Esztergom Pipe Organ Samples

Key features

• The organ
  • the Mooser symphonic organ of the Esztergom Basilica, Esztergom, Hungary; entirely virtualized
  • 77+1 stops, 5 manuals (with 61 keys) and pedal (with 32 keys) of which 4 are fully functional
  • electrical console
  • Equal tuning at a=440 Hz
• The recording
  • High Definition Sampling (HDS) — all stops were sampled chromatically at 192 kHz / 24-bit
  • Advanced Pipe Organ Measurements (APM)
  • IA's proprietary post processing technology allowing pristine reverberation and precise response
• The sample set
  • 48 kHz / 32-bit stereo format
  • Natural sound image — the samples contain all spatial information as they are heard
  • Single loops per sample (86.6% of all samples), 2 loops per sample (13.4%), 3 loops per sample (0.3%)
  • Acoustics
    • natural, out-of-the-box cathedral acoustics, wet
    • 16-second release sample tails with more than 9 seconds of original reverberation time and more than 120 dB of dynamic range
  • Noises
    • optional organ engine (blower) noise
  • Dynamic KeyboardMass™ functionality
    • simulates and controls the weigth and inertia of organ keyboards and action independently using a dynamic model
    • allows you to adjust the weight of the keyboards in real-time while you play
  • Independent Combination Action — entirely GUI-controllable faithfully reproducing the original organ's
  • Graphical interface
    • Single and multiple touchscreen-optimized pages best viewed at 1280x1024 native resolution
    • Entirelly remodelled and extended photo-realistic console, perspectivic keyboards
• Shipping
  • download delivery

Details

The Esztergom Pipe Organ Samples is an advanced virtual pipe organ that uses state-of-the-art technology to reproduce the symphonic organ sound of the Mooser pipe organ of the Esztergom Basilica.

The sample set

Sample format

All pipes were recorded with the same recording equipment, under the same acoustic and physical conditions, entirely at 192 kHz / 24-bit. The final sample format is 48 kHz / 32-bit, 2-channel stereo for all samples.

Acoustics

The natural church acoustics representing the recording conditions are embedded in the samples; the acoustics heard in the sample set corresponds to the sound heard in the organ nave. A new technology was developed to support an artifact-free natural sound decay for the full length of the natural reverberation. This highly complex process is a result of years of research, and empoys a unique technology. Each release sample layer of the sample set was engineered with this technique. Due to the immense size of the cathedral, the sample set uses three independent layers of a 16-second tail for each pipe, individually, to reproduce the more-than-9-second reverberation experience of the Basilica. The unparralled realism of the reverberation sets a new standard for sample sets. The sample set is recorded in a way that it is also fully compatible with dry acoustic spaces and additional convolution reverberation. Also, the samples fit perfectly to Hauptwerk's* release sample truncation.

Dynamic KeyboardMass™ and touch response

Keyboards and tracker actions of pipe organ have mass, inertia, which describe their response while you play. The Dynamic KeyboardMass™ is a special feature in the Esztergom Pipe Organ Samples that allows you to simulate and control each of the organ's keyboards heaviness independently, even if your keyboard controller does not support any dyanmics at all. This revolutionary feature adds a new layer of realism to play the virtual pipe organ.

The Dynamic KeyboardMass™ model sets the response of both the speaking and the release part of the pipe sound simultaneously and dynamically, adopting itself to your actual keypresses. Practically this makes the virtual organ a living instrument and ensures that the virtual instrument remains very responsive even if you set it to have very heavy keyboards.

Optional noises

The organ engine sound is optional for your convenience. The reverberation continues below the noise level of the organ engine so you can create high quality recordings with this virtual pipe organ.

Independent Combination Action

The Esztergom Organ's own combination action is reproduced and fully supported allowing you to use the original combination action that serves the pipe organ.

Advanced Graphical User Interface (GUI)

The Esztergom Pipe Organ is equipped with multiple pages, providing extensive support for various touch-screen setups from 1 screen to multiple screens. All elements on the graphical interface are fully functional.

Availability and shipping

The Esztergom Pipe Organ Samples is available in download delivery.

Editions

Collector's Edition

At the time of this release, approximately 70 stops of the instrument are still to be built, but 77 stops are fully functional. The instrument is being built with modern perspectives but in a manner that respects and craves to recreate the majestic and antique sound of this Mooser organ, with notable amount of the original pipe-rows (which already can be heard in this sample set).

