My ideal organs

At the moment I am on grandparent duties for 5 weeks .... away from my organ. I am feeling withdrawal symptons.
Several things have happened lately that lead to this discussion starter.
I have noticed in the past month 2 new sample sellers edging into the market. I hope they do well.
Second, I have too many organs.

I have paid for some. I download every freebie, every trial. All fantastic. Every organ is useful. Some organs are better than others.

What is my ordeal organ?

1. A good overall sound. This includes sounding like a pipe organ, not an electronic organ.
2. 3 perspectives ... near far and rear. I put all the clicking sounds in the 4th channel inside the organ.
3. 3 keyboards are plenty. Although I have mastered floating keyboards so 4 is still OK. Any more is nearly too complicated.
4. 61 notes per keyboard. Since it is easy for samplers to extend keyboards why don't they? A switch could change from original to extended.
5. A 32ft pedal stop.
6. A ODF that I can manipulate. Because I have so many organs I like to set up the screens similarly. I manipulate the supplied simple screen or even add a simple screen that puts all the keyboard stops where I want them. I delete all the coupler boxes since I use the same pistons as couplers. This usually allows me to increase the size of the stops on the screen.
7. I am fairly fussy about flute stops. Some just sound better than others. Whether this is because of the original organ or different recording techniques I do not know.
8. I like a few really nice clarinet, tuba etc. Again some are just better than others.

I can't buy every organ so I need to pick and choose.

What do others look for in an organ?
Stephen
Australia

What are my criteria for selecting a sample set?

1. The first consideration is the sample set producer. Some are better than others. I no longer waste my money buying from the less successful.

2. Even the better producers occasionally produce an organ that I may not want in my collection. For that reason, I am loathe to purchase a sample set unless there is a trial of the entire instrument. Trials that only offer a few stops do not allow an evaluation of the entire organ. Even some sample sets that I do not like usually have a few stops that can be quite lovely.

3. This is an international market. When I purchase from a foreign company, I want to know if the price includes local tax or not, and, if it applies in my country. This can make a significant difference and a buyer should not have to wait until checkout to discover the answer.

At this point, I have a curated collection of Hauptwerk instruments. There are still a few gaps in my collection that I would like to fill, but until something exceptional comes along, I am willing to wait.

[mdyde]

[Topic moved here.]

6. A ODF that I can manipulate. Because I have so many organs I like to set up the screens similarly.

Hello Stephen,

By now, I don't care what kind of user interfaces the sample set manufacturers deliver.

I have developed a Midi-Panel software where I do exactly what you say with
"Because I have so many organs I like to set up the screens similarly."

I don't want to have to search where the couplers are for each sample set. They are sometimes very confusingly distributed on the screen.

What is important to me, I have taken into account in my midi panel (but what everyone can set for themselves):

• a single screen, because I have only one touch screen (but multiple screens are supported).
  
• Unique Division arrangement
  5-4-3-2-1-P (the order in which you look at the Console from top to bottom.
  There is a function built in that allows me to reverse the order without any effort:
  5-4-3-2-1-P then becomes P-1-2-3-4-5 (you look at the console from bottom to top).
  
• the Divisions are (individually in my configuration) built up in columns
• the couplers (8') are always at the top of each Division and have a uniform and simple designation,
  e.g. in the I. manual: + II, + III
• Below the 8' couplers are the Sub (16') and Super (4') couplers, e.g. + Sub, + Sup, + II Sub
• Then follows the tremulant
• Then follows the labial stops in descending pipe length, 16', 8', 4' etc.
• Below follows the lingual stops (reeds).
• Below that various auxiliary stops or special stops, like glockenspiel etc.
• Below that midi panel specific functions for all registers of a piece: All labials on/off, All reeds off, Bass/Diskant register coupling on/off

Because of the always same structure I have sensationally short learning times and find everything in a second.

The only effort I have to put into a new sample set is the midi learn for all stops of an organ.


