In October 2021 we recorded the Thomas organ de Grote Kerk in Vianen
for Hauptwerk.
Short history:
The first organ in the Grote Kerk in Vianen was built by Abraham Meere
in Empire style and dates from 1803. It consisted of an organ with
Hoofdwerk (Great), upper work and attached pedal (fixed).
Over time, several builders worked on the organ until the interior was
sold during the church restoration in the 1950s.
The existing cases were moved to the tower wall and given a light
color scheme.
Willem van Leeuwen built a new organ in the existing cases. The organ
then had a Hoofdwerk (Great), a Rugwerk (Positiv) and free pedals. A
third keyboard was reserved as well as some voices on the
Hoofdwerk.
Ca. 2005: Van Leeuwen's organ was in urgent need of restoration. The
pipe work was often broken, the wind supply was no longer good - the
organ had a VEKA windchest system optimized by Van Leeuwen - and the
mechanism was often worn out.
After a thorough preparation period, it was decided to sell the Van
Leeuwen organ and have a new organ built by Manufacture d'Orgues
Thomas.
This organ was completed in 2010. The existing cases were restored and
restored to the Abraham Meere situation (for example, the Rugwerk
became empty again).
About the recordings
Three channel technology
This sample set was recorded from three positions in stereo (24 bit
96kHz).
The set comes with a Sygsoft devised 3-channel technique whereby the
user may set the listening position themselves.
There are 3 positions, namely :
1: Front, recorded very close to the organ. This provides a very
direct recording that is useful for study purposes.
2: Middle, this recording was made at about 3 times the distance used
in the front recording.
3: Rear, recorded far from the organ is used as surround.
Through three sliders (0-100%), a mix can be made of the three
positions that is to your liking.
More information see:
"System requirements".
Other details
The recordings for this sample set were made in oktober 2021.
Recording quality 96 kHz 24 bit. The set is reduced to 48 kHz 24
bit.
Number of microphones: 6.
Number of samples processed in this set: ca. 28.000
Number of lines in the Organ Definition File (ODF): ca. 1.750.000
Division of the Work
Johan van der Waal van Dijk:
Processing of the samples and technical advice.
Christian Boogaard: Noise reduction, adjusting the wind
model, intonation, demos, and artistic advice.
Rietje Raatgeep:
Administration and PR.
Fred de Jong:
Layout, additional control samples, loops ,ODF and overall management.
Specification of the Thomas
organ from the Grote kerk in Vianen
(green has been added for Hauptwerk)
Man. I:
Hoofdwerk C-f''' (for Hauptwerk
extended to g''')
Man. II:
Positief C-f''' (for Hauptwerk
extended to g''')
Pedal: C-d' (for Hauptwerk
extended to f')
Playing aids:
Bourdon
Praestant
Stand I: UndaMaris
Stand II: Praestant(disc)
VioladiGamba
Roerfluit
Octaaf Fluit
Gemshoorn
Quint
Superoctaaf
Cornet
Stand I: Mixtuur
Stand II: Mixtuur
Fagot
Trompet
J.S. Bach - Triosonate III BWV 527
J. Lemmens - Marche Triomphale
Alles wat over ons geschreven is (LvdK 173)
C.P.E. Bach - Sonata 2
K. van Ingen - Psalm 146
G. Tunder - Canzon in G
J.S. Bach - Wer nun den lieben Gott lässt walten
BWV642
M.T. von Paradis (1759 - 1824) - Sicilienne
Psalm 131 - klankdemonstratie
J.S. Bach - Schafe können sicher weiden
J.S. Bach - Preludium en Fuga in a BWV543
J.S. Bach - Vater unser im Himmelreich BWV762
J.S. Bach - Liebster Jesu wir sind hier BWV731
J.S. Bach - Erbarm dich mein o Herre Gott BWV721
J.P. Sweelinck - Baletto del granduca
L. Moree - Lofzang van Maria
J. Mulder - Psalm 130
K.J. Mulder - Psalm 48
J. Rheinberger - Cantilena
J. Grison - Toccata
F. Mendelssohn - Sonate4 Allegretto
B. Tours - Allegretto Grazioso
A. Guilmant - Marche Religieuse
K. van Ingen - Psalm 90
Download Information
of the Thomas organ from the Grote kerk in Vianen
Important : Before download, first read the comments below at
"General".
