Have your say - VTPO specification changes

Calling for comments from all Theatre Organ enthusiasts!

We're starting work on creating a reproduction of the Fox Special Wurlitzers (4/36) and I'm looking for guidance on modernizing the Stop list. Please go to https://sites.google.com/view/melotone-sound-productions/home/work_in_progress/modern-fox-wurlitzer-special for the current Ranks and Stops list.

Please let me know what you'd add, and why you would add it. At this stage I'm not wanting to remove anything, but if something is really 'just terrible' or 'a complete waste of time' please do let me know as well

Ok, from comments to me and from feedback on Facebook these are the current additions;
Pedal:
32' Contra String
32' Contra Bourdon

Great:
16' Double English Horn
8' English Horn
5 1/3' Fifth (Tibia)
3 1/5' Tenth (Tibia)
1' Fife
8' Solo Harp
8' Harp
Glockenspiel

Solo:
8' Clarinet
2 2/3' Twelfth (Tibia)
1 3/5' Teirce (Tibia)
8' Solo Harp
8' Harp

Solo:
8' Clarinet
2 2/3' Twelfth (Tibia)
1 3/5' Teirce (Tibia)
8' Solo Harp
8' Harp

I’m not sure whether your aim is an accurate recreation of those Wurlitzers, or an instrument which is as comprehensive and useful as possible. If it’s the latter, it occurs to me that the Paramount sample sets include celestes for the Dulciana, Concert Flute, Salicional, Quintadena, and Horn Diapason. I find these useful for adding richness to those quieter sounds.

It can also be useful to have a “straight” Diapason chorus – 61 note ranks for a 4ft Principal, 2ft Fifteenth, a Mixture (3 ranks?) and maybe a Twelfth, to go with either the Open Diapason or the Diaphonic version – whichever you consider the most suitable at 8ft. One is then moving towards a “dual purpose” specification, and some of the most effective UK theatre organs are of this type – e.g. the Compton in Southampton Guildhall and the HNB/Christie in the Dome Brighton.

I have achieved a similar result at home with a second computer running HW4 and the 1966 Schantz sample set – no longer available from Evensong but it works well for me. I then had Jake import a few stops from the Hereford Cathedral sample set – the Great 2nd Diapason, Solo Tromba and a few pedal stops. I also have a tremulant to the Great, which I think was not present in the original. With those resources I can play just about anything, and it’s surprising how well the different ranks blend.

My purpose was to take the 'Fox' original 4/36 as a 're-creation' starting point, and then modernize the stop list from there.

Specification changes, like adding the Celeste ranks you've mentioned, are good things to hear and consider. It pushes at the 'keep the ranks as they were' sentiment that makes this a 'Fox' special - but perhaps that is what the virtual part of this truly allows us to do - to take something really good and make it even better? Adding the Principal Chorus is certainly a possibility too.

The challenge is now to consider if this is just a 4/36 recreation, or to add 11 more ranks as suggested, and create a 4/47 Fox Tribute.

Thanks for the challenging thoughts
GrahamG

Actually, I think this is a pretty easy problem - unless you also have constraints.

I went through a similar process when I was designing my own home HW theater organ. However, I wanted to use only physical stop controls so I was limited to the number of stops I could fit on the console. This created a much more interesting (difficult) problem as I had to wight the relative value of each stop! This process really taught me about the value of each stop.

I also polled the HW community a bit before I decided on the final specification, which you can see here:

http://www.nightbloomingjazzmen.com/Theater_Organ_Project_Specs.html

Les