Hauptwerk Tutorials
From Inspired Acoustics Knowledge Base
Contents |
Introduction
This page was made to provide an easy yet usable way to apply reverberation onto Hauptwerk in its plugin mode.
Plug-ins
Plug-in types
In PC and Mac computing platforms, plug-ins consist of a computer program that interacts with a so-called host application (a Digital Audio Workstation [DAW] for example) to provide certain specific functions "on demand" from the computer user. Applications support plug-ins for many reasons; in the context of audio related to Hauptwerk virtual organ applications, plug-ins are general-purpose multi-track audio editing applications that communicate with sound cards (hardware). They are designed to replicate most of the conventional studio hardware equipment in one application, such as the mixing console, or facilities to record and edit audio and MIDI. Plug-ins for MIDI audio applications have common interfaces for the developers to allow compatibility, and among them are a popular interface called Virtual Studio Technology or VST developed by Steinberg or Audio Units (AU) for Mac computers.
Common plug-in formats
- PC / Windows: VST, RTAS, TDM, HTDM
- Mac / OS X: VST, AU, AudioSuite, RTAS, TDM, HTDM, MAS
Plug-ins can be mainly of two types: an "instrument" plug-in or an "effect" plugin. Hauptwerk VSTi for example is an instrument plug-in, INSP:IR Convolution Reverb is an "effect" plug-in.
32-bit and 64-bit terminology -- Currently in Windows Vista systems
The audio and computer world is in a transition from 32-bit over to 64-bit technologies. Since there are many things that are referred to as 32-bit or 64-bit in audio and information technology, some terminology must be defined and understood to avoid confusion.
The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer's processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles larger amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.
The main differences between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista relate to memory accessibility and memory management.
One of the greatest advantages of using a 64-bit version of Windows Vista is the ability to access physical memory (RAM) that is above the 4-gigabyte (GB) range. Physical memory in excess of 4GB RAM is not addressable by 32-bit versions of Windows Vista. In other words, 32-bits of address space (the space that determines the maximum number of computer usage to address its own memory) are insufficient to handle more than 4 billion bytes of information at any one time.
Depending on the version of Windows Vista that is installed, a 64-bit version of Windows Vista supports from 1 GB of RAM to more than 128 GB of RAM. The ability to address more physical memory lets Windows Vista minimize the time that is required to swap processes in and out of physical memory. Therefore, Windows Vista can manage processes more efficiently. This memory management feature helps improve the overall performance of Windows Vista.
Put a different way, 64-bit systems are very useful because they are capable of using more than 4 GB of RAM, which is outside the 32-bit address space (the space that determines the maximum number the computer use to address its memory), and support double precision processing in a native form, allowing for more accurate sonic results (being less noisy). When using large sample libraries such as pipe organ samples for example, or applications such as a convolution reverb with a high RAM demand, it is useful to run a 64-bit system.
The 32-bit and 64-bit terms are collected in the following table.
| Term | 32-bit means | 64-bit means |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | A system equipped with, for example a Pentium 4 CPU. These systems cannot run 64-bit applications as their internal hardware and software structures are 32-bit based. | Systems equipped with a 64-bit CPU, such as the Intel Core i7 or Core 2 Duo. This system can either use a 32-bit or a 64-bit operating system. When using a 64-bit operating system, it can run both 64-bit and 32-bit applications. |
| Operating system | e.g. Windows Vista/XP (32-bit). | e.g. Windows Vista 64-bit Edition or XP x64 Edition. |
| Device Drivers | A 32-bit device driver that allows the operating system communicates with devices, such as a sound card. | A 64-bit device driver for a 64-bit operating system. |
| Host (DAW) software | Software that is designed to operate in a 32-bit environment. 64-bit systems may also run 32-bit hosts. | A 64-bit host software (requires a 64-bit operating system). Capable of addressing more than 4 GB RAM in the computer. |
| Plug-in | A plug-in with an internal 32-bit architecture. It can only be only run in 64-bit hosts with additional plug-in ‘bridging software’, which is often supplied with the host. | A plug-in that can be only run in a 64-bit host; capable of working natively on modern computers without the need of ‘bridging’. |
| Internal Plug-in processing | A plug-in that uses 32-bit floating point numbers during audio processing. | A plug-in that uses 64-bit (double precision) numbers during audio processing. |
Hauptwerk as a plug-in
Hauptwerk can be used both in standalone mode and as a plugin. In the latter case, Hauptwerk is used as a virtual instrument in an MIDI and/or audio track. The DAW application handles the MIDI messages to Hauptwerk which generates the sound and hands it back to the DAW. This is where you can insert your audio effect such as an instance of reverb.