General instructions for download and install a sample set
Important: Download the latest licensing packages file
https://www.hauptwerk.com/licensingpackages/
Start Hauptwerk V (or higher) and install this file via the menu File
| Install Organ, Temperament, or Impulse Response Reverb... Hauptwerk
will 'learn' which protected sets are currently on the market.
For users of Hauptwerk 5 or higher:
Make sure that Hauptwerk is not loaded.
Open your iLok account and choose Licenses/Redeem Activation code
and cut and paste the many-digit code into the screen.
Activate your license to iLok Cloud or to the iLok dongle. In the
latter case: then place the dongle on the Hauptwerk PC. It appears that this rule is not clear to everyone:
3a: Go to your iLok account (log in if necessary) and select the
sample set for which you want to enter the activation code.
3b: At the top right of the iLok screen is a gray/green check
mark.
If you go over this with the mouse you will see the text
"Activate licenses".
Click on this check mark and you will see a new screen.
3c: Click on Activate and Ok. Now the checkmark in the previous
screen turns green.
3d: Now double-click on the line you are working on and the
screen that opens must show "License status active" on the top
line.
3e: If necessary, repeat the above for the eventualy other newly
purchased organs.
Restart Hauptwerk and you can install and use the organ.
Before download and install, note the following:
Download all .CompPkg.Hauptwerk files.
Load these files in the same folder and
Do not change the file names and
Do not unpack by hand.
Check the MD5 checksums with the WinMD5 program, free to download
from
http://www.winmd5.com
or http://www.fastsum.com If a checksum is incorrect, throw the wrong download file away
from the PC and download that file again.
Start Hauptwerk (File/Install organ....), selecteer in de map waarin
u de bestanden zojuist hebt gedownload,
het bestand met extensie .CompPkg_Hauptwerk_rar in Hauptwerk's
component installer.
Hauptwerk automatically finds the other files.
If you get error messages, scroll to the end of the log file (this
opens automatically if something goes wrong when unpacking) to see
what goes wrong.
Usually a file is missing, or there is a file in the wrong folder or
a file is damaged.
Before loading the organ, first have a look at the system
information regarding the expected memory usage etc.
Note: Please contact us via the
Contact form if you encounter any
issues; we will try to assist you.
System requirements
of the Thomas organ from the Grote kerk in Vianen:
a modern fast computer, minimum 32 GB RAM and e.g. Windows 11 64 bit
a good internal or external sound card
3 of 4 manuals or keyboards with (at least 25 keys) pedal òr a
complete electronic organ with MIDI out
good quality speakers /headphone
De computer
To play the complete version of this sample set without restrictions
requires a modern, fast computer with, for example, Windows 10 64 bit
installed and around 32 GB of RAM.
Obviously Hauptwerk must also be installed with the latest version 5
(or higher) Advanced.
It is said that the best results are achieved using Apple-MacIntosh
computers; however, we have no experience with this. It is difficult
to make exact statements about what is needed. The "mother" website
hauptwerk.com
provides much information about this issue.
Prerequisites .
Please note: This information applies to the newest version of
Hauptwerk.
This virtual Thomas organ can be downloaded. The set is protected with
the Hauptwerk Protection System via the
iLok account or dongle from your
Hauptwerk program.
Below is a table of memory usage .
On other systems, these values can vary considerably!
Please note that your Operating System also requires considerable
memory.
The sound card
A good internal or external sound card. For more information go to:
hauptwerk.com .
Manuals/keyboards/pedal òr complete organ with MIDI out
3 or 4 manuals or keyboards and a (at least 25 keys) pedal òr a
complete electronic organ with MIDI out. Beautiful consoles
specifically designed for Hauptwerk are commercially available.
