This organ restoration never ceases to amaze me. I have heard the organ a few years ago when it was at about 35% playable, and it was awesome. The fact that y'all were able to reuse the wiring from the original combinations is really pretty cool. I can't wait to get back up to Jersey to hear the instrument in its current state. Keep the videos coming, they are fascinating.
I remember seeing a video but I can't remember which division it was in but its another relay that in either the fanfare or the echo that if they can get it up and running they can get the fanfare, echo, center and forward chambers working again
Chris, this and all of your videos dealing with restoration/modernization are simply mind blowing. The shear number of operations, electromechanical and otherwise is astounding. Thanks for the share!
Wow I can’t believe how you could take that old wiring and converted into new wiring you have to be electronica geniuses to figure all that stuff out I wouldn’t know where to start use people are doing an excellent excellent job on a work of art that’s what I love about pipe organs their works of art and their hand made great job to you and your staff
I would love to be taken on a tour of this magnificent musical machine. I first saw it as a member of the New Jersey High School All State Chorus in the late 1970’s. It was not working at the time. Boardwalk Hall and it’s organs are a national treasure. They are as complex as any early computer like the ENIAC or Univac.
You mentioned the organ now supports MIDI. Does that mean it's possible to play player piano roll scans / other MIDI files on the organ? A midi like Circus Galop would be really cool to hear on this beast!
If it’s viewable, I’d love to see a video from inside the console showing the back side of the stops with an explanation of their signal flow. Keep the videos coming! Thanks!
QUESTIONS: Was the combination action (presets) intended to move the stop tabs? Will future organists be able to save their presets on some sort of flash memory, and re-load them at a later performance? What will become of all the old wood electropneumatic switching equipment once the organ is brought under complete control of the Opus II system?
Yes the combination action always intended to move the stop tablets. I don't know if there's a card slot for an SD card or something, but the memory system is practically unlimited so they could just save their settings as "user number 1000" or something and come back to it. All the old switching equipment will be saved somewhere after the conversion to solid state.
Simply incredible, and incredible that it actually works! It's been great that the organ has still been playable as ongoing restoration takes place. If another course had been taken, though, and the organ was completely shut down and rewired, would things have been done differently, and would it have been simpler in the end?
The need to keep the organ playable has essentially meant that the right stage chamber gets restored bit by bit as needed, instead of all at once like the other chambers, and that the 7-manual console can't be taken offline for restoration until the 5-manual console has been restored and can play the organ. Once that's been done, the 7-manual console can get its full restoration, which will likely include moving the new combination action hardware into its kiosk. That would've probably been done in the first place if keeping the organ playable during restoration wasn't necessary.
Are the old components of the organ being preserved for historical reasons? For example, when the Flentrop in St. Marks, Seattle was given a new suspended action the orginal tracker balance action was preserved.
Is there concern that the basement could flood again with the new equipment there? Also how is second touch implemented with Hall Effect switches? I believe the two lower keyboards have second touch?
The current combination action setup is likely temporary. Putting everything in the basement and wiring it to the original combination action's junctions was the easiest way to get the new combination action up and running without taking the console offline. At some point in the future, the mobile 5-manual console will be restored, and will have its own solid-state combination action installed. Once it's done and able to play the organ, the 7-manual console can be taken offline for a full restoration. When this is done, its combination action boards could be moved into its kiosk and wired directly to the controls. This would allow the console's original wiring to be decommissioned and removed.
It was great to see more detail into the new electronics. I've been curious about it since the restoration started. How do they manage to trace out original wiring between the various rooms when all the wire is the same color and/or has been cut? It must have been hard getting the left chamber back up and running.
Actually it isn't that hard, the left chamber was totally and completely rewired with new color coded cable when it was restored. Just about anything that comes out goes back in with new cable.
Marvelous! Is there any noticeable difference in attack between the pipes fired by the original pneumatic switches and those fired directly by Opus II? Do the rocker tablets on the key cheeks operate from the presets? Will the swell box reverse tabs be operational?
