Midi recording and floating manuals

I've got a 2-manual console without any playing aids, so to make recordings I've sometimes been using HW's native MIDI recording facility. I make a recording without stop changes, then use play back to record the registration change.

With 2M sample sets that works well. I've just got my first 4M sample set so I've set the console up with floating manuals:

Lower: floats between GT/Ch/Solo
Upper: floats between SW/Ch/Solo

Live I can switch between floats using a button on the screen, so I was expecting to be able to do the same while playing back a MIDI recording. But it doesn't seem to work. Am I missing something?

The particular piece I'm working on asks for independent GT, SW, Choir and Solo. I'd like to start with upper manual as choir for a contrast with GT, then switch to Sw for an accompanied section, then to Solo when the Tuba drills through at the end.

I can get something on this piece almost the same using HW's general couplers, but I can conceive of situations where that wouldn't work.

I have a 3M console with playing aids on order, so the problem will go away.

[mdyde]

Hello srw647,

Hauptwerk's built-in MIDI recorder records the actions that occur within the sample set's virtual organ console itself, rather than means by which you trigger the actions. (That's done so that MIDI files recorded by Hauptwerk are independent of MIDI hardware/settings, and independent of combination files, so that people can exchange MIDI recordings and they will play back exactly the same for any other user of the same sample set, regardless of their hardware, settings, or combination files.)

Hence if you use Hauptwerk's floating division MIDI keyboards to play the sample set's virtual keyboards then whatever virtual keyboard a floating division was mapped to at the time of recording (e.g. the virtual Great) would be recorded, not the fact that it was played via a floating division MIDI keyboard. I.e. when you played the recording back the Great would play, irrespective of any subsequent changes to floating division MIDI keyboards (or any other MIDI/routing changes).

Thus you'd either need to:

1. Make sure you select the desired floating division routes when making recordings, or:

2. When needed, edit the recorded MIDI file in some MIDI editor software to change the notes' MIDI channels for the virtual keyboards, corresponding to the desired virtual keyboards' MIDI channels shown via the 'Recording | View Hauptwerk MIDI recorder/player fixed, predefined MIDI implementation (for this organ)' menu function, save the MIDI file, then (re-)open it in Hauptwerk's MIDI player.

Thanks Martin, that explanation makes sense. I'd assumed it would record "Midi channel 2" rather than "Great division". I'll do a workaround with couplers - I think I can make it work, by defining the upper manual as the Solo.

For those who are interested, the piece is the GR Sinclair arrangement of Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance March no. 4. - Sinclair was also the dedicatee of the piece, and organist at Hereford Cathedral. There's enough registration in the printed score to be able to give a reasonably accurate rendition of what was probably in Sinclair's mind's ear as he was making the arrangement if you have access to Sinclair's Hereford cathedral organ. Which, thanks to Lavender Audio, Hauptwerk, and the conservatism of the Hereford authorities over the years I do. Whether I have the fingers to do it justice is another question!

Sinclair was also the GRS who owned the famous bulldog falling into the water from the Enigma variations.

[mdyde]

Thanks. Excellent.