Is There A Free Version Of Hauptwerk

[Jule Kue]

Nowthat everyone has the wind modelling system in their version of Hauptwerk, it's time to have some fun with it.

I Have Wind Modelling. What Does This Mean?

One of the things that takes Hauptwerk to a whole different level of authenticity, when compared to your average digital organ, is the wind modelling system. Wind sag is one of the hallmarks of a living, breathing, dynamic pipe organ experience. The subtle variations in tone and pitch bring a sense of richness and movement to the sound. It's just missing in 99% of the digital/virtual instruments out there (yeah. I made up that statistic... but I'm sure it's close). However, having it makes a wonderful difference to the sound.

You can actually find real wind modelling in another digital organ technology, but the cost will be several hundred times the cost of Hauptwerk. So, let's test Hauptwerk's out in an indisputable way !

Holy Anne's Moseley!

I'm sure there are many sample sets you can try this on. However, the only one that I can guarantee that you all have is St. Anne's Moseley.

So, try this. Pull out the Open Diapason 16, Sub Bass 16 and Echo Bass 16 on the pedal. Pull the Fifteenth 2 on the Great.

Play a C maj chord on the Great starting at C5 and hold it. While holding the C maj chord, play C1 and C2 simultaneously on the pedals in 8th or 16th notes (depends what tempo marking you're using :) ).

You will hear fluctuations in the notes of the C maj chord. If you keep doing it, you may even hear a light "chirping" effect. Personally, I find it's easier to hear if you have someone else play it while you're just listening. I'm too busy concentrating on doing the movements to devote my full attention but you're more coordinated than me I'm sure.

Other tests

Some third-party organs have switches to turn the virtual blower off/on

(giving a 'shot bagpiper' effect as the wind drains out of the reservoirs!). I used to do this with the MDA Wet Skinner set because it was super fun. You just turn the key off after it's been running a while and keep playing. Unfortunately, MDA organs no longer have those switches since they caused so much support from users accidentally turning the blower off and then not understanding why it wasn't working.

I haven't played with many of the others to see which other ones do it. If you have a set that has a blower on/off switch, give it a go. Or, if you never updated the original MDA E.M. Skinner ODF like me (yippee), try it out. Nothing will convince you more about the wind system than hearing that.

For those who can't do this on their own, you can listen to what I call "Wagner the Bagpiper Gets Shot - a wind model demonstration"

Black Magic?

How does all of this work? I've got no idea. Just thank whomever you thank in these situations for Martin Dyde. Be thankful that he finds wind modelling and depletion algorithms fascinating.

So What Can You Tell Me?

What I can tell you is that Hauptwerk sample sets are constructed the way an organ builder would look at constructing an organ.

I get calls to consult on new organ construction all of the time. I can tell immediately if it's the organist who is calling or if it's a builder who is calling by listening for where they start as a point of reference. If they start with the console, it's an organist. If they start with the chamber, they're a builder. It's not that the console is irrelevant to a builder. It's just that all the magic really happens in the chambers. The organist is usually blissfully insulated from what goes on in the chamber.

Hauptwerk sample sets start with the chamber and that's a good thing. It means you're getting the real deal.

The size of the chests are calculated, the number of chests, the number of pipes on a chest are needed, the location and sizes of pipes on each chest are considered, the pressure of the wind is set, airflow randomization, direction and distance the bellows move, mass of the moving board, the relative weighting of wind supply to each chest, and tons more factors that, frankly, I don't understand.

Hauptwerk even models the rate at which the chests leak when not being used. How crazy is that?!

So, when you are buying a digital re-creation of a historic pipe organ, this is what you're getting. There are is at least one sample set out there where the real instrument has been added to so much that it's under-winded. You can actually hear the instrument sag when you pull out a lot of stops. It was so good that, when we took it to an organ builders' convention, that was one of the main things that won them over.

What Martin has done, in Hauptwerk, is beyond impressive. I'm not even sure what the appropriate word would be for what he's accomplished. However, as one conservative, organ-world celebrity dubbed it, upon sitting down to play Hauptwerk at our trade show booth, this is "Scary Good".

