Virtual pipe organs

[Muad’Dib]

Recently I was on the Apple App Store looking for free Virtual Pipe Organs, and found a few. I downloaded a Free version of JeuxdorgMini. A nice simple organ. The app is mostly 10 stops and three manual buttons. There is a full version, but that is $30.00. Anyway, it has been a welcome change, from my D-20 and my Casio Piano. I have been fascinated with pipe organs from a young age. Always wanted to play one. There have been some fairly decent recreations in keyboards and synths, but nothing on the level of JeuxdorgMini. Which use very accurate samples of an actual pipe organ. I also know about Hauptwerk, which is the premier virtual pipe organ software. Which is a bit more in price than what I downloaded. Anyway, this has given me a chance to explore an instrument, I would never get too play in real life. It is fun, and I am enjoying it. I just need a larger controller keyboard. 61 keys to be persist.

 

I was looking at the Nektar Impact.

[Joe Muscara]

Anyway, this has given me a chance to explore an instrument, I would never get too play in real life.

Why not? Make friends with a church organist where they have a real pipe organ and maybe they'll let you play it on a weekday when no one is around! I'd love to do that myself, learn how the whole thing works.

 

It is fun, and I am enjoying it.

Hmmm. Maybe this is the kind of keyboard you've been looking for all along?

[Mark Schmieder]

Many churches have a smaller chapel that isn't used much, and sometimes those are available for practice, most often involving a reed organ (aka pump organ aka harmonium). Sometimes two manuals but often only one. But it's a good place to start, as they usually have a few stops, and a swell pedal, so you can get your feet wet with some of those core basics before moving on to a more complicated pipe organ.

[Gretel]

I also have and use Jeux d'orgue. It's really really good and impressive how much better it is than the usual two or three pipe organ samples that you typically have in a rompler or digital piano. Also it opens up an entirely new style of playing, on which you could spend months refining. I also really like listening to pipe organ music, which makes me want to improve my pipe organ skills.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

...this has given me a chance to explore an instrument, I would never get too play in real life. It is fun, and I am enjoying it. I just need a larger controller keyboard. 61 keys to be persist.

 

I was looking at the Nektar Impact.

For $149.99, that's a very good choice. If it had aftertouch, I'd buy one myself; it's small, compact, relatively full featured, has nice built-in DAW integration, and Nektar's keyboards are of very high quality, even the Impact lineup.

 

[EricBarker]

Here's a free Kontakt-based organ that I've always really liked, and holds up against many of the high-end paid VSTs. The interface is a little ugly, but otherwise it's a fantastic sounding instrument with some really handy CPU-saving features:

BigCat Audio Bureau Church Organ

[Muad’Dib]

I saw a guy on YouTube who used three of them for building his own Virtual pipe organ, using Huptewerk VST software.

[Muad’Dib]

I had a good collection of Pipe Organ music on CD. Mostly BACH of course. Then, I got rid of it, but now I am thinking of starting it up again.