Bruce Miles - MIDI Consoles Page

The two principal freeware Virtual MIDI Console applications available are jOrgan and Miditzer.

jOrgan

jOrgan, now at v 3.7, is a MIDI console equally suitable for the architecture of a classical or a theatre organ. It can be configured to emulate any size or layout of organ console and mimics the behaviour and appearance of a real organ console in detail, stops can be put on and taken off 'on the fly' whilst playing. It includes provision for second touch, settable combination pistons (divisional and general), swell controls, couplers, tremulants, and stop tabs or knobs. Multiple input and output ports can be used. 'Skins' which give the function and appearance of traditional classical, theatre and other types of console are available.

jOrgan also includes unification, arrangement of pipe ranks by chamber or by division, individual unenclosed stops, selective application of tremulants, melody and bass line stops, transferable divisions, crescendo, effects controls, combination memory and almost all facilities found on a real organ console. Disposition files define the appearance and facilities of the console; these you can create to have as many manuals, stops and controls as you wish. Real-time control is on screen with mouse or touch-screen, and/or from incoming MIDI messages you can specify, from your keyboard or console. jOrgan can also control external equipment including a Midi capable real organ.

jOrgan requires a recent version of Java to be installed (automatic and painless). Step by step instructions for installing, setting up and using jOrgan are in the jOrgan Notes file - download below. jOrgan is Freeware.

You can open Disposition files compiled in earlier versions. Consoles (Dispostion files) which use many of jOrgan's facilities, and screen shots are below. These Dispostion files are examples only, you can modify them or create your own.

Several specimen Dispostion files for my English Organ (eorg_) and Cinema Organ (corg_) Soundfonts can be downloaded below. These Disposition files are configured for use with Sound Blaster sound cards (SB) and with Fluidsynth softsynth (FS) The soundfont downloads are here .jOrgan is not Soundfont specific - other sound collection formats can be used but these are generally the most suitable.

The jOrgan Notes are written in a 'do this - do that' style and are intended mainly for beginners. Also available is the more erudite jOrgan Help file by Sven Meier, the programme's author.

Downloads.

jOrgan Notes for v3.4.(under revision)

Disposition Files. (Click a graphic to enlarge. Click the links to Download.)

Village Organ (vorg)

A small 2 manual 'straight' organ typical
of the organs found in many English village churches. Demonstrates the basic principles of jOrgan.

for SB
for FS

English Organ (eorg)

A 4 manual organ representative of a classical organ in an English city church.

for SB
for FS

Wurlitzer Style 216 Organ (w216org)

A small but versatile 2 manual Wurlitzer theatre organ.

for SB
for FS

Wurlitzer Style 260 Organ (w260org)

A typical early 3 manual Wurlitzer theatre organ.

for SB
for FS

Compton 3 Manual Organ (c3org)

A British Cinema Organ showing differences of facilities and tonality. Note the percussion switching and the Carillon and Vibraphone stops.

for SB
for FS

Evaluation Files

These are posted for evaluation and and have been tested with fluidsynth in jOrgan v3.7. Both allow tremulant switching while notes re held. For theatre organ this has the important performance advantage of not requiring notes to be released while tremulants are are switched on or off. This is not so where the more usual patch change method is used.

Controller Tremulant Switching Files.

These are for Compton Cinema Organ and use the detailed controller method for switching tremulants on and off. This method allows close control over tremulant parameters and is suitable for theatre organ The switch event is near perfect and very realistic. Only one set of patches and underlying samples is used and switching is accomplished by using midi controller #1 in the disposition file in conjunction with LFO frequency and the CC1 (Mod wheel) to depth and volume settings set in the soundfont. This must be compiled to v2.1 - Fluidsynth is v2.1 compatible, some soundfont editors and Soundblaster Live sound cards are not. This may have sound quality disadvantages where real samples are used but where the samples are synthesised and the tremulant parameters set in the soundfont there are no disadvantages.
Download and unpack the two files. Install the disposition file in your jOrgan/dispostions folder and amend the keyboard input and settings as required. Install the sf2 file with your soundfonts and browse to and load this new soundfont in the Fluidsynth Sound element(s) - Properties.

Download

Disposition file for controller switching.
Soundfont file for controller switching.

Coupler Switching File.

This disposition file represents the Wurlitzer Style 216 theatre organ. Tremulant switching is carried out entirely within the jOrgan disposition file. This is a way of implementing a patch and/or bank change and therefore uses the usual trem/no-trem pairs of samples and patches. This file uses the existing corg_w soundfont (on the soundfont page). The method can be used with real samples where separate with-trem samples may be desireable. There may be a slight discontinuity in the sound at the switch point.

Download

Disposition file for coupler switching.

Any comments will be very welcome - see the Mail page.

Miditzer

Miditzer is designed specifically to emulate the Wurlitzer Style 216 or 260 theatre organs. It provides a realistic appearance and theatre organ operation but the console layout is fixed. Control is 'on-screen' or from an external MIDI keyboard or console. It is very easy to set up. It comes complete with an appropriate Soundfont ready loaded into a built-in software synthsiser (Fluidsynth). The Soundfont is based mainly on the corg_w Soundfont above. Details, including screen shots and downloads are on the Miditzer website.