General
Your instruments are always exceptional; a pleasure to explore and play
F. Carson, USA, 11/2011
2012 Metzler Organ Surround, Poblet Monastery, Spain
What a great set! I am once again impressed by the quality of this sample set and also by the beauty of the organ! You have managed to capture this in a special way. Every time I think: how incredibly clever that you are able to record an organ in such a way that it sounds like you are playing it live.
van Hofwegen, NL, 11/2024
1766 Riepp Dreifaltigkeits Organ, Ottobeuren, Germany
You excellently managed to capture the big space in which the organ is located, and what every time astonishes me, is, that even on full organ every note remains clear and distinguishable. What you have produced here is not just a sampleset, but a work of art.
E. Luynenburg, ES, 11/2021
1884/1995 E.F. Walcker-Eule Organ, Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany
The Annaberg-Organ is an outstanding instrument in real and also as sampling-set.
E. Schoen, D, 8/2019
It is a milestone in digital sampling and preserving the soundscape of this historic instrument.
E. Luynenburg, ES, 6/2019
Very beautiful, a joy to play and to discover good registrations. Wonderful Reverberation!
Our finest Romantic Organ Sample Set, and among the very finest overall.
R. H., Douglass, USA, 5/2019
Warm compliments for the extreme quality of this new sampleset.
P. Larhant, F, 5/2019
It is amazing that one organ builder could create so many different sounds and then have them mix so well that endless combinations are possible. There is a large range of stops for accompaniment, from soft to loud, and an almost equal number of stops, both reeds and flutes, that can be used for solos. The genius of the organ lies not in its full organ sound, but in the countless number of possibilities which lead up to it. I think this organ will make organists more aware of the sounds composers like Reger and Karg-Elert had in mind when writing their music. The new Eule stops broaden the repertoire just a bit more.
As always, the quality of the set is as good as it can possibly be. This is a very important documentation of an organ type that has almost gone extinct, while the music that used to be played on such organs is still very much alive.
B. Würsten, NL, 5/2019
2012 Metzler Organ, Poblet Monastery, Spain
The set is top quality! This is so far the best set of the recordings in my small collection.
The organ itself is outstanding, but the recording of its sound is astounding. Each individual voice is recorded with amazing clarity which is not diminished even by the long reverberation.The reverberation of the space is breathtaking in itself, so the played music gained just another dimension.
T. Steczko, USA, 11/2019
First impression: I am really delighted of this organ, the character, versatility to play organ music from any period, and the high acoustic quality of the sampleset. Makes my day!
T. Edler,SE, 8/2018
1731 Gottfried Silbermann Organ, Germany, (Surround)
I spent yesterday trying out the Silbermann organ. It is splendid. It was already good, but is now perfect. A great little organ and a sample set of outstanding quality, You have really captured the authentic sound of each stop and the ambience of the room.
B. Würsten, NL, 6/2018
First impression - clear, colourful, sounds very good in headphones. Immediately appealing. Wide range of registration possibilities on offer. Keep up the fantastic work! All organs are excellent choices - historically and musically important - sampling work is outstanding.
A. Grahame, AU, 4/2018
Another outstanding achievement. Among the very finest Baroque Organ Sample Sets... highly effective and very much appreciated!
R.H. Douglass, USA, 5/2018
1766 Karl Joseph Riepp Heilig-Geist Organ, Germany
Magnificent. Rich, smooth, flowing sounds. Encourages good playing!
If this were the only Sample Set available, the entire Hauptwerk Project would still be eminently worthwhile!
R.H. Douglass, USA 5/2016
Truly Amazing, Clear sound and majestic reverb are founded in order to realize a marvellous acoustic! a must have sampleset
M.Pederneschi, Italia 5/2016
1687 Arp Schnitger Organ, Germany
The sampleset..... well... the sampleset is simply wonderful. It exceeded all my expectations. Actually, I didn't know HW could sound so good until I loaded the OAM 1687 Arp Schnitger today!
Of course the organ has a great portion of merit for this. But your magnificent work seems to reproduce very well many nuances of the real instrument. State of art!
A. Bayma, Brazil 9/2015
Truly wonderful. Already one of our very favorites.
Top Quality!
R. H. Douglass, USA, 5/2015
Wow, what a fantastic organ and sampleset! You’ve done a very, very good job with this amazing set!
v. Hofwegen, Netherlands, 4/2015
Certainly five stars, both for the organ itself and for the sample set!
J. Elder, UK, 4/2015
Very good and satisfying, like all your productions !!
