Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ

Hi everyone,

I am excited to share ongoing progress with my latest Hauptwerk project. Our 1935 Kilgen at Second Presbyterian, Portsmouth, OH is undergoing much needed but major renovations. It is currently with the team of Peebles Herzog, undergoing a complete electrical system overhaul, and major restoration to the wind system/bottom-boards/leathers. We are lookiung forward to having "Ma-Kilgen" back some time in the fall.

Meanwhile, we are incredibly lucky to have received a two-manual wicks console, and I just completed phase 1 of our summer Hauptwerk project. Using a pair of arduino boards, I have the console playing as a MIDI console. I used an arduino MEGA to scan the swell, great, pedals (supplied pre-wired 12x6 matrix) and combination system (8x6 matrix). And an arduino Uno to scan the choir expression (a potentiometer) and the swell expression mechanism (a series of 8 reed switches, in matrix configuration, which I had not encountered before).

I am very very grateful to @larason2 and and his arduino documentation which got me over the learning curve. https://projecthub.arduino.cc/Larason2/ ... 9d5739f9f9

I did end up writing new code for our system in the end and am happy to share that with anyone interested.



The wicks console as it was delivered to us.


Testing the matrix arrangement of the upper manual, jumper wires to the arduino mega


Testing arduino code to read the matrix of the swell mechanism



The arduino mega with a screw-terminal 'shield' that made connecting everything that much easier after I fashioned the ribbon cables



Some semblance of interior cable management



The console as it currently appears
I added 12v lighting strips to the music rack and pedalboard, which run off the power supply I got for the arduinos and keyboards. The computer is a HP touch-screen laptop (to the right) and the left is a USB-c touchscreen that matches size-wize.

Will keep you posted of developments
(Custom sampleset also - I sampled the Kilgen before she was taken off line )

Nice work Jerry! You've taken the Hauptwerk DIY experience to the next level by building your own encoders and then your own sample set. Add in some wood working (well maybe you have) and you'd have most bases covered.

I've known about Arduinos for some time and knew they could be used as MIDI encoders but it was just easier to use the more popular products from MGB, Artisan, Midi-Hardware, etc. It wasn't until recently that I accepted a project to add Hauptwerk to a late model digital organ which already had MIDI. Close to completion, I realized that I needed just 1 maybe 2 more MIDI buttons to relieve some short-comings. Upon further research I discovered that 3 Arduino models can become a MIDI Compliant device. They are the Micro, Pro Micro, and Leonardo thanks to their on board ATMega32U4 processor and the MIDI USB library. This means Widows and more importantly Hauptwerk recognizes this as a MIDI device plus you just need a single USB cable for both power and data. Sweet! I had some spare pistons lying around so for $14 I basically built a tiny 4-button 'Launchpad' without lights. Also in the standard build code you can edit the controller's name used to identify itself to the Windows device manager. So instead of "Arduino Leonardo" showing up in the HW MIDI hardware list it now says "Custom 4-button box".

In a few months, I too will be starting off using the same @Larson2 code for a small 2-manual, Hauptwerk headless system. When I do, I might be interested your offer of the source code that you used.

Looking forward to the next update.

Danny B.

Great tips about the boards with on-board MIDI (I'll keep that in mind for future!)

And happy to share the code I got working :

1) MEGA code for two-manual, pedals, combination action
https://create.arduino.cc/editor/jeremi ... 41/preview
2) UNO code for my expression pedals (I needed more pins as one of them is a peterson style 8-reed-switch design)
https://create.arduino.cc/editor/jeremi ... 37/preview

Jerry

The organ is in the sanctuary! Our local university (Shawnee State) has allowed us to borrow a set of 4 omnidirectional speakers -initial results are rather exciting indeed.

We are starting out with 2x Alto
https://isobelaudio.com/products/the-alto-hemisphere/
and 2x Baritone
https://isobelaudio.com/products/the-ba ... emisphere/

Now is the exciting part of figuring out how to optimize the sound: initial testing involved setting up the speakers as 2 stereo pairs, and routing the audio through the mixer appropriately: with the bone-dry version of the sampleset, the results in the native accoustic are surprisingly good.

(Of course we can see the real Kilgen organ in the background, laying in wait - I need to be careful not to make this mobile setup sound "too" good )