Ken wrote:What I find lacking from discussions on the software reverb options, is whether the reverb-effects can be rendered in real-time. I know that many reverb-effects software packages use much CPU power and actually take many seconds (sometimes minutes) to provide output. I would definitely like to learn what software is available that can in fact be used in real-time. I'm sure this is important to other Hauptwerk users as well.
The following comments reflect the opinions of the commentator (me) and not necessarily those of management...
The single most important thing you can do to make your digital organ sound real is to recreate the acoustics of the type venue in which the analog version (i.e., pipe organ) is typically housed. This can be done with varying degrees of success by playing your samples in a real theatre, concert hall or church (best, but not too practical); by using wet samples; by using a software or hardware digital reverb (e.g., the Lexicon MX400); or with an impulse response convolver. The latter may be regarded as "sampled" reverb. I believe that a high quality convolver beats the socks off even the most expensive digital reverbs. It must be emphatically noted that not all IRs and not all convolvers are created equal. There are good ones and bad. As with everything else in life, you tend to get what you pay for. The product I use is Tascam's GigaPulse Pro which is a component of GigaStudio Orchestra. A VST version is available (list price $299) that can be used with HW2 if run in V-Stack. Major advantages of this product are 1) it is likely the most frugal user of CPU resources in its class. It has a patented algorythm for tail modeling that very significantly reduces CPU usage without affecting perceived quality. 2) it comes with a library of very well produced IRs, 3) it can be used to create multi-channel surround field which emerses you in the virtual accoutic space. The effect is quite uncanny. To give you a taste, consider reading through the very educational "Creating a Soundstage" tutorial on Tascam's website:
http://www.tascamgiga.com/gp/soundstage.html
Joe H.