Grandorgue Sample Sets Download
Partenia Urtiaga
Please remember: to use the sample set you also need to order it (free or paid) and download the package by following the cart and checkout pages. After downloading the package, you can download ODFs listed below and then follow installation instructions in the next paragraph.
For sample sets where you have separate download link to GrandOrgue version, you just need to extract the archive and open .organ file after extraction. With newer sample sets (listed above) it is a bit more complicated, but still quite easy. I made a short presentation how to install newer sets on Windows with free 7-zip software installed (you can use any software which extracts RAR files).
Please note that (almoast all) the sample sets are intended for GrandOrgue 0.3+ versions, so be sure to have a recent version of GrandOrgue installed. Especially the new GrandOrgue packages that eliminates the un-packing step for the user needs 0.3.2078+ to work reliably, but for them you can just drop the whole package into the organ package folder and the organs will be registered at startup.
In relation to a virtual pipe organ, Sampleset means the collection of sound recordings and organ definitions required to play a specific organ virtually. It therefore includes all sounds and also functional, logical connections that are necessary to represent an organ virtually. In today's common practice, the tones of each individual pipe and almost every noise, such as wind motors or keyboards, are recorded individually (sampled) and, after appropriate processing, combined in a sample set that can then be played as a virtual organ.
A component of each sample set is (at least) a so-called organ definition file (ODF). This describes the technical functional relationships between the individual works, pipes, windchests, keyboards, actions, etc. of an organ and is designed for the format of a specific virtual organ software (e.g. Hauptwerk-ODF or GrandOrgue-ODF).
There are now many sample sets of the most diverse original pipe organs of different styles and eras of organ building. Even very famous organs are currently available as sample sets, such as Silbermann, Cavaille Coll, Schnitger or Walcker organs.
Basically, the GrandOrgue software is largely compatible with Hauptwerk when it comes to playing the individual samples. However, this only applies to unencrypted sample files in .wav format. Unfortunately, many samples for Hauptwerk are only available in the encrypted .hbw or .hbx file format. For legal reasons, this format may only be used by Hauptwerk. Therefore, using such encrypted sample sets with GrandOrgue is unfortunately not possible.
But there are numerous, also very large and beautiful sample sets that were made for Hauptwerk and do not use encrypted sample files. These can in principle be used with GrandOrgue. The prerequisite, however, is that there is a corresponding organ definition file (ODF) in GrandOrgue format. Since so far only a few manufacturers also include GrandOrgue ODF files with their sample sets, we have specialized in creating and distributing such organ definitions on our organ page. These are made available here in the download area for all members of the organ site free of charge.
Although GO and HW may use the very same WAV-files (you are aware that GO cannot play encrypted files?) the organ sound may vary due to lots of parameters one can adjust in both of the programs, either coded in the ODF or applied via GUI. If one thing appeals to your ear more than the other is hard to tell. Why don't you just try it yourself, download GO from Sourceforge and try a simple organ like Strassburg oder Lipiny from Piotr Grabowksi, he offers his sample set for both programs. If you know HW, then the setup of GO shouldn't be that complicated for you. So you can decide for yourself.
Hello. Actually, any plain wave sample set can be adapted to Grandorgue. There is an ODF made for Caen, Krzeszow and Menesterol, for example (see -sets/odfs-for-grandorgue/krzeszow-odf-for-grandorgue/). Also Pipeloops sells Riddagshausen organ for GO.
Yes, it should be noted that GO has for a long time now allowed audio re-routing of individual ranks or whole divisions on the fly, i.e., without having to reload the entire organ. To me, the biggest drawback of Hauptwerk IV, by comparison, is the need to reload an entire organ in order to make any changes at all in audio routing. This was a very poor design choice and is a huge time waster for anyone (like myself) who has a multi-channel audio installation and likes to experiment by sending different ranks and divisions to different amplifiers and speakers.
The new audio interface being touted as part of the forthcoming Hauptwerk V will apparently address this issue and allow audio re-routing with no need to reload the organ. But this has already been available in GO for years. If a wider variety of sample sets were available for GO, I doubt I ever would have switched to Hauptwerk. I cannot detect a significant difference in sound quality between the two, but since the best sample sets are only available for Hauptwerk, comparisons can only go so far. The availability of these sample sets is the most compelling reason to buy Hauptwerk.
I agree, if Audacity had the ability to see/keep and create loop markers and release markers then it would become the tool of choice for creating sample based soundfonts (for Fluidsynth), organ sample sets (for GrandOrgue), orchestral instrument sample sets in GIG and SFZ formats (for LinuxSampler). All these opensource sample playing apps would benefit greatly by having an opensource based wave editor able to handle all of the work required in making the sample playable.