This current release is titled "Collector's Edition", meaning that this virtual pipe organ is for the serious and enthusiast collectors who are committed to the case of this instrument or curious about it and wish to support the reconstruction and extension of this remarkable 19th century symphonic organ. As a plus to this edition, the already great and versatile Esztergom organ has been virtually extended with 13 stops, with samples supplied from other instruments, for better playability and use.

When the organ construction is fully ready, all stops are planned to be recorded again to bring you the final release.

Feature type	Feature	Trial Edition	Collector's Edition
General features	Stops	16	91
	Keyboard compass (manual/pedal)	56/32	61/32
Acoustics	Multichannel format	stereo 2.0	stereo 2.0
	Available acoustics	cathedral	cathedral
Samples	Chromatically sampled
	Multiple loops
	Multiple releases
	Tremulants	LFO	LFO
	Engine noise optional
	Touch sensitive tracker noise
Graphics	Single touch screen support
	Multiple touch screen support
	All functions MIDI & GUI controllable
On-screen combination actions	General combinations
	General combination memory frames	1000	1000
	Divisional tutti, plenum and cancel
	Programmable Tutti/Plenum
	PerformanceSequencer™, a combination action for organ settings
	Remembering sliders
Advanced features and helpers	Single-click keyboard to division assignment
	Additive crescendo and EasyCrescendo™ programming
	Programmable crescendo banks	4	4
	Dynamic KeyboardMass™ feature
Swell	Swellboxes	2	2
	Swell pedals	3	3
	All divisions enclosed
Additional features	New virtual stops		13
	Extended stop compasses
Size	Download size (GB)	8.8	51.3
Delivery	Product delivery options	Download	Download

The organ and the church

This organ is one of the greatest creations of Ludwig Mooser, the builder of nearly 180 instruments, belonging to a long line of distinguished organ builders. The instrument was largely built on-site, the metal pipework was brought from Austria in September 1854. The organ's inauguration date was the same as the Basilican inauguration itself: 31 August 1856. The organ was the largest in Hungary with 49 stops, 3,530 pipes and 3 manuals. The extreme rapidity of the organ's construction manifested in a series of early faults, first catalogued as early as March the following year, with significant problems in the tracker action and wind supply to the chests. The organ was however, largely unchanged for a long time, being imperfect, but operational. The next relevant touch after the assembly of the instrument was during the Great War, when the frontal tin pipes were removed as a necessary stock supply for the war. They were replaced in 1924 with ones of zinc by Joseph Angster. Extensive damage to the organ case and tracker mechanism was sustained as a casualty of World War II. Until that time, the organ was in it's original state (apart from the exchange of the front pipes).

In early October 1945, the organ was no longer functional. Despite of the fact that the damage to the organ was not incorrigible, the decision was made to temporarily substitute the instrument with a 2-manual electropneumatic organ, installed into a part of the original organ case by the Rieger Ottó firm. During the installation of the Reiger temporary replacement, the console and tracker action of the Mooser organ were irretrievably damaged in a manner which displayed little regard for the historic value of the original instrument. Some number of the Mooser-pipes were built into the temporary organ, others remained in their original place in ruinous condition or disappeared.

The still-current reconstruction of the organ dates back to the mid-1970's, when István Baróti (organist and choir master of the Cathedral from 1975) led a rebuild and massive enlargement of the instrument. The starting point for Baróti's plan — to create an instrument worthy of the Cathedral, well adapted to its prodigious dimensions and acoustics — was to be the salvage, revival and meticulous restoration of the characteristically archaic and solemn sound of the Mooser pipe-rows. In the '70s, the practice of restoring instruments was unknown in Hungary, therefore Baróti and his students carried out the restoration themselves, unselfishly sacrificing lots of their time and efforts, while they gained friendly but skeptical attention of professionals.

Prof. Baróti conceived a new and innovative stop list as part of his development plans (among Baróti's many remarkable designs is the stop list for the pipe organ of the Palace of Arts Budapest, 2006). With the necessary funds provided, it became possible to purchase certain parts and pipe-rows, with the result that by the end of 1980 the first seven restored Mooser stops were operational, at which time the temporary Rieger organ was permanently decommissioned. Later on, the initial spark of the restoration started to fade, the restoring and building process got slower and slower. In 1999, only 39 of the planned 147 stops were functioning, and at this time many pipe-rows purchased in the late '70s and early '80s were still waiting to be installed into the instrument.

