What did they sound like??

[buzzyreed]

Ok since I only lived in the Analog age for about 5 years, I imagine there must be other organists out there who are wondering, "What did they sound like?"

So, record your old Thomas, Conn, Schober, Allen, Rodgers and let's hear what they sound like. Simple stuff, just chords if you want. I just want to hear what the analog age sounded like. I think my re reading of the Richard H. Dorf book has prompted this. Very interesting stuff, but I have no access to older analogs.

Also, the BuzzyReed challenge is still on, we want to hear your digital organs. Maybe we can settle who's better, Allen or Rodgers-- Phoenex? Who's that??[]

[jbird604]

How does one post an organ recording?

(I'm not computer-illiterate, but I don't have any experience doing that particular thing . . . can't figure out even how to put pictures into my posts on this forum.)

John

[arie v]

Hi BuzzyReed,

You must be a young buck. Nothing wrong with that. Essentially analog organs went the way of the dodo bird about 1990. At least that is the year that Rodgers stopped making analog machines. I believe Johannus went digital partially in 1990, and fully digital in 1991 or 1992. Allen went digital in 1971, Galanti (GeneralMusic) in 1986, Viscount 1988, Classic 1988, etc.

So, most anything that is analog is either close to 20 years old or older than that. If you really want to know what they sound like, go visit 10 churches in your neighbourhood. I guarantee you that you will find some analog organs in them.

If you tell me where you are, I might be able to give you some help where you can find them. I am from Toronto, Ontario.

Analog organs varied as much as pipe organs or digital organs when it comes to sound, tonality, approach to producing sound. Suffice to say, in general, digital tone is much more accurate, but much more unforgiving. A lot of late model analog organs actually sound better than early, cheap digitals, especially when it comes to ensemble sound.

Hope this is of some help.

Arie V

[Hammondlover]

Ever heard an analog synthesizer, such as a moog?

[Orgrinder010]

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I'm still waiting for someone to post a video of a restored Orgatron and matching tone cabinet(s). That is one instrument I have always wanted to hear.*

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[soundboarddude]

I'll record my Allen if you'd like, but I promise it's not worth the effort to hear it because it sounds so bad!

(Although the pedal 16' is nice...)

[buzzyreed]

Well, I actually own an Allen TC-3 which sounds better in some respects to my Allen 600 digital beast. The principals are quite good oddly enough, especially in the pedal. I am just wondering what the others sounded like. I have played on a Rodgers Analog/ Pipe combination that sounded better than my digital Allen beast and some of NYCfarmboy's Jamestown sounds pretty damn good.

I was just coming of age at the time of "The Great Digital Switch Over" I think every analog organ in this part of the world got hit by lightening and returned to that great "Radio Shack in the Sky" I have always wondered if they ask for your phone number and zip code even if you are just buying batteries at "The Great Radio Shack in the Sky." I bet they validate parking too.

I was a sophomore in HS when the switch over came and my friend got two of the organs from the churches for free. I'd go over after school and ask him 'why doesn't this sound like an organ?' not realizing at that time what I was dealing with. Of course my 15 year old friend had not one but two church organs in his bedroom so.. well I just don't know how to finish that sentence.

With all of Richard H. Dorf's talk of 'lack of tonal variation' in the Allen and Rodgers instruments I wonder what the others actually sounded like, what was their tonal variation. I think our churches only had Allen and Rodgers analogs so I never experienced the horrors of the Conn or Wurlitzer...

In one of the four churches I play for (four churches, one parish..four weekly services.. long story. town of only 400.. all ELCA Lutherans So why 4 seperate services??? Ugh, Scandinavians!...) There is an old Hammond tone wheel as well as a transitorized Hammond in the basement of one of the other churches. Don't get me wrong Hammond has its place, but that place is not in liturgical music of the Lutheran Church. They work great in Gospel and such but stuff in the LBW sounds pretty awful on them and they are difficult to play from a traditional orgainsts point of view.

I just love comparing the various sounds. I do it now with the real organs on Youtube. I am afraid that the newer Allens sound pretty bad, even the ones in that PBS video. The Renaissance I played at my dealership sounded pretty fake, which at the time I assumed was the lack of speakers, but now I don't think so. Always interested in what other organists think on this matter, but even more interseted in hearing it for myself.

Anywhoo.. if anyone knows how to operate computers.. please tell us how to post videos.

the Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzz

[radagast]

[quote user="arie v"]


Hi BuzzyReed,

I believe Johannus went digital partially in 1990, and fully digital in 1991 or 1992. Arie V

[/quote]

Arie,

That caught my eye. Could you explain further? Do you mean some stops were digital and some were analog?

Bill

[arie v]

Bill,

You guessed correct. Johannus actually made some organs for awhile that were basically analog with maybe half a dozen digital stops. I suppose they really didn't have a good handle on the digital stuff yet, and were still developing it. The late 80s, early 90s were not great years for Johannus. They pretty near went broke at that time. I have schematics for some of these organs.

About 1991, they had been in business for 20 years. They had Hector Olivera do a CD for them. The sound was so much like their analog organs, I was hard pressed to hear much improvement over them.

Arie V

[soundboarddude]

Buzzy,

I always get a chuckle out of reading your posts...

It's pretty easy to post videos, but it's a little bit more challenging to upload videos. The easiest thing to do, in my opinion, is open a youtube account and just upload your videos there. Then you can just copy and paste the link into the forums.

cheers!