> David Lee Woolsey raises a very interesting comparison in his last =
> paragraph as to whether the later Rodgers organs were the best ever.
> We imported several American Classic models and to my ear they were =
> superlative examples of pipeless organ sound, far superior to anything =
> that was current at that time and probably much superior to some of the =
> later organs by other makers.
> Obviously Rodgers could not continue to make such top quality organs =
> because of commercial pressures and the "must have digital technology", =
> but I still have a soft spot for those rather rich, warm sounds that =
> they produced.
>
> Bill Glasson,


I remember well how musical some of the analog instruments were.  I have returned to an Allen from the early 70's I played in my teens to see it if was as listenable as I thought.  And it surely was - comfortable in its skin being a sweet not-trying-to-be-a-pipe-organ-instrument. I learned most of my concert works in lone Utah country churches with sweet Allen and Rodgers oscillators.  Very beautiful tones.  Makes sense: Masses of iron transformers/oscillators varied with temperature, humidity, sort of pulled and tugged with each other in tuning and character.  It was sort of different every time you played the note.  That in and of itself made it a more pliant kind of medium.  And nice emulated sound was likely more the end goal,  not an endless tick to imitate irregardless of what the result is.

It is common knowledge with main-line recordists that digital sound tends to disquieten/tire the human ear - sort of like florescent lights just tend to bug humans.  They don't spend their life obsessing why and trying to sell as otherwise - as Sebastian put it so well, considering it an "artistic and ethical victory fooling most of the people most of the time".  Pros know what medium works for certain things, and what doesn't.  They punch out the factory dance and pop with the computers, but certainly keep a good tape deck and plump analog board handy for more careful work.

Weston
Los Angeles

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