davidh Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Paril Organs announced today their production of the first windless pipe organ. Pipes are conventional except for the absence of the foot and mouth. Instead each has at the base a piezo-electric resonator which is driven in different modes to imitate and exceed the whole range of conventional voicing techniques. This means that a small and relatively cheap instrument can produce the whole range of tone-colours only available previously on the largest winded instruments. Electronic adjustments to the resonators make it possible to maintain the correct tuning however much temperature and humidity may vary. Folo Paril, the managing director, said that conventional pipe organs were too expensive and all discriminating organists were agreed that an electronic instrument generating its sound through loud-speakers could never match the sound of a pipe organ, but he believes that a windless pipe organ is more than a match for any conventional instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 This is great news indeed. This should be complemented with the system a belgian IT engineer just developped. It combines a scanner that can turn music pages by itself, and transmits it trough a MIDI- system directly to the action of the organ. A new age is beginning, Ladies and Gentlemen: no organist will ever be needed any more. We shall spare, besides their salaries, music schools, teachers etc. The productivity and Return on investment was long due to improve in the organ business! Best wishes, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfortin Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I see April is here again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Pipes are conventional except for the absence of the foot and mouth. A spokesman from the IBO welcomed this development, saying that it removed once and for all any danger of pipe organs contracting foot and mouth disease. It also removed the necessity for organists to wash their feet, though the benefits of this were less certain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john carter Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I see April is here again! That's probably what they said to John Compton when he invented the polyphone! JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Harvey Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Nice One! Folo Paril indeed! Will it be possible to retro-fit windless pipe organ technology to existing pipe organs? It could save a lot of money, rather than restore the wind system and soundboards! Lots of smaller, cheaper builders will welcome this new technology! Has anyone told Spottedmetal about it yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Coram Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 This is my favourite of the day so far - especially the FAQ - Google gDay (with MATE technology) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Crawford Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 This is my favourite of the day so far - especially the FAQ - Google gDay (with MATE technology) or this http://www.google.com/virgle/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qazz Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 scholars of Elgar and of Hope-Jones and the W****** organ may well find this piece of original research of interest............... link to the Enigma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 scholars of Elgar and of Hope-Jones and the W****** organ may well find this piece of original research of interest............... link to the Enigma Absolutely splendid!!! Do not miss the Pdf-file linked to at the bottom of the page. Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidh Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Colin Harvey is entirely correct. Rip out those expensive blowers and wind chests; you don't need them. Olof Spiral, the Technical Manager, told me that there were only two technical problems to overcome, first developing piezo-electric devices of sufficient dynamic range, and the other was achieving efficient acoustic matching. or this http://www.google.com/virgle/index.html The second quote of course is about the Diaphone, which is another effective way of getting energy into an air column. Euclid in his Theory of Intervals or Section of the Canon, wrote, “Consonance (symphonia) is the perfect mixture of two sounds, one higher and one lower. Dissonance (diaphonia) is the failure of the two sounds to blend, when they cannot be combined, but turn out unpleasant to the ear.” Mr Paril assures me that his devices are entirely "symphonia", although with a small change in programming they can be as "diaphonia" as anyone would wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Does anybody know where I could still see and hear a Diaphonic Diapason mirabilis, by the way ? (It is for a specification proposal I have been asked for). Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidh Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Does anybody know where I could still see and heara Diaphonic Diapason mirabilis, by the way ? (It is for a specification proposal I have been asked for). Pierre Ok Pierre, you want to see one, but do you really want to hear it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Ok Pierre, you want to see one, but do you really want to hear it? Not in a Brustwerk, of course, nor as a chamade; rather for the second Solo division "in Fernwerk", on the other side of the nave, and enclosed in a brick swellbox. Very ordinary also. Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Paril Organs announced today their production of the first windless pipe organ. Pipes are conventional except for the absence of the foot and mouth. Instead each has at the base a piezo-electric resonator which is driven in different modes to imitate and exceed the whole range of conventional voicing techniques. This means that a small and relatively cheap instrument can produce the whole range of tone-colours only available previously on the largest winded instruments. Electronic adjustments to the resonators make it possible to maintain the correct tuning however much temperature and humidity may vary. Folo Paril, the managing director, said that conventional pipe organs were too expensive and all discriminating organists were agreed that an electronic instrument generating its sound through loud-speakers could never match the sound of a pipe organ, but he believes that a windless pipe organ is more than a match for any conventional instrument. =============================== It's been done before! I seem to recall that some older analogue electronics had "pipes" of sorts, but I'm not sure who did it. I'm still trying to work out the difference between a vibrating crystal and a reed, in terms of effectiveness. Of course, there is a further "green" alternative, which may not be an April Fool joke, but which may be related to April showers. This was a strange "water organ" which used real organ-pipes, a hydraulic pump, a small child's plastic paddling pool and some sort of "keyboard" valve arrangement. It originated in the Czech Republic, and was carted around to various places, where it played real music. Now about my idea for the new neoprene flapper valves to replace pallets............... MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Then there's this outside the Ontario Science Centre: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=t3iHSmpe4tg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cynic Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I seem to recall that some older analogue electronics had "pipes" of sorts, but I'm not sure who did it. snip Conn Organs, I think it was. [Thinks: Well-named!] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Conn Organs, I think it was. [Thinks: Well-named!] =========================== Yes, that was they, but I think you're being a bit savage Paul. Those were early days, and Conn in America had a very good reputation in the music business before they finally gave up the ghost. I have a beautifully made Bb Trumpet by Conn. Things have moved on a bit in the electronic-organ world. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 That's probably what they said to John Compton when he invented the polyphone!JC ============================ And to Robert Hope-Jones when he invented the Diaphone, but couldn't be heard over the din. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Paril Organs announced today their production of the first windless pipe organ. =============================== I checked the company history, and discovered that their Finnish division is headed by one Olof Lapril. I was astonished on realising this to be an anogram of the company name, but funny things happen in Finland, as I know only too well. Only Finland can name a bank OKO and give people names such as Lahti. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Harvey Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Pundits tell me that Windless technology will make Pipeless technology obsolete! Manufactures of pipeless organs must be very worried by these new developements! I should have rung Copeman Hart yesterday to ask for their opinion ... darn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Coram Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I should have rung Copeman Hart yesterday to ask for their opinion ... darn! Don't they charge for such things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombarde32 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Conn Organs, I think it was. [Thinks: Well-named!] 'Twas Conn, for sure, and titter all you like about the name, some of the larger ones were very good indeed, like the 580 and the 650, 651 and 652. The thing that made them quite different was that they had some degree of independent tone generation. Their first instrument was made in 1947 and by 1979 the company (well, the organ side of things anyway) had breathed its last. The large model with two leslie cabinets on it and four straight cabinets could produce a very good theatre organ sound, and made the Hammond look (and sound) poor by comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Here is the evidence that "there is nothing new under the sun." http://www.radio.cz/en/article/62061 Scroll down through the page to find Vaclav Smolka's "Water Organ." I think he is head of the organ-building firm which bears his name. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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