contact pair of this relay causes one last MIDI “note” to be generated. This note starts the Hauptwerk exit and computer shutdown sequence.

The preamp audio is muted until the op amps have stabilized. I lengthened this time to allow the organ sample set to load. The console Wind indicator also drives off this timing.
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Figure 9.

Figure 10 shows the keyboard and piston data flow schematic of the Artisan Instrument parts mentioned regarding Figure 8. MIDI connection is a Roland UM-ONE. The USB input/output originally was used for a PC to upload the controller executable code and system checkout. Hauptwerk I/O is now via this USB connection. The M-Audio sound card also has MIDI I/O capability, but is not used here.
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Figure 10.

Figure 11 shows the sound system overall architecture.
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Figure 11.

I used a considerable amount of mix and match to build the sound sample set using CODM. My sources were St. Annes Mosely ID #10, Schantz 3 Manual FBR ID #500, Jeuxdorgues 2, Stiehr-Mochers ID#1131, LesHauptwerk Projects ID#537000 (chime sample), and DIY Glockenstern (added to ID#537000 set).

Many thanks to Les Deutsch for posting lots of solved examples of CODM source code (nightbloomingjazzmen.com). I also have frequently referenced OrganStops.org to puzzle out what stops I had vs. what stops I needed.

I needed to repitch a rank up or down an octave at times. The repitching an entire rank also extends of shortens the reverberation tail. This effect can be minimized as shown in Figure 12.
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Figure 12.

The sample set for the Glockenstern stop is a DIY as shown in Figure 13. The reverberation tail CODM function is normally for converting wet sample sets to dry. I used this attribute to terminate the glockenstern sound smoothly in 50 ms on pushing in the stop knob.
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Figure 13.

I show in the next 4 figures what components I used to build the sound sample set. Lacking any other data, I used the full-open setting of the crescendo setter board for the ranks engaged by the Sforzando reversible piston as noted by the check marks. Figure 14 shows the Pedal division. Swell is shown in Figure 15. Great division is noted in Figure 16. Positiv settings are given in Figure 17.

Worthwhile mentioning is with CODM, if changes are needed, then an editing gets the job done. You are not going to irrevocably send pipes back to the melting pot.

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Figure 14.

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Figure 15.

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Figure 16.

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Figure 17.

I retained the original swell roller board, and the system works well with MIDI. A small number of inexpensive resistors converts the roller board line out connection set into a MIDI controller A-to-D converter input. Perfect. Swell closed is 0 MIDI counts, and full-open is 127 counts. The system diagram is shown in Figure 18. It is simple, inexpensive and robust. The crescendo setup is all original with its own roller board.

Image
Figure 18.
Last edited by J_SCOTT on Sat Jan 27, 2018 10:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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engrssc

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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSat Jan 27, 2018 8:02 pm

Very well engineered and executed. No doubt many hours involved. Congrats. Took quite a while to read thru.

With 2 expression pedals, what do they control?.

Are you planning to leave the back (panel) off of the console for heat dissipation?

Are the draw knobs SAMs as in electric operated?

Thanks for sharing.

Rgds,
Ed
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Frank-Evans

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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSat Jan 27, 2018 9:22 pm

Well done, so few document their progress. Looks very professional....
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSat Jan 27, 2018 11:02 pm

The “shoes” are Swell and Crescendo.

Console has minimal internal power dissipation. The quad core cpu is Intel “SandyBridge” technology, and dissipates at most 65 watts. The console is used with back panels in place. There is very little to give away that this is not a pipe organ console.

The drawknob electric action works as originally installed. Memory system has 10 generals, and 6 pistons per division. Memory keep alive is super capacitors. Interestingly the console had not been powered up for 2 years when I got it, but the memory settings to accompany Mass were still there.

Generals, pedal pistons, and reversibles are duplicated as toe studs.
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engrssc

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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSat Jan 27, 2018 11:27 pm

Very interesting, esp as I am looking at a similar possible future project. Nice to be be able to compare "notes" That memory keep alive cap (for 2 years) is probably as good, if not better, than the often used 3 volt button batteries.

Further, which OS are you using? How long from startup does it take until ready to play?

Being that you are supplying a voltage output from the swell roller to the a/d converter, does that eliminate the need to "excersize" the pedal in order to "tell" H/W it's position?

Do the computer's fans ever come on?

Thanks for your answers.

Rgds,
Ed
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSun Jan 28, 2018 12:05 pm

engrssc wrote:Being that you are supplying a voltage output from the swell roller to the a/d converter, does that eliminate the need to "excersize" the pedal in order to "tell" H/W it's position?


Good question. How do others accomplish this? I clear some encoder variables whenever Organ Ready is received but I don't know if there are other solutions in use.
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSun Jan 28, 2018 12:50 pm

jkinkennon wrote:Good question. How do others accomplish this? I clear some encoder variables whenever Organ Ready is received but I don't know if there are other solutions in use.


