The sound of a church organ is unmistakable and loved by many people around the World, this unique sound cannot be copied by a small digital keyword due to fact that only a church organ uses pressurized pipes to create sound, something that cannot be recreated digital.
A standard church pipe organ contains one or more sets of pipes, a unique wind system, and one or more keyboards. These pipes produce sound when pressurized air produced by the wind system passes through them when the keys and pedals are pressed and this is why the sound is so unique and identifiable.
Pipe organs where was first used for ceremonial purposes is the early 1400s, then later that century the use of pipe organs was well established in monastic churches and cathedrals throughout Europe.
Pipe Organ or Digital Organ? Which Sounds Better?
The digital organ has improved massively in recent decades and continues to improve year on year thanks to companies such as Viscount Organs who are constantly developing new and improved systems and software. Digital organs utilize sophisticated recording and sampling technology to make high-tech recordings of organ pipes and the sound does come very close. So why do pipe organs still sound better? or is it only the trained ears or church goers and professional musicians who actually notice the difference?
Obviously, classic pipe organs have many substantial advantages over their digital counterparts, including visual splendour, the quality of the materials and craftsmanship. However, over and above all these advantages is the very important matter of the sound produced and the answer as to why pipe organs usually sound much better lies in the interaction of sounds that one hears when many notes on multiple stops of the organ are played together simultaneously so when several musical notes are produced by a number of pipes, every partial of every note creates its own sound waves in the air thus creating the unique continuous sound that is unmistakeable. In contrast, digital organs contain speakers rather than pipes and each speaker can only send a single sound wave.
What Is The Best Digital Organ For Home Use?
OK, we don't all own a Church or cathedral that can have a pip organ installed, so what is the best digital organ you can buy fro you home, school or small concert hall?
Many digital organs have very good sound and are actually designed for smaller venues such as homes, schools and small concert halls where pipe organs simply aren't practical.
The sound produced by a good quality digital organ, while not having that unique multi layer quality can be very good indeed but you must make sure that you buy or rent the correct organ for the size of your venue as an expensive, overpowered organ will not sound as good as a cheaper less powerful organ if your venue is small, so always ask the advice of an expert.
Church Organs Direct, based in Swansea are authorised Viscount Organ dealers and service agents and have both sold and rented organs to homes, schools and churches all over the UK
