Floating Divisions vs. Couplers

Greetings!

This is likely an easy question.

I'm using the 4-manual Hereford Cathedral sample set with my 3-manual console. I'm currently using the Zusatzregister stop for each manual division to trigger the couplers from Solo division to the other keyboards, and in the case of the Swell and Choir, also trigger the "Unison Off" and "Float Expression" tabs. This allows me a lot of flexibility to direct the solo voices to other manuals, either by themselves or in combination with the coupled division, as controlled by the (software) pistons.

I like this simple solution; the only functionality I seem to missing with this setup is use of the super and sub octave Solo intradivision couplers. I don't have divisional pistons on my console, and they wouldn't work correctly even if I did. What else am I missing? What further advantage or functionality would I gain by using a floating division?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom and advice!

I've not come across the term Zusatzregister – it seems to be German? Could you explain please?

Thanks for asking, my friend; this post was starting to get very lonely!

Zusatzregister means additional stop/voice. Each division on my German Ahlborn console has a Zusatzregister stop. On the original digital instrument, it gave each division an extra rank selectable by the user, such as another solo reed option on the swell or a 32' in the pedal.

I use it similarly in HW, triggering stops my sample sets without a logical physical equivalent on my console. With Hereford, though, I'm using each manual's Zusatzregister stop to trigger the appropriate couplers to play solo division voices on the three manuals I have.

I'm doing this instead of setting up a floating manual. It seems like a simple solution, but I'm wondering what are the advantages of floating divisions that I'm missing by going this route.

I use the floating divisions feature to allow the Choir and Solo organs to share lowest manual of my three manual console. I have two pistons which control the current assignment to the lowest manual: A = Choir on lowest and B = Solo on lowest; I also have an LCD display which shows the current assignment to the lowest manual. I don’t use the “floating pistons” or the “floating expression pedal” features of Floating Divisions. I have pistons below the lowest manual for both the Choir and Solo divisions. I also have three pistons which couple the Solo organ to any of the other manual divisions.

The Solo on lowest and Choir on lowest allow each of these divisions to be heard independently of the other divisions (and without having to use Unison Off to achieve this). This simplifies manual / and stop changes when not using the registration (stop) sequencer. Registrations on both divisions (Choir and Solo) remain undisturbed when the “other division” is connected to the lowest manual.

Using couplers instead of the floating divisions would mean having to make some registration change to another division to hear the division without an assigned keyboard alone. (For example, if the Solo were coupled to the Choir, to hear the Solo alone I would have to either draw the Choir Unison Off or clear all the choir stops.)

The “trick” of assigning two divisions to the same manual can be used instead of floating divisions but this in effect combines the two divisions into one.

My use of the floating divisions (described above) works well for the Hereford and Salisbury sample sets. For St Omer I actually assign the Grand Orgue and Bombarde to the same physical keyboard.

Iain