So, may the wind be always at your back and in your Hauptwerk instrument.

Thanks djw. So how do I get an organ sound and see any options? (if there are any for the free version). I believe in the full version at least you can set the manuals and pedals to different patches.

Record HW stop changes using mouse clicks to make the changes rather than an external controller. If an external controller is used, CB will record its midi events, and HW will not recognize them since the midi device appears to be different to HW. I have created a library of midi files that contain just HW program changes. I compress the events start times by using the list editor, and then import them into different projects.

I set the HW stops prior to starting recording, record the sections of music that use that registration in CB, and then render the parts to audio. Repeat with the next registration until done. This is the method I generally use, since #1 is fussy and takes a lot of time.

Regarding the UR824, I have ASIO buffer set to 192 which gives me about an 8 msec lag with my computer, which IMO is sufficient for live playing and singing. You could try reducing the buffer size when recording, then increasing it when mixing. That used to be the standard mode of operation before equipment got faster.

Is it worth upgrading to Hauptwerk V (Hauptwerk version 5)? This post is prepared for those saying yes. The biggest change affecting the upgrade process is the new sample set encryption and copy-protection licensing system, which is not backward compatible with previous versions of Hauptwerk so you need to re-download and re-install all your copy-protected and encrypted sample sets to make them work. Here is what you need to know.

What do I need to know about upgrading to Hauptwerk 5?If you already use Hauptwerk 4 with some copy-protected or encrypted sample sets purchased and activated on your Hauptwerk 4 USB dongle (the so-called HASP dongle), you can upgrade to Hauptwerk V (Hauptwerk version 5) by purchasing either a perpetual upgrade license or a Hauptwerk V subscription; these two products are technically equivalent, the only difference is in the payment method and amount. Since Hauptwerk V uses a different type of copy-protection and encryption system than Hauptwerk 4, you will also need to migrate all your copy-protected or encrypted sample sets to the new format. Migrating means a conversion process where:

Step 2: Please purchase the upgrade for Hauptwerk V. Then start the sample set migration process from within Hauptwerk V. This migration has to be done once only. Note that there is no technical possibility to return to previous Hauptwerk versions after the migration has completed.

Note that if you upgrade to or buy a new Hauptwerk V or a sample set from Inspired Acoustics, you will not receive a physical iLok dongle. If you choose to use Hauptwerk V with a physical dongle instead of cloud-based licensing requiring continuous internet connection, this physical dongle has to be purchased separately. There are various retail and online stores where you can buy a physical iLok dongle. When you purchase one, it will initially have no licenses copied onto it and you will need to activate your licenses onto the iLok key using the !license-manager software. Neither Inspired Acoustics nor Milan Digital Audio are involved in this process.

During the migration process, the new version of Hauptwerk will read your Hauptwerk 4 USB key and move your existing licenses from your dongle to a license update request file that needs to be submitted to Milan Digital Audio via their web form on their website. This website will then convert your licenses to the Hauptwerk V+ compatible PACE iLok license system and assign the licenses to your account. The conversion is made by Milan Digital Audio and PACE and Inspired Acoustics are not involved in this. If anything does not work as intended, please consult with Milan Digital Audio directly. After the migration/conversion process has finished, your iLok account should automatically contain the new licenses for the sample sets. No Activation Code or anything else should be entered - the licenses will be assigned to your iLok account automatically.

Since the Hauptwerk 4 USB dongle management will be unsupported by Milan Digital Audio from 4 months after the first release of Hauptwerk V, you cannot transfer licenses of Inspired Acoustics sample sets compatible with Hauptwerk 4 anymore without transferring your dongle physically to the new customer.

Note that for migrations between sample sets for Hauptwerk 4 and Hauptwerk V and later products, in many cases, no Activation Codes are involved, but the licenses are directly added to your iLok dongle. For such products you already have a previous, Hauptwerk 4 compatible sample set registered with Inspired Acoustics, so the download access will be provided to you without the need of an Activation Code, based on the previous Hauptwerk 4 sample set you already registered.

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