GrandOrgue versions
Please note that all my sample sets were designed primarly to work with Hauptwerk software, as it is more powerful, easy to use, better developed software. Personally I don’t use GrandOrgue and I won’t provide any support related to it (except cases where the issue is directly related to my sample set). Please use GrandOrgue forum or other ways to get the support. Here is the list of known problems or lack of features related to my sample sets’ GrandOrgue versions. If you don’t accept these limitations, don’t use or buy my products. Maybe some of these points won’t be valid as probably some of the issues may be fixed with new releases of GrandOrgue.
- As I don’t use GrandOrgue packaging format, installation process is not as easy as with Hauptwerk. For my newer sets it requires basic knowledge about extracting RAR archives and moving files to make proper folder structure. Detailed instructions are shown in the paragraph below.
- Patching the sample sets won’t be easy as with Hauptwerk and that’s the reason I will wait with every GrandOrgue release to be sure that current Hauptwerk package is rather final, patched version. Patches listed on sample set page can’t be easily applied to GrandOrgue versions.
- Still few years after my first GrandOrgue releases, scalling of the user interface is still counter-intuitive. It doesn’t automatically fit display resolution. I still have to release two versions, which differ in size of graphical user interface.
- My new sample sets come in multichannel format. You may not have enough memory to load entire sample set, then you can disable ranks or whole audio groups from loading in Audio/Midi / Organ settings window by selecting on the left tree items you don’t want to load and then switch on the right side Sample channels option to Don’t load. To access Organ settings window you need to load the sample set or break the loading process once it passes Parsing sample set definition file phase.
- In the same Organ settings window you can assign different ranks to different audio groups (audio outputs). You can manage audio groups in Audio/Midi / Audio/Midi settings window, in Audio groups tab.
- Scaling of graphic interface is not working very well, so scaled interface will cause some misalignements.
- For newer sets, in Panel / Sample set settings you can adjust audio levels of different elements (audio groups, divisions, key/stop noises). It is not easy to change these values, but it is possible. When you click the value with left mouse button, it will usually set to rather random value, then use mouse scroll to select desired value and then release left mouse button. These values operate in 1-100% range (despite visible 0-100% range), as I disabled 0% value, because setting this value to 0% was disabling all currently playing sounds (pipes, blower noise, ambient noise etc.).
- Sample sets volume is normalized to the default GrandOrgue setting, which is -15dB, so playing a big chord with all stops engaged shouldn’t distort audio output with this value set.
- Some sample sets lack of features, which are present in Hauptwerk versions e.g. combination system in Szczecinek, Orage in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, enclosure pedal noises.
- Setting any temperament (other than original) results in retuning whole organ to a1=440 Hz, so e.g. for Erfurt Büßleben it results in retuning whole organ by 3 semitones.
- All of the percussive stops, which originally have dampeners (like Campane stop in Alessandria sample set) due to GrandOrgue limitations, sound quite unnatural, as the crossfade between the sustaining part and the silence is too short.
- All of the video presentations were recorded with Hauptwerk versions of the sample sets. The sound produced by GrandOrgue may be different as it has different audio engine.
- All of the memory requirements were measured for Hauptwerk. The actual values for GrandOrgue may slightly differ.
Downloads
Here are the downloads containing ODF (organ definition files) for GrandOrgue software. Please note that for sample sets, which have paid full versions, in the downloaded file you will find ODFs for both demo and full versions. You can delete files you won’t need, so if you bought full version you can remove demo version files and vice versa.
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.
Installation
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).