Ph. Montagnier, France, 4/2015
1885 Friedrich Ladegast Organ, Germany
There are many beautiful stops on the organ and they combine very well. The Doppelflöte and Clarinette are of special beauty, but the other flutes and strings are also a pleasure to listen to. I am looking forward to spending time trying out the many possible sound combinations.
The classic sound of many of the stops is a bit of a surprise for an organ so far into the Romantic period. Absolutely a wonderful organ for 19th century German music and beyond.
B. Würsten, Netherlands, 6/2013
1761 Johann Andreas Silbermann Organ, Switzerland
This set is a very beautiful instrument, very well balanced, incredibly real. Some years ago I had a concert on a Silbermann organ (Leonhardskirche Basel), and I am amazed with this set, because of its reality! Congratulations, Prof. Maier!
V. Nincy, Italy, 8/2012
Thank you so much for producing a truly excellent sample set! The Arlesheim Silbermann is now my default Bach organ, and for clarity and realism better than any set I have purchased so far for sound quality. I am using very high quality ATC studio monitors and sub which are highly revealing and the quality is stunning.
R. Sampson, UK, 7/2012
In one sentence: excellent piece of virtual organ art. Beginning with the page in OAM website to the real virtual organ sounding, it is amazing. Ten years ago it was metaphysicly impossible to even dream in playing a Silberman like this at home.
L. García, Colombia, 7/2012
1732 Andreas Silbermann Organ, France
This is a terrific representation of this wonderful instrument. Its versatility in both French baroque and German repertoire is particularly appealing, and your digital realization in this sample set is exceptionally compelling.
C. Cooman, Harvard University, USA 12/2011
Received and installed. Simply fantastic !
P. Larhant, France 11/2011
The instrument is wonderful and delight to play - thank you so much for creating this magnificent virtual organ. It is quite unlike most of the other instruments I play and offers an insight into the French classical tradition which listening to CDs can't really provide. Thank you so much for bringing this instrument to us.
I am very impressed with the quality of the "product" - the presentation and sounds are probably the best I've seen in what is a market place where many of the professional products are excellent.
I. Stinson, UK, 11/2011
1675/88 Hus/Arp Schnitger Organ, Germany
The sound quality you achieve is superb. I have played the Cosmae organ several years ago and so it is very good to be reminded of the truly "earthy" sound of Schnitger.
N. Wright, UK ,1/2018
First of all, thanks for making this organ available for Hauptwerk, You did the magic again!
Your sample-sets becoming even better than best, (and this while I truly thought it is impossible to make something better than the Trost)...
R. van den Berg, Netherlands, 11/2010
Outstanding. Very rich and enjoyable. Ten Stars (of ten), Top Quality.
R. Douglass, USA, 10/2010
1730 H. G. Trost Organ, Germany
Unique representative of Thuringian organ style. The many 8' stops give it a very warm sound. Congratulations for the excellent high quality work.
E. de Schrijver, Belgium 11/2009
First of all I like to thank You for Your work, I own now my first OrganArt Media sample-set and it is of an outstanding quality and worth the price
R. van den Berg, Netherlands 10/2009
1844 Franz-Xaver Engelfried Organ
"I I love your F.X. Englefried samples. The sounds are so interesting and you did a wonderful job of sampling"
L. Hutchens, USA, 12/2009
1904 Wilhelm Sauer Organ, Germany
"A truly rich and luxurious sampleset, and my favourite so far. It is my first OAM instrument, and I have to say I'm very impressed. I can't say whether this organ would suit you (that's down to personal taste and what style of instrument you need right now), but I can say that with this sampleset you are playing a real musical instrument. Of course it's a fascinating historical document as well. The range of colours available is staggering, from a 'vulnerable child' to full-on Wagnerian power & majesty!
The mp3 demo of the Reger Benedictus on the OAM site is a great example of this depth of expression. Incidentally, unlike some sets I have bought in the past, the demos give an exact picture of what it is like to play this instrument".
D. Seymour, 12/2008, England
"This sample set is a must have! Thankfully there are intact romantic German organs in existence.
Every stop on this sample set could be used as a solo, every pipe is voiced well, and all stops have a very unique color. They also blend well in chorus. The 8' sound is unrivaled.
The mechanical action, which we refer in the US as tubular-pneumatic, is faithfully reproduced, with a slower key response, this feature can be switched off.
The audio quality is excellent."
J. D. Shoemaker, 12/2008, USA
To have this organ it's an absolute MUST. I'm really inspired of this wonderful organ sound.
For me the best organ to play German Romantics.
