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RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

That is interesting Jack. I have been worrying about upgrading to HWV and was certainly put off by the price! It would be good to hear how people that have upgraded see the advantages so far.
Robert

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

Thanks Rob - I have expressed my concerns about Milan's 'push' to HW5 before on this Forum (I'm firmly in the "no upgrade for me" camp), and my worst expectation in January was that the Hauptwerk community would be (peacefully) split as a result of the upgrade. It seems I was right: the community appears split right through the middle!

I'd like to another count of 800 uploads around August-September, to see how things develop, but I do not expect any great change.

There's a message here for sample makers!

Jack

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

Hello,

I was not the fist to upgrade but took the adventure to upgrade. In the beginning there was one serious bug, however with work-around, but now with Hauptwerk 5.01 all problems are gone and I am very satisfied with it, because of three main reasons:
1. With iLok licensing hackers for illegal sample downloading and selling, etc. is prevented.
2. Good for future, e.g. if you want to buy the Fleiter organ DOM Billerbeck, or Martinikerk Groningen sample-set, etc. you need HW5. So with HW IV you can not purchase new sample-sets
3. My sample-sets sound in general better, more transparent sound.

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

Hello Fred,

Glad you're happy with HW5 - but the point I was trying to make is that the uptake of HW5 barely encompasses 50% of the Hauptwerk users - surely a dire situation for Milan.

By the way, the Billerbeck Dom organ sampleset is NOT exclusively for HW5 users. It is downloadable for HW4 users; it does NOT require an iLok licence or Dongle update for HW4 users:

"The samples are offered in 48kHz/24bit resolution. The multiple releases have three levels: short, mid and long. Hauptwerk v. 4.2 and higher supported (incl. HW5). The sample set is offered in a plain wave format, no encryption."

http://www.sonusparadisi.cz/en/organs/germany/billerbeck-dom-fleiter-organ.html

Jack

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

Hello, you are right about that sample-set. But try to buy Martinikerk Groningen set for HW4. Or Sonnenorgel Goerlitz. Or Laurenskerk Rotterdam...

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

All true, Fred. But my mindset has, since at least December last year, focused on samplesets NOT requiring HW5 or a Dongle update. By March this year I had installed Midwolda, Waldkirchen, Reinhardtsgrimma and Nijkerk (my childhood/youth organ) as encrypted sets needing a Dongle update.

I have more than 70 samplesets installed, more than a dozen of them are major and historically significant 3-keyboard organs and some 4-keyboard organs. They included a list of DEMO's - but five of them (Caen, Zwolle, Rotterdam, Velesovo, Krzeszow) I actively use through this free Composite sampleset:

https://obvorgel.wordpress.com/description/

As a "garden-variety organist" who does NOT have performance skills for concert or public performance levels, I have no urgent desire for Rotterdam, Goerlitz or Groningen. I can think of another 20 or so historically significant samplesets I could still buy that do NOT need a HW5 installation or a "dongle update" (this no longer exists).

Jack

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

The Sonus Paradisi sample set of the Rotterdam Main (Nave) Organ does NOT require an upgrade to Hauptwerk V. From the SP website: "The sample set can be used in Hauptwerk version 4...Plain wave format (no encryption)."

Personally, I run only HW4.2 and have no intention of upgrading to HW5. Despite reports of "clearer" or "more transparent" sound from HW5, I have found very few opportunities online to listen to the same MIDI file played back through both versions in a head to head comparison. However, where I did find that, this was my impression:

1) I could understand what was meant by the additional clarity claimed for HW5, but it was NOT to my liking. It seemed to me as if clarity was gained by bringing everything into the foreground--including sound reverberating in the church-- and flattening the soundscape. This sounded unnatural to my ears, more like a semblance of clarity than true realism. Compared to the same MIDI file played back on the same sample set in HW4, I felt like I was hearing a gimmick like the sort of digital signal processing one got from certain early surround sound processors. The reverberation brought forward this way sounded especially detached from the natural acoustic of the building. I was instantly reminded of the differences I have long studied between analogue and digital playback of material originally recorded in analogue format (tape). I'm essentially talking about the difference between vinyl records and CD's. Playback through HW5 reminded me of the edgy, forward, well "digital" sound, of CD's, compared to the more spacious and natural sound of well-pressed vinyl, which is what playback through HW4.2 reminded me of.
2) Speaking of reverb, despite several positive comments about the convolution reverb built into HW4, I have been unimpressed by the sound samples I have heard of it posted online. For example, the Semi-dry + reverb demos of the Groningen, St. Martini Organ sample set on the Sonus Paradisi website sound positively anemic compared to demos revealing the natural acoustics of the church. I use separate speaker banks to add reverb in my sound system driven by TC Electronics M-One XL outboard reverb units. To my ears these outboard units add more realistic reverb than any software-based system I have yet heard--and they do not claim any processing power from my computer.

Once again, I want to make it clear that the above impressions were based only on the very few opportunities I was aware of to compare HW4 and HW5 head to head with all else being equal. Others who own and run both software versions may come to very different conclusions from mine based on their own experiences. For me, the only reason to consider upgrading to HW5 would be to gain access to additional encrypted sample sets now that Milan Digital Audio no longer provides dongle updates for HW4. However, I would only consider installing HW5 as a separate system--not as an upgrade--in order to continue to enjoy the sonic advantages of HW4.2

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

Correction: I meant to say: "the convolution reverb built into HW5" NOT "HW4." As we know, HW4 did not offer convolution reverb.

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

The difference I hear in the sample sets depends on which one. I know it is all subjective, but I hear an improved soundscape in my Armley-Schulze compared to the Poblet Metzler for example.

The upgrade process was straight forward and trouble free, but time consuming when taking into account new download and installations needed.

RE: Contrebombarde uploads: Hauptwerk V vs Hauptwerk IV

Yes, and since I was early-adopted enough the costs of upgrade was also limited. And now I have some sample-sets I could not have without HW5, like Sonnenorgel.