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  4. An Organ VST, again...?

  • An Organ VST, again...?

    S
    S

    Hi,

     

    I know, I know... no one wants to hear this. In the past, I have asked for a new VST sampler, dedicated to the organ. The piano got one, the organ needs one. That's my belief and that belief isn't going anywhere. I managed to create a workaround which was an utter pain to create and managing it wasn't pretty either. I'm sick of workarounds. For the last year I have learned enough about UX, design, and prototyping that I know one thing for sure about the Konzerthaus Organ. With Vienna Instruments Pro it doesn't work... like an organ... at all.

    My work around was to create a unique instance of VIP2 per organ stop, within Vienna Ensemble. Each instance had a keyswitch to an empty matrix cell and the occupied sound slot. Then with Expressionmaps I had duplicates for every stop (ie: on & off options). Each VIP2 instance was on the same midi channel. So they all played back together and the maps determined which slot was active. It was a complete pain to setup (not a good user experience) and it "worked". I was content for a while.

    Then I realized I can't add stops during a sustained chord. I could do a crossfade or volume, which isn't the same as a note-on and this destroys the integrity of the sound of the pipe attack. In other words, this workaround which was already a pain... doesn't even replicate the sound of the organ accurately.

    I know I'm the only person who's likely asking for a solution to this. But I want either 1) a VST (not going to happen) or 2) a solution that works, is simple enough to use with Expression Maps or some method of editing stops within cubase that is within the confines of human sanity. :)

    This sampled instrument is a tool. The tool is intended for a composer. Everything about the experience of using this tool should be with that philosophy in mind. Granted, some composers might be content with being able to add combinations of stops into multiple tracks to create some kind of pointless system which can imitate a good workflow. But I want an instrument. I want to put notes down, and choose which stops I want on the fly. I don't want to waste my time figuring out this insanity of an "instrument" I bought.

    I love Vienna Ensemble. I love MIR. I love VIP. I love the Bosendorfer. I even have my trombones sounding closer to something I'm happy with. But this organ, is literally the only purchase from VSL I have never been satisfied with. I know that coding takes a long time, especially to do it right. I'm not necessarily asking for a coded solution. But if there is any other way I can use these tools to give me a "live" organ that is easy to use, I really would appreciate the help.

     

    Thank you,

    Sean
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP

    Hello Sean, 

    We hear you, and we agree! 

    This will take a little more time, but there is something in the works (don´t hold your breath!). 

    Best, 
    Paul

    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
  • S
    S
    Paul, I can hardly contain my excitement!! :) although I completely understand why things take time. As long as there is hope coming at some point I'm a happy camper. Thanks for the update! -Sean
  • M
    M

    + 1

     

    Alain
  • A
    A

    Wow, I didn't notice this at the time for some reason. A definite upvote from me too so I can actually play the organ like an organ. Bonus points if the new software has the correct couplers, extra bonus points if I can save registrations and recall them via a MIDI controller/keyswitch/etc., even more bonus points for simulations of the two Schwellwerk shutters, and lifetime gratitude for a simulated tremulant (which I know would be extremely difficult to implement) so I can use the Vox Humana as it was intended to be played!

    On a related topic, is there any possibility of ever recording the Fernwerk (and Fernpedal)? I understand that when the organ was recorded the Fernwerk was not in a good state, but is this ever likely to change? I've been working on something very quiet recently and really felt the limitation of not having it. After all, it's not as if the Fernwerk was something added to the organ at a later stage, it was part of the original sound design of the instrument. I actually ended up creating my own "virtual Fernwerk" by borrowing stops from the other divisions, shifting up or down an octave if necessary, reducing sound levels in the mixer to restore some sort of balance to the ensemble and trimming a little off the top end of the frequency spectrum in the EQ. Finally, in my DAW I reduced the stereo width to make the various stops sound closer together, swapped the left and right channels to give even more stereo separation of each rank from its original position, and added a small amount of algorithmic reverb (in addition to the release samples) to give a feeling of extra distance. I've no idea if it sounds anything like the real Fernwerk, but it at least it's better than nothing.