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Playing Hauptwerk from a Viscount Chorum console


I wonder if a Viscount owner can help me with this technical query.

I am thinking of buying a new 3 manual Viscount Chorum organ, but would like to supplement it with Hauptwerk.

My question is this, and I apologise in advance if this seems naive as I am just starting to explore this whole world.

Is it possible to play HW complete and direct from the Viscount console ? Putting this in practical terms, I would like to be able to play a HW instrument direct from the touchscreens, or by controlling the stops with the Viscount combinations and stepper whilst by - passing the Viscount stops themselves. Thus I would be able to play a VPO of 50 or morestops, without being limited by the (smaller) number of stops on the Viscount. I would also prefer to override having to link, for example, a HW Prinzipal to the Open Diapason on my Viscount etc.

I am reasonably sure that the Viscount keyboards and pedals would be MIDI compliant, but what about the combinations, couplers and swell pedals ? I am aware that the Viscount has a 'local off' facility which silences all or selected stops, which suggests that the Viscount designer anticipated my question and offers this towards the solution. I am having some difficulty getting a clear answer either from Viscount at the moment or one of the HW engineers I have consulted - I would be delighted if anyone on this forum is able to advise me from direct experience.

Many thanks
by MAB1961
Dec 29, 2020 08:16 AM

Replies (6)

RE: Playing Hauptwerk from a Viscount Chorum console

MAB1961 wrote:

I wonder if a Viscount owner can help me with this technical query.

I am thinking of buying a new 3 manual Viscount Chorum organ, but would like to supplement it with Hauptwerk.

My question is this, and I apologise in advance if this seems naive as I am just starting to explore this whole world.

Is it possible to play HW complete and direct from the Viscount console ? Putting this in practical terms, I would like to be able to play a HW instrument direct from the touchscreens, or by controlling the stops with the Viscount combinations and stepper whilst by - passing the Viscount stops themselves. Thus I would be able to play a VPO of 50 or morestops, without being limited by the (smaller) number of stops on the Viscount. I would also prefer to override having to link, for example, a HW Prinzipal to the Open Diapason on my Viscount etc.

I am reasonably sure that the Viscount keyboards and pedals would be MIDI compliant, but what about the combinations, couplers and swell pedals ? I am aware that the Viscount has a 'local off' facility which silences all or selected stops, which suggests that the Viscount designer anticipated my question and offers this towards the solution. I am having some difficulty getting a clear answer either from Viscount at the moment or one of the HW engineers I have consulted - I would be delighted if anyone on this forum is able to advise me from direct experience.

Many thanks

Hi, I donĀ“t know if this would be useful for you. It is possible to store an stops combination on the qwerty keyboard if one of the STPR buttons of the organ is used as a piston. Right click over that STPR button, select Auto-detect Midi, press any key on the qwerty keyboard and that combination is saved to that key. For pistons you need momentary normally open switches, while for stops dual position on-off switches should be used.

by rmanzanog
Dec 29, 2020 06:16 PM

RE: Playing Hauptwerk from a Viscount Chorum console

MAB1961 wrote:

I wonder if a Viscount owner can help me with this technical query.

I am thinking of buying a new 3 manual Viscount Chorum organ, but would like to supplement it with Hauptwerk.

My question is this, and I apologise in advance if this seems naive as I am just starting to explore this whole world.

Is it possible to play HW complete and direct from the Viscount console ? Putting this in practical terms, I would like to be able to play a HW instrument direct from the touchscreens, or by controlling the stops with the Viscount combinations and stepper whilst by - passing the Viscount stops themselves. Thus I would be able to play a VPO of 50 or morestops, without being limited by the (smaller) number of stops on the Viscount. I would also prefer to override having to link, for example, a HW Prinzipal to the Open Diapason on my Viscount etc.

I am reasonably sure that the Viscount keyboards and pedals would be MIDI compliant, but what about the combinations, couplers and swell pedals ? I am aware that the Viscount has a 'local off' facility which silences all or selected stops, which suggests that the Viscount designer anticipated my question and offers this towards the solution. I am having some difficulty getting a clear answer either from Viscount at the moment or one of the HW engineers I have consulted - I would be delighted if anyone on this forum is able to advise me from direct experience.

Many thanks

Hi,
On YouTube there are some tutorials. Maybe this one could help you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBwTicgkV9Y

Regards

by Joaquin
Dec 29, 2020 06:27 PM

RE: Playing Hauptwerk from a Viscount Chorum console


Hello.
I am an owner of a Viscount Choral III organ.
I hope the Midi implementation of the Viscount Chorum is not the same than my organ, because the manufacturer as made many mistakes.
You can control your Hwk virtual organ from your Chorum, but in my case the couplers do not send any Midi messages to the computer. The Midi messages of the coupler knobs have been ommited.
- The most important troubles I have are when I want to control the Viscount organ from my computer. But I think you are not interested with this action.
Anyway, if I may help you, you can write me.
by musicalis
Dec 31, 2020 06:11 AM

RE: Playing Hauptwerk from a Viscount Chorum console


Hi,
I have an older Viscount console (Prestige II) connected to Hauptwerk. I just have Hereford extended. To be fair, Viscount (and many others) didn't design their consoles for use with Hauptwerk/MIDI so they don't make things easy: there will be inevitable restrictions/compromises - some of which are easy to live with and some a real irritant. Some of the observations below (esp c,d,e) may only refer to older Viscount consoles but I suspect not.

I don't pretend to be an expert but here are some settings I have found that work :

a) You will need to turn off the internal console sounds. (If you don't have any external amp/speakers you can feed your Hauptwerk Instrument output back to use the Viscount internal console amp/speakers, depending on your MIDI interface.)

b) When you first switch on the console, the keyboards etc. are not automatically connected to MIDI - I simply ensure that all the thumb pistons also trigger the appropriate MIDI channel and I start each session by pressing thumb piston 1 for each manual. Only then can you map each manual, expression pedal and individual stops on the console to the equivalent on your Hauptwerk instrument.

c) Viscount "hard wire" their combination thumb pistons to the internal stops so you will have to programme them to select the stops you want on the console; you can't map them independently to the thumb pistons on the Hauptwerk Instrument. Real shame this one.

d) The cresc pedal is likewise "hard wired" to the internal stops - you can't map it to the cresc pedal on the Hauptwerk Instrument.

e) The stepper on the console (individual memories and +/-) cannot be used in conjunction with the stepper on the on the Hauptwerk Instrument as it, too, is "hard wired" to the internal stops.

At least Viscount consoles save all the settings when you power down and you can save settings for each instrument or a variety of different settings for one instrument using the settings save facility on the console. Mine now classifies as antique as it uses a floppy disk!

Hope this helps - good luck!

Nick

by English_Gent
Dec 31, 2020 06:43 AM

RE: Playing Hauptwerk from a Viscount Chorum console


Thanks for this most helpful reply English Gent - I have taken the liberty of messaging you privately through this board with further observations (like you, I currently play a 20 year old Viscount Prestige).

Warm regards
Mark
by MAB1961
Dec 31, 2020 07:09 AM

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