The sounds of success
Organ music is an important part of European tradition and its notes have graced churches and concert halls for many years. In modern times when practicality and speed have come to rule our lives, pipe organs are not being integrated correctly into newly-built structures, causing the quality of music and acoustics to suffer. The EU-funded project 'Innovative design method for matching the pipe organ to the acoustics of the room' (Innopipeorg) studied how to address this challenge. It worked on developing software that evaluates the acoustic properties of the room to install pipe organs under the most optimal conditions. The project studied the sound power of the most important pipe organs to develop a standard. It then worked on developing an instrument and matching software to measure the acoustics of a room in line with the demands of organ suppliers and builders. Innopipeorg also proposed new methods for acoustic design of pipe organs to yield optimum acoustics. The new instrument is capable of measuring low-frequency acoustic properties very accurately. It enables users to select the most ideal location in the room to position the pipe organ. In addition, it allows users to calculate the required acoustic power of the planned pipe organ to ensure that the volume is appropriate for the room with the audience present. The system can specify pipe length, diameter, mouth width and other properties, ensuring that rich, perfect sound will continue flowing from the halls and churches of Europe.
