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Welcome To My MIDI Page
Since sometime in 1998 I have been following the developments of the Sound Canvas Pipe Organ Project (SCPOP), authored by Raffaele Diodati and Filippo Tigli, who reside, I believe, in Italy (or thereabouts). I have also purchased from them a registered copy of the SCPOP software, and use it with my Windows 98SE-based computer to create a "virtual" electronic pipe organ using two inexpensive MIDI keyboards, a home-MIDI-ized 25-note pedalboard with MIDI encoder, and a Roland Sound Canvas SC-8850 sound module.

UPDATE - May, 2007: I do not use SCPOP any longer. It was a very unique and clever concept, but it is no longer supported by its authors. People who desire the functionality of a computer-based, MIDI driven, virtual pipe organ simulator now have several other options which do not require the use of specific models of the older, expensive, somewhat complex, and now obsolete Roland Sound Canvas modules.

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Photos of my SCPOP Computer and MIDI Hardware Setup:
  My 2.17 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2700-based Windows 98-SE computer, running SCPOP. Until May 30, 2002 the computer had been a 400 MHz Celeron (Intel). Up until that upgrade I had thought that the 400 MHz speed was plenty adequate to operate SCPOP. How wrong I was! On that date I upgraded to an Athlon 1700 XP (1.47 GHz) CPU, and that upgrade eliminated ALL the sluggishness experienced with slower CPUs. Even the preset (stop) changes execute in less than one second -- more than acceptable for public performance. With the 400 MHz Celeron, stop changes took too long to make "seamless" transitions in "live" playing. The only problem that I have now is the fact that I simply cannot "handle" the MOUSE fast enough to click on the screen buttons. I DESPERATELY NEED A MECHANICAL ALTERNATIVE: In other words, I would like to have a real "array" of buttons or switches (like on a real organ) to initiate the SCPOP stop changes...the mouse just has to go! ... Maybe I'll go "high-tech" and get a touch sensitive display monitor for my computer (when I've saved up enough, of course).
  Closeup of the Monitor showing SCPOP and MIDI-Ox. MIDI-Ox is used to filter and map the MIDI data from the MIDI controllers (keyboards, pedalboard) in order to convert the program-change buttons on the Evolution MK-261 keyboard and the toe buttons on the Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Foot Controller into SCPOP preset/stop changes.
  The Roland SC-8850, Roland MX-5 Audio Mixer, and
Roland UA-100 Audio and MIDI Processor
  The "Organ Console": Two 61-key MIDI keyboards arranged on a desktop with MIDI pedalboard, sustain pedal and Behringer MIDI foot controller below. The upper keyboard is a Radio Shack ConcertMate 1000 that I reclaimed from my daughter when she lost interest in playing keyboard. The lower keyboard is an Evolution MK-261, with 10 program-change buttons ($130US new). The MIDI foot controller with two expression pedals is the Behringer Model FCB1010 ($120 US new). I use the left shoe for Pedal expression and the right expression shoe for the two manuals. The toe buttons are programmed (through MIDI message remapping in the MIDI-Ox software) to activate the 24 SCPOP presets. The sustain pedal may also be used with keyboard keys to activate SCPOP preset/stop changes using SCPOP's "Total Recall Technology" feature. Though not very pleasing to the eye, this "organ-on-a-desktop" provides a very functional SCPOP "virtual" pipe organ. So this physical setup will have to do until I have time and energy to build or buy a more visually attractive enclosure. The 25-note pedalboard was purchased for about $50 on Ebay. I then bought 25 magnetic reed switches and some magnets, which I mounted on the toe-end of the pedal assembly, and wired into my midi encoder (described elsewhere on this page).

I also found the bench (with pad) on Ebay for under $50 (+ $35 S&H).

  My 88-key "Piano" (MIDI Keyboard #1) -- for the ocassional times that I feel like playing with weighted keys.
  My first pedalboard - only 13-notes, but better than nothing! -- purchased for $25 on Ebay. (The seller claimed that it had been removed from a Hammond spinet console.) After rewiring the switches and adding the diodes required for connecting to my midi encoder circuit board, it now works as well as any comparable and much more expensive commercially available midi pedal keyboard product. Note that this pedalboard has been replaced with the 25-note full-length flat pedalboard shown above.
  The MIDI Encoder that converts the pedalboard switch contacts into MIDI Note ON/OFF messages on MIDI channel 3. (The encoder circuit was custom built for me by Jordan Petkov, of Varna, Bulgaria.)

I originally used this encoder with my 13-note pedalboard, but now use it with the 25-note pedalboard. No circuit changes were required. In fact, I installed 25-pin plugs and sockets on the cabling between the encoder and the pedalboards so that the encoder may be readily moved from one to the other.

  Another view of the 13-note pedal keyboard and its MIDI Encoder. I mounted the pedal assembly on a piece of 3/4" plywood, which I painted flat black. Unfortunately, since the pedals themselves are dark brown and black, the contrast with the black mounting board is poor, making the photo somewhat obscure.
  Closeup of Jordan Petkov's MIDI Encoder circuit board itself as mounted inside its small enclosure.
  Beyond SCPOP: Closeup of the Laptop Monitor showing my custom stops control panel. I developed the program behind this control window in perl. It interfaces over my home LAN via "sockets" to another perl program running on my AMD Athlon computer. That perl program is actually a Midi-Ox script that, in turn, interfaces to the Sound Blaster Live! card in which any number of "SoundFonts" may be loaded (up to memory limits of course) and controlled from the control panel shown below. Multi-layered voicing is achieved in the perl program by fanning the three incoming midi keyboard channels to any combination of the 32 Sound Blaster Live! midi channels -- each of which may be voiced with a different SoundFont voice. The two biggest problems with this setup are (1.) the polyphony limit of the Sound Blaster Live! hardware; and (2.) the requirement to use the computer mouse to click the buttons on the control panel. Realtime stop changes are impossible for me using a mouse!

Photo of another SCPOP enthusiast's setup:
  Louke Kleyn is building this SCPOP "virtual organ". He is just about ready to order his MIDI encoder circuit in order to MIDI-ize his pedals (which I assume are presently nonfunctional). Note that his "pedalboard" is actually comprised of TWO spinet style 13-note pedalboards mounted side-by-side. Also note that the C4 pedal has been removed from the lower set of pedals so that there is a smooth transition from B3 on the left pedalboard to C4 on the righthand pedalboard. Louke plans to lengthen the naturals on the right-hand pedalboard to the same length as those on the left pedalboard.

UPDATE - Louke passed away in the summer of 2003. I don't know if he ever finished building his console.

Photos of yet another SCPOP enthusiast's setup:
  Andrew Maguire has assembled his SCPOP "virtual pipe organ" from the usual components, including two midi keyboards and a recently acquired full pedalboard. As of this photo (5 Mar 2003), he is awaiting completion of a suitable console/enclosure for the components and bench which are being constructed by a friend.

Andrew's Organ Project may be followed on his Web Site

  Here's Andrew's refurbished full pedalboard (as of 5 Mar 2003) showing his custom wiring and magnetic switches at the toe ends of the pedals. He has connected this pedalboard to his computer using a custom built midi encoder circuit board (similar to those of Louke Kleyn, above, and myself).