How to choose and buy an organ?

[Draft] 

Every beginner organist, sooner or later, the question is whether enough to go to school and deal with it, or put the electronic organ at home for daily rehearsals?

For people employed in which every minute counts, the second option is preferable. However, before buying a home organ, health, and evaluate their potential seriousness. If you do this enough, we’ll help you choose.

So you’ve decided to give some space for the installation of a home organ. To get started answer a few questions. This will determine what will be your home rehearsal studio:

·       What purpose do you have: amateur classes, training, etc.

·       How much money and space you are willing to allocate to the organ?

·       Where to buy a home electronic organ?

·       How important for you to emphasize their status?

To determine if you fit one or another organ, carefully read this review, to determine which class of tool you need at an early stage, and what could be the next steps.
Pay special attention to its technical specifications, reviews, video presentation (if any).
Then assess the appearance on the manufacturers’ websites.
Tools for organists are several types:

1) MIDI Organ (modular device)

2) For regular sessions at home or in school

3) Small Pipe organ – Positive

4) Pipe organ for Concert Hall.

The last three options, of course, are more durable and perfect. In addition, they are stationary (it is unlikely you will regularly move the organ), but take up very little space, little more than the square piano. Electronic Organ electricity consumes no more than a regular computer, so even if the regular classroom is virtually no impact on utility bills.

Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of the above types of instruments:

1) MIDI organ

Pros:

·       first of all is the price. Buying a Pedal with MIDI output (we can also offer you and keyboards too), you will be able to connect from 1 to 4 synthesizers or manual (keyboard, which produces no sound, but transmits keystrokes synthesizer), thereby obtaining a home the effect of a large concert instrument.

·       They can be controlled with a computer and special software, or from the control of the synthesizer

·       You will be able to model your own organ with the necessary registers for you, the sound of which was recorded with the best of the world

·       You can record your performance directly to your hard drive or CD

·       Since all the elements are connected by wires and transported piece by piece, this tool will be easy to carry

·       Any part of it is easy to replace or repair for very little money

Cons:

·       Looks like a «battery of synthesizers,» with a pedal on the organ

·       In case of multiple manual — you need a computer
Price from 500 Euros to 3500 Euros

2) Electronic organ for continous rehearsal  at home or at school and small concerts.

Great looks, stationary, and thus it takes up very little space in the house make it ideal for both amateurs and those who are just starting their education and for professionals of high level . It can be a very simple two-manual option with the most essential set of registers, as well as 3 or 4-manual instrument, similar to that of a concert, with a large selection of disposition.

Almost all of these models have all the necessary options for any organist:

·       One or more Swell box — (foot lever for testing the effect of crescendo-diminuendo)

·       Walze-programmable crescendo of organ

·       Choice of speakers (some variants of the room-up to the cathedral)

·       Transposer (it can be used to change the key, if necessary, for example, to adjust for a particular singer’s voice)

·       Large number of free combinations (so with a single click register change during the game without stopping)

·       Headphone connection (so you can play at any time of day and night) as well as many other options

·       Pedal, you can choose the 30 or 32 notes (full version), straight, radial

·       Tool is also useful to take out for concerts

Cons:

·       almost impossible to reprogram

·       in case of damage — the cost of repair will be very high
Price from 5000 EUR to 100 000 euro

3) Compact pipe organ — the «positive»
This pipe organ, which you can put in your home with a minimum number of registers (from 1 to 4). There will also be an excellent tool for training students in high school, college or Institute.

Pros –

·       for a professional, a concert organist on a regular basis, it is important not to lose the sense of «human» touch. Modern electronic organs are constantly being improved, but at this point no one has yet been able to achieve 100% of this simulation mechanics.

·       If properly amtained, lifetime of such an organ is almost limitless.

·       Compact size fits most of private houses and small halls

·       Does not require installation works

Cons:

·       Does not suit for an apartment since can not be used with headphones and moved through stairs and elevators (only disassembled).

·       Needs the support of a stable temperature and specific humidity.

Price from 20 000 to 50 000 Euro

4) Concert pipe organ.

Such an organ is suitable for installation in concert and conference halls, churches, hotels and private homes, and home of the concerts for salon evenings. For the professional classes on a regular basis a concert organist, this option is also the best. The tool is always being developed for a specific room, and is «built» to order for several months or even years. Sometimes it is necessary restructuring of the area under the demand of the organ acoustics.

Pros:

·       A wide range of registers

·       Amazing sound

·       All possible functions to perform at the highest level

·       Loudly declares about the status of the owner

Cons:

·       Large size

·       The need to work on the construction authority

·       Price (from 400 000 Euro)

·       Compare the characteristics of classes of tools you can on the examples in the table below:

 

Producer	Principal	Principal	Mixtuur	Principal	Johannus	Skrabl	The average firm
Instrument Type	Short footswitch	Footswitch	Footswitch	Midi-organ	Electronic organ	Pipe Positive	Pipe concert Organ
Model (as example)	FS-16	FS-32	30-tonig recht	MO-3	Symphonica 45	Positive organ	Opus
Price from the producer, Euro	500	850	1 625	2 500	23 000	36 300	400 000
Price with delivery to Russia	—	—	~2000	—	~25000	~40000	—
Number of manuals	—	—	—	3	3	2	2
Number of notes in pedal (footswitch)	16	32	30	32	30	30	32
Quantirty of registers	—	—	—	155	55	2	20
Transposer	—	—	—	Software	Yes	No	No
Shveller	—	—	—	Software	Yes	No	Yes
Country Producer	Russia	Russia	Holland	Russia	Holland	Slovenia	Germany
Weight, kg	15	30	30	100	100	200
Purpose	Beginners organists for home rehearsals and entertainers for the groups as a bass	Organists of all levels for home rehearsal	Organists of all levels for home rehearsal	Organists of all levels for home rehearsals and concerts of amateur	Organists of all levels for home rehearsals and concerts of professional	Organists of all levels for home rehearsals and concerts of professional	The owners of concert halls. Emphasize the status of the owner