Four-manual 'Glacier' Organ
Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 5:37 amI am currently building an organ console for use with HW2.
It will feature four-manuals, and the shape of the case is modelled on my beloved Harrison and Harrison organ at Peterborough Cathedral (UK) where I had my first lessons so many years ago.
There will be a crescendo and 3 expression pedals, toe pistons, thumb pistons (divisional and generals).
Stop jambs will be touchscreens (driven by a modified version of JOrgan).
(Note: expression pedals and toe pistons not shown in this 3D mockup)
The beauty is that, as a 'touring' recital organ, this will be *portable*. The design is essentially three clear Perspex shelves supported by a number of vertical fins made from frosted Perspex. Part of the design brief I set myself was that the organ should be capable of assembly inside 1 hour, and I think that's achievable.
The design is more than just functional; As the console will be controlling a 'virtual' organ, I wanted to give the suggestion that the console is also virtual - almost not there. I'm calling the organ The Glacier.
The sound engine will be HW2 (of course!), and the machine will (initially) comprise four dual-core (i.e. 8 cores) 64-bit Opteron 875s with 8GB RAM, running on Windows XP 64bit. Multichannel (8) output will be via a MOTU 828.
If anyone can advise me on the best amplification and speaker configuration for this organ for venues such as large churches and halls it would be would be greatly appreciated. I would like to make use of the multi-channel capability of HW2. I also need to make sure that amplifiers are not unduly noisy.
BTW the idea is that once I have the prototype I will be able to make a variety of console sizes available for purchase (console alone, or as a complete organ - i.e. a console with a suitable PC driving both HW2 and the touchscreens). I am also looking forward to getting out and doing some sampling, so there will be some sample sets to follow too. :D I was thinking of using a Soundfield MkV (or SPS422B) for this - I'd be interested to hear any comments people had on this idea. It seems a logical choice because the phase errors between the four capsules are resolved to zero by the processor. I've had excellent results from this in the past, and have recorded a wide variety of music and events (including weddings) with it.
Thanks to Martin for such vision. The software is fantastic, as is everything supporting the product and its community. Though fairly new to the latter, I am looking forward to getting more involved.
Best wishes,
Jason Edge
It will feature four-manuals, and the shape of the case is modelled on my beloved Harrison and Harrison organ at Peterborough Cathedral (UK) where I had my first lessons so many years ago.
There will be a crescendo and 3 expression pedals, toe pistons, thumb pistons (divisional and generals).
Stop jambs will be touchscreens (driven by a modified version of JOrgan).
(Note: expression pedals and toe pistons not shown in this 3D mockup)
The beauty is that, as a 'touring' recital organ, this will be *portable*. The design is essentially three clear Perspex shelves supported by a number of vertical fins made from frosted Perspex. Part of the design brief I set myself was that the organ should be capable of assembly inside 1 hour, and I think that's achievable.
The design is more than just functional; As the console will be controlling a 'virtual' organ, I wanted to give the suggestion that the console is also virtual - almost not there. I'm calling the organ The Glacier.
The sound engine will be HW2 (of course!), and the machine will (initially) comprise four dual-core (i.e. 8 cores) 64-bit Opteron 875s with 8GB RAM, running on Windows XP 64bit. Multichannel (8) output will be via a MOTU 828.
If anyone can advise me on the best amplification and speaker configuration for this organ for venues such as large churches and halls it would be would be greatly appreciated. I would like to make use of the multi-channel capability of HW2. I also need to make sure that amplifiers are not unduly noisy.
BTW the idea is that once I have the prototype I will be able to make a variety of console sizes available for purchase (console alone, or as a complete organ - i.e. a console with a suitable PC driving both HW2 and the touchscreens). I am also looking forward to getting out and doing some sampling, so there will be some sample sets to follow too. :D I was thinking of using a Soundfield MkV (or SPS422B) for this - I'd be interested to hear any comments people had on this idea. It seems a logical choice because the phase errors between the four capsules are resolved to zero by the processor. I've had excellent results from this in the past, and have recorded a wide variety of music and events (including weddings) with it.
Thanks to Martin for such vision. The software is fantastic, as is everything supporting the product and its community. Though fairly new to the latter, I am looking forward to getting more involved.
Best wishes,
Jason Edge
