"Phantoms of the Organ" Halloween bash

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Great Halloween event, once again. Church filled. Of course, doesn't matter where you sit as far as loud bass is concerned. Not as many costumes, less chit-chat and jokes from the MC, but more heavy-duty great organ sound with more than usual loud pedals. The organ is placed in the centre of the nave just upwind of the steps, facing away, so the audience can see the operation of the organ, esp. the wonderful pedal playing. See pictures in post #19.

Started (as always) with the good old rousing "T&F in d minor" played as expertly, fast, and loud as I have ever heard by Patricia Wright the local master of the organ, Canada's largest. Ended with Gigout's even more rousing "Toccata."

Hit over 100 dBC a few times. And for wooferholics, sure sets the standard to aim for at home, not some over-heated Hollywood imagination of what bass should sound like cooked up at a sound board.

Anybody planning a DIYaudio Halloween extravaganza for their location next year? Shouldn't be hard to pitch an event of this sort to raise money for refurbishing the church organ*.

Ben
*PM me for info about how the Royal Canadian College of Organists arranges this one - for student organ scholarships and for rebuilding the organ.
 
Last edited:
Great night of LOUD French organ music (and as always, the good old T and F, of course). Largest organ in Canada. Casavant of course, 8300 pipes.

Place was really rockin' with peaks of 98dB (not sure if my otherwise reasonably calibrated smartphone SPL meter is A, C, or MotoG... but runs a bit low on lower bass as compared to my Radio Shack SPL). Puzzling when I hear people post their heartfelt longings for subs that go to 110dB*.

All the old favourites that an organ lover might never hear in their whole lifetime: Boellmann, Langlais, Widor, Vierne, Gigot (yes, all had pieces played last night).

Free (or contribution to scholarship fund). Full church.

Try not to miss it next year. Come in costume. See picture above.

Ben
*SciAm recently had article pointing out there's damage to hearing even when you have loud exposures and get temporary threshold shift and it "seems" to go away.
 
Last edited:
Place was really rockin' with peaks of 98dB (not sure if my otherwise reasonably calibrated smartphone SPL meter is A, C, or MotoG... but runs a bit low on lower bass as compared to my Radio Shack SPL). Puzzling when I hear people post their heartfelt longings for subs that go to 110dB*.

Ben
*SciAm recently had article pointing out there's damage to hearing even when you have loud exposures and get temporary threshold shift and it "seems" to go away.
Back in post #19 you wote:
"Ummm, seems my Radio Shack meter reads on loud parts about 98 dBC. But the lab correction at 20 Hz is 15 dB and at 30 Hz it is 10 dB, maybe 7 dB at 40. So, maybe you should add 12 dB to that peak*. Dunno."
Ben,

My calculator told me 98 + 12 = 110.
So you may have heard some 110 dB low notes. Dunno.
Do know that once you get used to 115 dB SPL at 16 Hz, 110 dB doesn't seem so loud any more ;).
 
There's no disputing taste (in loudness or cheese).

But your math is, um, superficial. I can't be precise but I don't think the bulk of the sound was related to the notes so low that the meter correction matters much. Real music - even biggest live pipe organ in Canada - just hasn't vast oomph below 32 Hz's.

The speedometer has hit over 100dBC on rare occasions in my music room. Pretty darn loud.

Ben
 
Data points

Compared two SPL meters, "Sound Meter" an Android app on my Motorola G2 and good old RS 42-3019.

For dbC on the RS, they match pretty well for highs and lows but the cellphone reads about 3-4 dB higher. That might be due to fast response on the cellphone to peaks. Dunno. While both devices are a bit shy at the lowest notes, there's hardly a moment even in organ music when the super-low frequencies drive the power distribution envelope.

Ambient at the bash was about 35 dB(cell), quietest passages around 45 dB(cell), and peaks on the Bach and Franck at 101 db(cell). You might call that a real-world 66 dB S/N.

First picture shows the esteemed and refined cohort of organists, including the famous swan lady in the middle. Also shown is the Programme (AKA program) - sorry you missed it, eh. Naturally, some spooky versions of the Phantom of the Opera theme but oddly missing was Gounod's March (Alfred Hitchcock theme). This year, more music and less talk. Yeah!

Another picture and comments at post 913:

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/clubs-and-events/212618-toronto-diy-meetup-46.html#post5584654

B.
 

Attachments

  • organ player cast w swan lady.jpg
    organ player cast w swan lady.jpg
    152.7 KB · Views: 63
  • organ.jpg
    organ.jpg
    99.5 KB · Views: 65
  • Programme.jpg
    Programme.jpg
    127.4 KB · Views: 64
Last edited:
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.