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Sibelius 6.2 with Hauptwerk as a VST

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John Murdoch

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Sibelius 6.2 with Hauptwerk as a VST

PostFri Apr 08, 2011 10:28 pm

I have recently discovered Hauptwerk, and have been looking for information on how to use Hauptwerk with Sibelius 6.

This has been an arduous process--Sibelius works extremely well with VSTs like Kontakt (Native Instruments) or ARIA (Garritan), and having to implement "virtual MIDI cable" applications like MIDI Yoke or LoopBe seems harder than it ought to be. And the Hauptwerk documentation states pretty clearly that MIDI sequencers hosting Hauptwerk as a VST don't work well--you get sound, but you can't use the Hauptwerk features like stops, pistons, pedals, and so forth.

I'm delighted to say that with Sibelius you can. Here's a piece I just uploaded to Contrebombarde:

http://www.contrebombarde.com/concertha ... music/4973

This is a setting of "Easter Hymn", to be sung by a congregation. It was recorded from Hauptwerk, running as a VST within Sibelius 6.2, using the Free version of Hauptwerk and the St. Annes Moseley sound set. (I deliberately used the free version and the comes-in-the-box sound set so people new to Hauptwerk could hear what the entry level sounds like.)

In this piece I use Swell, Great, and Pedal. The recording begins with the default piston #3 sets for St. Annes Moseley (again, I wanted to demonstrate using the out-of-the-box functionality). I manually add stops in the Pedal and the Great; I change the crescendo pedal after the first verse; I also double the Pedal line toward the end of the third verse. I manually set the number 4 piston on the Great after the end of the 3rd verse.

This is not a recital piece. (And I'm not Rob Stefanussen, either. What I lack in experience I make up for with a complete lack of aptitude.) I'm creating music for our church congregation to sing--your mileage will almost certainly vary. (Example: the procession will start between the 2nd and 3rd verses, so I add emphasis then.)

But this is mostly a proof of concept--hosting Hauptwerk as a VST within Sibelius works extremely well.

(Well enough, in fact, that it's time to buy a paid Hauptwerk license, and the Haverhill OIC sound set. I'll do a follow up with the same setting to demonstrate the difference in the instruments.)
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mdyde

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Re: Sibelius 6.2 with Hauptwerk as a VST

PostSat Apr 09, 2011 4:26 am

Hello John,

Thanks for the feedback and for the intention to buy a licence.

Just to clarify one point:

And the Hauptwerk documentation states pretty clearly that MIDI sequencers hosting Hauptwerk as a VST don't work well--you get sound, but you can't use the Hauptwerk features like stops, pistons, pedals, and so forth.


You should actually fully be able to use stops, couplers, pistons, pedals, etc. in any of the major VST sequencer hosts with the current version of Hauptwerk (v3.30), including Cubase, Sonar and Reaper. (The prerequisites section in the Hauptwerk user guide lists the hosts/sequencers that we test with and fully support.)

However, integrating with MIDI sequencers will be easier still with the forthcoming Hauptwerk v4.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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John Murdoch

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Re: Sibelius 6.2 with Hauptwerk as a VST

PostSun Apr 10, 2011 3:55 pm

Hi Martin!

(I tried to post a reply yesterday, but evidently clicked something other than the "Submit" button. 8-)

Thanks for your comment--I'm sorry for the incorrect statement. What I should have written was that what support I could find, here and on the Sibelius forum, was that you had to use MIDI Yoke or LoopBe to be able to take advantage of stops, pistons, and so forth from Sibelius. I'm delighted to say that you can do everything from within Sibelius 6.2.

I stayed a bit late after worship this morning, and did some sound tests with the Easter Hymn in our sanctuary. In the MP3 that I posted on Contrebombarde I think I over-emphasized the Swell--my sense is that I fell victim to the Hauptwerk version of a common mistake of computer programmers: just because you have a bell or whistle at your disposal doesn't mean you have to use it. The pipe organ equivalent is that just because you have lots of stops on the Swell doesn't mean your music will sound better if you pull them all.

I am intrigued by the experience--I launched Hauptwerk, loaded the St. Annes Moseley sound set; and set the #3 piston on the Swell; the #3 piston on the Great; and the #2 piston on the Pedal. I pushed the Swell pedal to the top (as loud as it would go), and played the piece. Played in the church sanctuary--a resonant space--the Swell was far more audible than I'd thought: while there was an audible difference between the parts I'd assigned to the Swell as opposed to the Great (which isn't very noticeable in the MP3 I posted) the piece would work splendidly performed in the actual space. As I said, I find this intriguing.

John


John

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