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grandorgue vs hauptwerk


best people
'
what is the diffrence between grandorgue and hauptwerk?
by dirk-janvogelaar
Nov 26, 2019 12:55 PM

Replies (20)

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk

dirk-janvogelaar wrote:

best people
'
what is the diffrence between grandorgue and hauptwerk?

So many differences ... The most obvious difference is perceived by your ears. Grand'orgue is a software released for free, Hauptwerk is paid. This is the same situation as software such as Open Office (free) and Microsoft Office (paid), Muse score (free) and Finale (paid), Free cad (free) and Pro-E or Katia (for a fee). All free software do (approximately) the same thing as the related payment software but will hardly match all the functions, dynamism and workability

by Anto800
Nov 28, 2019 01:36 AM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk


and how is it with the sound?
by dirk-janvogelaar
Nov 28, 2019 02:59 AM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk

dirk-janvogelaar wrote:

and how is it with the sound?

You can easily find sound examples on youtube. Hauptwerk unlike grand'orgue uses powerful functions such as multi-attack (sampling attack transient several times so as not to ever recapture the pipe attack in the same way), multi loops (repetition of static sound in different points of the audio track), multi release (to reproduce different sound releases, especially when the sound is not fully developed, for example when I play loose notes). Moreover Hauptwerk has a powerful dynamic fluid algorithm to simulate the different pressures in the windmills and distribution according to the instant absorption, which makes the sound very dynamic and realistic

by Anto800
Nov 28, 2019 03:51 AM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk

dirk-janvogelaar wrote:

and how is it with the sound?

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.

by Insulaner
Nov 28, 2019 03:55 AM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk


I have used HW, GO and many other organs.

Regarding the sound of GO: As it can use the some of the same sample sets as HW the sound is pretty much exactly the same as HW. Sound quality depends more on your audio setup than the organs.

The biggest disadvantage of GO is that its midi file format uses UNDEFINED sysex events to set the stops. Thus files made on one organ can be played ONLY on another EXACTLY the same organ. Midi files made by HW and many other organs can be easily translated (using eplayOrgan) to play correctly on any other (similar) organ, and even on non HW organs.

Another disadvantage of GO is that a GO organ cannot easily be driven by the output of another organ because it has no defined input interface. Also its output, being undefined, cannot easily drive another organ.

There are many other disadvantages of GO including lack of support by all and sundry.

Thus, given the option, I would follow the crowd and choose HW.

csw900
by csw900
Nov 28, 2019 04:00 AM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk


Except for the sample sets by Piotr, which he will not continue to do in the future for GO, I would think the difference is huge. You get what you pay for. I haven't seen or heard any really good sample sets in GO.

But you may be aware of another competition:

https://www.modartt.com/organteq

Amazing technology for sure, but also quite disappointing, artificially sounding results.
by adri
Nov 29, 2019 10:09 AM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk

adri wrote:

Except for the sample sets by Piotr, which he will not continue to do in the future for GO, I would think the difference is huge. You get what you pay for. I haven't seen or heard any really good sample sets in GO.

But you may be aware of another competition:

https://www.modartt.com/organteq

Amazing technology for sure, but also quite disappointing, artificially sounding results.

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 https://virtualpipeorgans.wordpress.com/sample-sets/odfs-for-grandorgue/krzeszow-odf-for-grandorgue/). Also Pipeloops sells Riddagshausen organ for GO.

by merez
Nov 29, 2019 06:24 PM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk


Besides all the disadvantages, it should be noted that
a) setting up multi-channel output is somewhat easier to set up and does NOT require ASIO support (and thus, exclusive access to the sound card which would prevent other sounds from being played back simultaneously) and
b) GO has built-in support for impulse response reverb (which is my most missed feature in HW).

Several years ago, I switched from GO to HW mainly because of the higher quality sample sets available for HW, which were not available as unencrypted versions (and thus, only playable thru HW).
by woody-mc
Dec 8, 2019 12:04 PM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk

woody-mc wrote:

Besides all the disadvantages, it should be noted that
a) setting up multi-channel output is somewhat easier to set up and does NOT require ASIO support (and thus, exclusive access to the sound card which would prevent other sounds from being played back simultaneously) and
b) GO has built-in support for impulse response reverb (which is my most missed feature in HW).

Several years ago, I switched from GO to HW mainly because of the higher quality sample sets available for HW, which were not available as unencrypted versions (and thus, only playable thru HW).

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.

by sterlingorganhouse
Dec 8, 2019 10:47 PM

RE: grandorgue vs hauptwerk


"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."

It would seem that now would be good time to think about making more sample sets available for GO. (Not that I would know how!)
by einer_von_weitem
Dec 9, 2019 05:46 AM

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