Concept
The instrument design was arrived at after listening to various examples of the Phoenix electronics system. Serious consideration was given to having them provide the complete instrument using a console built by Renatus. However the decision to have Sixsmiths of Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne be the prime supplier was taken in view of the close local connection I have with Sixsmiths (they built the pipe organ I play each Sunday) and the opportunities that allowed for easy liaison in having them provide a high quality, fully custom made drawstop console, using the same components as many of their pipe instruments.
Result
The result is a three manual console, much of it in solid mahogany. The toe-sprung pedal board began life on a pipe organ at St James Church in Oldham, but has been fully dismantled, refinished, stained and sealed to give a new look with a nice pipe association. Using local construction facilitated experimentation over wood stain colours to get just the desired result. The instrument is unlike many home instruments in having no internal amplifiers or loudspeakers. There are eight channels of sound and these are linked to multiple Genelec active loudspeakers arranged C and C# style around the lounge, each speaker containing a bi-amplified pair of speaker drivers. The organ also includes a PHMusic designed and built combiner unit that, as well as muting switch-on transients, allows the same speakers to be used, simultaneously if necessary, as part of a high grade multi-channel audio replay system.
The console has 64 drawstops and the standard Phoenix multi-level sequencer and piston system. It was decided that having eight generals and eight divisional on each key slip was excessive for a home instrument so only six divisional and four general pistons are fitted on each slip to give a tidier look.
Specification
The concept was for it to be an English sounding instrument with sufficient flexibilty to cope with any of my current repertoire and the possiblities to expand beyond that. The specification is as follows:
Great Pedal Miscellaneous Violone 16 Contra Bourdon 32 Gt & Ped combinations coupled Open Diapason I 8 Open Diapason 16 6 thumb pistons to Swell, Great & Choir Open Diapason II 8 Quintaton 16 12 (= 4 x 3) general pistons Gamba 8 Bourdon 16 Great & Swell pistons duplicated on toe pistons (swell left) Hohl Flute 8 Octave 8 Toe reversibles for Gt to Ped and Sw to Gt Stopped Diapason 8 Bass Flute 8 53 speaking stops Principal 4 Choral Bass 4 64 moving drawstops Harmonic Flute 4 Mixture 15.19.22 Twelfth 2 2/3 Contra Bombard 32 Fifteenth 2 Trombone 16 Mixture 19.22.26 Bassoon 16 Sharp Mixture 29.33 Schalmei 4 Double Trumpet 16 Gt to Pedal Trumpet 8 Sw to Pedal Clarion 4 Choir to Pedal Sw to Great Choir to Great Swell (enclosed) Choir (enclosed) Contra Salicional 16 Principal 8 Open Diapason 8 Stopped diapason 8 Gedact 8 Gemshorn 4 Viol D'Orchestre 8 Koppel Flute 4 Voix Celeste II Nazard 2 2/3 Principal 4 Block Flute 2 Nason Flute 4 Tierce 1 3/5 Fifteenth 2 Larigot 1 1/3 Nineteenth 1 1/3 Cymbale 26.29.33 Mixture 22.26.29 Clarinet 8 Contra Fagotto 16 Echo Trumpet 8 Cornopean 8 Tuba 8 Oboe 8 Tremulant Clarion 4 Swell to Choir Super Octave Tremulant Rotary lever switch "Blower On/Off" at base of Choir jamb plate Choir to Swell The Phoenix system has been provided with an alternate north German style set of samples, but as they are not a priority, no significant time has been spent voicing and regulating those. The instrument is normally left in an equal temperament but Silberman, Velotti and Werckmeister options can be selected when needed.
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