Thanks for all the responses so far. I'm glad that I'm not alone in facing this dilemma!
sonar11 wrote:I can't speak for the Freiberg, but I own the full Velesovo set and really like it. As rogbi200 mentioned, it also fits very well with my digital organ and I never have to use a touch screen when playing this set. Of course your console may be different, but maybe one of those samples really matches your console / stops?
Velesovo can also be run "dry" by simply truncating the release notes... this is "simulated dry" but in my experience when I was testing that, it worked quite well.
I'm fortunate that both Velesovo and Freiberg fit my console well. I've also tried Velesovo with truncated releases and it works well in the Chapel's acoustic.
ljhutchens wrote:I own both sample sets and I love them both. Juri has done an amazing job with version 2 of the Freiberg organ. To me it is the premier baroque organ sound. I like the Velesovo also because you can play Bach to Brahms and it really makes into a very nice semi-romantic instrument. For Bach I like the Freiberg but the Velesovo is more versatile for other periods of music. and does an adequate job for the baroque literature. My suggestion is to save up and get both.
I agree that the Freiberg set is great for baroque music, especially the sweeter, solo stops. The Cornet is fantastic! It's just the pleno that doesn't sound so (in my installations acoustic) great to me: the mixtures are quite harsh (as Silbermann mixtures tend to be), and the 16' foundation is strong. Sadly, I don't have the time or the expertise to really get to grips with detailed voicing. Saving for both may be the way forward.
I note that Velesovo has not got dedicated cornet. How do people find the separated cornet option on Velesovo?
I already have the Pipeloops Silbermann, and was interested in a smallish Baroque instrument with some reeds. I may stick with that Silbermann for the time being and go for Velesovo. The more I play it, the more I like it... only then I play Freiberg and like that too...