Adding Hauptwerk to an Eminent 3-Manual Organ

Bringing Theatre Organ Style to a Classic Instrument

One of the joys of classic electronic organs is just how adaptable they can be with modern technology. By integrating Hauptwerk virtual organ software with a traditional Eminent three-manual organ, it’s possible to open the door to an entirely new musical world — especially the rich, expressive sound of the theatre organ 

Why this combination works so well

The Eminent 3-manual organ already has many of the physical features that theatre organists love:

• Multiple manuals for fast registration changes

• Plenty of stops and pistons

• A solid console feel that encourages expressive playing

By adding Hauptwerk, the organ is no longer limited to its original voicing. Instead, it becomes a highly flexible controller for sampled pipe organs from around the world.

Theatre organ styles on a classical console

Hauptwerk includes (or can host) superb theatre organ sample sets, complete with:

• Tibias and bright solo reeds

• Rich tremulants

• Percussion, couplers, and orchestral effects

Suddenly, the Eminent can sing, whisper, and swagger like a cinema organ — perfect for silent-film accompaniment, light music, or just having fun exploring a very different repertoire.

What’s involved technically?

The setup is surprisingly achievable:

• MIDI connections from manuals, pedals, and pistons

• A computer running Hauptwerk

• A decent audio interface and speaker system (or headphones)

Once configured, registration changes, expression pedals, and even toe pistons can be mapped to feel completely natural.

Why it’s worth doing

• Massive sound palette from one instrument

• Switch between classical and theatre styles instantly

• Ideal for home practice without needing a pipe organ

• Opens up new genres and performance ideas

For anyone who owns — or has access to — a classic electronic organ, adding Hauptwerk isn’t about replacing the instrument. It’s about extending its life and discovering what it can become in the 21st century.

B-Roll: Capture Now, Thank Yourself Later

Sometimes you head out to film with a clear brief, a script, and a shot list.
And sometimes… you don’t.

You just see something interesting:
light falling across a bench, steam rising from a kettle, students concentrating, a sail flapping, a close-up of equipment humming quietly in the background. You hit record, not knowing exactly why.

That footage? That’s B-roll gold.

Months later, when you’re editing a video, cutting a short for social media, or rescuing a section that feels visually flat, you suddenly realise:
“I’ve got a shot for this.”

Why Filming B-Roll Without a Project Is a Smart Habit

1. B-roll ages well
Good detail shots, atmospheres, and processes are often timeless. A clip filmed today might fit perfectly into a project a year from now.

2. It speeds up future edits
Instead of scrambling to re-film, you already have visual material to:

• cover jump cuts

• illustrate ideas

• add pacing and rhythm

• make explanations feel more real

3. It captures authenticity
Unplanned B-roll often feels more natural. No pressure. No performance. Just real moments happening.

4. It builds a personal visual library
Over time, you’re not just filming clips—you’re creating a stock library of your own work, tailored exactly to your style, subjects, and brand.

What’s Worth Filming “Just in Case”?

• Hands working (setting up kit, tying knots, adjusting controls)

• Close-ups of tools, instruments, screens, notebooks

• Environmental shots: rooms, labs, boats, desks, corridors

• Transitions: walking, opening doors, setting things down

• Light changes, weather, movement, texture

If it catches your eye, there’s a good chance it will catch an editor’s eye later too.

A Simple Rule of Thumb

If something makes you pause for two seconds and think “that looks interesting” — film ten seconds of it.

Storage is cheap. Missed moments aren’t.

 Using a Multispectral Camera to Tell Artificial Grass from Real Grass

To the human eye, real grass and artificial grass can look almost identical—especially when the plastic version is new and neatly laid.

But switch to a multispectral camera, and the difference becomes impossible to hide.

🌈 What a Multispectral Camera Sees (That We Can’t)

A multispectral camera captures light beyond visible colour, particularly:

• Red

• Near-infrared (NIR)

This is crucial, because living plants interact with light in a very specific way.

• Real grass absorbs red light for photosynthesis and strongly reflects near-infrared light.

• Artificial grass reflects light much more evenly and does not show the NIR “vegetation signature.”

(In this artificial grass, we can see the moss growing as it is a different colour)

🧪 The NDVI Test (The Dead Giveaway)

When multispectral data is processed into indices such as NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index):

• 🌱 Real grass shows up clearly as vegetation (bright tones in false-colour or NDVI maps)

• 🧱 Artificial grass appears dull, flat, or even indistinguishable from paths, roofs, or plastic surfaces

No chlorophyll = no vegetation signal.

🔍 Why This Is So Powerful

This technique is used routinely in:

• Agriculture (crop health & stress)

• Environmental monitoring

• Land-use mapping

• Urban heat and green-space studies

And it works just as beautifully at the scale of:

• A school field

• A garden lawn

• A playground

🌍 Why It Matters

Artificial grass is often marketed as “green” and low-maintenance—but multispectral imaging reminds us:

• It isn’t biologically active

• It doesn’t photosynthesise

• It doesn’t cool the environment like real grass

• It doesn’t support ecosystems in the same way

Looking green isn’t the same as being green.

🎓 In Education & Outreach

For teaching, this is gold dust:

• Photosynthesis becomes visible

• Abstract ideas like spectral reflectance suddenly make sense

• Students instantly grasp how satellites and drones classify land use

It’s one of those moments where science feels a bit like magic.

Designing Practicals for Online Learners

When the right kit makes all the difference

One of the biggest questions in online science teaching is a simple one:

Can you really do practical science remotely?

