New Organ Build Topsy 3

So sad!! John will not know the impact he had on my life.... My most prized project in my wood working life was possible due to him...
I suspect a lot of people have the same sentiment. Even though I'm not an organ builder, I've watched from the sidelines for years. I can tell John was a kingpin in the community. Sorry to see the news.
 
I have to admit I am very new to this and don't know what exactly I will need music arrangement wise. I am ordering, or trying to order, music for my Topsy 3 I am building. I plan on building the full organ with all notes and pipes shown in the manual on sheet 26. I have an orgautomatech 64 midi decoder board that I somewhat plan on using if it will do what I need it to do. Can some one be so kind as to help me answer some of these questions below so the music will work in the topsy I build. I am trying to do as much research as I can, I am starting to craft my answers up in RED below his questions. I just need a lot of help filling in the unknowns.

I'm just wondering if you would let me know about the registers in the scale for your Topsy 3 organ please?

After studying the scale and discussing it with Melvyn Wright, Melvyn has suggested that I ask you about what ranks of pipes you're going to be having in your Topsy 3 organ. I have a feeling that the music I've so far sent to you, will have errors in it with regards to the register changes within each MIDI file.
I believe this would be Accompaniment, Melody Bourdons, Bass, Counter Melody, Melody Octave

Even though the scale for a Topsy 3 organ is similar to the 65 note Harmidi scale, there are differences. For instance, there doesn't seem to be any counter melody registers and a way to change these over, and also there isn't a Violin register in the melody section or a way to change Wood Block over to Snare Drum from what I can see.
I am unsure of the counter melody registers and I would agree that I do not see a violin register in the melody section. I think I probably will only have a block and not add a snare unless I need to.

The way Tom Meijer has configured his music for the 65 note Harmidi scale, this will cause problems when played on a Topsy 3 organ, as Tom, like me, wasn't aware of the differences between these 2 scales until now. Where Tom has changed counter melody registers, this will make a Triangle on a Topsy 3 organ operate for example.
I am unsure of what this means.

If you would explain to me your understanding of the registers in the Topsy 3 scale and what ranks of pipes you're going to be having in your organ, this will be a great help to me while I'm going through Tom Meijer's music for you. I feel that at the moment I'm wasting my time a bit checking the register changes over and making adjustments to them when really there isn't any point in me doing this with regards to some register changes within each MIDI file, if these don't apply to your organ.

If you would let me know what registers to set for the forte parts in the music, how Vibrato works and how it differs from Tremulant and also how to change over Wood Block to Snare Drum, I'd appreciate this a lot.

I think I have discussed this here but I dont think I will do vibrato and i dont know if I should or could easily do tremulant.

Also, is it possible to change registers over in the middle of a long note in the melody, or does this then cause the note to become muted at the point where this change occurs? When using Vibrato or Tremulant, can these be selected on their own, or do you have to re-select a register with them like you do in the Harmidi scale? And what is meant by "(reset)" that's written next to the Celeste register? Presumably Celeste just adds another rank of Bourdon pipes to the Single Bourdon register?

I am unsure of how to answer this question.
 
To those still here, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I’m still working on my Topsy. Spent the last four months recuperating from total knee replacement, kidney failure, and blood clot in my lungs. Just in time for prostate surgery on the 27th. Getting old is not fun. I‘m still looking for the “Golden Years”. Anyone know where they are?
 
MIDI tune supplier for Alan Pell and JS Topsy III.


Still working, through health problems, on my Topsy III.
 
Question as I look to start a new Topsy build.
Who are the current suppliers of the electronic boards and MIDI players?
Are there new ones not mentioned in this thread? I'm surprised there isn't an open source MIDI player design available.
 
Glad you are ready to start on the Topsy lll. Have construction pictures for the Topsy I build along with wiring diagrams I can share.
What stage are you with the construction? Are you here in the states?
 
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