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MIDI ORGAN
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In the early 1990’s Chester retired his Yamatech and opted for playing a MIDI keyboard system. By today’s standards Chester’s regular gig rig (MIDI ORGAN) has some old high-tech equipment in it. However, it still sounds good and he continues to use it on many of his gigs. The system can be upgraded as new gear appears. |
Hammond’s XM-1 is the heart of the MIDI ORGAN set up. It runs though the Motion Sound Pro T3. Chester uses the Quik Lok T Stand for two keyboards. A MIDI retrofitted Lowrey Lincolnwood pedalboard includes velocity control. The left damper pedal controls the start and stop. Sustain pedals on the right are for the upper and lower keyboards. Two American DJ Par Can-38B stage lights illuminate the pedalboard. This rig is very reliable and one person could set it up. However, setting it up can take ninety minutes or more.
MIDI ORGAN:
Korg T2 EX
Yamaha SY-77
Hammond XM-1 with Drawbar Controller
Motion Sound Pro T3
(1961) 25-note Lowrey Lincolnwood Pedalboard
FOX SPECIAL
Merging New Technologies with Tradition
The Chester Smith FOX Special is a fabulous instrument conceived from twenty-five years in product design. It’s a tribute to 20th Century FOX Motion Pictures and the FOX Theaters. Chester’s new instrument is also a tribute to the era of Robert Hope-Jones, who provided a wealth of ideas that made Wurlitzer the largest and most respected theater organ builder. It was the greatest era in the history of the organ.
Chester incorporated many useful features such as inclining keyboards, adjustable combination pistons under each keyboard, and concave-radial pedalboard. These things relieved the organist of useless physical exertion.
History and Foundation
At the turn of the century Wurlitzer was already a popular supplier of musical instruments. Unit Orchestras, their trade name for theater organs brought Wurlitzer greater popularity. By the late 1920’s there were more Wurlitzer’s out in theaters than any other brand. The pipe organ, especially the theater organ played a significant role in the evolution of keyboard instruments. The Unit Orchestra also paved the way for performance of popular music on the pipe organ. The theater organ was, in concept, a simulation of the orchestra and was nothing like a classical or gothic pipe organ. The general public enjoyed hearing music played on theater organs. Their enormous popularity raised the theater organ to a higher level during the silent film era. Through this period Thomas “Fats” Waller was swinging on this new type of pipe organ. At the time, most jazz piano players did not switch to the pipe organ because of technical differences.
1926 was a productive year at the Wurlitzer plant in North Tonawanda, New York. Many new and exciting products were making their way off the product line. Among the various new Unit Orchestras was a five manual organ shipped to Detroit’s Michigan Theater (Opus 1351). This bigger console established a new console size in their lineup; it was later used that same year in large four manual organs for the Ambassador Theater, St. Louie Missouri (Opus 1377) and the New York City Paramount Theater (Opus 1458). The NY Paramount organ was the first four manual thirty-six rank organ. Four subsequent orders executed in 1928 were for the FOX theaters in Brooklyn, New York - St. Louis, Missouri – Detroit, Michigan and San Francisco, California.
A NEW ERA
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Chester played professionally on a Hammond B3 with an 8' sustain bass through the 70's and early 80's. He switched to a Yamaha 415 with a Leslie speaker with four channels in 1983. Technics PCM organs hit the US market in 1983. The Yamaha DX-7 and FM organs with velocity keyboards were also making their impact on the music products industry about the same time. The technology was changing. These new instruments were the beginning of the new high tech revolution in America. As technology moved forward, Chester kept the jazz organ registrations in his instrumental vocabulary. |
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In 1985 Technics came out with the F3 PCM console model with 25 pedals. It had a programmable step-time drum unit and some other interesting features. Chester acquired an F3 and a DX-7 and placed them in a console together a year later. The three manual organ was called a Yamatec. Audiences loved the Yamatec. Chester's jazz organ hero and friend, Jimmy Smith liked it too. By 1991 Chester retired his Yamatec and opted for playing MIDI keyboards and bass pedals. |
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CHET SMITH FS-1SL FOX SPECIAL SLAVE was commissioned 1995 and completed in 2000. Chester designed this wonderful Grande MIDI controller, long-time friend David G. Schutt a brilliant man engineered it. P&S Organ Supply in England built three customized double touch keyboards. P&S also built Chester’s AGO pedalboard with a Wurlitzer second touch system. There are one hundred twenty-two Syndyne second touch combination pistons with sixteen memory levels. Peterson Electro-Musical Products in Alsip Illinois designed the MIDI Resource System. Bob Rhoads, Vice President for Schoenstein & Co. Organ Builders made several electronic modifications and cabinet alterations. Arias Brothers Cabinetry in Sun Valley, Nevada built the console. Dick Flint of Flintworks also in Sun Valley finished the console in satin black. Fabtech Mechanical in Sunnyvale, California did the labor to modify the “Chester Chair.” Larry Robinson Custom Inlays duplicated Wurlitzer’s Fox organ console ormolu decoration with exotic materials. |
