I don't have experience myself with the sample set, but here are some quick thoughts, in case they help:
EnigmaticOcean wrote:however when I load up the instrument the default tone has so much reverb (as if the instrument is in a very large hall) and makes it unplayable. I have gone through the manual and looked for tutorials, but still unsure how to go about fixing this seemly simple problem.
In case you're adding any additional reverb in Hauptwerk v5+'s mixer, you could disable it for that particular organ by setting the 'Mixer impulse response reverb wetness scalar' to 0% on the 'Audio Mixer, Routing and Voicing/Panning Settings' large control panel ('View | Large floating control panels ...').
Of course if you're adding any additional reverb externally to Hauptwerk (e.g. in a VST host or in your audio interface's control panel/hardware) then you would need to turn that off externally to Hauptwerk.
If that doesn't solve it, then the reverb must have been recorded into the sample set's samples. There's no fully realistic way to remove that, but you could try truncating the release samples of its virtual 'ranks', the option for which can be found via 'Organ | Load organ, adjusting rank audio memory options'.
EnigmaticOcean wrote:Other minor problems I have include, unable to play stacatto notes (the sound wave gets cut off too short), and repeated notes/trills cannot register quick enough. I have heard great performances with this virtual instrument that don't appear to have these problems, so I am sure there is away around it : )
In case it's relevant, you could try adjusting the 'MIDI velocity sensitivity adjustment' (e.g. try 0% as a test) on the 'Organ settings | Organ preferences | Audio engine' screen tab.