Allen 603-D.......Please help with settings!

[Wendol Ross]

I find myself in a position of having to play this organ for a convention, and I have experimented with the various presets, and it seems with everysetting the lower manual is much louder than the upper manual.

Two questions: 1)with the presets, can I set the upper manual louder than the lower? and 2) how do I go about doing a "free style" setting (without presets) and again, make the uppermanual louder than the lower.

I would really appreciate any and all help, as I'm very desperate in this situation. Thanks in advance!!

[jbird604]

Wendol,

You may be new to an Allen such as this. If the person who set up the existing presets was registering some typical classical registrations, then surely the lower manual (Great) was intentionally made louder than the upper (Swell), and perhaps the Swell-to-Great coupler is part of each registration, which would also contribute to that.

If you are wanting to set up someregistrations with the upper or Swell manual louder, just Cancel all the stops (press the Cancel --"GC" or "0"piston) and then draw several stops in the Swell division (majoring on 8' and 4' perhaps)and only a few in the Great. Experiment until it sounds the way you want it to. Draw some 16' and 8' stops in the pedals and you should have a respectable generic registration.

If you want to save your own presets, just hold in the "set" piston and tap one of the General pistons (numbered 1 - 10 at the left end of the piston rails, under the two manuals). Then you can instantly recall the registration you have set (provided the combination action is working properly. That's a pretty old organ and it may have dead batteries unless someone has been maintaining them.)

Best of luck.

John

[Wendol Ross]

jbird604 or anyone.......

Once I press the cancel,....without pressing any tabs (all tabs, up) there is sound from the swell, great, and pedals. AND pressing the tabs has no affect on that sound!!????.

Any ideas or help?

Thanks!

[jbird604]

Probably the crescendo pedal is partially engaged. This is the pedal to the right of the swell pedal. Its function is to add stops in a preset order. If you are going to do your own manual registrations, you'll want to be sure the crescendo is off. Otherwise, as you've observed, there are stops on everywhere and you can't turn them off!

So, in case you aren't familiar with the crescendo pedal, it will be the right-most of the two shoes, and to disengage it you rock it back toward you, same as you would do with the swell shoe to minimize the volume.

The left-most shoe is the swell shoe and it will affect the volume of the whole organ. Unlike the crescendo, it does not add or take away stops. It only affects the loudness of the organ.

Hope that helps.

John

[Wendol Ross]

John,

Thanks a million for your quick response..........Sounds as if you've identified my problem, asI had been toying around with both pedals, and no doubt the right one is partially pressed down (sorry for the poor choice/lack of technical words). I will visit the church again tomorrow and give it another try and post my findings here......hopefully you will hang in here to get me through this!!

Wendol

[Wendol Ross]

John,

You were right on the mark........with the crescendo pedal depressed or off, it appears I'm now able todoa setting that I had described earlier.

Please accept my sincere thanks, and know that your time, knowledge, and willingness to help is certainly appreciated!!

Wendol