Colin Pykett has a first class honours degree and a PhD in  physics from King's College  London, and he is also a Fellow of  the Institute of Physics. He was formerly Chief Scientist and Technical Director in a high technology organisation after a career during which he spent many years working in acoustics and digital signal processing.  His musical training began with the piano, and subsequently it took in the oboe and the organ.  Initially he studied the latter instrument with the late Russell Missin at St Mary's Nottingham, and subsequently he received tuition from others of similar stature while at university. He has continued to play the organ in many churches over some fifty years.  Currently he plays from time to time at Christ Church, Portsdown in Hampshire as well as at other churches in the neighbourhood.

Colin has undertaken research in organ topics for several decades, particularly in the mechanisms of sound generation in organ pipes, and he has been recording and analysing their sounds for over thirty years.   He is recognised internationally for his work on electronic tone production, having published his first papers on the subject in 1980.  More recently he has investigated responsive mechanical and electric actions for pipe organs from both an experimental and a theoretical standpoint.   He has designed and made several electronic organs, one being a large dual-purpose instrument with both classical and theatre voicing which can be seen and heard on the home page.  His latest digital system is being continually updated and it is described and can be heard on the Prog Organ pages.  All of this activity is reflected in the contents of this website (see Complete Articles) and in many contributions to the public domain literature over more than thirty years (see Other Publications).

His advice is frequently sought, particularly in the complex field of digital organs where he is one of the few consultants able to offer expert but unbiased advice which is completely independent of the industry.