chord organ

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floid
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chord organ

Post by floid » Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:07 pm

So I found a little magnus chord organ for cheap the other day, which seems to be perfect for the track I'm working on. I used a 635a about 3' above it, adjusting until I found a good balance ( the reeds cover a span of about 18"). Results were a bit shrill but close enough to eq, and a touch of tremelo brought things to life. Swelling the mechanical noise into the mix at the intro made for a nice little moment, the drummer thought it was something he,d done that I flew in.
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Post by variableD » Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:59 pm

I've thought for a while it'd be a good idea, though I haven't tried this yet, to replace the fan with an ultraquiet one made for cooling a pc. Nothing like that existed back when these things were made. Could potentially increase the signal to noise significantly. Of course that doesn't help if you want to use the noise as an effect!

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Post by Drone » Thu Jan 14, 2016 6:44 pm

I got one, because I was doing a punk sea shanty thing, and nobody could play accordian.

I'm cheap and used a cardioid dynamic about 6" above the top.

The organs are so loud, a gate was enough for me.
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Post by Gregg Juke » Fri Jan 15, 2016 6:13 am

That's funny... I have a toy organ like this one (no, I'm not "Mrs. Hines"): http://www.mrshinesclass.com/2011/12/16 ... ric-organ/ . I haven't had the stones to actually use it on a track yet, so I'd love to hear what you guys are doing with your organs (cue-- vvv comment with horned smiley emoticon)...

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Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Fri Jan 15, 2016 6:41 am

I've got an old wooden italian made one that I use a fair bit. It's great for drones and sounds especially good combined with tempura or shruti box sounds (both of which I get from an iPhone app).
The motor is pretty noisey so you need to frig around with mic placement and trim out any audio where you're not playing. Micing from across the room helps too.

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Drone
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Post by Drone » Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:16 am

Mmmm, I like my tempura with BBQ sauce :twisted:
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Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:58 am

Drone wrote:Mmmm, I like my tempura with BBQ sauce :twisted:
Whoops! Tanpura. Tempura is too greasy for me.

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Drone
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Post by Drone » Fri Jan 15, 2016 9:03 am

It's funny, I don't know if it's a UK vs. US thing about phonetic translations, but I'd always called it a tamboura until I moved over here, and tanpura seems to be more commonly used now.
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Post by lyman » Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:07 am

Years ago, probably right after college because I was living at my parent's place, I was driving to my friend's house and passed an organ on the curb that somebody was getting rid of. I'm psyched so I go back home, borrow the station wagon, and grab the thing.

It worked for the most part but there were some glitches and it hummed quite a bit. Whatever, it's free I'm thinking. One day I fire it up to record and it starts making this really cool drone on its own. (Sidebar: I was able to record it thinking it might come in handy. Later on, I had a song that I wanted to degenerate into noise and then get all ethereal, and it worked perfectly! The organ is prominent in the ambient end section. The song is uncharacteristically goth-rock for my usual style but it's topical so I'll share: She Haunts Me)

A few weeks later, my buddy and I haul the organ to his place since he had more of a home studio at the time. I think we had tried to use it but it was being especially flaky and gave up, then a little later we smelled smoke and figured it was coming from the organ. So we pull it out the basement door to his back yard, pull the back off and the whole inside - the guts and wooden frame - is a charred, smouldering mess! We were lucky to have found it before it got worse I suppose.

So the moral if there is one is think twice before picking up roadside organs or hitchhikers.

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Gregg Juke
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Post by Gregg Juke » Fri Jan 15, 2016 12:35 pm

I'll bet that organ drone part was smokin' hot, though! (Bit-doom-BAH!!!) (horned emoticon goes here)...

You haven't lived until someone yells to you and your buddy, as you drive by with an open window, those 10 immortal words..................... "Hey you kids, get outta that car! It's on FIRE!!"

True story (except it wasn't really on fire, just sparking a little bit with some smoke as well... The nerve of some people!).

GJ
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Post by vvv » Fri Jan 15, 2016 2:07 pm

lyman wrote:roadside organs
My next band name ... :twisted:
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Post by drumsound » Fri Jan 15, 2016 9:48 pm

I had a toy chord organ as a kid. I wonder if its still at my folks. I also bought an older one at a pawn shop, but had to do Eventide tricks to tune it when I used it for a drone.

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Post by vvv » Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:15 am

Doing tricks with a older organ can be exhausting, but rewarding - I know. :twisted:

(That was for GJ, everyone else should ignore me. As should GJ.)
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Gregg Juke
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Post by Gregg Juke » Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:21 am

I shall do no such thing!

I would have been disappointed if you had ignored my reference...

GJ
Gregg Juke
Nocturnal Productions Music Group
Drum! Magazine Contributor
http://MightyNoStars.com

"He's about to learn the most important lesson in the music business-- 'Never trust people in the music business.' "

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Post by KennyLusk » Sun Jan 17, 2016 2:52 pm

Now that you have one of those you could do a cover of Eddie Vedder's "The Wolf" from the Into The Wild soundtrack.
"The mushroom states its own position very clearly. It says, "I require the nervous system of a mammal. Do you have one handy?" Terrence McKenna

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