Divisions, manuals and pedals
Internally our organ is subdivided into 'divisions' - a division is a collection of ranks of pipes that are all played by the same controller (keyboard or pedalboard).
Victorian Chapel Organ has three divisions
Victorian Chapel Organ has three divisions
- 'Great' (the 5 stops coloured BLUE)
- 'Swell' (the 10 stops coloured GREEN)
- 'Pedal' (the 2 stops coloured PURPLE).
In a real church organ these 3 divisions would each be controlled by an individual controller - the Great 'manual' (organ-speak for keyboard), the Swell manual, and the pedalboard. So Victorian Chapel Organ represents an organ with 2 'manuals' and a pedalboard, typical of an organ in a small English church. With Victorian Chapel Organ the three divisions may be controlled all by a single keyboard, or by 2 keyboards, or for the complete church organ experience by 2 keyboards plus a set of USB MIDI pedals.
Even if you using the minimum setup of a single keyboard, you will still have access to the complete range of the organ's sounds by the use of the 'COUPLERS', which allow for example the 'Great' keyboard to directly play the sounds of the 'Swell' division.
These couplers exist on real church organs to aid playability and to deliver a more flexible tonal palette, and here they are essential to allow all the organ's voices to be played by a single attached keyboard.
One final word. The Swell division is named because on church organs the ranks of pipes of the swell division are enclosed in a shuttered box, like a set of venetian blinds, that can be opened or closed using a footpedal. This adds hugely to the expressiveness of the organ, as a rocking footpedal controlled by the player (the 'swell pedal') may be used to open and close the shutters to modulate the volume of the Swell division, while Great remains unaffected.
On Victorian Chapel Organ the swell function may be controlled by the Mod Wheel (MIDI CC 1), an attached Expression pedal (MIDI CC 11), or, if two sets of keys are being used, the Volume control of the Swell keyboard (MIDI CC 7) . In the more common case of a single set of keys being used, the keyboard's Mod Wheel or an attached Expression pedal will affect the volume of the swell division, with the keyboard's volume control (MIDI CC 7) affecting the overall volume of the app.
Next up - the Stops and Couplers of the Victorian Chapel Organ
These couplers exist on real church organs to aid playability and to deliver a more flexible tonal palette, and here they are essential to allow all the organ's voices to be played by a single attached keyboard.
One final word. The Swell division is named because on church organs the ranks of pipes of the swell division are enclosed in a shuttered box, like a set of venetian blinds, that can be opened or closed using a footpedal. This adds hugely to the expressiveness of the organ, as a rocking footpedal controlled by the player (the 'swell pedal') may be used to open and close the shutters to modulate the volume of the Swell division, while Great remains unaffected.
On Victorian Chapel Organ the swell function may be controlled by the Mod Wheel (MIDI CC 1), an attached Expression pedal (MIDI CC 11), or, if two sets of keys are being used, the Volume control of the Swell keyboard (MIDI CC 7) . In the more common case of a single set of keys being used, the keyboard's Mod Wheel or an attached Expression pedal will affect the volume of the swell division, with the keyboard's volume control (MIDI CC 7) affecting the overall volume of the app.
Next up - the Stops and Couplers of the Victorian Chapel Organ
