[ Forwarded to MMD from Mark Curtis.  -- Robbie ]

Hi GusLuke@aol.com

> Dear Ingmar,  Thank you so much for responding to my letter.  I am
> such a novice I don't even know enough to respond to your questions.

No problem, but you will have to help me.  I can't guess what you don't
know, so keep asking.

> As to where I live, I live in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Hmmm, therefor this would be better placed in the MMD.  I don't know
that area.

> Size.  If you look at the organ on the web site being played by
> Hal O'Rourke, that is about the size I was thinking of and the
> type of cart.

This one?   http://www.pebworths.com/PPC/Hal.html

I had a look at it.  Perhaps you'd like to have a look at the MMD
Pictures gallery; my picture is there somewhere.  The picture of
Hal shows a 31-keyless Raffin organ, with probably 3 registers, on
a Raffin cart.

> I don't know which of the methods you mentioned to even choose from:
> books, rolls, barrels, electronic.  I am sure they all have their
> advantages and disadvantages.  I am not savvy enough to even comment.
> Those are the areas I need advice in.

Well, the organ on the picture is still produced.  I do know the
manufacturer personally.  The organ I'm cranking in the MMD-Archive
foto is also by Raffin.  This one is a 20-keyless "concert" organ
having 6 registers.  The cart shown was half self-made.  A cart by
Raffin is available.

Both organs are heavy.  Raffin produces "solid" organs.  Repairs
are mostly for free (kinda life-time guarantee).

See the link from the Links list at http://mmd.foxtail.com/
Take the entry to "Le Turlutain" and look for the organs.  More
technical data is shown there, or can be requested.

To the technicals:

Books:

The typical technic for small organs in France and for nearly
every big/fair-organ.

Disadvantages: They take lots of space and are heavy.

Advantages: A nice show effect to have the book runnin' through the
organ.

A book can be as large as you want, so whole operas are possible
without the need to shortcut.  You can start each book at whatever
position you like, to within seconds.  When finished with a book
you can simply put it away.  Max. amount of books able to carry:
up to 60;  in a cart: 20 [2*10]

Rolls:

the typical technic for small organs in Germany and most parts
of Great Britain.  A few German fair organs have rolls as well.
The system of all Raffin organs and compatibles.  On standard rolls
by Raffin there are up to 8 short cuts of songs.

Disadvantages: a roll cannot exceed a certain length (about 50m --
a small Ouvertuere may fit, but not more).  Not very easy to start
at a certain position, but work-arounds are possible: for example,
to put only one song on one roll.  You have to spool the roll backwards
when finished.  To see the process people have to look inside the
instrument.

Advantages:  rolls don't take so much space and aren't heavy.
Max. amount of rolls able to carry: up to 100; in a cart:
22 (= 21 in the cart [3*7] plus one in the organ).

Barrel:

the old-fashion way to have music reproduced.
All the old-Berlin organs (Bacigalupo, Frati, etc.) have this.

Disadvantages: not more then 9 tunes of 1 min. each per barrel.
Changing the barrels is "no good" nor easy.
To get new barrels is difficult.
To start at a different position than the beginning
is possible, but "no good" for the instrument.
To see the process people have to look inside the
instrument.

Advantages: when finished with a song simply switch over to another.
You can turn "on and on", it repeats the song.  "Collectors-image",
for it's an old organ.  Max. amount of barrels to carry: 3 ; in the
cart: 2, 1 in the cart, 1 in the organ.

Electronic ["chip"]:

This is the most modern system and the most discussed.  The old
league thinks that you can just as well take a cassette player
instead of such an organ.

Disadvantages: you need electricity to charge the battery.  Nuttin' but
a keypad can be seen as the process.  In contrast to the other systems
you can't "pronounce" the music as well.

Hmmm... is this a Disadvantage:  I don't like the sound of these
organs:  I do miss the sound of mechanics, instead I hear the
too-perfect sound of the electronics.

Advantages: more music then you will ever need.  You can crank and need
not to care about the speed; you just have to look to produce enough
wind.  Easy production of music: just MIDI on disks -- no limit.

> Thanking you in advance for any help you can give me.

Pro noblem !

greetings by(e) InK - Ingmar Krause

P.S.: If you don't mind, then forward this message to the MMD.
I'm sure others have comments or would like to read it.

 [ Thanks, Mark and Ingmar, for sharing this.
 [
 [ The earlier electronically-controlled crank-organs played data
 [ stored on a removable ROM card.  I guess that, due to customer
 [ demand, newer organs can play from standard MIDI files stored
 [ on floppy disk, and might even be playable from a remote MIDI
 [ signal source.  -- Robbie ]