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.

@chadbeverly4926

2 жыл бұрын

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.

This is all so astounding

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!

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.

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

Thank you for this tour of the King of Instruments.

That's just mind blowing

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!

More videos! Yay!

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!

this thing is a beast

Thank you👍

WOW! It looks like the original used technology that looks like an old telephone central office crossbar switch.

@user2C47

Жыл бұрын

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.

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?

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.

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.

@cnagorka

3 жыл бұрын

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.

i would love to hear them play the can can on this instrument

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?

@cnagorka

3 жыл бұрын

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.

I wonder if fiberoptics are in the future for this organ.... or whatever the next wave of tech will be.

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?

@cnagorka

2 жыл бұрын

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...

@charleslayton9463

2 жыл бұрын

@@cnagorka thanks

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.

@cnagorka

2 жыл бұрын

Yep.

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?

@KingdaToro

2 жыл бұрын

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.

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?

@chrisnagorka5199

2 жыл бұрын

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.

@NeilPrasad_1905

2 жыл бұрын

@@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.

so is the plan to make the whole thing solid state?and bypass all the original control?

@cnagorka

3 жыл бұрын

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.

@elektroboots1670

3 жыл бұрын

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

@A_Bit_of_Thought

3 жыл бұрын

@@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!

Who manufactured the electronic gear you are using???

@chrisnagorka5199

3 жыл бұрын

It’s called Opus II.

Where is the testing sound coming from?

@cnagorka

2 жыл бұрын

I don't get what you mean.

@gordonrucker4450

2 жыл бұрын

The sound you heard when you said someone was testing something

@cnagorka

2 жыл бұрын

@@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.

What happened to the nooks and crannies video???

@cnagorka

Жыл бұрын

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.

@scottweir1356

Жыл бұрын

@@cnagorka sneak it back in…

Ha ha! It now has midi!

Guess Opus 2?

An Allen Organ would replace all of that!