Organ Console - Organization of Console Controls

Organization of Console Controls

In modern organ building, an accepted standardized scheme is used for the layout of the stops and pistons on the console. The stops controlling each division (see Keyboards) are grouped together. Within these, the standard arrangement is for the lowest sounding stops (32′ or 16′) to be placed at the bottom of the columns, with the higher pitched stops placed above this, (8′, 4′, 2⅔′, 2′ etc.); the 'mixtures' are placed above this (II, III, V etc.). The stops controlling the reed ranks are placed collectively above these in the same order as above, often with the stop engraving in red.

Thus, an example stop configuration for a Great division may look like this:

The standard position for these columns of stops (assuming drawknobs are used) is for the Choir or Positiv division to be on the outside of the players' right, with the Great nearer the center of the console and the music rest. On the left hand side, the Pedal division is on the outside, with the Swell to the inside. Other divisions can be placed on either side, depending on the amount of space available. Manual couplers and octave extensions are placed either within the stop knobs of the divisions that they control, or grouped together above the uppermost manual. The pistons, if present, are placed directly under the manual they control.

To be more historically accurate, organs built along historical models will often use older schemes for organizing the keydesk controls.