The answer, from experience, is yes – if the practical has been designed properly from the start.

Some experiments are genuinely difficult to replicate online. Others, particularly in electricity and electronics, work exceptionally well when the correct teaching kit is used.

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Why electricity practicals lend themselves to online learning

Electricity has a few big advantages for remote teaching:

• Results are immediate and visible

• Variables can be changed one at a time

• Measurements (current, voltage, resistance) are clear and numerical

• Circuits behave predictably, reinforcing theory

But this only works if students can clearly see what is happening — and if the setup is safe, repeatable, and robust.

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Where kits like Locktronics shine

Systems such as Locktronics were designed for education, and that design philosophy really matters online.

What makes them ideal for remote practicals

• Clear circuit layout – students can instantly identify components

• No loose wires – far fewer “Is this connected properly?” moments

• Safe voltages – perfect for live demonstrations

• Repeatable setups – every student sees the same configuration

• Fast changes – circuits can be rebuilt on camera in seconds

When teaching via a multi-camera setup, I can switch between:

• a wide shot of the whole board

• a close-up of a single component

• a live meter reading

That combination makes abstract ideas click far faster than slides ever could.

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Designing online practicals that actually teach

The key isn’t just having good equipment — it’s how the practical is structured.

A good online electricity practical should:

1. Start with a prediction
   What do you think will happen if we double the resistance?

2. Change one variable only
   Just like good exam technique.

3. Show the measurement live
   No screenshots, no “imagine this value”.

4. Pause for interpretation
   Why did the current change? What law explains it?

5. Link straight back to exam questions
   Students need to see why this matters.

Online learners don’t need more experiments — they need better-designed ones.

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Practical ≠ hands-on (only)

There’s a common myth that if a student isn’t physically touching the equipment, it isn’t a “real” practical.

In reality, practical science is about:

• understanding variables

• interpreting data

• linking observation to theory

Well-designed live demonstrations, especially with purpose-built kits, develop exactly those skills — and often more cleanly than a chaotic classroom bench full of trailing leads.

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The takeaway

Online practicals work best when:

• the equipment is designed for teaching

• the visual clarity is high

• the experiment mirrors exam expectations

• the teacher controls the variables, not the chaos

Electricity is one of the strongest examples of this — and with systems like Locktronics, it becomes not just possible online, but genuinely powerful.

 

The challenges of filming in a classroom or laboratory

Filming in a classroom or laboratory sounds straightforward: set up a camera, press record, teach. In reality, it’s one of the most demanding environments to work in—especially if you want footage that genuinely teaches, not just documents.

After years of filming science lessons, practical demonstrations, and live online sessions, here are some of the key challenges that crop up time and time again.

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1. Space: there’s never quite enough of it

Classrooms and labs are designed for learning, not filming.

• Benches are often fixed

• Walkways are narrow

• Cupboards, gas taps, sinks and power points dictate where you can stand

Trying to fit tripods, lights, microphones and cables into that space—without creating a health and safety hazard—requires careful planning and sometimes some creative contortions.

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2. Lighting: bright, flat, and unforgiving

Most classrooms are lit for visibility, not for cameras.

• Overhead fluorescent or LED panels create harsh shadows

• White benches reflect light straight back into the lens

• Shiny glassware and metal stands produce glare

For practical science, lighting must be bright enough to show detail without washing out colour changes, meniscus lines, or subtle reactions. Balancing “exam-clear” visuals with something watchable is a constant juggling act.

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3. Sound: the silent struggle

Audio is often harder than video.

• Labs echo

• Extractor fans hum constantly

• Chairs scrape, doors slam, taps drip

Lapel mics help, but they introduce their own problems—rustling lab coats, cable snags, and the occasional dramatic splash. Clear explanations are useless if students can’t hear them cleanly.

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4. Capturing the experiment and the explanation

In a live lesson, students can move their heads. Cameras can’t.

You often need:

• A wide shot for context

• A close-up for the experiment

• A separate view for data logging or screens

Switching between these while teaching—without breaking the flow—is a real skill. Miss the key moment and you’ve lost the learning opportunity.

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5. Safety always comes first

Unlike a studio, a lab has real risks:

• Flames

• Chemicals

• Glassware

• Electricity

Cables must be routed safely, tripods secured, and nothing can interfere with safe lab practice. No shot is worth compromising safety—ever.

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6. Time pressure and realism

Unlike a film set, lessons run to a timetable.

Experiments don’t always behave:

• Reactions take longer than planned

• Sensors refuse to cooperate

• Demonstrations work perfectly during rehearsal… and fail on camera

The challenge is capturing real science—including its imperfections—while keeping the footage useful, clear, and reassuring for students.

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7. Teaching to the camera without losing the class

When filming with students present, attention is split:

• Teach the learners in front of you

• Explain clearly for the students watching later

• Stay within camera frame

• Keep eye-line natural

It’s surprisingly easy to drift out of shot just as you reach the crucial explanation.

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Why it’s worth it

Despite all of this, filming in real classrooms and laboratories has huge advantages:

• Authentic experiments

• Real-world problem solving

• Students see how science is actually done, not staged

When it works, it creates resources that students can revisit again and again—far more powerful than static notes.

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🎬 Final thought:
Filming in a classroom or lab isn’t about creating “perfect” video. It’s about making learning visible—messy moments, problem-solving, and all.

If you get that right, the camera becomes another teaching tool, not a distraction.