New Hauptwerk Sample Set: Willis Studio 70

[Lee Blickgedackt]

Just been playing with a new sample set produced by www.silveroctopus.co.uk which uses Father Willis pipework from St. Georges Hall, Liverpool and other sources. The four manual and 70 stop set fits in at 6.3GB at 16-bit quality, which is quite a feat. I have produced a 'walkthrough' video demonstrating the different ranks and choruses.

If you love Willis organs, you will love this concert organ sample set!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MuTvH67DTE

[Momboc]

I have the 'Studio 50' sample set from Silver Octopus, and it is excellent.

Did you do any rank or pipe voicing on the Studio 70 sample set for the demo - or is it set to defaults?

[Clarion]

If you love Willis organs, you will love this concert organ sample set!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MuTvH67DTE

I am emphasizing the If. But after hearing your demo, I am somewhat less than impressed; notwithstanding, that the demo you chose would probably make any organ sound bad. :-)

The idea of having a Fr Willis organ in my living room has intrigued me ever since Phoenix crafted a Fr Willis organ for a local church, but I have never heard one, nor heard samples of such:

http://phoenixorgans.com/installatio...stallation=142

But I don't observe anything all that different from anything you might find in your average English church, i.e. blah oatmeal for breakfast kind of organ.

[arie v]

Hi,

I am wondering how this sample set compares to the one from Salisbury Cathedral that Milan Digital Audio did. I am familiar with that set, and it is quite wonderful. That one sounded good without having to do extensive voicing, although voicing it made it even better.

Clarion is making a very personal statement about English organs. He just doesn't much like them. However, there are many organ lovers that really like that sound, and many Hauptwerk owners have at least one set loaded onto their computers.

Another fabulous sample set is the Haverhill Congregational Church done by Lavender Audio. Really likable English kind of sound.

The other thing to mention about Hauptwerk, or for that matter any simulator system, the results vary widely, depending on expertise, the audio put on the system, and even the electronics used. Hauptwerk is capable of stunning results. And Hauptwerk is increasingly going high end. As it is becoming better known, more and more are going on board with it. I'm sure the standard builders are losing sleep about how to combat this new threat to their domain.

AV

[Lee Blickgedackt]

I have the 'Studio 50' sample set from Silver Octopus, and it is excellent.

Did you do any rank or pipe voicing on the Studio 70 sample set for the demo - or is it set to defaults?

No. Everything is set to default. The creators of this set has done quite a bit of work as far as voicing and regulating so it does sound sound and feel a bit different to the '40' & '50'.

Arie V, yes, the sets you mention are very good and together with the Father Willis Studio sets are different to each other if you take the effort to look.

Thank-you for your mature comments.

[Westminster]

Further to Arie's citing of the Salisbury and Haverhill sample sets should be added the recently released Hereford Cathedral Willis from Lavender Audio. This set is IMHO the best of these, being recorded a bit closer up than Salisbury, hence a bit "cleaner" sounding. Posted recordings thus far have tended to more theater type playing which is not particularly helpful in assessing the repertoire capabilities of the set. Generally speaking the demos on the Lavender site are a bit more informative at this point. As with Salisbury, Hereford is a partial release at this point with 46 stops represented. MDA is anticipating release of the remainder of the much delayed Salisbury set in December. Lavender is hopeful of March release of the full Hereford set.

To recap these sets:
Studio 70 - dry
Haverhill - fairly dry natural acoustic. extended version includes a spectacular Tuba stop amongst the very well considered additions
Hereford - wet, but moderately close
Salisbury - very wet

[radagast]

Hi,

I am wondering how this sample set compares to the one from Salisbury Cathedral that Milan Digital Audio did. I am familiar with that set, and it is quite wonderful. That one sounded good without having to do extensive voicing, although voicing it made it even better.

Clarion is making a very personal statement about English organs. He just doesn't much like them. However, there are many organ lovers that really like that sound, and many Hauptwerk owners have at least one set loaded onto their computers.

Another fabulous sample set is the Haverhill Congregational Church done by Lavender Audio. Really likable English kind of sound.