In the Netherlands these are available through, for example,
Those who are technically inclined can provide their keyboard with
MIDI capability using hardware from, for example,
WIRA,
MIDI-Hardware.com
or MGB . We ourselves have
done this using a Heyligers organ dating from around 1975 (using WIRA
hardware). The conversion was about 300 Euro and everything has worked
perfectly for years.
Speakers/headphone
The superb sound quality of Hauptwerk is best experienced through
high-quality headphones, such as AKG or Sennheiser.
We prefer connecting the sound card to a (possibly multi-channel)
sound system. The above mentioned companies can also advise you on any
purchases in this area.
What you definitely should not do is listen to Hauptwerk
through the built-in speakers of the monitor or a set of €10 computer
speakers!
Table of memory usage for
the Thomas organ from the Grote kerk in Vianen
Hauptwerk 6 (space needed on the hard drive is 34 GB)
The meaning of the columns:
A = Number of loaded channels
B = Compression applied?
C = Bit rate Pipe samples
D = Multi-release pipe loaded?
E = RAM usage, Operating System not included (GB)
Please note that the stated values are an approximation !
De nrs. 1-2-3: is for loading mode 16 bit, single release compressed
(a possibility but we think the quality is insufficient).
De nrs. 4-5-6: is for loading mode 16-bit, compressed and multi
release (the standard Hauptwerk loading mode).
De nrs. 7-8-9: is for loading mode 16 bit, uncompressed and multi
release.
De nrs. 10-11-12: is for loading mode 20-bit, compressed and multi
release.
De nrs. 13-14-15: is the loading mode 20 bit, multi release
uncompressed (we prefer this if you have enough memory).
There are of course many more variants, e.g. pipe samples loaded at 24
bit and sounds at 16 bit, etc.
If you're having trouble, send us your question by filling in the
Contact form.
nr.
Definition
A
B
C
D
E
1
(16 bit) with 1 channel loaded single release compressed
1
✔
16
✘
4
2
(16 bit) with 2 channels loaded single release compressed
2
✔
16
✘
8
3
(16 bit) with 3 channels loaded single release compressed
3
✔
16
✘
12
4
(16 bit) met 1 channel loaded multi release compressed (Standard
Hauptwerk)
1
✔
16
✔
6,5
5
(16 bit) with 2 channels loaded multi release compressed
(Standard Hauptwerk)
2
✔
16
✔
12,5
6
(16 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release compressed
(Standard Hauptwerk)
3
✔
16
✔
19
7
(16 bit) with 1 channel loaded multi release uncompressed
1
✘
16
✔
9,5
8
(16 bit) with 2 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
2
✘
16
✔
19
9
(16 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
3
✘
16
✔
28,5
nr.
Definition
A
B
C
D
E
10
(20 bit) with 1 channel loaded multi release compressed
1
✔
20
✔
10
11
(20 bit) with 2 channels loaded multi release compressed
2
✔
20
✔
20
12
(20 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release compressed
3
✔
20
✔
30
13
(20 bit) with 1 channel loaded multi release uncompressed
1
✘
20
✔
18
14
(20 bit) with 2 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
2
✘
20
✔
36,5
15
(20 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
3
✘
20
✔
54,5
Screen layout
of
the Thomas organ from the Grote kerk in Vianen
Tab 1 : Pictures
This tab shows the front of the organ and if you click on the picture
you will see the church.
Tab 2 : Extended: (simple stop representation)
On this tab a simple representation of the stops of this organ. The
buttons with bleu text are added voor Hauptwerk using samples of this
organ. The button "Motor" turns the wind engine on.
De knop "Tremulant Hoofdwerk": The Hoofdwerk does not have a
tremulant on the real organ, but for the enthusiast we have made one
that you can switch on with this button.
Note: Some stops of the Hoofdwerk have a (partially) modulating
tremulant and you can adjust this to your taste via the voicing.
E.g. Bourdon 16' notes 36 up to 59 and Mixtuur the entire stop.
With the 3 sliders at the top right, the volume of the different
channels can be set, which allows you to broadly determine your
listening position.