Plugin uses and approaches
There are two kinds of approaches that can be used when adding an effect. This dates back to the history of mixing consoles' Aux buses.
Insert Effects
An Insert Effect is an effect that is dedicated to one track in the DAW. If you have a multichannel sound source (e.g. a 2-channel stereo pipe organ, or a 5-channel pipe organ sound), you can add the convolution reverb as an Insert Effect to the track and then the audio of only that track will go though the effect plugin.
Send Effects
A send effect means a dedicated virtual track just containing the effect (reverb). The inputs of this virtual track is a mixing input on which you can send any outputs of other tracks. For example if you have 20 mono channels of different sound sources (e.g. different pipes of a pipe organ) and you setup one stereo Send Effect, you can make any number of channels to go to the Left channel of the Send Effect and the other to the Right channel. This way your audio is mixed before entering the reverb plugin.
Setting up Hauptwerk + Reverb
Hauptwerk + Reverb in Free Hosts
Ardour
coming soon
Open Sound World
coming soon
Cantabile
coming soon
MultitrackStudio Pro / Pro Plus
coming soon
Hauptwerk + Reverb in Commercial Hosts
Cubase and Nuendo
Cubase and Nuendo are DAW's from Steinberg, the company who developed the VST and the ASIO interfaces.
VIDEO COMING SOON
- Start Cubase / Nuendo and open a New Project.
- Insert Hauptwerk into Cubase / Nuendo
- Press F11 or select Devices > VST Instruments
- Insert Hauptwerk by clicking on the black strip saying "no instrument". This will initiate the Hauptwerk VSTi. If you do not see Hauptwerk in the list when you click, the host does not see the Hauptwerk plug-in. To resolve this go to Devices > Plug-in Information, click on the button Add, select the Hauptwerk VSTi folder and click OK. After this restart Cubase / Nuendo and restart from Step 1.
- Add a new MIDI Track and set its Inputs to the device of your choice (e.g. your MIDI keyboard) and set its Output to Hauptwerk using the dropdown list there. This will command the DAW to route your MIDI messages to Hauptwerk.
- Load your favorite organ in Hauptwerk.
- Add the reverb
- Insert effect approach: select the output of your Hauptwerk (usually HW 01/02) click on the track and add open the Inserts frame. Click on the black strip and select the reverb to add.
- Send effect approach: add a new track of "FX Channel" type and select the reverb of your choice. Click on Hauptwerk's output channel (usually HW 01/02) and then open the Sends tab. Select the FX track that you added from the list that drops down. Click on the O button to turn ON sending the audio to the FX channel and adjust the volume using the slider below that button to a value you desire to send the output of Hauptwerk into the plug-in at a nonzero volume. Repeate this on the other Hauptwerk channels too.
- Setup the reverb: choose the parameters and select the impulse response data that you wish to apply.
For a multichannel setup the recommended approach is the the Send effect approach. A surround reverb that accepts multiple inputs (more than 2) is required this time and the FX Channel that you insert should be of a multichannel type (e.g. Quadro or LRCS for 4 channels, 8.0 for 8 channels). You can select this when you are adding the reverb.
Note: plug-ins implementing the VST 2.4 or earlier standards (and most of the VST plug-ins are so as of today) support the theoretical maximum of 8 input channels and 8 output channels per plug-in, so track setups beyond this will probably not work or have no effect. Most of the plug-ins are stereo however, supporting only 2 channels of inputs and 2 channels of outputs. There are exceptions though, please see below.
Sonar
VIDEO COMING SOON
- Launch Sonar, preferably the 64-bit version to allow Hauptwerk VSTi to use the maximum available RAM.
- Create a New Project
- Setup Hauptwerk
- Click on the FX tab on the bottom of the channels view and drag the channel setup and boundary area to allow the FX box in each audio track display.
- Click in the FX box of Audio Channel 1 with the right mouse button and select Soft Synths > Hauptwerk 64-bit.
- Load your favorite organ.
- Click on a MIDI Track and click on the I/O tab on the bottom of the tracks view. Set the Input to the device you are using to transmit MIDI messages (e.g. your MIDI keyboard), and set the Output to "Hauptwerk-64bit 1". Set the MIDI Channel (CH) to the Channel that Hauptwerk uses for generating sound (for example if your 1st Manual is on MIDI Channel 1, then set this to 1).
- Insert the reverb
- Insert Effect approach: click on the FX tab below and click on the audio track where Hauptwerk is located. Click with the left mouse button on the area and select Audio FX > Your Favorite Reverb.
