The Pro Organo label of recordings and its parent firm, Zarex Corporation, have entered the digital musical instrument field with a product called the Orgamuse. It was unveiled December 21 with a press release at www.ProOrgano.com and with videos posted at https://Vimeo.com/ProOrgano. The videos show Orgamuse being played by its designer and architect, organist Frederick Hohman. Hohman describes Orgamuse as a digital music “platform” with roots in the traditional pipe organ.
The prototype, developed between January and October 2015 at Pro Organo’s studio in South Bend, Indiana, includes components from several American and Canadian craftspeople and vendors. The prototype has been designed and built primarily with Hohman’s own composition work and concert touring in mind.
Orgamuse is a four-manual plus pedalboard MIDI and USB-driven digital music platform, which simultaneously plays or “keys” both classical, sample-based digital instruments (such as processor-intensive samples of traditional pipe organs) as well as the gamut of physically-modeled digital voices (which are not processor-intensive), many of which are from the synthesized music realm of pop and rock music. While the Orgamuse platform conforms to American Guild of Organists console specifications in its manual and pedalboard measurements, it features several innovations.
Support for its manuals and digital music rack is through a cold-rolled aluminum support beam. This single support is also the conduit through which Orgamuse’s wiring passes down to its base. To achieve an open design, Orgamuse has no traditional organ bench, because benches often obstruct the view of the organist. Hohman has designed a sturdy welded-aluminum perch having a minimal footprint that allows for a full range of motion over the pedalboard.
The traditional foot rail of an organ bench has been replaced with a translucent arc which is attached to the pedalboard base through five vertical supports. The pedalboard is constructed of translucent and transparent materials. When in “light-show mode” its individual pedals glow brightly as they are played.
Although Orgamuse has only six toe studs, each toe stud can be cycled through a menu of user-defined functions. It also offers five expression shoes, one for each manual and the pedalboard, and these may also be cycled through a menu of user-defined functions. There are no stop jambs or stop rails. All patches, voices, and stops are selected in “program mode” during rehearsal using a traditional keyboard and mouse that are stowed during presentation. Real-time display of “registrations” and sound patches appear on the detachable digital music rack.
A roll-around electronics equipment rack houses its sound-generating modules and computers and attaches to the platform through a single cable bundle. For information on the instrument and concerts, visit www.ProOrgano.com.
