Tonal Design and Structure

What stops do you want? What stops do you need? What stops does the music want and need?

Our answers to these questions are guided by THE INNOVA TONAL SYSTEM. It is a method of obtaining continuity from one model to the next, but is not restrictive, so as to allow for individual variations.

Each organ, from the largest to the smallest, is designed around a select core of stops:

Unenclosed Great and Positif divisions, based on a carefully selected foundation of pipe and digital voices.
An expressive all-digital Swell.
A multi-purpose Pedal, with independent voices as well as appropriate stops borrowed from the manuals.

We always start our tonal creation with the pipes of the Great division. These voices form the tonal backbone of the organ, and gives it the proper resources to accompany congregational song and play the majority of service-related organ literature. It is essential that it be based on pipe foundation stops before any other division.

The Positif is the Great’s natural extension to a second and contrasting manual. Properly scaled and voiced, these two divisions, plus appropriate Pedal stops, contain all the resources necessary to accompany a basic church service and play vast amounts of the Baroque and contemporary organ literature.

A properly developed and balanced Swell division is then the natural step towards a full-spectrum tonal palette. This division supplies the necessary sounds to accompany the choir and solo vocalists, as well as providing the grand effects handed down to us from the Romantic era.

Our general tonal style is based upon, but not restricted to, a combination of 20th century American and 19th century French tonal resources. But it is not a mere copy; rather it is a synthesis aimed at creating a new, 21st century style.

The flue stops are moderate in intensity, allowing for the maximum number of useful stop combinations possible.
The 8' flue stops are scaled and voiced to give a broad and supportive fonds which is nonetheless clean and articulate.
The 4' flue stops are accordingly scaled to produce a singing line which leads voices in song as well as defining the voices in the polyphonic literature.
The mixtures are clean and transparent - never obscuring or overshadowing the 8' and 4' lines.
The solo reed stops are voiced primarily to give highly distinctive voices which also serve to color the sound of the ensemble.
The power of the full organ is carried by the chorus reed stops, much as the power of the orchestra depends on the brasses.

Conceived by musicians for musicians and the people they serve, you will find our system produces a range of tonal color never before possible. From the clean and clear, yet warm and personable foundation stops, to the powerful and impressive, but never strident Trompettes and Clairons, your new Innova organ will speak with beauty, grace, and authority to the people who hear it.