In 2011 approximately 80 stops are speaking. Although Baróti has devoted the major part of his life to this cause, the organ’s completion is still a goal to be achieved in the future. In a 2008 interview he said in reflection, "... and then the restoration started. As a result we have a unity, an instrument with a special sonic personality that may be unlike what we expect from current modern pipe organs." He continued, "I practice, most often, after the Basilica closes its doors (for the night). The organ and me is a fantastical loneliness."

Specification of the Esztergom Pipe Organ Samples Collector's Edition

Pedal	I. Unterwerk	II. Hauptwerk
1 Majorbass 32'	19 Gedackt 16'	107 Bourdon 32'	Couplers: almost every possible coupler, including 4' and 16' couplers and Unison off Swellboxes: all division enclosed with 3 assignable swell pedals in the virtual version Tremulants: on manuals III and V Crescendo wheel: 61-stage, 4 programs (only in the virtual version) *Shared with stop 126. Black: Featured on the original instrument and on the virtual organ. Orange - Yet to be built, temporarily supplied from other instruments for better playability in the virtual organ; planned to be recorded from the original instrument when it becomes available. Gray - Yet to be built, not yet available.
2 Infrabass 32'	20 Holzprincipal 8'	108 Praestant 16'
3 Principal 16'	21 Gedackt 8'	109 Bourdon 16'
4 Flûte 16'	22 Fugara 8'	110 Principal 8'
5 Kontrabass 16'	23 Quintatön 8'	111 Spitzflöte 8'
6 Subbass 16'	24 Harfpfeife 8'	112 Coppel 8'
7 Bourdon 16'	25 Principal 4'	113 Gamba 8'
8 Salicet 16'	26 Koppelflöte 4'	114 Quintajor 5 1/3'
9 Quint 102/3'	27 Flûte d'amour 4'	115 Octave 4'
10 Grand Cornet IV 10 2/3'	28 Violine 4'	116 Waldflöte 4'
11 Octavbass 8'	29 Nasat 22/3'	117 Rohrflöte 4'
12 Aperta 8'	30 Octave 2'	118 Cornet III 3 1/5'
13 Gedackt 8'	31 Spitzflöte 2'	119 Quint 2 2/3'
14 Violoncello 8'	32 Terz 13/5'	120 Piccolo 2'
15 Rauschbass II 5 1/3'	33 Larigot 11/3'	121 Rauschwerk VIII-X 2'
16 Zink IV 5 1/3'	34 Sifflöte 1'	122 Cimpel III-V 1 1/3'
17 Spitzprincipal 4'	35 Mixtur IV 2'	123 Trompete 16'
18 Tibia 4'	36 Cymbel IV 1/2'	124 Tromba 8'
160 Rauschpfeife III 2 2/3'	37 Cymbelpfeife 1/6'	125 Trompeta imperial 32'*
161 Flöte 2'	38 Spillregal 16'	126 Clarin de batalla 16'
162 Compensum VII 2 2/3'	39 Trichterregal 8'	127 Trompeta real 8'
163 Mixtur IV 2'	40 Vox humana 8'	128 Bajoncillo 4'
164 Bombarde 32'
164b Bombarde 32' 2nd row
165 Posaune 32'
166 Bombarde 16'
167 Posaune 16'
168 Dulcian 16'
169 Tromba 8'
170 Clairon 4'

Specification of the Trial version

System requirements and recommendations

It is intended (and required) that the Esztergom (EGOM) Pipe Organ Samples be operated within Hauptwerk, a virtual pipe organ host software application (purchased separately). The Esztergom Pipe Organ Samples work with Hauptwerk V and later, and a valid license for Hauptwerk is required to load the organ.

For further information, please refer to Hauptwerk's detailed requirements on Hauptwerk's website.

Detailed RAM and polyphony guidelines

Hauptwerk loads all samples in the computer's RAM, with several loading options available according to your computer's specification. For wet sample sets, most of the RAM usage is due to the release samples, which is especially true for the Esztergom Pipe Organ Samples. If you have convolution or other reverberation technology available, a little amount of RAM and polyphony will allow you to load the full organ. If you have more RAM, you can load the full organ with the release samples and enjoy the original sound. We recommend using Hauptwerk's built-in lossless memory compression to reduce the loading size. Below we have summarised the RAM requirements with their corresponding quality options.

