Libertas Family of Bell Automation Products

Sometimes called master clocks, these advanced computer control heads run programs for all bell ringing traditions and are ready for your schedule or command. Fully automatic controllers can be networked and accessed using our exclusive mobile remote control app and Management software.

Bell control head configurations

The basic wall mount controller, Libertas, supports either peal functionality (2206 firmware) or chime control (2209 - previously 2208) functionality (music and MIDI input). The rack mount units do this as well, but can also house an optional sound module for the hearing the chime/carillon inside (and while the real bells are silent for practice) when the firmware is updated to 2210.

The sound option can be taken another step to allow a Millennium Platinum carillon to replace the Flemish bell voice with musical capability on tower bells. Custom engineering time is required to merge the latest electronic bell library with a bell control library to support the customer's scope of bells.

We have two styles of the Millennium Platinum Carillon Controller. An example of the 2211 is installed in Denny Chimes at the University of Alabama, and does not electronically echo the tower bells, but uses a microphone to allow them to be heard inside the tower.

A 2212 system is used at Arkansas State where it was not practical to run a microphone cable from the tower, so synthesized bells are used inside at the keyboard. Both systems have tower speakers to play electronic chime music.

A third type of hybrid system, we call Veritas, is used to augment the bells at IUPUI in Indianapolis. The sound generator map is used to determine which bells are electronic and which are acoustic (real). Part of the map programming also determines how much audio delay should be introduced to compensate for the mechanical striker delay, so the bells ring together. This type of augmented system is not available as a multi-voice Platinum or Millennium carillon.

Music Libraries

Music libraries for automated bell controllers are available for standard sets of bells from 8 diatonic (one octave) to 47 bells chromatic (four octave). These libraries are coded with three digit numbers.

For chimes of less than 16 bells the first two digits represent the number of diatonics and the third digit representing the number of semitones. It is assumed that one semitone will always be the minor-seventh and two will include both the minor seventh and the sharp (or augmented) fourth. A third semitone, the minor sixth, would allow Dear Lord and Father of Mankind to be played (in the key of F - with 14 bells) without compromise.

For carillons, the first two digits represent the number of keys available in the entire scope of the carillon, from the lowest note to the highest. For a four octave carillon, this number is always 49. The third digit for carillon libraries is the number of missing semitones, 0 for a completely chromatic instrument, 1 for a missing C# and 2 for missing C# and D# (assuming the controlled bells start on C).

The music library will not use extra bells in cases where a chime has additional bells like m10. The relay panel will be programmed to play such bells from the keyboard. If no keyboard is to be used, installation of a striker is optional on extra bells.

The catalogs available for these libraries are All, Standard and General. Protestant catalogs can be made from the database with some SQL programming on an as-needed basis.

The number of selections available for various chimes and carillons listed in the following table are accurate for 2011, and include ringing functions available in the internal selection list.

Library Description	Setup Code	Total Selections
8 Bell Chime	080	150
9 Bell Chime with flat 7	081	300
10 Bell Chime with sharp 4 and flat 7	082	348
10 Bell Chime with flat 7	091	575
11 Bell Chime with sharp 4 and flat 7	092	650
11 Bell Chime with flat 7	101	630
12 Bell Chime with sharp 4 and flat 7	102	720
12 Bell Chime with flat 7	111	750
13 Bell Chime with sharp 4 and flat 7	112	880
14 Bell Chime with sharp 4 and flat 7	122	930
23 Bell Carillon	252	1000
35 Bell Carillon	372	1090
47 Bell Carillon	492	1110

Swinging Simulation on Stationary Bells

For bell controllers, the swinging simulation parameters are in the Setup Menu - Swinging Bell Timing. For Millennium carillons with the T option, the parameters are set using the Management Suite.

Swing time is in seconds for a complete cycle fore-swing and back-swing. BackSw is the percentage of the time spent on the back-swing. Start with 45%. Here is the table we use to set timing before shipping a system if we know the size of the bell. Tempo is for reference - it is the number of strikes you should hear per minute.

Swinging Bell Timing

Swing Time	Bell Weight	Bell Size	Tempo
1.6	<150 lbs	<20 inch	75
2.0	150-300	20-24	60
2.4	300-500	24-30	50
2.8	500-800	30-35	43
3.2	800-1500	35-42	38
3.6	1500-2000	42-50	33
4.0	2000-4000	50-56	30
4.4	4000-6000	56-68	27
4.8	6000-7000	68-72	25
5.2	7000+	72+	23

Chime/Carillon Peals

The bells used to ring for each of the six swinging bell channels can be customized for the scope of the set of bells being controlled. A typical Westminster instrument will use the following defaults:

C1 D1 E1 G1 A1 C2

The default four bell Major peal (C1 E1 G1 C2 - channels 1, 3, 4, 6) is selection code is 5504.

A large three bell Major peal (C1 E1 G1 - channels 1, 3, 4) is selection code 3904.

A small inverted three bell major peal (E1 G1 C2 - channels 3, 4, 6) is selection 4804.

A three bell Diatonic peal (C1 D1 E1 - channels 1, 2, 3) is selection code 3704.

A three bell Te Deum peal (E1 G1 A1 - channels 3, 4, 5) is selection code 4604.

Time Strikes

We encourage all time strike programming to be done using the Melody Select and Time Strike programming menus. Only for unusual clock striking routines should the selection numbers be programmed.

Hour Strikes on all bell control systems start with 1005 for the single 1 o'clock strike and end with 1016 for the 12 o'clock strike. Chime melodies are all in four selection blocks in the order of TOP, 3/4, 1/4 and HALF. The five-bell Westminster (TOP) is 1000. Other selection codes for the TOP melodies can be found in the title lookup menu under Clock Chime Demo.

Example: Clock Chime Demo Westminster 4 - is selection 0977. Since that is the TOP melody, the 3/4 is 0978, the 1/4 is 0979 and the HALF is 0980.