Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ

I have a physical console that has 20 General pistons:



The problem is how to easily add more General pistons to the Organ Definition file written by someone else.

Often the writer of the original sample set does not include any more than, say, 8 General pistons. I can create the png graphics for those extra pistons, make space on the existing console view to put them, and actually place them on that screen.

The resulting screen looks like there's now 20 General pistons. My problem is that, while they look like they're normal, only the 8 original Generals actually store anything. The new ones have the look and feel of the original 8 but serve no other purpose - they are but decoys - saving nothing.

Trying to add to the Organ Definition file (copying what's been done with the original 8 Generals that do work), I often get no errors but still nonfunctional pistons. If I get an error, I often get something like this:



Searching the CODM manual I'm finding it hard to equate those contents with the Organ Definition file. For example:

<ObjectList ObjectType="ImageSetInstance">
<o><a>10000</a><c>10000</c><e>1</e><b>Console Screen</b><f>1</f></o>
<o><a>5999</a><c>5999</c><e>1</e><b>setter</b><f>12</f><g>507</g><h>608</h></o>
<o><a>5990</a><c>5990</c><e>1</e><b>general cancel</b><f>12</f><g>882</g><h>608</h></o>
<o><a>5000</a><c>5000</c><e>1</e><b>general piston 0</b><f>12</f><g>480</g><h>261</h></o>
... multiple lines removed ...
<o><a>5009</a><c>5009</c><e>1</e><b>general piston 9</b><f>12</f><g>678</g><h>261</h></o>

Some of the tags and attributes are evident; however, many are not (to me). I can find no reference in the CODM for these. For example, for the line highlighted in blue, which is one of my inserted lines, the <o> and </o> are obvious; so is the <b> ... </b> and <g> ... </g> and <h> ... </h>. I think the <a> ,,, </a> is a unique # for this organ definition. The <c> ... </c> may or may not be the same # ... etc.

Where in the CODM can I get a handle on this so I can add my own (20) generals to each of the sample sets that I have.

I really don't need the on-screen pistons - although they're nice - I only want to auto-detect my physical pistons. Is it possible to dispense with what the screen looks like and use the auto-detect feature of Hauptwerk v4? WHAT A GREAT FEATURE that auto-detect is!

THANK YOU for any direction you may give in this!
Respectfully

Why don't you just use the registration functions of HW4? Then you have 20 general pistons and you don't need these in the ODF anymore. See page 80 of the user guide.

Hello RWAbacus,

The 'full-format' organ definition files aren't intended to be user-editable as such - the Custom Organ Design Module's organ definition format (which is designed to be user-editable) is completely separate. Hence there's no easy way to edit the contents of third-party organ definitions unless they were developed with the CODM (which most complex commercial sample sets weren't) and the sample set producer supplies a CODM organ definition specifically for you to edit.

As Gerrit mentioned, I'd suggest using Hauptwerk's 'master' combination system, which gives you lots of generals and divisionals (and a 1000-frame stepper) for all organs, in addition to any combinations they might include natively. The 'View | Large control panels (for this organ) | Registration' menu function shows its functions:

THANK YOU!

Was that ever easy! And Hauptwerk's master combination system has auto-detect too.

I've successfully done in a couple of minutes what's taken me hours and hours trying (and failing) to manipulate the compiled Organ Definition File.

While I did read the manual, it was the CODM manual I was reading because I thought that's where I had to do this.

I did learn, however, that the original Organ Definition File (before compression) is actually relatively easy to read and understand - and bears a strong resemblance to the CODM. I compared the two files side-by-side and understood that which was heretofore incomprehensible. So, it wasn't an entirely wasted exercise.

Thank heavens for this forum!
.

Thanks. Excellent.

I did, as a workaround, assign both of these Tutti pistons to Scoped pistons A9 (for Tutti I) & A10 (for Tutti II). That's great for getting you there, but now you're faced with cancelling them when you don't want them - by choosing another General piston, I guess.

Correct, the Scoped pistons are not reversibles, so you would need to engage another piston to go back to whatever registration you had prior. Since you would need to hit a piston anyhow to take off the Tutti hopefully that shouldn't be much of an issue, just that you would need to remember which General you were on previously (if you in fact want to return to that previous registration) and engage that rather than the same Tutti piston again.

Or if you happened to hand register the previous registration you can use the Hand Reg piston at the bottom of the large Registration control panel to recall that previously set registration that you did by hand and it will remove the additional tutti piston stops. (This does not work for piston controlled registrations, only individual hand selected stops, thus "Hand reg").

Hi
Did you ever find out what the <b>, <c>, <g>, etc. represent ?
I have not been able to find a reference to this shorthand notation.

Any ideas ?

Mark

You just need to turn off auto-compacting for the ODF (which loads faster and saves hard drive space) under General settings | General preferences | Design tools, then reload the organ to generate an updated/un-compacted ODF.

Just to add to Brett's reply, after turning off organ definition compacting, to force the organ definition to be regenerated you need to load it (once only) specifically via 'Design tools | Load organ with design options' with the option ticked to force organ definition regeneration. (But be aware that non-compacted organ definitions will be much slower to load.)