The other thing to mention about Hauptwerk, or for that matter any simulator system, the results vary widely, depending on expertise, the audio put on the system, and even the electronics used. Hauptwerk is capable of stunning results. And Hauptwerk is increasingly going high end. As it is becoming better known, more and more are going on board with it. I'm sure the standard builders are losing sleep about how to combat this new threat to their domain.

AV

Arie, I am curious about your comment that "Hauptwerk is increasingly going high end". What do you mean? I am a big fan of Hauptwerk's Cavaille-Coll sample sets that I have heard. I haven't heard ANY other digital organ maker that can get that sound.

[arie v]

Hi,

What I meant here, was that I am hearing of a number of projects that based on Hauptwerk, but will be using high end consoles, high end DACs, multi-channel (we are talking here dozens) of high end audio (both amplifiers and speakers), and proper install and voicing. Some of these projects exceed $75K, several way over $100K. If done right, can't see why they can't exceed most standard issue digi-organs.

Most Hauptwerk projects are done by organ enthusiasts who want something in their home, and costs are typically $5K to $10K, depending on the nature and scope of the project.

What I am hearing now is that Hauptwerk (and possibly other PC based programs) are gaining acceptance, with churches and concert halls.

AV

[Lee Blickgedackt]

I am emphasizing the If. But after hearing your demo, I am somewhat less than impressed; notwithstanding, that the demo you chose would probably make any organ sound bad. :-)

The idea of having a Fr Willis organ in my living room has intrigued me ever since Phoenix crafted a Fr Willis organ for a local church, but I have never heard one, nor heard samples of such:

http://phoenixorgans.com/installatio...stallation=142

But I don't observe anything all that different from anything you might find in your average English church, i.e. blah oatmeal for breakfast kind of organ.

I used to think that Phoenix Organs were the bees knees when it comes to digital organs, but after using Hauptwerk for two years and just listening to the Phoenix organ recordings, I have definitely changed my views. I would rather stick to Hauptwerk and the tone qualities and features it offers over any digital organ.

[Clarion]

I would rather stick to Hauptwerk and the tone qualities and features it offers over any digital organ.

With Phoenix, it isn't a matter of choosing between a digital organ and Hauptwerk. Adding Hauptwerk/Jorgan to a Phoenix isn't a whole lot more complicated than inserting a midi plug with Hauptwerk on the other end. The entire Hauptwerk installation can be controlled from the console. All of the stop tabs, pistons, memories, sw, ch, cresc pedals, etc on the console work seamlessly with Hauptwerk.

If I was tempted to go the Hauptwerk route, the Haverhill Organ would probably be my first choice; and it's III/42 spec would be pretty much a perfect fit for my III/44. But honestly, the Haverhill Organ doesn't sound all that much different from the English Organ specification already built into the organ, so I am not all that motivated to extend the organ with Hauptwerk at the moment. The Cavaillé-Coll set sounds like it might be a lot of fun for a while, but I am not sure how long it would be fun. :-)

[Clarion]

What I meant here, was that I am hearing of a number of projects that based on Hauptwerk, but will be using high end consoles, high end DACs, multi-channel (we are talking here dozens) of high end audio (both amplifiers and speakers), and proper install and voicing. Some of these projects exceed $75K, several way over $100K. If done right, can't see why they can't exceed most standard issue digi-organs.

With the influx of spiritual/cultural refugees in our area fleeing liberal and praise-band churches, our church can no longer contain the crowd. In response, we are ready for the sod-turning for a new church.

As a member of the organ committee, with the kind of budget you are suggesting, could I in good conscience, even for a moment think about recommending a $100,000+ hobby Hauptwerk thingy, when one of the most celebrated manufacturers of real organs is located a mere hour away down the road. And with that option, you get a fine sounding state-of-the-art organ with a ten year guarantee, fully customized to your specifications; instantaneous servicing; and the latest upgrades and accessories available from a manufacturer with one of the best, if not the very best reputation in the industry!

So . . . members of the organ committee: What say you all?!?!? :-)