Can new developments in digital technology faithfully reproduce real pipe sound?
Yes and no. The exact “fingerprint” or harmonic wave form of an individual pipe has successfully been reproduced digitally for quite a few years. The failure of electronic imitations lies not in the reproduction of individual harmonic patterns, but rather in the totality of all of the sounds combined. Producing sound through speakers as opposed to pipes presents several acoustical differences. For example, when the notes of a chord such as “C” – “E” – “G” are all played together, each pipe plays independently, complete with its fundamental and its own series of harmonics. None of the individual notes are compromised by the other. In contrast, the electronic instrument may reproduce one sound faithfully, but when the combination is forced through the same set of speakers, the individuality of each note of the chord is lost. When this effect is multiplied by the addition of more stops, the electronic instrument fails even more because the speakers must reproduce combinations of notes and
