Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ

(I'm still using Hauptwerk version 4, which may make a difference to compatibility with certain Launchpads).

Because I like to combine complementary sample sets using two complete Hauptwerk systems, I have potentially a lot of swell pedals to control. I have an Akai LPD8

https://www.gear4music.com/G4M/Akai-LPD ... 20-%20Akai

which should be ideal, but it has a very small USB socket which disconnects annoyingly easily. There is now a bluetooth version, but I've been thinking about a mini Launchpad for piston control, and am wondering whether it can also send continuous controller messages?

https://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-an ... 20Products

Novation's own pdf guide

https://customer.novationmusic.com/site ... 0Guide.pdf

states that

“Full rows and columns of pads may also act as faders. Faders can be assigned CC values and may be unipolar or bipolar. Faders may be positioned horizontally or vertically”.

Does “unipolar or bipolar” mean values can either range from zero to maximum (unipolar) or can go positive or negative about zero (bipolar)?

If I used a mini launchpad in this way to set swell pedal positions (they would not need to be altered in the course of a piece), is it easy to then switch back to piston control mode (where each button sends a specified MIDI message)?

The mini size, around 7 inches square, would fit nicely into the limited space around my console, but I'm open to advice as to the capabilities of the other, larger models. Thanks!

Assume you don't want to double up the physical swell expression pedals to operate 2 sets of swell shades?

Rgds,
Ed

Hello organsRgreat,

(Whilst we no longer officially provide support for v4, except to people who bought a licence for it less than 12 months ago, the following are my brief thoughts, in case they help.)

organsRgreat wrote:Novation's own pdf guide

https://customer.novationmusic.com/site ... 0Guide.pdf

states that

“Full rows and columns of pads may also act as faders. Faders can be assigned CC values and may be unipolar or bipolar. Faders may be positioned horizontally or vertically”.

Does “unipolar or bipolar” mean values can either range from zero to maximum (unipolar) or can go positive or negative about zero (bipolar)?

If I used a mini launchpad in this way to set swell pedal positions (they would not need to be altered in the course of a piece), is it easy to then switch back to piston control mode (where each button sends a specified MIDI message)?

I think the guide is referring to using the Launchpad specifically with/in Ableton Live. For use with Hauptwerk (or other MIDI applications apart from Ableton Live) the Launchpad would normally just act as a standard MIDI device and its buttons just transmit/receive fixed MIDI messages (unaffected by settings in Novation's software).

For additional means to control expression pedals, my recommendation would be instead to look at devices that have knobs/sliders that transmit standard MIDI CC (and/or NRPN) messages. E.g. see this topic: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18468

Ed: your assumption is correct. I want to set all swell pedals independently. Doubling up would be easy - I'd just need to send the same continuous controllers to two computers, and use Hauptwerk's auto-detect function.

Martin: Thanks for a very helpful reply. It hadn't occurred to me that a Launchpad would rely on Ableton's software to implement continuous controllers, but I can see why it would be easier to do so. I'm going to try to fix my LPD8 so that the USB connector can't move; if I can make that reliable I'll use the LPD8 for swell pedal control and buy a mini Launchpad for pistons. That combination should just fit into the very limited space around my console.

Incidentally my reason for not immediately upgrading to Hauptwerk 5 is not that I doubt its technical advantages, but because it's taken me six years to assemble my system, and learn how to use Reaper as a “digital mixer” to integrate everything (including three sound cards and three ADAT units). Just as I had it all working together along comes a new version of the software – the worst possible time to have to think about different routing arrangements etc! I already have Liquidsonics reverb within Reaper, and am pleased with the sound. Quite likely I will upgrade at some point, in order to keep up with changes in computer technology and newer sample sets, but for the moment I want to enjoy using what I have.

Thanks, organsRgreat.

No problem at all, of course. Just to clarify (in case you didn't realise this, and do want to upgrade to v5 at some point): v5 can still be used with Reaper as v4 would, and v5 can retain and migrate existing v4 audio routing/settings. The only situations in which v4 audio routing settings may not be able to be migrated to v5 entirely automatically (and thus may need manually tweaking after migration) are due to these (release notice v5.0.0 audio routing changes section excerpt):

[* Please also note that technically Hauptwerk v5's audio configuration also has the following limitations compared to v4: a maximum of 16 total mixer ‘mix’ buses (the equivalents of v4's aux mix-down outputs) is allowed, and the left and right device channels selected for any given mixer bus (v4 audio output) when stereo should usually be consecutive (although if you really want to use non-consecutive channels then channel orders can be remapped manually via the 'General settings | Audio device and channels' screen).]

The audio device/driver is now selected via the new 'General settings | Audio device and channels' screen. ... Only a single device/driver can now be in use (which is necessary to ensure audio synchronization)

If either of those two situations do apply when the migration runs then Hauptwerk logs warning messages accordingly, so that you'd know that you'd need to adjust the relevant settings manually (for example, by remapping the order of non-consecutive device channels for stereo outputs).