There isn't a noticeable difference between the original and new relays because the chambers are so far from the console there's a delay no matter what you do! I don't know the answers to the other questions...
cnagorka seems a good idea to keep it functional with latest tech and reliable but keep the original parts there for people to se how it was the shot of the key contacts switching makes me shudder - I’ve been building a synth with an old keyboard and that was unreliable so how this still works is amazing
@@cnagorka Please at least save parts of the original control system as they get decommissioned. That would make for a great little museum of how things were done. Beautiful job on wiring up the new control circuitry!
I took it down because I accidentally tore the corner off of a little card that was sitting on one of the machines. People made a much bigger deal about that than the rest of the video and I got tired of it. I glued the card back together and it's in the archives now, it was like a little business card or announcement card for a show at the hall in the '30s and it had a could notes on the back about crescendo settings or something. Note that the Blower Attic video is the same material, but actually better because I climbed all the way back in that area and showed more stuff.
I thought that the combination action finally got to work again since 2019, so the new panel in front of the original ones is the newer combination action thing to like replace the older one or something?
The original combination action never worked correctly even when new, and was wiped out in the 1944 hurricane. It was never operable after that, so it was never working in 2019. Only the new combination action is actually working in the organ, but it's connected to the junctions of the old system- hence the confusion.
This organ restoration never ceases to amaze me. I have heard the organ a few years ago when it was at about 35% playable, and it was awesome. The fact that y'all were able to reuse the wiring from the original combinations is really pretty cool. I can't wait to get back up to Jersey to hear the instrument in its current state. Keep the videos coming, they are fascinating.
I remember seeing a video but I can't remember which division it was in but its another relay that in either the fanfare or the echo that if they can get it up and running they can get the fanfare, echo, center and forward chambers working again
What a thrill to get to see this tour! Thanks for posting! The red filler material is fireproof putty.
Chris, this and all of your videos dealing with restoration/modernization are simply mind blowing. The shear number of operations, electromechanical and otherwise is astounding. Thanks for the share!
Wow I can’t believe how you could take that old wiring and converted into new wiring you have to be electronica geniuses to figure all that stuff out I wouldn’t know where to start use people are doing an excellent excellent job on a work of art that’s what I love about pipe organs their works of art and their hand made great job to you and your staff
I would love to be taken on a tour of this magnificent musical machine. I first saw it as a member of the New Jersey High School All State Chorus in the late 1970’s. It was not working at the time. Boardwalk Hall and it’s organs are a national treasure. They are as complex as any early computer like the ENIAC or Univac.
This is all so astounding
Thank you for this tour of the King of Instruments.
You mentioned the organ now supports MIDI. Does that mean it's possible to play player piano roll scans / other MIDI files on the organ? A midi like Circus Galop would be really cool to hear on this beast!
If it’s viewable, I’d love to see a video from inside the console showing the back side of the stops with an explanation of their signal flow. Keep the videos coming! Thanks!
That's just mind blowing
this thing is a beast
More videos! Yay!
QUESTIONS:
Was the combination action (presets) intended to move the stop tabs?
Will future organists be able to save their presets on some sort of flash memory, and re-load them at a later performance?
What will become of all the old wood electropneumatic switching equipment once the organ is brought under complete control of the Opus II system?
Yes the combination action always intended to move the stop tablets. I don't know if there's a card slot for an SD card or something, but the memory system is practically unlimited so they could just save their settings as "user number 1000" or something and come back to it. All the old switching equipment will be saved somewhere after the conversion to solid state.
Thank you👍
WOW! It looks like the original used technology that looks like an old telephone central office crossbar switch.
This machine is actually from the time of Panel switches, as it was built in the 1920s and Crossbar wouldn't enter service until 1938.
I wonder if fiberoptics are in the future for this organ.... or whatever the next wave of tech will be.
Simply incredible, and incredible that it actually works!
It's been great that the organ has still been playable as ongoing restoration takes place. If another course had been taken, though, and the organ was completely shut down and rewired, would things have been done differently, and would it have been simpler in the end?