RAM requirements for the Esztergom organ
Edition	Loading setup	Bits	Loops	Acoustics	Releases	Required RAM	Computer RAM*	Recommended polyphony range
Collector's Edition
	Full organ, 91 stops	24	all	cathedral	all	56.01 GB	64 GB	7600 to 8300
					2R (two)	42.06 GB	48 GB	6500 to 6800
					single	28.16 GB	40 GB	5700 to 6000
					250 ms (all)	14.91 GB	24 GB	3700 to 4000
Recommended	Full organ, 91 stops	16	all	cathedral	all	29.29 GB	48 GB	7600 to 8300
					2R (two)	22.13 GB	32 GB	6500 to 6800
					single	15.22 GB	24 GB	5700 to 6000
For convolution reverb					120 ms (single)	7.91 GB	12 GB	3700 to 4000
Trial Edition
	All 16 stops	16	all	cathedral	all	5.68 GB	8 GB	default setting

*The Required RAM column above is the memory requirement that also includes Hauptwerk*'s own memory consumption, so this is all the RAM the sample set and Hauptwerk* together will use, but some additional RAM may be required for the operating system itself, (not included). The measures were obtained on a Windows-based computer. The Computer RAM column shows a recommendation on the amount of RAM your computer should have as a minimum for a given loading setup assuming that some additional RAM is used by the operating system. This value might be different for each case so we recommend the maximum possible amount of RAM you could put in your computer for this sample set, except if you are working with external reverberation or in a dry acoustic environment. Also note that on the Mac you may require more RAM in the computer than the above indicated Computer RAM value, because of the operating system of the Mac. Also note that Windows is capable of loading more content than your available RAM, loading (paging) the additional sample data to your hard drive, reading it once the sound is needed (played). In some cases this will cause glitches in the sound when played in realtime since the hard drive is slower to access than the computer's RAM, but makes the full library usable in offline music composition and recording even if you do not have the required amount of RAM.

There is little subjective difference between the three release layer (default, marked as 'all') and two release layer (2R) version of this sample set.

The polyphony range column shows a recommended value that assures a flawless playing experience even in a fast playing style in tutti. When the polyphony requirement is not met, the reverberation of the already sounding notes will be cropped in order to allow the forthcoming notes to speak. Therefore to allow a realistic sonic experience, a high polyphony setting is recommended within or above the recommended range given in the table above. The maximum recommended polyphony of 8300 was obtained with a Core i7 3930K CPU.

Licensing

Hauptwerk V platform

• iLok account and license is required for the operation of the sample set
• Internet connection required for license activation (one-time only)
• Activation Code issued by Inspired Acoustics upon your purchase to redeem and activate the sample set license via the PACE iLok License Manager software
• Downloading and installing the latest licensing package file from Milan Digital Audio

This sample set comes in an encrypted format compatible with Hauptwerk v5 and later and requires a PACE iLok license for the operation of the sample set.

For download delivery products, Inspired Acoustics will automatically and instantly set up the download access to your product after your purchase, and assign you a unique Activation Code that you can locate under My Products. Enter this Activation Code to the PACE iLok License Manager to redeem your license.

For retail box deliveries Inspired Acoustics will provide you with a unique Activation Code allowing you to access the downloads and updates to this product. The Activation Code can be found in the box in a printed form. This Activation Code is a unique license voucher for your product identifying your purchase and legitimate use, so please store it in a secure location.

Read more about the license update procedure for Hauptwerk v5 sample sets.

For migrations from previous Hauptwerk versions a one-time sample set migration procedure needs to be done once the previous version of Hauptwerk is upgraded to Hauptwerk V. An Activation Code is not required in this case since the license will automatically be downloaded to your iLok account during the migration process.

Modifications and customization

If you are planning a custom or commercial application that requires a different setup what this sample set offers out-of-the-box, please contact us for making a customized version for you. 

Modification or disassembling the contents of this sample set through the CODM interface of Hauptwerk is not supported since the variety of functions and the availability of the sample set's certain special features already offers most of the functions the CODM interface may offer. The complexity of the Organ Definition File shipping with this sample set is uniquely high and building custom variants requires a certain amount of special expertise. Legally, the end-user license of this sample set is permitting using the samples as a whole, as they ship.