If a loop sample is edited, it would not be sufficient for Audacity to simply retain the existing smpl data, as the editing is likely to make that data incorrect. For example, if the loop points are defined relative to the start of the sample, then changing the start point of the file will cause all loop data to reference the wrong positions, and may reference invalid positions beyond the end of the file. It would be necessary for Audacity to recalculate the smpl data, which means that it would need to understand the exact format used in the smpl chunk by each manufacturer. Manufacturers may also use data that is specific to specific samplers, which would make error checking of the data a total nightmare.
Yes, of course the loop points and markers must internally be stored as to exactly what sample (wave data) that they refer to. So that if one cuts away part of the beginning or end, the loop (or marker) should still be on exactly the same samples as before the cut even if the samples themselves are in a different position in the file.
GrandOrgue is the free alternative to Hauptwerk software, it is free to download and use. With GrandOrgue, a user may download virtual replicas of real organs around the world, called sample sets. Many free sample sets are available, mainly from Lars Palo[2] and Piotr Grabowski,[3] but there are also downloadable ODFs (organ definition files) for commercially available organs for Hauptwerk, such as the virtual organ of the Abbey in Caen.
The completion of the functionality of the Michelotto organ sample set is now advanced: the beta testing phase has highlighted critical issues in some samples processed before the implementation of the current post-production standard, but the rework should not introduce significant delays in publication, expected by January 2024.
The set will be full of user-side accessory features: in addition to the possibility of adjustable Tremulants from the interface, now standard in our sample sets, a new feature of this release will be a dedicated panel to "per-rank detuning". Noting the strong differences in the tuning precision between the individual stops - both flue and reeds - of the Michelotto organ and having heard the opinion of expert users, we decided - in addition to the two general sliders for reeds and flue - to implement the possibility of adjustment on each individual rank, with dedicated cursors that act as "limiters" compared to the amount of detuning given by the general cursors. In this way it's possible for the user to make the general tuning more homogeneous without giving up the liveliness of the slight detunings present in the original pipe.
This function allows the greatest flexibility in going from a precise reproduction - for better or for worse - of the original tuning of the pipe instrument to a perfect equal tuning without burrs .
The processing of the audio samples of the Michelotto 2020 organ of S. Maria delle Grazie al Naviglio in Milan has finally been completed: a particularly complex and long process which however - as we have already mentioned - allowed us to significantly improve the post-production method, with very effective suppression of residual noise and perfect sound fidelity especially in the reverberation tails.
In recent weeks, in parallel with the testing phase on the sound part, the implementation of the graphics and the various functions of the sample set is underway: we anticipate a view of the stop's tab , although still in beta.
At the same time as finishing the Michelotto set we began processing the samples of the spinet, Italian harpsichord copy of Grimaldi and Flemish harpsichord copy of Ruckers recorded last January in Bologna by Maestro Gabriele Giunchi. We hope to have news on the next releases soon, after a break of almost two years.
The constant expansion of our sample library and the implementation of tools for agile ODF processing allows, alongside the publication of sample sets that reproduce existing pipe instruments, the study - already underway - of the possibility of producing "ad hoc" set in dry version, with personalized phonic arrangements.
We will have more updated news, predictably, during the first months of 2024: follow us!
On the afternoon of Thursday 30 March a web meeting took place with the group of organists of the Basilica-Sanctuary of Vicoforte, where a year and a half ago we sampled the prestigious organ of Carlo Vegezzi Bossi.
The initiative, organized in memory of Massimo Rovere - former organist of the Basilica and promoter of the sample set - on the anniversary of his untimely death, allowed us to show some instruments of sound analysis by applying them to the audio recorded during sampling, highlighting in an intuitive and effective way various technical and intonation characteristics of the valuable instrument.
The meeting aroused keen interest in all the participants, whom we thank for their attention, and demonstrated the far-sightedness with which Massimo had proposed the sampling, sensing that it would be the opportunity to have an accurate "sound photograph" from which to obtain a lot of information on the instrument: we report, by way of example, the spectrogram of the Flauto Dolce 8', Great, in which it is possible to notice already at first glance keep an eye out for the different types of pipes that follow one another along the texture (stopped pipes in the low section, open cylindrical pipes in a short central section and harmonics in the high notes).
A special thanks to Marzia Danna for her organizational support and to the Vice-Rector of the Sanctuary, Don Sergio Borsarelli, for the great interest with which he followed the meeting.