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Pipe interfacing
Pros and cons, by Lance Luce
What is it?
It is the combining of wind blown pipes with a new
digital console. This can be done with new pipes, or
with existing pipes.
Who's doing it?
Just about every major organ builder is either offering
digital enhancements with their pipe organs, or pipe
additions to their digital organs.
Why do it with old pipes?
In many cases, the console that the organist plays
wears out long before there is anything wrong with the
pipes. The chestwork below the pipes may need
re-leathering or other service through the years, but
the pipes themselves will virtually last forever.
The key and pedal contacts and other mechanical
functions of the console such as the relay and
combination action will, over time, become less and
less reliable. This makes the playing (and listening)
experience less than desirable. Notes don't play,
pedals don't play, couplers don't couple, etc.
The old console also lacks a large amount of presets
and other modern features such as a transposer and
MIDI, in most instances.
Why do it with new pipes?
The use of new pipes adds beauty to the instrument.
The pipes add another dimension to the sound, an
ensemble or chorus, due to their inherent
imperfections.
Is it hard to do?
In most electro-mechanical organs, the interfacing can
be done near the chestwork. It does take some time,
but the results are worth it.
Pros:
If you are interfacing an existing pipe organ, you
retain the beauty and value of the pipe work. You
gain a reliable key and pedal contact system. You gain
a reliable relay system. You gain virtually unlimited
memories for your combinations. You gain transposer,
bass coupler, MIDI and other modern features. You
might gain new couplers. You might gain a new manual
or two! AND!! . . . most likely you will gain new stops
or voices that you didn't have before. Organs that
lacked 32' stops, or festival trumpets, just to name a
couple, will benefit from the addition of new digital
voices. These digital stops can be custom voiced to
blend flawlessly with the pipes.
If you are interfacing to new pipes you gain the beauty
and grandeur of pipes. You can have a full pipe organ
sound with limited space or limited resources. You
may not have the space for a large pipe organ, or you
may not have unlimited financial resources.
Interfacing allows the organ to sound and look like a
complete pipe organ, while only taking up a fraction of
the space and at a much reduced cost.
Cons:
New pipes are expensive. On average, pipes are
roughly $12,000 - $18,000 a rank. Pipes take a while to
build, some times pipe shops are backed up years in
their orders. Pipes need to be tuned at least twice a
year. Pipes take up space, you may have to build a
shelf or chamber to house the pipes. After 30+ years
you most likely will have a considerable cost for
overhaul maintenance on the chest work under the
pipes.
If you are considering interfacing to existing pipes, do
the current pipes SOUND GOOD? Interfacing to a new
console won't make the pipes sound any better than
they do now. The new digital stops might help "cover
up" the sound of bad pipework, but that's not a good
reason to interface.
Overall:
The digital stops now can have a temperature sensor
that keeps them in tune with the pipes automatically.
Digital stops are so good nowadays with computers
being so fast, and sampling technology being refined,
it's difficult, if not impossible in some rooms, to tell
the difference. Don't judge a pipe combination organ
on your past experiences. If you haven't played a NEW
one lately, you're most likely in for a nice surprise.
It is the combining of wind blown pipes with a new
digital console. This can be done with new pipes, or
with existing pipes.
Who's doing it?
Just about every major organ builder is either offering
digital enhancements with their pipe organs, or pipe
additions to their digital organs.
Why do it with old pipes?
In many cases, the console that the organist plays
wears out long before there is anything wrong with the
pipes. The chestwork below the pipes may need
re-leathering or other service through the years, but
the pipes themselves will virtually last forever.
The key and pedal contacts and other mechanical
functions of the console such as the relay and
combination action will, over time, become less and
less reliable. This makes the playing (and listening)
experience less than desirable. Notes don't play,
pedals don't play, couplers don't couple, etc.
The old console also lacks a large amount of presets
and other modern features such as a transposer and
MIDI, in most instances.
Why do it with new pipes?
The use of new pipes adds beauty to the instrument.
The pipes add another dimension to the sound, an
ensemble or chorus, due to their inherent
imperfections.
Is it hard to do?
In most electro-mechanical organs, the interfacing can
be done near the chestwork. It does take some time,
but the results are worth it.
Pros:
If you are interfacing an existing pipe organ, you
retain the beauty and value of the pipe work. You
gain a reliable key and pedal contact system. You gain
a reliable relay system. You gain virtually unlimited
memories for your combinations. You gain transposer,
bass coupler, MIDI and other modern features. You
might gain new couplers. You might gain a new manual
or two! AND!! . . . most likely you will gain new stops
or voices that you didn't have before. Organs that
lacked 32' stops, or festival trumpets, just to name a
couple, will benefit from the addition of new digital
voices. These digital stops can be custom voiced to
blend flawlessly with the pipes.
If you are interfacing to new pipes you gain the beauty
and grandeur of pipes. You can have a full pipe organ
sound with limited space or limited resources. You
may not have the space for a large pipe organ, or you
may not have unlimited financial resources.
Interfacing allows the organ to sound and look like a
complete pipe organ, while only taking up a fraction of
the space and at a much reduced cost.
Cons:
New pipes are expensive. On average, pipes are
roughly $12,000 - $18,000 a rank. Pipes take a while to
build, some times pipe shops are backed up years in
their orders. Pipes need to be tuned at least twice a
year. Pipes take up space, you may have to build a
shelf or chamber to house the pipes. After 30+ years
you most likely will have a considerable cost for
overhaul maintenance on the chest work under the
pipes.
If you are considering interfacing to existing pipes, do
the current pipes SOUND GOOD? Interfacing to a new
console won't make the pipes sound any better than
they do now. The new digital stops might help "cover
up" the sound of bad pipework, but that's not a good
reason to interface.
Overall:
The digital stops now can have a temperature sensor
that keeps them in tune with the pipes automatically.
Digital stops are so good nowadays with computers
being so fast, and sampling technology being refined,
it's difficult, if not impossible in some rooms, to tell
the difference. Don't judge a pipe combination organ
on your past experiences. If you haven't played a NEW
one lately, you're most likely in for a nice surprise.
One of many of our pipe
interfaces
interfaces
In this picture you can see the "old"
circuits below and the "new" digital
ones above. They are soldered
together so there are NO moving
parts or contacts to get dirty.
circuits below and the "new" digital
ones above. They are soldered
together so there are NO moving
parts or contacts to get dirty.
"The new attaching to the old."
The old spreader boards have the
new color coded wires attached
to them. The old relay contacts
are gone.
The old spreader boards have the
new color coded wires attached
to them. The old relay contacts
are gone.
This is an 11 rank interface, showing
the new style driver boards that send
the signal to the pipes.
the new style driver boards that send
the signal to the pipes.
These are some pre-existing pipes that
we interfaced to a new console.
we interfaced to a new console.
This shows the "brain box" that conects
to the console with it's cover off. The
computer in the organ encodes the
information, sends it to this computer
near the pipes where it is de-coded
again.
The green circuits boards do not have
their wires attached yet, or their driver
cards installed.
to the console with it's cover off. The
computer in the organ encodes the
information, sends it to this computer
near the pipes where it is de-coded
again.
The green circuits boards do not have
their wires attached yet, or their driver
cards installed.
This shows 2 ranks of pipes on one side
of the Chancel, there are 2 other ranks
on the other side.
of the Chancel, there are 2 other ranks
on the other side.
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