On my website I want to share my interests with you. Mainly these interests are:
- Church-organs (pipe-organs)
- Computing
- Electronics, development of electronic applications.
The combination of these three interests gave me the idea of creating a MIDI-interface with as purpose to create a computer-controlled organ. These days you can find on the internet several software-packages that enable your computer to build a realistic (virtual) console of a church-organ or theatre-organ or even clavichords and other instruments. But here we focus on the virtual pipe-organ.
The electronic circuitry for such a MIDI organ comes in the form of kits or ready-ready assembled and tested. All kits include the necessary parts and a professional print. Also called PCB (printed circuit board) called. These are invariably single sided PCB, so easy to work with.
By using the GINO BUS (read more on this site), the various components could be linked together in the form of modules. In this way one can build a modular MIDI Organ. This is very useful during the construction and experimentation.
Freeware bundles are: (for Windows) jOrgan, Grand Orgue and the commercial bundle Hauptwerk. There is also a Linux software bundle called GenPo. The soundcards these days are mostly of a very high quality, even the cheapest ones. This contributes even more to the realism of the organ-stop sounds played by the virtual organ.
To play an organ on a computer-keyboard is not really comfortable. This is the reason that I created a MIDI-interface that is able to connect 2 keyboards of 5 octaves and a pedal up to 32 notes, and can control up to 64 switches for registration changes. That is the Small-Midi.
A console with two keyboards is for many of you proved inadequate. Therefore I concentrated me on the development of the BIGMIDI. This is a MIDI interface that can handle five keyboards, a pedal up to 32 notes, and can control up to 2 x 64 switches for registration changes. This interface is also provided with six inputs for volume controls.
With this technique it is possible to create a complete digital church-or theatre-organ from a defect electronic organ or keyboard, or self-created keyboards and let the computer generate the sounds. In fact, your imagination is the limit on what you can accomplish with the GINO-MIDI Interface.
So, if you are not too afraid to use a soldering iron and know how to use some tools, then you have many options to become an organ-builder yourself. Take a look at the page called MIDI-Organ.
With kind regards,
Nico Goes