Hugh Potton plays Vierne II on 5 manual organ

[latribe]

Why are some people so stupid that they cannot understand that a video made 2 years ago does not represent something as it is NOW? Since this performance the instrument has been transformed. See "French Baroque Masterclass", "Hugh Potton Reubke" and "Latrobian whirl" for examples of how this instrument sounds now IN CONTRAST

[OrganNLou]

Have you even bothered to go to the Hauptwerk site to hear the various samplesets? It is nothing like it was a year ago. In my opinion the software sounds better than the Marshall Ogletree Organ at Trinity church in NYC. And far cheaper. Believe me, the organist at Salisbury cathedral would not endorse Hauptwerk unless he thought it was less than excellent.

[latribe]

@OrganNLou Hauptwerk means to me an enormous reorganisation of hardware and expensive modification of drawstop control to what purpose. I agree with you is so far as I do not like the sound that the Makin based organ here gives on this video, which is why I since modified it with attention to voicing and specialist speakers and added combo piston communication to new stops that transform the instrument. With 180 stops variously allocatable, this instrument provides a versatile soundscape now.

[OrganNLou]

The best way to hear Hauptwerk is at Salisbury Cathedral, where it is installed as a backup organ (it has been fully recorded and used as the sampleset for the organ) and I assure you the experience is nothing like your last experience. Also the Cavaille Coll organ at Metz cathedral is available as well. You can also download the free version of Hauptwerk to try if you wish.

[latribe]

@OrganNLou In a cathedral, all sorts of things can sound good. As installed at Londonderry Cathedral, the three manual instrument which is what Hugh is mainly using here in this recording was noted for being remarkably effective. Acoustics can make the instrument. THIS INSTRUMENT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THIS RECORDING ANY MORE: samplesets have been improved together with voicing and quality of acoustic support. Come and hear Jeremy Filsell play on 7th November.

[OrganNLou]

Yes there is no doubt of Hugh Pottons playing abilities, it is just the instrument at Hammerwood has that steely brightness of early transistor organs. We are at a turning point now with software based organs (because of great advances in pc technology) where you can have very realistic sounding samplesets (organs recorded in their spaces) being played through pcs with midi. I would greatly urge you to try Hauptwerk software as it would transform this organ into something really great.

[latribe]

@OrganNLou To be honest, one cannot tell from recordings, let alone video compression of audio, let alone poor camera sound recording on this video and reproduction through computer speakers. Have you heard the instrument in real life? If not, come and experience it, because it's exciting. I have experienced a Hauptwerk setup - excellent smooth hifi reproduction of an organ, but not a real organ. Experienced in real life, one knows that this _is_ an organ, not a repro, nor a transistor either.

[latribe]

@OrganNLou This particular concert was performed before

(1) unification of the general pistons so here leaving much of the playing to the original 3 manual Makin formulation: now the best stops throughout can be brought together

(2) attention to loudspeakers throughout the instrument, making a lot of difference

(3) revoicing of the original Choir stops

I did not like the sound of this recording at the time, it's "brown", thus the subsequent work which you can hear in the Reubke recording

[OrganNLou]

You should try a great software program called Hauptwerk. Sounds much better!

[latribe]

@OrganNLou Hi! Actually the organ has been enlarged since here and how it sounds really depends on registration and how well an organist knows what he can get from where on the instrument. What's more, I think this was the raw camera poor quality automatic volume control sound. So try "Hugh Potton Reubke" and "Latrobian Whirl" which are much better recordings and see if you can hear a difference . . . ?

[DSM1G90]

Major MIDI organ!

[latribe]

Hi! Try "Christmas Dionysian Whirl" to hear what this beast is really made of in the right hands.

[poopingeneral]

great video! you should put on some hymns of yourself playing, I would thoroughly enjoy hearing you play!

-poopingeneral

[latribe]

A renowned organist comments:

The instrument you have offers great variety of colour and power: it makes a great sound, some of the sounds are quite fantastic. And it may - as you hope - very seriously inspire people to hear and make pilgrimage to some

great pipe organs. It's also wonderful that people can watch the organist and 'see' what they are doing: many people never have a clue what's involved.