Synthesizing the Band Organ Sound
By Robbie Rhodes
Newcomers Bob and Marcia Ebert (digest 950725) sound like they know good organ sounds, so here's a knotty question from Jody Kravitz [your erstwhile "Moderator"] and Mike Ames and me:
How can we play a Midi file of nifty band organ music into a synthesizer and get the sound of a real, live WurliTzer 165 or 92-key Ruth organ, or whatever? We are currently using Roland Sound Canvas synths for editing organ files, and while it's better than nothing, it sure leaves a lot to be desired. And I find the overblown cathedral voices pretty boring after awhile.
I'm told that Emu is possibly the leader in this sort of work. Can your Proteus 2 synth yield the intimate sounds of a 16th century tracker organ at two-foot range? How 'bout the intimate sound of a calliope or band organ at the same range (i.e., what the performer, wearing ear protection, hears)? And I hope the reverb effects can be disabled.
Another possibility is the fancy Rogers organ, I'm told. A knowledgeable musician friend (with good ears) attended a Rogers organ concert a few years ago, in which the organ was set up to emulate a large WurliTzer treater organ, with great gobs of gushing vibrato, et cetera. But he reported the sound very convincing, even the percussion "toy box".
Could you Eberts and the group offer some advice?
-- Robbie Rhodes<rhodes@foxtail.com> 26 July 1995
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(Message sent Thu 27 Jul 1995, 06:04:13 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.) |
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