These pages are concerned with
promoting the "virtual pipe organ".
Firstly, it contains some information about the phenomenon of the
"Virtual Pipe Organ", specifically using the "Hauptwerk" software originally developed
by Martin Dyde (UK), and more recently in the care of Milan Digital Audio (USA).
Secondly, it features my own virtual organ project - scroll to the bottom of the page for the links.
Please note that if you were expecting to see the My Guitars page here,
it has been moved. To see the "My Guitars" page, simply scroll down this
page and click on the "My Guitars" link.
My new book: "All about
Hauptwerk"
is available now A full explanation of how to setup and use Hauptwerk: keyboards/ pedalboard/
expression pedals/ and controller accessories.
There are designs for a pedalboard and console. Multi-channel audio setup, convolution reverb setup, tuning and temperament are also
covered.
The Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ
A "virtual organ" is the creation of a complete model of a classical or
theatre organ by recording the sound of each pipe individually, and
building the sound samples into a set of .WAV files. The resultant
"sample set" is then loaded into memory in your PC, and controlled by a
software application. The software receives MIDI data from any number of
MIDI manual keyboards and a pedalboard, along with any MIDI controls you
may have in the form of switches or swell or crescendo foot pedals, and sends the
appropriate sound files out through your PC sound system - hence the pipes speak.
In order to preserve maximum realism, it may be necessary to construct
several files for each pipe, so that for example, the initial attack of
the pipe when it first speaks (e.g. the "chiff") can be sounded
properly, and also, when a pipe is sounded for a long note, the .WAV
files can be joined into a seamless audio loop such that there is no
audible click when the end of the sample joins the beginning. It may
also be necessary to capture the acoustic environment of the organ,
especially if it is in a large church or a cathedral (known as the "wet"
sound) and possibly mix this with the "dry" sound recording made close
to the pipe with any echo or reverberation from the body of the building
damped by careful sound insulation.
As each pipe is recorded and sounded individually, a virtual pipe organ
has a glorious sound, better than any traditional analogue or digital,
synthesiser or sound-font based electronic instrument. However, as a
pipe organ gets much of its identifiable sound characteristic from a
large "chorus" of pipes, a virtual pipe organ has a need for very high
levels of polyphony (=multiple sounds at once). Playing 1000 or more pipes simultaneously can only
be achieved by reasonably powered PCs with sufficient available memory
to hold the complete sample set in RAM.
Organ sample sets
We present below two sample sets
which we are hosting on behalf of their creators.
In the case of the Prudhoe Methodist Church, you will be able to
see the full specification and other details of the organ and of
the sample set, but you will be advised to send an email to the
creator of the set before you can download the sample set.
Both sets are downloadable free-of-charge, but you may make a
donation to the Prudhoe Methodist Church via the creator of the
set, if you wish.
The Enigma sample sets by Al Morse, are both version 3, the Wet and Dry sets are
provided.
Novation
LaunchPad Overlays
We have produced several A4 transparency
overlays for the Novation LaunchPad, for use with Hauptwerk. The smaller instruments are available
on a single-page overlay. Some of the medium sized instruments are available on single and two
page overlays, and the larger instruments require two LaunchPads and are available only on
two-page overlays.
If you have found the information
on this site useful, please feel free to:
Recordings and videos on some of the Hauptwerk Virtual organs
(NB.: these recordings were all made on OPUS I
which was in use from 2007-2018 and sold in 2020)
There are many recordings and videos of Hauptwerk
Virtual Pipe Organs on YouTube. You can find our videos, including a five
part tour of our virtual organ, and several performance videos on YouTube
here,
as well as via the direct links given below.
We present below, several MP3 files recorded from the sample sets of the Henry Willis organ in
Salisbury Cathedral (1877) and the Brindley & Foster organ in St Anne's church (1905) in Moseley, near
Birmingham.
The Henry Willis instrument is a cathedral
organ, whilst the Brindley & Foster is typical of a large English parish church.
Note: before the page can
appear, the embedded sound file must be downloaded. Therefore please
allow for up to a minute if you have a broadband connection, and several
minutes if you have a diallup connection. I am sure that the short
wait will be worthwhile!
(Note: the MP4 videos may not may not yet play on all web browsers. Try Chrome, Firefox,Opera or
Safari.)
{Please note that some of these videos were recorded with the camera microphone
rather than out of Hauptwerk,
with a resultant pedalboard noise and decrease in audio quality.)
English: the language of the world given
freely to the world by the English nation!
Do you spell the words of the English language correctly? Are you able to
distinguish verbs and nouns by their spelling?
Advice (noun)/advise (verb), aesthetic, archaeology, ardour, boulder,
cancel/cancelled, centre/centred, colour, defence, device (noun)/devise (verb),
disc, favour, flavour, fibre, glamour, goitre, jewellery, label/labelled,
licence (noun)/license (verb), manoeuvre, marvellous, marvelled, mould,
neighbour, organise, paediatrics, practice (noun)/practise(verb), recognise,
rumour, sabre, sceptic, stabilise, theatre, travel/travelled, valour.