- Send Effect approach: there is a small button to the right with an arrow (Sonar 7) near the tabs below where FX, I/O and these tabs are. Click that and it opens a few new tracks below. Click on Effect Send 1 and use insert the effect here the same way as if this was an audio track to put an Insert Effect on. Make sure that you are viewing the ALL on the tabs below. When the reverb is there, click on the Audio Track where Hauptwerk is and adjust the volume slider below "Effect Send 1" to set the send volume.
- Setup the reverb: using the interface of your reverb, set the parameters you desire.
One of the problems with the 64bit version is the lack of reverb plug-in available, because most of the current reverb plug-ins accommodate only 32bit processing. Sonar with it bitbridge technology can use 32bit plug-in within a 64bit environment. You will find a tutorial explaining how to use and set-up Sonar with Pristine Space to add convolution reverb to your Hauptwerk environment.
Digital Performer
coming soon
Logic Pro
coming soon
Bidule
Pro Tools
coming soon
FL Studio
coming soon
Tracktion
coming soon
Garage Band
coming soon
Band-in-a-box
coming soon
Reaper
coming soon
Acid Pro
coming soon
Setting up the reverb
Choose the right convolution reverb
This is a subjective topic, but since convolution and the topology and post processing of Room Impulse Responses (abbreviated as RIRs) contain many small but important nuances - some of which you can read about here, the simplest way might be to choose adequately post processed prepared sets of RIRs rather than simple RIRs. If some of these nuances are not taken into account, sonic quality issues in terms of not "sounding plausible" may easily arise.
Choose the right impulse response
The most important factor in convolution reverbs is the impulse response. Since measured Room Impulse Resonses (RIRs) contain a lot of ambient noise and electrical noise, the audio spectrum of so-called quality can be highly variable between RIRs. Room Acoustics covers some topics for further reading. Restated, the most important part is the denoising of RIRs. Simply fading out measured RIRs - even if according to the decay curve - produces unwanted audible side effects: shortening the reverberation of lower frequencies, and keeping audible amounts of noise at mid and high frequencies. When a noisy RIR is convolved with a dry audio, the result will contain a large amount of colored noise dependent on the source audio, and the decay process will not finish to adequate completion. Even if the noise in the RIR is fairly small, the accumulated noise can be very large (due to the convolution). It is most important, therefore, to choose post-processed RIRs. Unfortunately, such post processing software is not available yet to the public, and those who developed their own are not willing to release it yet. Therefore any downloaded wave files should be used with care and attention.
The most important factors to a successful convolution reverberation experience are as follows:
- to allow wet/dry mixing, the direct sound should be removed from the RIR (can be done with audio editor)
- to reduce latency, propagation delay before the direct sound should also be removed (can be done with audio editor)
- to keep the spatial image constant, all delays and direct sounds should be removed adequately
- to reduce noise, adequate post processing is required
- to keep a constant frequency response, the measurement equipment of the highest quality is required and often some corrections too
List of reverb plugins and main features
| Name | Free? | Channels / Surround | IR Format | Plugin format (PC) | Plugin format (MAC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INSP:IR Convolution Reverb | ? | 8.0 | IRD | VST | |
| Pristine Space | No | 8.0 | WAV | VST | |
| GigaPulse | No | 7.0 | FXP (open) | VST | |
| Waves IR-360 | No | 5.1 | ? | VST, DirectX, AudioSuite | RTAS, HTDM, MAS, Audio Units |
| Altiverb 6 XL | No | 5.1 | proprietary (closed) | TDM | TDM |
| Wizooverb W5 | No | 5.1 | WAV and proprietary (closed) | VST, Standalone | VST, Standalone |
| Oxford Reverb | No | 2.0 | ? | TDM | |
| TL Space | No | 2.0 | ? | HTDM | HTDM |
| Waves IR-1 | No | 2.0 | ? | VST, DirectX, AudioSuite | RTAS, HTDM, MAS, Audio Units |
| Prosoniq Rayverb | No | 2.0 | ? | VST | |
| Altiverb 6 | No | 2.0 | proprietary (closed) | VST, RTAS, Audio Suite | VST, MAS, Audio Unit, RTAS and Audio Suite |
| Waves IR-L | No | 2.0 | ? | VST, DirectX, AudioSuite | RTAS, HTDM, MAS, Audio Units |
| Wizooverb W2 | No | 2.0 | WAV and proprietary (closed) | VST, RTAS, Audio Suite, Standalone | VST |
| Reflections LE | ? | 2.0 | ? | VST | |
| SIR | Yes | 2.0 | WAV | VST | |
| SIR 2.0 | No | 2.0 | WAV, ? | VST |