P. Maurer, Switzerland, 12/2008
1686/1720 Bosch-Schnitger Organ
This is by far the best Hauptwerk sample set I have played. It captures perfectly what I imagine is the actual sound from the organ keydesk. Thank you for sharing this with the world.
J. Biery, 2/2010, USA
"I just wanted to let you know how happy I am with this sample set. I could hardly believe my ears !!!
The clarity, realism and "presence" of each stop is truly remarkable. The tutti is also clear and precise, no thick or muddy sound. You have exceeded my expectations by far. For the benefit of the organist, the recording microphone placement has struck the best of all possible positions to achieve both spacious room ambience and clarity of the pipes, without compromising either. Bravo. My favorite sample set !!!!
A. Scott, 2/2009, USA
"As someone who is very familiar with this organ, having played the original organ several times and having heard it played live on many occasions, I must admit you have perfectly captured the orginal sound and its environment. This organ excels all other Hauptwerk organs. Congratulations with this addition to your project"
B. Würsten, 6/2007, The Netherlands
"First of all I would like to mention how delighted I am with the Bosch/Schnitger sample set - what a beautiful instrument. It is a joy to play".
R. Mullin, 6/2007, USA
I do not know what to say, is like a dream. IS the best sampler instrument that I ever heard
M. Valero, 3/2007, Spain
"I just received your beautiful new sample set - this is by far the best virtual organ I have heard or played"
S. Frankel, 1/2007, USA
"This is tremendous addition the HW library and sets, in my opinion, a new standard.
The multiple release samples give a more authentic sound to fast or staccato passages and the actual recordings appear to be superb. I found the AVI slide show most interesting and informative and certainly adds to the concept of producing an archive record of an instrument and its environment"
D. MacGraw, 1/2007, England
"I just received and tested the Vollenhove sample. Warm congratulations for this outstanding job. It is absolutely terrific"
P. Jacquet, France, 1/2007
1723 Frans Caspar Schnitger Organ
"This is a very fine organ. I'm amazed by the immediacy and freshness of the sound
I would indicate that your sample sets are fairly expensive, but that you get what you pay for !"
P. Johnston, 2/2008, Australia
"The combined excellence of this pipe organ and the sublime recording makes this virtual organ the best Hauptwerk has to offer. I've played this organ in real and must say you have captured its spirit"
B. Würsten, 11/2007, The Netherlands
1854/80 Ducroquet-Cavaillé-Coll Organ
I have been trying out the Aix-Cathedral Cavaille Coll organ for a few days now and I would just like to say how beautiful it sounds. It is by far the best I have heard of all the sampled organs and I have fallen in love with it. It is worth every penny of the cost and I would recommend this to anyone considering purchasing this instrument and especially CColl fans.
Chr. Shaw, 2/2006, England
Absolutely breath-taking! You have captured the vast acoustic beautifully - the sound is quite spectacular and is much improved using HW2.
D. MacGraw, 8/2006, England
I seem to have spent all weekend playing it - what an absolutely marvellous sound!
... - truly the King of HW Instruments and it surely sets the standard higher than ever before
D. MacGraw, 1/2006, England
Incredible. With the headphones I am playing a real symphonic organ. The sample set is genial. Thank you for your work.
J. Vázquez, 1/2006, Spain
1691/1788 García / Martínez Organ
"Somehow I keep starting up this organ on my Hauptwerk system. You have done an excellent job in capturing the sound of the fiery reeds but the Flautado stops and Tapadillo are also of an unknown beauty.
I can recommend this organ to everyone. It will change the way you play"
Brad Wursten, 6/2007, The Netherlands
"Having received this sample set less than a week ago, and having had little time to explore it, I can nevertheless say that Dr. Maier has produced another high quality winner here.
The reeds are absolutely fantastic and the stereo effects of the reeds "above your head" are extremely realistic. You hear the toes jumping around according to the layout of the windchest.
This organ is indeed fantastic and I can highly recommend it to anyone in search of authentic Spanish, Iberian, Mallorcan, Portuguese or Mexican organ sounds".
Dr. A. de Groot, 6/2007, USA
"I had an enjoyable time over the weekend playing on these fiery reeds! Terrific reeds!"
D. MacGraw, 5/2007, England
1731 Silbermann Organ
"This has to be the ideal organ for organ trios with its characteristic stops and short reverb. The Quintadena is of unknown beauty. Once again you have managed to catch the heart of the instrument"
Brad Wursten, 6/2007, The Netherlands
I have a lot of pleasure to play Bach's Preludes and fugues on this Silbermann. Silbermann of course, the workshop which has made the restauration and yourself, have brought us a great piece of art.
