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Audio Advice

Connecting Hauptwerk to MIDI organs, sequencers, ...
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voet

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Audio Advice

PostWed Apr 20, 2022 10:43 am

My current Hauptwerk audio set-up utilizes 6 channels. Here are the details:

- Interface: Focusrite 18i20 8/10 channels

- Amplifier: Emotiva A5175

- 2 channels to DefTech 9060 Bi-Polar with built-in subwoofer

- 2 channels to Atmos add-on speakers for the 9060 speakers

- 2 channels to Content Mondri 5800

I use the Content as a Hauptwerk console. I never play the organ as it was originally designed. It has 8 x 50 Watt RMS channels and 13 speakers. I assume that the organ's internal amplifiers are not used in this configuration, since my imputs to the Content come from the Emotiva.

I have two perspectives. One uses 4 channels and does not go to the Content. The other uses all 6 channels, including the Conten. The most noticeable difference with 6 channels is that the bass has more presence and there is a bit more clarity when using full organ with many stops drawn. The clarity is most noticeable on big registrations that amass many ranks at each pitch level. It is less noticeable on “cleaner” Baroque registrations.

Two questions: 1. Would it be worth having the organ modified so its 8 channels can be addressed individually by HW? (Assuming, of course that I could find someone who could do this.) 2. Would it be better to stop using the organ speakers and enhance my set-up some other way?
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larason2

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Re: Audio Advice

PostWed Apr 20, 2022 1:51 pm

It’s hard to say, and it depends on how the Content is wired. Some organ onboard mixers do feed all amplifiers from the external inputs, but not all do. In either case, it’s a common complaint that on board organ sounds being fed from Hauptwerk don’t sound as good as you expect. I don’t think it’s worth your time to modify the Content, the 8 channels and 13 drivers are probably being driven with some redundancy, and the mixer is probably acting as a glorified crossover. So technically it’s just a sophisticated 1 or 2 channel instrument with lots of drivers in the mid and high range, and the signal divided among them. That’s part of the reason why it’s hard to get good results from using the instrument’s aux in. The most useful part is probably the Sub.

So my advice would be to ditch the Content’s internals and go for a good external system.
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mnailor

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Re: Audio Advice

PostWed Apr 20, 2022 3:22 pm

It might be worth comparing the sound of HW stereo through the Content's aux input alone, against your 2 external mains alone. If the Content sounds great as the only HW audio, it may be worth trying to use it. Usually digital organ internal speakers aren't helpful.
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voet

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Re: Audio Advice

PostWed Apr 20, 2022 4:18 pm

Mnailor, I have experimented using only the speakers from the Content. They do not sound as good as the Definitive Technology speakers. However, when used in addition to the DefTech speakers with the Atmos add-ons, the sound is enhanced in the ways I mentioned in the OP. The DefTech 9060s each have built in subwoofers, but the addition of the single subwoofer from the Content really enhances the sound. The bass is not much louder, but you feel like you are listening to real 16's and 32s.
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mnailor

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Re: Audio Advice

PostWed Apr 20, 2022 5:22 pm

Maybe having the internal woofers of the Content so close helps the bass presence at the console even if they don't have the range of a dedicated sub.

If you feel like the midrange and upperwork is muddied at all by using the internal speakers, you could send a low pass mixdown to the Content, treating it as just a subwoofer, and consider adding another pair of good external speakers if you wanted rear/surround channels. They wouldn't need to be as expensive as the BP9060s plus A90s, if that's what you have.

If the console vibrating is what's helping your bass perceptiin, an external sub probably wouldn't give better results for you.

I've wondered about adding Atmos effect speakers to mine -- that is, using timing differences to make the sampleset's spacial effect seem more. Some samplesets omit timing differences between attacks of pipes at different distances from the mics (an editing mistake, in my opinion), giving a one dimensional electronic organ effect, while others give a good impression of how distant different pipes are from the listening position. I'd like to be able to improve the former, but don't know what it would take. Pretty sure it would have to have been mixed that way and supported all the way through.
Last edited by mnailor on Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mnailor

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Re: Audio Advice

PostWed Apr 20, 2022 5:47 pm

I guess your Atmos speakers aren't really being used for Atmos effects since HW doesn't output Dolby Atmos encoded audio. Are they receiving the same L and R signals as the 9060s? Thanks.
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voet

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Re: Audio Advice

PostThu Apr 21, 2022 1:01 pm

My system was set up by someone else, so I want to understand it. I am learning about the audio mixer capabilities of Hauptwerk by reading the manual and watching every video on the topic on YouTube.

At Mnailor’s suggestion, I tried sending the Master Mix Bus Sub-Woofer to the Content speakers. At first the bass was too loud, so I adjusted the DB level down. I really happy with this change.

The Atmos speakers do enhance the sound, but I am still trying different ways of using them. I have found that a given set-up sometimes has a surprising effect on different sample sets. Even after finding what I believe to be the optimal setting for my equipment, I am sure I will feel the need to make adjustments.

Thanks to everyone who has offered their insights.

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