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An absolute beginner needs advice!

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k2bhm

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An absolute beginner needs advice!

PostTue Jun 02, 2015 12:31 am

Greetings from Scotland!
I am a new convert to Hauptwerk who for years has gone off regularly to the church in which I play, to get some practice in.
Last week I came across Hauptwerk virtual organs on Youtube and was blown away. Here was my answer at last.
So after a load of research I went out yesterday and bought a keyboard (Alesis Vi61) and connected it up to the free Hauptwerk software and within a few minutes had it all up and running. A long way from my 2 manual and pedal church organ or the 3 manual Harrison and Harrison I learned on, but a good feel from the keyboard and a not bad sound from my iMac. I am hooked!
But I have a few questions, having taken the first step.......
1. I clearly need to improve the sound output quality if nothing else, to boost the volume to improve the dynamic range. Should I go for a decent set of headphones, plug in a set of computer desktop speakers, or go the route of an amplifier and monitors? Any advice on which route best?

2 The next input step is also unclear to me......should I go for a second Midi keyboard (easy to do) or start the search for a midified pedal board? I get the impression that the latter are rather hard to come by - I did have one a few years ago but gave it away to an organ builder who had a use for it!

Any and all advice on any of this would be greatly appreciated and if there are any other Hauptwerk users/enthusiasts in south-west Scotland, I'd love to hear from you!

Hoping this generates some useful conversation and advice!

k2bhm
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mdyde

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Re: An absolute beginner needs advice!

PostTue Jun 02, 2015 4:53 am

Thanks very much for the interest and enthusiasm.

(I've moved the topic here for now, since you're currently using the Free Edition.)

k2bhm wrote:1. I clearly need to improve the sound output quality if nothing else, to boost the volume to improve the dynamic range. Should I go for a decent set of headphones, plug in a set of computer desktop speakers, or go the route of an amplifier and monitors? Any advice on which route best?


The AKG 702 or 701 headphones are very popular, and particularly well-regarded for fidelity and comfort, amongst Hauptwerk users: http://www.akg.com/pro/p/k702 . I use the 702s myself and find them to be excellent. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD 598 headphones, which are very good (and comfortable) too: http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/high-end-headphones-audio-stereo-hifi-hd-598 , although I perhaps prefer the 702s slightly.

Note that you might need a dedicated headphones amplifier for the 702s/701s, and higher quality headphones in general due to their higher impedance ratings, unless you're using a professional audio interface that has a suitable impedance/amplified headphones output, as my RME Fireface UFX audio/MIDI interface does. Also make sure that any candidate headphones have a 3.5 mm jack plug if you only have a 3.5 socket.

k2bhm wrote:2 The next input step is also unclear to me......should I go for a second Midi keyboard (easy to do) or start the search for a midified pedal board? I get the impression that the latter are rather hard to come by - I did have one a few years ago but gave it away to an organ builder who had a use for it!


We have various suppliers of organ MIDI hardware (including MIDI pedalboards and tracker-touch keyboards) listed here:

https://www.hauptwerk.com/support/midi-hardware/

DHMidi-Organs (Douglas Henn-Macrae) is an importer for various makes in the U.K., so it might be worth speaking to him as a starting point:

http://en.midi-organs.eu/

(He's also a reseller for Hauptwerk.)

Hope that helps.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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sesquialtera

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Re: An absolute beginner needs advice!

PostTue Jun 02, 2015 12:43 pm


On the main page, you can only see old pictures of old-fashioned virtual organs ...
http://en.midi-organs.eu/index.php/shop/keyboards-consoles-parts-etc
... No picture of any kind of keyboard nor console ! ...
Nothing changed here since several years !! would you really buy anything without seeing it ?
It seems that the business strategy needs updating.
Please, be sure it's not a hater complaint, just a point of view ...
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dhm

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Re: An absolute beginner needs advice!

PostTue Jun 02, 2015 1:22 pm

E-mail me, tell me how we might be able to help, and I'll send you some pictures.
Douglas Henn-Macrae
Authorized Hauptwerk Reseller
http://www.midi-organs.eu

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