The need to keep the organ playable has essentially meant that the right stage chamber gets restored bit by bit as needed, instead of all at once like the other chambers, and that the 7-manual console can't be taken offline for restoration until the 5-manual console has been restored and can play the organ. Once that's been done, the 7-manual console can get its full restoration, which will likely include moving the new combination action hardware into its kiosk. That would've probably been done in the first place if keeping the organ playable during restoration wasn't necessary.
Are the old components of the organ being preserved for historical reasons? For example, when the Flentrop in St. Marks, Seattle was given a new suspended action the orginal tracker balance action was preserved.
Yep.
I'm surprised how much the original system reminds me of a hammond key contact system. I suppose that was the best way to do it at the time.
i would love to hear them play the can can on this instrument
Is there concern that the basement could flood again with the new equipment there?
Also how is second touch implemented with Hall Effect switches? I believe the two lower keyboards have second touch?
The current combination action setup is likely temporary. Putting everything in the basement and wiring it to the original combination action's junctions was the easiest way to get the new combination action up and running without taking the console offline. At some point in the future, the mobile 5-manual console will be restored, and will have its own solid-state combination action installed. Once it's done and able to play the organ, the 7-manual console can be taken offline for a full restoration. When this is done, its combination action boards could be moved into its kiosk and wired directly to the controls. This would allow the console's original wiring to be decommissioned and removed.
It was great to see more detail into the new electronics. I've been curious about it since the restoration started. How do they manage to trace out original wiring between the various rooms when all the wire is the same color and/or has been cut? It must have been hard getting the left chamber back up and running.
Actually it isn't that hard, the left chamber was totally and completely rewired with new color coded cable when it was restored. Just about anything that comes out goes back in with new cable.
Marvelous! Is there any noticeable difference in attack between the pipes fired by the original pneumatic switches and those fired directly by Opus II? Do the rocker tablets on the key cheeks operate from the presets? Will the swell box reverse tabs be operational?
There isn't a noticeable difference between the original and new relays because the chambers are so far from the console there's a delay no matter what you do! I don't know the answers to the other questions...
@@cnagorka thanks
so is the plan to make the whole thing solid state?and bypass all the original control?
Basically yes, but everything on the right side will be left in place with wind connected to it, so everyone will be able to see how it worked.
cnagorka seems a good idea to keep it functional with latest tech and reliable but keep the original parts there for people to se how it was the shot of the key contacts switching makes me shudder - I’ve been building a synth with an old keyboard and that was unreliable so how this still works is amazing
@@cnagorka Please at least save parts of the original control system as they get decommissioned. That would make for a great little museum of how things were done.
Beautiful job on wiring up the new control circuitry!
What happened to the nooks and crannies video???
I took it down because I accidentally tore the corner off of a little card that was sitting on one of the machines. People made a much bigger deal about that than the rest of the video and I got tired of it. I glued the card back together and it's in the archives now, it was like a little business card or announcement card for a show at the hall in the '30s and it had a could notes on the back about crescendo settings or something. Note that the Blower Attic video is the same material, but actually better because I climbed all the way back in that area and showed more stuff.
@@cnagorka sneak it back in…
Who manufactured the electronic gear you are using???
It’s called Opus II.
Where is the testing sound coming from?
I don't get what you mean.
The sound you heard when you said someone was testing something
@@gordonrucker4450 Someone was over in the left chamber testing one of the high pressure reeds, making it play by manually pushing in a primary pin.
I thought that the combination action finally got to work again since 2019, so the new panel in front of the original ones is the newer combination action thing to like replace the older one or something?
The original combination action never worked correctly even when new, and was wiped out in the 1944 hurricane. It was never operable after that, so it was never working in 2019. Only the new combination action is actually working in the organ, but it's connected to the junctions of the old system- hence the confusion.
@@chrisnagorka5199 ah, I see. So it's more of the modern processor based thing in front of the defunct original ones which is actually working.
Guess Opus 2?
Ha ha! It now has midi!
An Allen Organ would replace all of that!