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Solo Manual exposed, all manual keys are variable pitched and made of wood. The sharp keys are 16” and the naturals are 18” inches in length. The Concert Grand Stack is inclined a little higher and slightly deeper than the AGO (American Guild of Organist). Currently the manuals weights of touch are set at two and a half ounces. |
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Solo Manual Second Touch Springs exposed. All of the keyboards have after touch (second touch) and transmit velocity. The accompaniment compass is 88 notes, the great and solo manuals have 61 notes. Chester specified his second touch be slightly deeper and heavier to the touch. The rear action manuals also include an adjustable spring in the back enabling him to balance a specified action. Part of the Peterson MIDI Resource System is located on the right side of the console. |
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Rods anchored to the base support the great manual. The keys are carefully drilled where the rod protrudes. |
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The keyboard profile was modeled after the keyboards P&S built for Schoenstein & Co. Organ Builders in San Francisco, California. The naturals are covered with bone and fitted with ebony fronts. The sharps are made of beautiful African black wood. Notice the grain in the wood on the sharps. |
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P&S also built Chester’s 32-note AGO pedalboard. The naturals are covered with extruded aluminum “T” molds, inspired by the Hammond X-66. The pedal sharps are also African black wood. Like the manuals, the pedal board includes second touch and transmits velocity. |
TONE GENERATORS
Pedal,
MIDI Channel #1-Korg X5DR, Hammond XM1
Accompaniment,
MIDI Channel #2-Kurzweil 2500R, Akai
S5000, Hammond XM1
Great,
MIDI Channel #3-Roland 2080, Emagic EXS24, Akai
S5000, Hammond XM1
Solo,
MIDI Channel #4-Yamaha TG-77, Emagic EXS24, Akai
S5000
Here are a few of the CD- ROM sounds Chester uses on his Fox
Special SL.
Kirk Hunter Strings-Ilio, Quantum Leap Brass-East/West,
Take Six Vocal Syllables-Kurzweil, Symphony Of Voices-Spectrasonics,
Peter Siedlaczek’s Advanced Orchestra Volume #5 Percussion & Harp-Best
Service, and Bass Legends, John Patitucci, Marcus Miller, Abraham
Laboriel-Spectrasonics. © Chester E. Smith, 2008
Two Peterson expression pedals control MIDI volume
for the pedalboard and the manuals. The left shoe controls the Pedalboard and
Accompaniment, MIDI Channels 1 & 2. The right expression pedal controls the
Great and Solo, MIDI Channels 3 & 4. A joystick attached to the left
expression pedal controls the pitch bend on the Great, MIDI Channel 3. The right
expression pedal also has controls for the Motion Sound, Stop-Start &
Slow-Fast. To the right of the expression pedals are three damper pedals, one
for each manual.
There are two expression indicators above the right
sloping control panel. This panel also contains controls for the (Pistons)
Peterson MIDI Resource System.
If the feet are too busy, a programmable knee lever
is provided. Chester programmed the knee lever to sustaining the Accompaniment
manual.
Four independent joysticks allow you to
bend notes on different manuals and pedals simultaneously.
The FOX Slave has one hundred ten illuminated
pistons with sixteen levels that transmit all of the program changes. Chester
programmed most of his pistons with orchestral sounds and Hammond organ
settings. There are forty generals, twenty divisionals for each manual and ten
pistons for the pedal board. Each key cheek has two additional pistons for
future use. The four accompaniment key cheek pistons are used to select the MIDI
Channel when programming the general pistons.
Rodrigo Arias is fitting the left sloping panel. Peterson Electro-Musical Products designed the
system for the pistons located on the back of the console. This was one of the
largest piston memory systems Peterson built.
Some aspects of the FOX slave console were modeled
from the Hammond X-66. The recessed top and the music desk are a close copy of
X-66 except for the Plexiglas music rack. Rodrigo and Jose Arias began work on
the console in the spring of 2000; construction was completed in June. After the
Arias brothers finished building the console, they delivered it to Dick Flint to
prepare and finish to satin black.
The “Chester Chair” is Chester’s version of the “Howard
Seat.” The player can adjust the chairs height and the inclination on the
Chester Chair. The chair includes a heel rest and a removable back. The major
difference between the two seats is Chester’s chair does not separate. Fabtech
built a 24” steel base to support the chair by the United Chair Company in
Bruce, Mississippi. Harlan Howard, a number one fan, great friend and swing
dancer, engineered the plans and consulted with Fabtech. Jimmy Wagner modified
the chair pedestal.
Larry Robinson duplicated the Wurlitzer FOX
ornamentation in mother of pearl. Gold mother of pearl was used for the leafing.
White mother of pearl was used sparingly. Larry also used paua (abalone shell)
in the leafing and ring around the fox to add color. Colors change depending on
which angle it is viewed. The crown is gold and the foxes are cut from platinum.
Chester’s initials are also in gold placed between the two foxes and set in
paua.
Chester’s FOX slave is a large MIDI controller
interfacing several tone generators. He uses Logic and its EXS24
for sequencing and sample playing on the MAC G4 500 MHz Titanium. He also
has the Stylus Groove Control Module by Spectrasonics. Currently
there are eight other tone generators interfaced to the FOX. Chester’s Akai CD
ROM’s are integral to the system. The Hammond XM1 produces all of the tone
wheel sounds except for the solo manual.