The button "Unda Maris - Praestant(Disc)": As you can see, this
button is split horizontally. If you press the top part of the button,
you will hear the Unda Maris 8'. These are the same samples as
Praestant 8' Disc, but tuned a bit too low. If you press the lower
part, you will hear the Praestant 8' (Disc) but then in tune.
The button "Mixture" (Hoofdwerk): This button is split
vertically. If you press the left part, you will hear the Mixtuur 2 -
4 ranks and if you press the right part, you will hear the complete
Mixtuur 4 - 6 ranks.
The button "Sexquialter": This button is also split vertically.
If you press the left part, you hear only the 2 2/3' (lowest octave 1
1/3') and if you press the right part you will hear the Sexquialter
complete 2 ranks.
Tab 3 : Schakelaars: (Switches)
Most elements of this tab do not actually need to be visible, but for
interested parties it still gives a a bit of an impression of what
needs to be done to get a sample set of this size to work.
Keep in mind that behind each (manual) button there are 56 long, 56
long release, 56 medium release and 56 short release samples and about
the same amount for the recorded tremulant. The same applies to the
pedal, but always 30 pieces.
It is also useful to know that if you right-click on a switch you can
immediately access the correct voicing screen.
In the column "Speelhulpen" (Playing aids) you will find two
buttons:
In de kolom "Speelhulpen" vindt u nog een aantal knoppen:
With the button "Trekkergeluid" (Tracker noise) you can choose
whether or not to hear the sounds of the trackers.
With the button "Manuaal Kopp. B/D" you can link bass and
treble of the manual coupler.
Tab 4 : Origineel: (Original Console)
On this tab On this tab you will find a virtual representation of the
console as original as possible.
This allows you to easily link the keyboards to Hauptwerk via MIDI.
Note some differences with the extended version: 1st: In the picture the highest key is F'''. However, for
Hauptwerk we have added 2 keys, Fis''' and G'''. To use these keys you
must if you link the keyboards with Hauptwerk first press the lowest
key and then G'''. After this you can use all the samples.
2nd: The Unda Maris 8' on the real organ has 3 positions:
A: Switched off.
B: You hear the Unda Maris. To enable it, click on the nameplate of
the Unda Maris (it turns yellow). This voice is actually just the
Praestant 8' Diskant but the organ builder has reduced the wind
pressure a bit so that this stop sounds a bit too low.
C: If you press the register tracker, the Praestant 8' Treble will
sound at normal pitch.
3rd: Fluit 4', Roerquint 3', Roerquint 6' and the tremulant of
the hoofdwerk cannot be used through this screen because they are
missing in the real organ.
4th: The Manual coupler has 2 buttons for divided bass and
treble. If you find this annoying, you can link bass and treble via
the button "Manual Coupling B/D" in the "Schakelaars" tab.
5th: The Mixture of the Hoofdwerk also has 3 positions to
operate in the same way as discussed above with the Unda Maris.
6th: The Sexquialter also has 3 positions to operate in the
same way as discussed above with the Unda Maris.
Tab 5 : Wind
On these tabs a schematic representation of the wind supply of this
organ.
With the various sliders you can control the supply of wind for the
bellows and the various wind chests.
With the "R" or reset buttons you can return to the settings
that we think are the most suitable (default values).
With the button "Sygsoft" at the bottom right you can reset
all 7 sliders in one time.
Important:
If you decide not to load a part of this sample set (e.g. your
computer RAM memory is too small and you choose e.g. to omitting all
"Rear" samples) then the wind consumption decreases by 33% and then
the organ becomes much less wind sensitive than it actually is.
In that case, go to Organ settings/Organ preferences/Wind supply model
and choose a value of approx. 150. In case you only need to load one
channel e.g. "Middle", (the wind consumption decreases by 66%) then
you need this value to about 300% to get the same result.
Obviously, you can choose any value if you don't like the organ's
behavior. With the check mark on this same Wind supply model tab you
can turn off the wind supply completely.
You listen to the Thomas organ from the Grote kerk in Vianen