@Martin Dyde:

If you had a midi command that allowed you to change the registers of the dialog
[Organ Stop/Coupler/Tremulant Switches and Pistons/Buttons]
could be initialized in one run (batch), then that would be a great help for future midi panel users.

It would save the future user hours of work in some cases. An organ with more than 100 stops is very exhausting to configure.

E.g. for the loaded St. Anne:

- select Rank-Name starts with "001"
- for Tab "Primary input" set fields
-- set port to "<Any"
-- set channel to "1"
-- set input to (starts with) "stop or hold piston Midi note"
-- set ON-Note to "021"

- for Tab "Primary output" set fields
-- set field Output to (starts with) "Auto MIDI"
-- set out port to (starts with) "<All"

as Midi-Format (SYSEX):

Code: Select all

0xF0 "<Rank=001><Tab=Primary input><port="<Any"><channel=1><input=stop or hold piston: MIDI note><'On' note=021>" 0xF7

0xF0 "<Rank=001><Tab=<Primary output><Output=Auto Midi><port="<All"> 0xF7

This would be a great extension,

Best regards
vpo

[mdyde]

Hello vpo,

Thanks for the suggestion. We do have an enhancement request logged covering potentially adding some means to import/configure MIDI settings for an organ's virtual controls as a batch, so I've added your notes to it.

Thank you very much, Martin.

Here is an example with my Midi-Panel for the Sampleset La Chaise Dieu:

The Original console see here - Here you can't see which stops belong to which division
https://www.jeuxdorgues.com/jeux-d-orgu ... haisedieu/

That is my version - now the assignment to the Divisions is clearly visible:
https://1drv.ms/i/s!Arg2Y5H9pnFXgkZgHzd ... w?e=CDbblG

At the end of January, I started to convert my (Windows) Midi-Panel into a cross-platform solution (Windows, Linux, Mac). Based on my previous experience, improvements have already been incorporated into the new Midi-Panel.
I am also testing compatibility under Ubuntu Linux via the Windows WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Here you can see a prototype of the UI with a swipe gesture.

With so many sample sets available, choosing an ideal organ is not possible. Sometimes too much is not necessarily a good thing. Each sample set offers advantages and disadvantages. A large stop specification does not translate into a good organ sound if the acoustics of that building are dry, or if you are pushing that sound through a pair of headphones or two speaker cabinets. Even with custom convoluted reverbs available, in some instances, these options are not as good as the original acoustic in which the sample set was recorded.

Not all sample set producers seem to have succesfully captured the proper microphone position to give the organist that all-important up close and personlal sense of realism at the console and at the same time without sacrificing the ambience of the room acoustic. Back and forth surround slider switches help, but not always. Some sample sets have the pipe sound so far away it is as if the console was at the opposite end of the building from the pipe chamber. I agree with one Forum member that I will not purchase any more sample sets unless there is a trial period of the entire organ. A few stops are not representative of the entire organ.

Originally my Hauptwerk set up consisted of three Fatar keyboards and a 32 note pedalboard, no pedal presets and one monitor (not touch sensitive). Today I have four keyboards, many toe pistons and two touch sensitive monitors.

My audio started out as an eight channel system with quite a few speakers and two subwoofers. The more speakers projecting the sound, the better, in my opinion. I have heard commercially available three manual 32 channel digital organs that sounded quite good since the sound was from many sources. I would expect Hauptwerk to sound even better with a similar 32 channel audio. Also, for small eclosures, near-field speakers give more realism than regular speakers. If funds allow, near-field plus regular speakers offer the best of both with 32 channels. The sky is the limit.



Some of my Hauptwerk Forum colleagues may remember an LP from 1962 called "The Sound of 94 Speakers" where organist Don Baker demonstrated a three manual early Rodgers organ. being advertised as the "world's largest electronin organ" !!!! Although the organ sound was what one could expect for 1962 , the concept of multiple channels and speakers was well known.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQkjhy1AH8&t=25s