The organ — the king of instruments as it is known — the most powerful
The Most Realistic Sound
After having invented a fundamental pipe sound reproduction technology called Parallel Digital Imaging in 1990, Rodgers remains the only digital organ manufacturer in the world to record pipe sound in stereo (many channels, versus mono which is one channel) and reproduce through digital imaging. Stereo pipe sound (recorded with as many as 8 different microphones at once) along with digital imaging, allows the instrument to recreate a “field of sound” unbelievably similar to the same type of sound experience present with a pipe organ.
In a pipe organ, hundreds and sometimes thousands of individual pipes each have a specific place on the windchest, inside the case of the instrument, and as such, each pipe produces sound coming from a specific position. With Parallel Digital Imaging, a Rodgers organ uses two or more speakers in pairs to aurally “project” the sound, so as to give the illusion of it coming from a specific place all its own. In an instrument with no PDI technology, where speakers are arranged in normal (non-PDI) stereo pairs, or in mono, the sound is heard with no spatial movement, coming directly from whichever speaker it is being fed through. Having all the speakers in the world will do an instrument little good, unless they are working together and with each other to create something much larger than themselves individually. This is why, when you hear a Rodgers organ, you hear pipes, not speakers.
Tonal Flexibility and Conveniences
In addition to having the most imitative sound, Rodgers organs give the organist a number of conveniences not normally found in other instruments. Rodgers still remains the only manufacturer to allow the organist to not only change individual voices but also the entire tonal style of the instrument instantaneously, with no wait time for loading a different set of sounds into the organ’s menu.
This occurs through Voice Palette, a feature that places behind each and every physical stop several alternate stops that can be selected and called, at moment’s notice during a performance, to dramatically expand the tonal capabilities of the instrument. While the Rodgers Model 578 for instance, a modest instrument, has 29 stops spread across three divisions, in actuality, each of those 29 stops has four different stops contained within, along with an additional 89 pipe ranks accessible through the USER / MIDI tab (two per division), and 15 orchestral stops, bringing the instrument to a total of 348 possible ranks of pipes.
Industry Leading Innovation & Support
In addition to phenomenal technology producing the best digital organ sound possible, the Rodgers organ is backed by the continued technological and financial support of one of the world’s largest electronic instrument manufacturers, the Roland Corporation. Rodgers has been owned by the Roland Corporation since
An organ is a major investment, whether it be for a church or individual, one that is expected to last for decades. Unlike smaller companies, Rodgers has unique financial stability and deep technical capabilities from being a member of the Roland Corporation. Any customer can and should ask to see a financial statement from any organ builder who is proposing a new product. The current Roland Corporate financial statement is available for our customer’s interest.
Doesn’t it make sense that a company with annual revenues of nearly $900 million is most likely to be here to support its products for the long term? It is The Rodgers factory in Hillsboro, OR carries over $1.5 million of parts to support its products.
In 2008, Rodgers celebrated our 50th anniversary as a company. As part of this milestone, we chose a new tagline that reflects what the Rodgers brand has meant to its customers for the past half century, what it means for them today and what it will mean in the future. After much discussion we decided on the theme ofInspiration, Innovation and Assurance Since 1958. These words tell the Rodgers story of quality, performance and support in one line.
When we mention Inspiration, we are speaking about the inspiration a congregation gets when singing a new song of praise inspired by the magnificent sound of a Rodgers organ. What is the value of that experience to people sitting in the pew, encouraging them to be more active participants in worship? Market research conducted by Baker Research Co. in 2005 and 2006 confirmed what customers have always told us: Sound is the No. 1 reason people choose Rodgers over other organs. Inspiration results from the tremendous tonal flexibility built into our instruments, which allows the Rodgers organ to be used to present such a wide variety of music. What is the value of such musical adaptability to a congregation? And could the superb service playing skills shown by the organist be a partial result of our straightforward, user-friendly console design? Over and over, when we visit with organ selection committees, we see a real understanding grow about the true value of a Rodgers organ to those who care about inspiring worship.
The extraordinary musical performance of our instruments is due to the Innovation in technology development present in every Rodgers organ. Many people don’t realize that Rodgers – as part of the world-famous music leader Roland Corporation – is able to spend over $2.5 million a year in research and development. That investment is why Rodgers has Parallel Digital Imaging® – still the only digital generation system that provides the natural dimensional presence of sound found in a pipe organ. And of course, any organist who has used Rodgers’ Voice Palette knows the thrill of having more instantly available usable registrations at their fingertips than any other organ can offer. Roland and Rodgers were the organ industry founders of MIDI and remarkable room acoustic systems such as RSS. Today that history of innovation continues with the built-in service log on each Trillium Masterpiece Series console. Then there is the most remarkable development of all, Rodgers Organ Architect, which provides an unmatched number of design options and the ability to produce the custom console quickly and at a highly competitive price.
When a church or individual purchases an organ, it is a major investment that is expected to last for decades. It is vital that they have Assurance that the product will be supported in the future. Unlike smaller companies, Rodgers has unique financial stability and deep technical capabilities because of being a member the Roland Corporation. Any customer can and should ask to see a financial statement from any organ builder who is proposing a new product. The current Roland Corporate financial statement is available from your local Rodgers sales representatives. Doesn’t it make sense that the company with annual revenues of nearly $900 million is most likely to be here to support its products for the long term? Visitors to our factory often comment on the huge area where parts are stored; Rodgers carries over $1.5 million in parts to support our products.
Another very important concern to many organ owners is environmental responsibility. Rodgers was one of the first companies to change its manufacturing processes from top to bottom to reduce lead and other hazardous substances from our organs, in compliance with the European Union’s RoHS directive.
Innovation, Inspiration and Assurance Since 1958 is not just a slogan – it’s our story in a nutshell. Rodgers is a company whose story is made real by 50 years of experiences and history of performance.