Hello all -- A friend of mine, who owns a genuine 20er roll-controlled
organ, has found that he also needs a crank "organ" that plays MIDI
files via a MIDI player through a loudspeaker, mainly for singing use
indoors.  The "organ" should

1. look like a crank organ;

2. play when the crank is turned -- have the speed controlled via the
crank handle speed;

3. play through loud-speakers whose volume can be controlled (that's
the main reason for this setup);

4. allow all MIDI-notes (in the mid-range) to be played (so that
arrangements can easily be played a few tones lower to ease singing;
the arrangements would still roughly have the complexity of 20er
arrangements ...);

5. maybe allow hook-up of a microphone which can be played back through
the same loudspeakers;

6. easily allow addition of tunes (MIDI files);

7. ideally have a simple tune selection, that also allows to play
a predefined number of verses and then a coda, etc.;

8. the sound should be as near a crank organ as possible.

I (think I) know that all this is technically easy.  Our main question
is, are such instruments commercially sold?  And/or are components
available (e.g., everything except the housing)?

Yes, we know this is not *mechanical* music anymore!  Still, several
experiments of my friend showed (him) that he needed such a gadget
for indoor and similar use in scenarios where the volume has to be
adjusted (houses with thin walls; even areas in cities with rigid
noise-level regulations); and you on this group might know of such
instruments (even if you despise them :-)).

Best regards,
Harald M. Mueller
Grafing bei Muenchen, Bavaria, Germany

 [ You're a programmer, Harald -- Can you create the software
 [ specification and acceptance procedure for item #7?  That's
 [ the difficult task!  ;-)  -- Robbie