Using Hauptwerk 4 with Sibelius 6.2 (UPDATED)

[arco]

John, I think that idea of two separate playback configurations is good.
I use the Kampen I, Velosovo (demo) and the StAnna's organs, so I do have to change between sample rates.
I did tune the organs to A=440, though.

I did not know the sample rate would change the pitch, but I think this is because a program does not know which sample rate the hardware is working with? (I find that a bit foolish - just ask the rate from the Asio driver and conform the sample rate of the program to that.... But, as usual, reality is different.)
I am glad I finally know why this problem exists.

[mdyde]

Hello Arco,

I did not know the sample rate would change the pitch, but I think this is because a program does not know which sample rate the hardware is working with? (I find that a bit foolish - just ask the rate from the Asio driver and conform the sample rate of the program to that....

No - on Hauptwerk's part it isn't simply that Hauptwerk doesn't know what sample rate the VST host is running at (it can very easily determine that).

Playing samples at a sample rate other than that at which they're recorded requires a process called 're-sampling' (interpolation) to be done in real-time. Hauptwerk intentionally doesn't currently do that because doing it with sufficient quality for significant differences in sample rate (e.g. between 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz) is CPU-intensive and would thus reduce performance, as well as still inevitably reducing quality to some extent.

Using the sample rate that matches that of the sample set gives the best performance and quality, which is why Hauptwerk works that way.

[John Murdoch]

Let me add another caveat to this discussion: I have noticed that the ASIO4ALL driver has an option to force re-sampling from 44.1Khz to 48Khz. The default is for this box to be checked--if you're using ASIO4ALL, you should absolutely un-check the box, and carefully ensure that your Sibelius playback configuration does not (somehow) permit that option to be reset.

If you find that you're hearing a "snap, crackle, and pop!" (to coin a phrase) in your playback, I'd look hard at your ASIO configuration to see if it's re-sampling for you.

[arco]

I have a M-Audio 1010LT and cannot find that setting.
However, I do see the hardware tab which indicated 44100Hz and a locked internal sync.
The mode is Consumer - what ever that means!

[John Murdoch]

Arco--

If you're using an M-Audio Delta 1010LT, you're not using ASIO4ALL. Not to worry.

John

[arco]

ok, thanks for the confirmation.

[BMartin]

I really appreciate your wonderful tutorial about connecting HW to Sibelius. I have been using Ableton Live for some years with HW as a VST. In addition to all the problems I have gotten myself into with an upgrade to Windows 7 on my old computer, I am now confronted with the fact the HW4 just can't seem to communicate with Live. Your comments about drivers, with the first application grabbing the driver may be my problem. I have an Ultralite audio interface with its own unique driver issues. I am considering buying Sibelius because that may be a lot easier than fighting with drivers, based on your advice and instructions. I remember back in graduate school when I wrote programs in Fortran on punched cards, but the first few cards that communicated with the computer were not available until you begged somebody to give them to you. It was like a whole new world opening up. It is a shame the Live as well as Hauptwerk doesn't have an unequivocal way to address connectivity and driver issues. Thanks again!

[mdyde]

Hello BMartin,

There are several step-by-step tutorials in the Hauptwerk v4 user guide ('Section VI: MIDI sequencing, the Hauptwerk AU/VST Link and applying real-time reverb' section - pages 174-268) that cover how to configure Hauptwerk and various common VST hosts correctly to work together - Cubase, Sonar, Logic and Reaper, although not currently Ableton Live.

However, there's a section in there that describes the general steps usually need for other hosts, for which the process is usually similar.

[John Murdoch]

Using Sibelius with Hauptwerk doesn't spare you from using audio drivers--you're still using an ASIO driver, and the ASIO implementation will only work with the first application that loads the DLL. You will load the VST host application (in this case, Sibelius; but it could be Reaper, Pro Tools, or something else), and then load the VST (Hauptwerk).

Where you may find yourself in a quandary is if you are playing Hauptwerk from a keyboard. If that's the case, you'll have to set up a different HW configuration--set up one to work with a MIDI input device; set up the second to work as a VST. (That's how the instructions work in the tutorial.)

I have not (yet) updated the tutorial to reflect the new Sibelius 7. It is very, very similar--I have been using HW4 with pre-release versions of Sibelius 7 for several months, and with the released version which shipped at the end of July.

[Bri]

Hello John,
I just wondered if you had been able to update your article about using Hauptwerk with Sibelius to the latest version 7.0.3?
Cheers
Brian

[John Murdoch]

Hi Brian!

I'm sorry to have been dragging my feet for so long--my intent is to post a new work, tentatively titled "Making Music with Sibelius 7 and Hauptwerk 4". In the original draft of my tutorial I focused on correctly installing and configuring Hauptwerk--assuming that the user understood the nuances of VST playback from Sibelius.

That turned out to be a mistake. It seems clear that a lot of people would like to explore the world of Hauptwerk, but need help understanding how to set up Sibelius 7 in order to do so. And since we finally got the Skinner patches right in Sibelius 7 Sounds, there's a new crop of people who have listened to the (MDA) Skinner sounds in Sibelius, and want more.

I'm working on it--but I also have a couple of substantial client commitments, and a rapidly expanding music program at church.

John

[Bri]

Many thanks for that John - look forward to it.
Having read your original treatise - I got rather concerned about the part where you talk about having to reinstall Hauptwerk so that the VST files are in the right place for Sibelius. I'm not sure I can face re-installing!! Is it possible to just reinstall the VST libraries without affecting the rest of Hauptwerk?
Sorry to bother you, but it always seems daft trying to reinvent the wheel when some brave entrepreneur has already done it!!
Cheers
Brian

[mdyde]

Hello Brian,

To change the installation location for Hauptwerk's VST plug-in you do need to re-run the Hauptwerk installer, but that in itself won't lose any of your settings or organs. (Although it's always a good idea to use 'File | Backup ...' in Hauptwerk first for good anyway.)

[Bri]

Many thanks Martin.
I guess I'll have to 'gird my loins' and give it a bash.
Cheers
Brian

[John Murdoch]

Brian--

The reinstall is completely painless. It just takes a minute or two--you're not reinstalling St. Annes or anything like that.

John