C. Oudet, France, 10/2006
I have found the Silbermann to be most satisfactory. I was surprised how well balanced it was for playing hymns. The melody line stands out clearly, unlike a lot of organs.
W. Ziehlke, USA 6/2006
Absolutely astounding clarity and a completely convincing ambience. Even the tracker noise has a presence all its own. The personality of each stop - each note - is clearly different and distinct with no discernible post-processing effects added. Compared to the Engelfried organ and ignoring the obvious tonal differences between the stops of each instrument, it's very clear that we are in a totally different environment and that the essential acoustic quality of each building has been faithfully preserved.
Nothing seems to mask the beautiful "breathy" quality of the 8' Principal, and the bright bell-like sound of the Suffleute and Tertia is clear and sparkling. It's very easy to obtain a wonderful and sonorous choral effect, yet every part remains clearly audible. In short, just superb!
B. Key, England, 3/2004
This sample set has absolutely blown me away. I am impressed with the clarity, the noise free recordings and the absolute beauty of the balanced sounds achievable
I'm only sorry that so many "pipe organ pureists" can't comprehend the significant impact the Hauptwerk computer program and OrganArt Media files can have to organ enjoyment and sound preservation.
B. Brockhouse, Australia, 10/2003
I just received your Reinhardtsgrimma, Silbermann samples today and I am absolutely thrilled. I played some of the same music you have in your web site demos with the same registration and the results are identical. Too often one buys something in the store and it is not the same when one gets it home. Not the case with your samples, they are perfect. Also I would like to say I was very impressed with the attractive and helpful way the software was presented.
R. Burns, Canada, 9/03
1877 Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Organ
A marvellous example of CC's work - amazing results from modest resources.
Tremendous tutti, beautiful Voix Celeste.
This is my favourite instrument
D. MacGraw, 4/2004, England
1844 Engelfried Organ
... I think the Goenningen organ must be the best so far in the Hauptwerk library! I am now looking forward to your next release - please continue to include the building acoustic in the samples - this really adds presence when playing!
Marvellous - even down to the mechanical action of the keys and pedals.
D. MacGraw, 5/2003, England
Absolutely superb - I really can't fault it. The church acoustics are also very well presented, and are so much more realistic than any post-process reverberation I could add.
... your virtualisation of it is invisible! And the joy of being able to play it is an almost indescribable pleasure.
B. Key, England, 5/2003
I have well received the CD of the Goenningen organ. I have tested and played the different registers the result is fantastic.... That’s a good idea to have introduced optional keyboard noise in Hauptwerk format.
P. Delferriere, Belgium, 6/03
1677 Carboni Organ
This organ keeps on inspiring me to just let myself go, beyond the confines of time and space, into a land of fantasy and wonder, where improvisation becomes easy, automatic and desirable. This instrument keeps drawing out of hereto unknown areas of inspiration and creativity. Your fingers just don’t want to let go of the keyboards when playing these beautiful sounds. I can just play for hours using single stops like the Principale 8’ and/or 12’, the Flauta in VIII and the wonderful effects of the Voce Umana.
Dr. A. de Groot, 1/2007, USA
Marvellous acoustic. Fascinating Voce Umana stop!
D. McGraw, England, 1/2004
1868 F. A. Mehmel Organ
This instrument has a clean warm sound; very subtle colouring
B. Key, England, 8/2004
As useful I am fascinated by the colour or the registers, and the harmonization of the organ you have sampled. The result is spectacular and I enjoy to play with this romantic organ
P. Delferierre, Belgium, 8/2004
Another marvellous addition to your Library.
D. McGraw, England, 8/2004
1690 Frères Jullien Organ
An interesting and rewarding addition to the Hauptwerk library
D. MacGraw, 1/2005, England
"This set is absolutely amazing; just stunning!"
B. Key, England, 2/2005
Absolutely stunning ! Marvellous sound, just like a real organ! Your recordings are fantastic!
J. Y. Garet, France, 2/2005
The Roquemaure organ has arrived and worked perfectly - I have since spent too much time playing it! It, too, is superb!
N. James, England, 2/2005
1780 Gaetano Callido Organ
I've tried the new Callido sample set - it kept me busy until 3 in the morning. The sound quality is excellent, of course; the organ is really spectacular, very different from the Northern European organs and extremely expressive.
S. Frankel, 10/2005, USA
First I want to compliment you with the quality of the Callido organ. It really is an experience to play on it.
L. Joosten, 10/2005, Netherlands.
1654 Positif Organ
High quality and accurate sampling with realistic proportion of the pipes relative volumes
P. Sorrentino, Italy, 5/2003