Hello all,
Been awhile since I've been on the forum here. I've had Hauptwerk since about 2010, currently have v5, and I plan to stay there with really no plans to update anytime soon, for the most part for what I write below.
Take a listen to the recordings below.
https://www.pipedreams.org/episode/2022 ... ensational
The instruments in this recording aside, just listen to the recordings. Use your headphones, your stereo system, however you like. Don't take any of this the wrong way, I applaud what's been accomplished and I've enjoyed Hauptwerk immensely over the years, but listen to all or just part of the recordings, and I just want to ask: Can anyone honestly say we've reached the level of clarity and sound we hear in these examples regardless of the HW version or instrument? Is it the way the recordings are being done? Is it the limitations we're up against using software attempting to reproduce the real thing? I don't know. Over the years I've tried about a million different audio layouts and routings schemes and have written about them here, some with great success, not to mention all the other things I've tinkered with to get the most realism I can get, and I'm just not hearing it. So, I've stopped and am calling it good and leaving it alone.
I know this is kind of an apples and oranges comparison, but I'm going on 10+ years now with Hauptwerk, I've updated 3 times from HW3, then to 4, and now to 5. There are now many, many instruments available, a number of them I've bought, but I've stopped there as well as until I hear what I hear in the recordings, I really see no reason to go further because to me it's just diminishing returns. I'd love to upgrade to 7, but I see no reason and will stay with 5 until I hear what I hear in these recordings.
Funny, but to my ears the most realistic sounding instruments I own and have heard to date are the Paramount instruments, add a hair of reverb and they're even better. AND they're all 16 bit recordings which is supposedly 'old school.' Go figure.
Marc
Been awhile since I've been on the forum here. I've had Hauptwerk since about 2010, currently have v5, and I plan to stay there with really no plans to update anytime soon, for the most part for what I write below.
Take a listen to the recordings below.
https://www.pipedreams.org/episode/2022 ... ensational
The instruments in this recording aside, just listen to the recordings. Use your headphones, your stereo system, however you like. Don't take any of this the wrong way, I applaud what's been accomplished and I've enjoyed Hauptwerk immensely over the years, but listen to all or just part of the recordings, and I just want to ask: Can anyone honestly say we've reached the level of clarity and sound we hear in these examples regardless of the HW version or instrument? Is it the way the recordings are being done? Is it the limitations we're up against using software attempting to reproduce the real thing? I don't know. Over the years I've tried about a million different audio layouts and routings schemes and have written about them here, some with great success, not to mention all the other things I've tinkered with to get the most realism I can get, and I'm just not hearing it. So, I've stopped and am calling it good and leaving it alone.
I know this is kind of an apples and oranges comparison, but I'm going on 10+ years now with Hauptwerk, I've updated 3 times from HW3, then to 4, and now to 5. There are now many, many instruments available, a number of them I've bought, but I've stopped there as well as until I hear what I hear in the recordings, I really see no reason to go further because to me it's just diminishing returns. I'd love to upgrade to 7, but I see no reason and will stay with 5 until I hear what I hear in these recordings.
Funny, but to my ears the most realistic sounding instruments I own and have heard to date are the Paramount instruments, add a hair of reverb and they're even better. AND they're all 16 bit recordings which is supposedly 'old school.' Go figure.
Marc