You could potentially just make the encoder (re-)send its current position/value periodically (e.g. every something like every 300 ms).
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSun Jan 28, 2018 2:58 pm

The operating system is Windows 7 64bit.

Computer cooling: Three fans. Power supply, cpu and overall case fan. None are making noise. The case does not run hot (actually only slightly warm).

The switching power supply is fan cooled. There is a very slight sense of moving air sound seated at the console. I figured well that is my blower, and just let it be.

There is a bit of difference in boot up time depending if the computer has remained plugged in or not. It is about 1 1/2 minutes to organ loaded and ready to go if things have remained plugged in but “powered down”. About half minute more from a really cold start (has been unplugged). Currently I run the timing to cover the longest boot up time possibility.

Hauptwerk can be set for a shoe to be initially open or closed. I set the swell shoe initial condition as closed. Then it is up to me to close the swell box at the end of a console session. A deluxe approach would be to toggle the roller board power briefly on system ready time out.
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSun Jan 28, 2018 3:11 pm

mdyde wrote:You could potentially just make the encoder (re-)send its current position/value periodically (e.g. every something like every 300 ms).


Not completely understanding that, hense a question - is there a reason the above isn't the default setting?

That need to move an expression pedal before playing has gotten one organist "in trouble" more than once in that the organists play on a rotation basis, and not all, in fact mostly none, close the pedal(s) before shutting the organ down.

Rgds,
Ed
Last edited by engrssc on Sun Jan 28, 2018 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSun Jan 28, 2018 3:16 pm

J_SCOTT wrote:Computer cooling: Three fans. Power supply, cpu and overall case fan. None are making noise. The case does not run hot (actually only slightly warm).


Reason for asking - I've always been told by IT people that there generally is a concern about shortening a computer's life and eventually it becoming unreliable by running even warm esp when mounted near the high point of an enclosure. Some would depend on how long the computer is run at any one time before being permitted to cool down. Just asking as an interested person. Asking along the way is how I've learned. 8)

Rgds,
Ed
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSun Jan 28, 2018 7:58 pm

Very impressive. Congratulations.

I did OK with an old Wicks console myself. :D
Brooke Benfield
Organist, Gethsemane Lutheran Church
Portland OR
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostSun Jan 28, 2018 8:16 pm

Ed, regarding the 300ms time to resend the pedal output... An encoder doesn't normally send anything unless the pedal position changes, at least not after the initial bootup which normally occurs before a sample set is loaded. So a change to have the expression pedal value sent a few times per second has to be built into the encoder and cannot be a default in HW.

My console has seven potentiometers at the moment so in my own case I'd rather just send all seven values at one time when a new sample set has loaded rather than resend them over and over. I have the luxury of doing that because my encoder is actually an encoder/decoder that receives LCD info, transposer status, and other status messages.

The seven potentiometers are for crescendo, two expression pedals, overall volume (to the HW audio view slider), and three pots for sample set values such as direct, diffuse, and surround levels. That puts a lot of control of the audio within easy reach.

Lest this thread too far off topic -- J Scott, that's a fine looking console and some interesting audio kit builds as well.
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostMon Jan 29, 2018 12:45 am

The console has convection airflow from the pedal cutout entrance up through exit through the aperature slot with the roll top opened.

Nothing seems to be even remotely pushed temperature wise. Note that the audio amps are plate style mounts, and that they are part of the tone cabinets.

Hauptwerk initial condition selection is for shoes to be either open or closed. My current arrangement can always get changed / modified.
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostMon Jan 29, 2018 12:48 am

Good to know.

Did you remove the roll top? I've considered doing that as an added possible air vent.

Rgds,
Ed
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Re: Wicks Opus 6028 Console As A Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Orga

PostMon Jan 29, 2018 4:49 am

engrssc wrote:
mdyde wrote:You could potentially just make the encoder (re-)send its current position/value periodically (e.g. every something like every 300 ms).

Not completely understanding that, hense a question - is there a reason the above isn't the default setting?

That need to move an expression pedal before playing has gotten one organist "in trouble" more than once in that the organists play on a rotation basis, and not all, in fact mostly none, close the pedal(s) before shutting the organ down.

Hello Ed,

Yes -- to confirm jkinkennon's reply, it wouldn't in general be technically possible for any setting in Hauptwerk to control how a MIDI encoder circuit board behaves. Hence if you wanted the MIDI encoder circuit to re-transmit its position periodically as I suggested then that's functionality that needs to exist within the ecnoder circuit board. Perhaps some of them have such functionality via an option in their firmware (but I don't know off-hand). Check the encoder board's documentation (or contact its maker) if in doubt.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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