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Quick-start: VSTi plug-in configuration Follow these instructions if you will be using Hauptwerk on a Windows PC from within software that accepts VST instrument plug-ins, such as Steinberg V-STack, Steinberg Cubase or Cakewalk Sonar. Such software is termed a 'VST host'. For the purposes of this section, we will illustrate the steps for Steinberg V-STack 1.2. The processes should be fairly similar for other VST host software or other versions. Note that only one instance of the Hauptwerk VST plug-in is allowed to be used at any one time. Please also note that there is not yet a plug-in version of Hauptwerk for the Apple Mac. However, we plan to add one soon. It is possible to use the third-party freeware Jack OS X utility to route audio output from Hauptwerk into an audio sequencer or software effects processor in real-time. However, it is quite technical and we think some less-experienced computer users might find it too complex to configure. Make sure that Hauptwerk is installed. Make sure that your MIDI interface and audio/sound interface are properly installed in the computer, their drivers are working and, on Windows systems, that you have the latest version of DirectX installed and working. When you installed Hauptwerk you would have been prompted for the folder in which you wanted the Hauptwerk VST plug-in installed. If you selected a folder other than the default VST plug-ins folder for your VST host, then you might need to add Hauptwerk's VST plug-in folder to the VST host's plug-ins search path, so that the host can find the Hauptwerk plug-in. To change V-STack's plug-ins search path use Devices | Plug-in Information from the V-STack menu. You might need to re-start the VST host software if you change its plug-ins search path. Make sure that your VST host program is properly installed and configured, and is producing sound properly. For V-STack, the most important settings are that the MIDI input ports to which you will be connecting external MIDI keyboards are active (enabled) from the All MIDI Inputs tab of the Devices | Device Setup screen in V-STack:
You also need to select the audio output device that the VST host will use. In V-STack select the VST Multitrack tab of Devices | Device Setup screen in V-STack. If you have an audio/sound interface that has ASIO drivers, such as the M-Audio 2496 or 1010LT (please note that the ASIO drivers for the Creative Audigy cards do not support multiple sample rates, and so the cards cannot be used in ASIO mode with many sample sets), then select it for the ASIO Driver setting. Avoid an 'ASIO DirectX' driver and 'ASIO Multimedia Driver' entry if there is another entry specifically for your interface. For example, for the M-Audio 2496 or 1010LT audio cards, choose the 'M-Audio Delta ASIO' entry:
If your audio/sound interface does not have true ASIO drivers, instead select the 'ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver'. If you are using Cakewalk Sonar as your VST host software, then please make sure that Sonar's multi-processor engine is not enabled (on the Options | Audio ... | Advanced tab in Sonar 6.2). Sonar's multi-processor engine is not needed since Hauptwerk has its own multi-processor optimisation, and the two conflict (causing distorted audio) unless Sonar's is disabled. Now select Hauptwerk as an instrument for a track/stack slot in the VST host program. In V-STack, this achieved by clicking on a 'No VST Instrument' entry in the VST Instruments window:
You should now see the instrument slot occupied by Hauptwerk:
For V-STack, choose the MIDI input device from which you wish to play Hauptwerk from your external MIDI keyboard. For VST-compatible sequencers, this stage is not normally required:
Open Hauptwerk's instrument window. In V-STack, this is accomplished by clicking on the 'e' (for 'editor') symbol in the instrument stack:
From the menu, choose Organ | Load organ. For the majority of audio/sound cards, click on the StAnnesMoseley entry, then click OK. If, however, you are using a Creative Audigy card in ASIO mode (not recommended), or another interface whose driver has a locked sample rate of 48 kHz, instead click on the StAnnesMoseley-ForLocked48kHzDrivers entry and click OK. After a brief pause a screen entitled Rank Audio Output Routing should appear. If you have at least 1 GB of memory installed in the computer, simply click OK. If not, assuming you have 512 MB of installed memory (the minimum required), select each Swell and Pedal rank in turn from the left-hand list, and change its Audio enabled? setting to 'No', repeat for the Noise 'ranks' (so that only the Great ranks remain enabled), then click OK:
The sample set should now load, which may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your computer. The first time that a sample set is loaded, analysis and processing of the sample set data are performed, the results of which are saved to a special 'sample set data cache', so that each subsequent load is many times faster. However, if you change certain audio routing settings or general settings, Hauptwerk might need to perform such processing again to reflect the changes. This happens automatically when required. Options that cause regeneration of the sample set caches are clearly identified on the settings screens, and there are very few. Changing per-rank options via Organ | Load organ, adjusting rank audio output routing also causes the sample set data cache to be regenerated for the selected sample set. As soon as the sample set has finished loading, Hauptwerk will automatically attempt to start its audio and MIDI engines. If any errors occur relating to unsupported sample rates you should use Functions | Deactivate and change the VST host program's sample rate to 44100 Hz, which is the sample rate required for the St. Anne's sample set (or 48 kHz if the StAnnesMoseley-ForLocked48kHzDrivers organ is loaded instead of the default StAnnesMoseley). Different sample sets may require different sample rates; please see the documentation provided with the sample set. For V-STack, changing the sample involves locking the sample rate to the required value in the sound/audio interface driver's control panel, then re-starting V-STack. When the sample rate has been locked to the correct value, attempt to load the sample set again. For Cubase and most other VST hosts, the sample rate is simply a project setting. Once the audio and MIDI systems are activated, the St. Anne's organ console should appear:
