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New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

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Prof-41

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New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostWed May 17, 2017 2:24 pm

Hello everyone, I'm what Hauptwerkians call a newbie and this is my first post.
I am 75 years old and only came to know about Hauptwerk seven years ago when I came across an upload on U-tube of the MDA Virginia Wurlitzer. I was totally astounded and immediately took the plunge by purchasing the advanced version of Hauptwerk to try out coupled to my Technics GA3 organ. Everything went together perfectly first time of trying including convolution reverb using Reaper and Reverberate.

After a year or so I naturally wanted more! I had spent many hours in the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool and knew what I wanted; three manuals and full pedalboard. At my age I decided that lots of wiring, SAM's etc, while being ideal, was out of the question. It needed to be "plug and play" , therefore more research was needed.
Randall Mullin's Hauptwerk Experience was downloaded, printed and read several times.

However, and here I must apologise if I upset Randall Mullin and all those who enjoy their Hauptwerk this way but a three manual stack plonked on an Ikea table just didn't cut it for me! Having had the pleasure of doing so many years ago, for me there is nothing like "climbing into" a full theatre organ console which appears to wrap itself around you. So, what to do about a console? More research, this time downloading all I could from the Owen Jones website.

I wanted to try different organs, so touch screens for the stops etc was the obvious answer along with Classic Midi Works keyboards, pedalboard and expression pedals, all plug and play (more or less) so no time wasted on wiring, converting, refurbishing, etc. However, if some lovely person comes up with a sample set of that Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer itself along with some impulse responses of that ballroom then maybe the touch screens would go and be replaced by CMW lighted rocker tabs. Ah well, we can dream can't we?

So, the console would have to be scratch built. I started at the bottom and worked up having learned a lot from Owen Jones. The result is as you can see having taken me 11 months to build. The similarity to a certain previously mentioned console may be noticed but the curvy bits on top of the side jambs was beyond me! The build would have been 4 months quicker but I had a little argument with a circular power saw early on and unfortunately removed the ring and little finger from my left hand. I recall shouting several hundred words which roughly translated meant "oh dear me" and called an ambulance having jambed the fingers back and getting my dear wife to bind me up. I told the surgeon that I liked playing the organ and really needed all my fingers. He said he would see what he could do and nine hours of surgery later all was back in place. The two fingers in question are now at 90%. I for one have no complaints about our National Health service.
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The second picture shows the fake row of stop tabs which is really a handle to open the drawer housing the computer keyboard and mouse.
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The third picture shows the modular sections all neatly stacked ready for assembly. (Here the younger generation would write L.O.L. but in my case I think N.L.O.L - M.L.I.C. would be better. (not laugh out loud - more like insane cackle.) However, the console can be disassembled in about 30 minutes and reassembled in about 45 minutes (on a good day). Otherwise, it can't be moved! (more N.L.O.L. - M.L.I.C.)
[img]
Image[/img]

That's it

Roger
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profeluisegarcia

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostWed May 17, 2017 2:59 pm

Roger. ¡ WONDERFULL story, project and accomplishment¡

Hearty congratulations¡ :D
Luis
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WWillmott

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostWed May 17, 2017 4:40 pm

What a wonderful accomplishment!

What I was most glad to hear, though, was that your fingers were "saved"; that must be a very great relief to you! Nine hours in surgery was well spent!

I'm always impressed by the different ways people have of hiding (but being able to access) their keyboards/monitors, etc. but I think your fake stop rail attached to a sliding drawer takes the cake; well done (as was everything else so it appears)!

All the best,
Walter
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ldeutsch

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostThu May 18, 2017 10:30 am

Rodger,

That's certainly a great looking console! Its the first one I have seen that is theater-style using a touchscreen.

Just about any of the Wurlitzer sample sets out there can be easily revoiced to capture the sound of the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer. I have the Connoisseur 3/35 and Paramount 4/50 sets. Both contain all the ranks you will need. Also, both have the "Blackpool couplers" which are critical to getting that sound.

Do you have second touch? This was the most difficult part of my own theater console project.

Les
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IainStinson

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostThu May 18, 2017 1:17 pm

Excellent work - what a great theatre organ console. (I like the drawer with the dummy stop keys...)

I think the Paramount 341 may come with "Blackpool style" registrations set on the combination pistons (see http://forum.hauptwerk.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13921&hilit=blackpool).

Iain
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Prof-41

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostThu May 18, 2017 2:48 pm

Hi everyone,

Many thanks for your comments.

To answer your question Les I do not have proper second touch, however I believe CMK3 keyboards are velocity sensitive which could possibly be used, perhaps somebody could confirm this for me although I do not think I am a good enough player to even attempt using it.

Thanks Iain for pointing out the Paramount 341, I plan to purchase this shortly having been blown away by the 310, 320 and 332. Only thing about the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer, it doesn't have a Vox Humana which is one of my favourite ranks 'cos you can do so much with it!

With Les remarking on a theatre organ console with touch screen I thought I would post another picture to show both of them.
Image

Thanks once again guys

Roger
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HeAu

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostSun May 21, 2017 3:27 pm

WOW
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mdyde

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostMon May 22, 2017 4:26 am

Hello Roger,

My congratulations too on the very impressive and innovative console, and very glad to hear the fingers were saved.

Prof-41 wrote:To answer your question Les I do not have proper second touch, however I believe CMK3 keyboards are velocity sensitive which could possibly be used, perhaps somebody could confirm this for me although I do not think I am a good enough player to even attempt using it.


Yes -- If you auto-detect a virtual manual that supports second touch (e.g. a virtual theatre organ Accompaniment manual) to a velocity-sensitive and/or aftertouch-sensitive MIDI keyboard (such as the Classic MIDI Works ones), and provided that during auto-detection you press some keys rapidly and some gently as instructed on the auto-detection screen, then Hauptwerk should automatically configure the settings appropriately, although you can tweak the relevant second-touch MIDI settings by right-clicking on the virtual manual and selecting 'Adjust MIDI/trigger settings manually ...'.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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Organorak

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Re: New console in Coventry, United Kingdom

PostSun Jul 02, 2017 10:54 am

I have four Fatar TP60 keyboards connected to Doepffer MIDI boards so basically the same key hardware as Classic Midi Works but bought in the UK. I recently bought the Morton cinema organ sample set so had the opportunity to try out double touch using velocity as a proxy for twin sensors per note to recreate double touch. It seems to work quite well (at least to me, having not had the pleasure of trying it on a Wurlitzer in real life) and it's useful to be able to tweak the exact speed at which the second touch sound is triggered.

Glad your fingers are working again! And nice to know of another large Hauptwerk console in this part of the UK.

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