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Recommended specs for a new Apple Mac to run Hauptwerk
If you already have a computer and want to know whether it will be adequate for your needs, please see the 'should I upgrade?' section. If you're buying a new computer to run Hauptwerk, the first and biggest question is whether it should be an Apple Mac or a Windows PC, so please have a look at the 'Mac or PC?' section first. The section gives some quick recommendations if you've decided you want to buy a new Apple Mac.
Here we give some recommended complete example system specifications based on the current Apple Mac range, and the approximate performance that we would expect you to achieve from Hauptwerk with them, based on our tests with these and similar systems. If you are considering buying a new Mac to run Hauptwerk, then buying one of these systems should give similar performance.
For full information on the current range of Apple Macs, please see the Apple website.
[To emphasize: these are only suggestions if you considering a new computer; any existing computer with a 2 GHz processor or faster and sufficient memory should give good performance with most sample sets with all features enabled, and even a 1.25 GHz G4 Mac will give good performance with many sample sets with some realism features disabled in Hauptwerk (interpolation and per-pipe filters).]
Apple Mac system 1
This system is about the ultimate computer to run Hauptwerk! It can handle even the largest organs yet made for Hauptwerk with absolute ease with all realism features enabled, even the biggest cathedral and theatre organs.
- Current Apple Mac Pro quad-core or 8-core models with 8 or 4 GB of memory and 500 GB or more of hard-disk space.
... with one of the following audio/MIDI interfaces:
- MOTU 24 I/O (PCIe version): 24 x analogue audio outputs, no MIDI input or OUT, no reverb.
- Echo Audiofire 12 (firewire): 12 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- Echo Audiofire 8 (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- Focusrite Saffire (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output.
- M-Audio FireWire Audiophile 2496 (firewire): 4 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- M-Audio FireWire 410 (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
... and optionally one of the following multi-port MIDI interfaces, if you need to connect more than one MIDI lead to the computer:
- MOTU Micro Lite (USB): 5 x MIDI inputs, 5 x MIDI outputs.
- MOTU Express 128 (USB): 8 x MIDI inputs, 8 x MIDI outputs.
Our 2 x 2.66 GHz quad-core Mac Pro can play 4500-5500 pipes at once ('static polyphony'), depending on the audio interface used, with a delay between pressing the key and hearing the sound of about 12 milliseconds ('latency') and all of Hauptwerk's realism features enabled. We doubt anybody could ever need much more polyphony than that! However, the 8-core models would give plenty more to spare for future-proofing.
You do need to turn on Hauptwerk's memory compression option to load the largest cathedral organ sample sets within 4 GB of memory, which reduces the polyhony by 10-15 percent (no loss of audio quality), but there is so much processing power available on the Mac Pro that it doesn't matter.
Apple Mac system 2
This system is specified to be fairly affordable whilst being adequate to run even large 'wet' sample sets, including smaller cathedral-sized organs (approx. 40-45 stops) with all realism features enabled, or almost any dry sample sample sets.
- Current Apple iMac 20 or 24-inch models with 4 GB of memory.
... with one of the following audio/MIDI interfaces:
- Echo Audiofire 12 (firewire): 12 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- Echo Audiofire 8 (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- Focusrite Saffire (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output.
- M-Audio FireWire Audiophile 2496 (firewire): 4 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- M-Audio FireWire 410 (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
... and optionally one of the following multi-port MIDI interfaces, if you need to connect more than one MIDI lead to the computer:
- MOTU Micro Lite (USB): 5 x MIDI inputs, 5 x MIDI outputs.
- MOTU Express 128 (USB): 8 x MIDI inputs, 8 x MIDI outputs.
We estimate that an iMac with a 2.4 GHz processor should be able to play about 2000-2500 pipes at once ('static polyphony') with a delay between pressing the key and hearing the sound of about 12 milliseconds ('latency') and all of Hauptwerk's realism features enabled.
As with the Mac Pro, you do need to turn on Hauptwerk's memory compression option to load the largest cathedral organ sample sets within 4 GB of memory, which reduces the polyhony by 10-15 percent (no loss of audio quality), but there's plenty of processing power available so that shouldn't pose any problem for the majority of sample sets.
Apple Mac system 3
This system is specified to be adequate to run even large 'wet' sample sets, including smaller cathedral-sized organs (approx. 40-45 stops) with all realism features enabled, or almost any dry sample sample sets, and, above all else, be portable so you could use it for concerts, recitals, etc.
... with one of the following audio/MIDI interfaces:
- Echo Audiofire 12 (firewire): 12 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- Echo Audiofire 8 (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- Focusrite Saffire (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output.
- M-Audio FireWire Audiophile 2496 (firewire): 4 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
- M-Audio FireWire 410 (firewire): 8 x analogue audio outputs, 1 x MIDI input, 1 x MIDI output, no reverb.
... and optionally one of the following multi-port MIDI interfaces, if you need to connect more than one MIDI lead to the computer:
- MOTU Micro Lite (USB): 5 x MIDI inputs, 5 x MIDI outputs.
- MOTU Express 128 (USB): 8 x MIDI inputs, 8 x MIDI outputs.
We estimate that a MacBook Pro with a 2.4 GHz processor should be able to play about 2000-2500 pipes at once ('static polyphony') with a delay between pressing the key and hearing the sound of about 12 milliseconds ('latency') and all of Hauptwerk's realism features enabled.
You do need to turn on Hauptwerk's memory compression option to load the largest cathedral organ sample sets within 4 GB of memory, which reduces the polyhony by 10-15 percent (no loss of audio quality).
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