Click on the 'OPEN DIAPASON LARGE 8' stop on the right-hand side of the console to engage it. Now click on a key on the lower of the two virtual manuals (keyboards), and hold it down. You should be able to hear the corresponding pipe sounding. If not, check the audio connections, that the amplifier is turned up, and the VST host program's audio settings. If the sound is breaking up or crackling whenever any pipe sounds, then first of all check that the audio connections and wiring are good. If so, try a larger audio buffer size setting using the VST host program's audio setting screen to open the ASIO driver's control panel. The buffer size setting determines the delay between pressing a key and hearing the sound, termed the latency. Buffer sizes in the region of 1024 samples usually work well, but you can certainly use smaller buffer sizes to give a faster reponse (lower latency) if your driver supports it, usually at the expense of a little polyphony. Most professional audio interfaces can manage a buffer size of 512 samples without a significant reduction in polyphony. The appearance of the ASIO control depends on the audio/sound interface you are using. The following image shows the M-Audio control panel:
Before you change any settings on the ASIO control panel, you must go to Functions | Deactivate MIDI and audio in Hauptwerk, then Functions | Activate MIDI and audio to re-start Hauptwerk's audio engine with the new settings afterwards. Note that the driver and the buffer size setting determine the latency, rather than Hauptwerk itself. Configuring MIDI input: V-STack The methods now required to configure MIDI input to Hauptwerk's virtual keyboards and continuous controls (swell and crescendo pedals) depend slightly on the type of VST host program you are using. V-STack is intended to be played 'live' from MIDI keyboards or a MIDI organ console, and configuration is similar to the stand-alone Hauptwerk configuration. Connect the MIDI output port on your MIDI keyboard or organ console to a MIDI input port on your computer (one which was set to be active in V-STack) using a proper MIDI lead and any adapters that are necessary. Determine the MIDI channel on which the MIDI keyboard, or main manual of the organ console, is set to transmit, consulting the manual for the keyboard/organ if necessary. From the Hauptwerk menu choose General settings | MIDI input paths. In the left-hand pane, click on the 'Keyboards: div 2 (Great)' entry. Change the MIDI channel setting to match the channel on which the MIDI keyboard or main keyboard of the MIDI organ is set to transmit, as determined previously:
Click OK. If an error message appears, indicating that two MIDI input paths have the same port and channel setting, then see which other input path is shown in the message, dismiss the message, and change the MIDI input channel for that path to an unused value, then OK the screen again. For example, if the message states that the 'Keyboards: div 2 (Great)' and 'Keyboards: div 3 (Swell)' have matching port and channel settings, then select the 'Keyboards: div 3 (Swell)' entry in the left-hand pane, and change its channel number. If you only have one MIDI keyboard, then the basic configuration is complete, and you are ready to use Hauptwerk. If you have have more MIDI keyboards or a MIDI pedalboard, use the General settings | MIDI input paths screen to configure the MIDI channels appropriately for the corresponding 'Keyboards: ...' objects, listed in the left-hand pane. If you have any MIDI continuous controller pedals, such as MIDI swell/expression pedals, with which you wish to control Hauptwerk's virtual swell and crescendo pedals, go to General settings | Continuous control MIDI inputs from the menu. If you have a pedal that you wish to use as a swell pedal, select the 'Swells: div 3 (Swell)' entry in the left-hand pane:
Set the MIDI controller number to match the controller sent by the pedal. The most common controller numbers are:
If you have a MIDI pedal to use as a crescendo pedal, again using the General settings | Continuous control MIDI inputs screen, select the 'Crescendos: general' entry in the left-hand pane and select the MIDI input path (creating a new one, as for the swell pedal, if necessary) and controller number. Finally, with the St. Anne's organ still active (having dismissed any settings screen that may have been open), check that each MIDI keyboard causes the corresponding virtual keys to move on the screen in Hauptwerk. Likewise, check that any MIDI continuous control pedals cause the corresponding virtual swell or crescendo pedals to move in Hauptwerk. If not, go back and check and correct the settings as necessary. Configuring MIDI input: sequencers The exact configuration steps required depend significantly on the sequencer program. In general, you need to select Hauptwerk as a virtual instrument, then route the output from the tracks to that virtual instrument, with the MIDI channel determining which of Hauptwerk's virtual keyboards should be played. With the initial default configuration (assuming you haven't re-assigned any MIDI channels with the MIDI input paths screen in Hauptwerk), the MIDI channels are:
Finally, please now make a backup of your Hauptwerk settings and data following the step-by-step 'How to make a backup' instructions in the backups section of the guide. Doing so should allow you to get your current settings back in case your computer ever needs to be re-installed in the future. |
