The Glory Of Hauptwerk...

[jhnbrbr]

An interesting and totally pointless exercise while waiting for the Midi keyboard to arrive is to try and get a tune out of a virtual organ using only the computer keyboard and the mouse. Sometimes it seems possible to play 3, or even 4 note chords on the typing keyboard - but it varies depending on the chord, and while that is going on, you can use the mouse to press a key on another manual, or to press a pedal. You should hear my rendition of "Away in a manger"!

[tittualex]

hello,
Is it possible to play My Organ with the virtual keyboard(with the aid of mouse)? I have played Miditzer with the virtual keyboard... but not with My Organ...

thanks.
Alex

[JLD]

Hauptwerk 3 is nice indeed but you can start with freeware and get good results.
We have been doing some interesting tests and unless you are ready to spend the money for a very good audio interface and top of the line headsets or speakers (which is the way to go if you can afford), you might not hear much difference between Hauptwerk and other solutions like MyOrgan.
The main issue with non hauptwerk solutions is the availability of good sample sets (I will refrain from advertizing Pibrac here )

To start playing, you can buy relatively low priced MIDI/USB keyboards and use the USB connection to your computer, this is very simple indeed. I have been using the M-Audio 61 with good results and even if the feel is not identical to a real organ, many seasoned organists had a lot of pleasure playing and practicing on my console. The pedal board is more difficult to resolve as there are not yet any low cost alternatives to the expensive solutions that can be found at the links above in this thread.

One thing I would like to add to the debate of electronic versus real. I don't think electronic organs purpose is to replace real organs. The best sounding solutions (VPO with good sample sets) are at best trying to very closely immitate the real thing. You need a real organ to record samples and create a VPO. If you don't have real organs, you don't have VPOs.
This being said, even if you have access to real organs, being able to use VPO for teaching and training with results very close to the real organ is certainly a very good thing when you want to practice almost every day and you can't get to church or church is busy when you are available. I also strongly believe that a real organ can be intimidating and sometimes very difficult to access (let's be honest... not all organists are friendly and ready to share access to their jewel!) and VPO could be excellent solutions to allow more people to learn how to play organs and eventually transition to the real thing.
If more VPO were available in music schools and homes, we would have more organist players available and motivated to help churches maintain and keep their pipe organs.

JLD

[jhnbrbr]

I agree wholeheartedly JLD. In terms of both price and convenience the VPO puts the classical organ on a par with other instruments, and it would be great if that allows more young people to take up the instrument.

[greatcyber]

Judy, check out a used keyboard on Ebay. You can pick one up really cheap and then start playing with MyOrgan, Miditzer and Hauptwerk. Hauptwerk is a little intimidating but I am modifying my Hammond (gutting it, really) and putting a computer inside and plan on adding touch screens. It has a 2 octave pedalboard and I bought a Midi foot controller with 2 swell shoes and 10 foot controllers to change sounds. It's been occupying my time as well as trying to learn how to use finale and other softwares that I recently got.

It's tremendous fun and the sounds are astonishing. I have about 50,000 sounds I can sample. I use Miroslav Philharmonic, Sample Tank, Reason, Native Instruments, GPO, Symphonics Choirs.... And the list goes on and on. That's why I haven't been around here lately, I've been trying to learn all this stuff.

So many of the demos are quite workable and fun to play around with.