Thu Oct 17, 2019 4:54 pm
As an example of the technical term "partial", when a violinist or pianist plays a note, the string not only vibrates as a whole, producing it's fundamental pitch, but it also vibrates in halves, producing a pitch an octave above the fundamental. It also vibrates in thirds, producing the pitch a twelfth above the fundamental, etc.
These various pitches caused by the fractional vibrations of the string are called partials of the tone of the string. Since the tone as we hear it is is the effect of the sounding of all of the included pitches, the fundamental itself is only a part of the tone and is called the first partial. The octave with double the frequency is the second partial; the twelfth, with three times the fundamental frequency is the third partial, and so on.
An added comment, it would be high on my list of requests for a future version of Hauptwerk to be able to adjust each of these partials as part of the voicing structure. Being able to adjust these partials is much different then, for instance, the EQ. They add a great deal to the results and is, among other "features" what (real pipe) experienced voicers work on. I should add, the example above of a vibrating string is perhaps easier to understand as compared to how these "rules" apply to the sound of a pipe, either a flue pipe or a reed pipe.
An interesting side note is the various means that the organ builder is able to make these partials either additive or subtractive to shape and "sculpt" the sound of a given rank of pipes. I found reading the life and works of E M Skinner, all he did to create what he "needed" to hear, very interesting. In addition, after a given pipe is built, it has to be properly voiced as the location (space) is actually half of the end result. The acoustics makes a huge difference and is very difficult to (re)create by "electronic" means. Probably why some HW folks prefer listening via a headset which eliminates the local "room" effect.
I found when attempting to voice an organ by listening via a headset, and then moving the organ into it's intended space, I had to basically start all over as far as voicing it. A huge difference probably to some degree why a pipe organ builder can only do a preliminary voicing at the factory, and then finish when the instrument is finally installed in it's "destination home".
Rgds,
Ed