The Secret of Our Organ's 32-ft. Trombone

Okay, here it is, a lurid tell-all. Not for the faint-hearted or easily horrified!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• casavant
• pipe
• organ
• 32
• foot
• trombone
• bombarde
• pedal
• reeds
• lutheran
• boss
• harmonist

[organist1982]

I'm an organist, too; this is very interesting! I also play wind instruments, and I'm wanting to find a way to be able to play my clarinet into a device like your harmonist in order to have it pitched down an octave in real-time. Do you know of any software or devices currently available that would allow me to do this?

[theremin137]

@organist1982 - well, the only thing I can think of is to play the clarinet into a microphone that runs through an effects pedal and then out through an audio system. Boss makes a pedal called the Super Octave Pedal -- which can double down one or two octaves, or both. That pedal might work with the clarnet. But I will say, I didn't get very good success using one with the pipe organ. Not sure why, but it just didn't have the kind of "oomph" that the Harmonist pedal does.

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

All very interesting a clever, but not for me, I'm afraid. I still prefer the real thing.

[theremin137]

@Offshoreorganbuilder Well bully for you! I too prefer the real thing. But lacking the real thing, my interim solution is better than nothing.

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

@theremin137 "Our food ain't good, but it's cheap, and their's plenty of it!"

[theremin137]

@Offshoreorganbuilder Ask a starving person sometime which would better -- to have cheap food or none at all.

You've made your point; go play with your bow ties now.

[pianoplayeruk]

I sincerely hope your parish is able to find the funding required so that you can do a proper job and install the pipes you want. 32 or even 64 ft!

But loudspeakers and Boss pedals?

I'd be embarrassed to tell someone.....

Good luck with your plans.

[pianoplayeruk]

In addition - those whom I have spoken to here about your ideas are actually shocked that you would use such a system to enhance the sound of an acoustic instrument. Their eye brows went up and their mouths opened in disbelief. 'Only in America' were the words of the resident organist of St Thomas cathedral in my nearby city. You have departed completely from what Acoustic pipe organs are all about. If your going to use loudspeakers, why don't you just buy a Hammond and a couple of Leslies?

[crohnsappleadams]

@theremin137 The reason for this is that the two pedals operate in very different ways. The Harmonist produces a modification of the original waveform, whereas the Octave/Super Octave pedals identify the pitch and produce a note one and/or two octaves lower using a very simple synthesizer. For certain instruments (i.e. electric guitar), the Octave lends a certain thickness that doesn't exist in the original source's waveform. The organ already has that thickness, so the Harmonist works better.

[crohnsappleadams]

@Offshoreorganbuilder "There's", not "their's". If you're gonna be a snob, you have to at least spell correctly.

[PolyphonicTheory]

A wonderful demonstration of using what you have resourcefully. :)

[ds1868]

Very interesting and informative. It's understandable that, through cost and even lack of space, the 'real thing' may not be possible. I also suspect that the 'synthesised ' option may be just as convincing as the 'cheap route' of half length resonators. Thanks for posting this!

[Gazdatronik]

What? People take umbrage to this? As a synthesizer guy, I think this is great. I grew up on a '75 Casavant Frères at the local church. This reminds me of my own trials, trying to get my old Roland JX-3P to do pedal convincingly. It ends up needing about 10 pounds of EQ and the second oscillator tuned to god knows what interval to get some overtones in there.

It ain't right, but it's close, and it'll still enough bass to blow up a house.

And yours sounds better than mine.....

[sailing19100]

very innovative and clever.

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

@theremin137 A touch, a palpable touch! Sorry to hear you were starving, I had no idea. I shall, indeed, go and play with my bow ties, and leave you to your theremin.