What do the instrument names on the voice tabs mean?
Unlike modern synthesizers, very few electronic organ voices bear more than a passing resemblance to the instruments indicated on the tabs. They serve more to define a general quality of sound. Flute’s usually have the purest sound, most closely akin to the sound of the Hammond tonewheel organs. Trumpets, and Trombones have a somewhat brighter sound, and Strings and Reeds usually have the brightest, fuzziest sounds of all. In addition, some of the names you may see are not actual instruments at all. Here’s a description provided to me about these other “instrument” names: According to my Hammond organ manual, they’re standard pipe organ stop names for the various harmonics. Here’s the complete list: 16′ (Sub-fundamental) BOURDON 5 1/3′ (Fifth) QUINT 8′ (Fundamental) PRINCIPAL 4′ (Eighth) OCTAVE 2 2/3′ (Twelfth) NAZARD 2′ (Fifteenth) BLOCK FLOTE 1 3/5′ (Seventeenth) TIERCE 1 1/3′ (Nineteenth) LARIGOT 1′ (Twenty-Second) SIFFLOTE Diapason refers to an organ tone that has a distinctive org
