# Modartt releases ORGANTEQ



## EvilDragon (Nov 27, 2019)

Modartt: Organteq







www.modartt.com






Discuss!


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## mobiuscog (Nov 27, 2019)

A good organ should shake the air around you when hitting the low notes (at least that's what I appreciate when in a church and an organist is playing) - so much more than the base sound.

I imagine reverb etc. on this could be more critical than the core sound ? Or maybe I just don't know how to listen to organs.


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## EvilDragon (Nov 27, 2019)

I suppose you'd get that with a good surround system. The point is when you're in a church, the sound is all around you, which is really hard to replicate with stereo speakers firing in front of your face...


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## bvaughn0402 (Nov 27, 2019)

I was going to hop on it ... but wow, the price!

I guess I was hoping to see more of a "loyalty" discount or something. 

Piano at $300 is worth it because I use it on so many things. Organ is a niche for me (that I do use), but $299 (or $269 with the 10%) is a big gulp for sure.


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## EvilDragon (Nov 27, 2019)

See the price of Hauptwerk to put things into perspective (because that's the most immediate competition to Organteq)


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## bvaughn0402 (Nov 27, 2019)

I will look into it.

I guess I was thinking more like Spitfire Union Chapel Organ at $149 type of thing.

Now, if like PianoTeq, OrganTeq came with 2-3 add-ons as part of the package, it would probably be worth it to me.

Or a promise of 2-3 add-ons after they are released.


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## bvaughn0402 (Nov 27, 2019)

The Hauptwerk is interesting. Would be cool to hear an audio shootout of the two.

The thing I like about the Hauptwerk (like PianoTeq) is how they modeled specific organs.

That would be cool to know I'm playing a modeled organ from Europe. I would imagine OrganTeq will offer this in the future (like PianoTeq).


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## TGV (Nov 27, 2019)

The demos good, but the reverb doesn't convince me. But that's easy to overcome. The price, on the other hand, isn't. I would buy it to just muck around from time to time, so €250 is out of the question.


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## anjwilson (Nov 27, 2019)

bvaughn0402 said:


> The Hauptwerk is interesting. Would be cool to hear an audio shootout of the two.
> 
> The thing I like about the Hauptwerk (like PianoTeq) is how they modeled specific organs.
> 
> That would be cool to know I'm playing a modeled organ from Europe. I would imagine OrganTeq will offer this in the future (like PianoTeq).



Not sure that you'll see this from OrganTeq. Hauptwerk works primarily through samples. OrganTeq is physically modeled.


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## bvaughn0402 (Nov 27, 2019)

Well, maybe it is modeling actual organs based on the name in the Preset. But there is no information about that, nor a listing of the actual presets. So not sure if they are actually modeling real authentic organs, or if these are just their interpretations of them.

Would be nice to know how long the 10% discount is for as well.

And if Hauptwerk is based on samples, then OrganTek is unique ... but then again, very expensive compared to other versions out there.

The thing I love about samples is knowing that I'm playing an actual European organ (for example).

If it is modeled, that is perfectly ok to. But just like PianoTeq, I like knowing I'm playing a specific brand (like Steinway D). Maybe OrganTek can provide more information about specific organs it is modeling in their presets.


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## EvilDragon (Nov 27, 2019)

"Organteq offers over a thousand pipes, inspired from Cavaillé-Coll's organs"









Aristide Cavaillé-Coll - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org






One of his organs is in Toulouse, the city where Modartt is.


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## bvaughn0402 (Nov 27, 2019)

Yes, it just seems very un-PianoTeq. Imagine PianoTeq as "we modeled pianos inspired by Steinway, Yamaha, etc)" vs "we modeled a Steinway Model D".

I would prefer "we modeled Notre Dame de Paris". 

I just remembered I can download a trial of OrganTeq, so I'll just try it and go through the presets.


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## EvilDragon (Nov 27, 2019)

You cannot really model an organ in an actual space without modeling that space too (and CPUs are not there yet)... In fact, the room "gets in the way" here. That's why it's "inspired by", just like how Pianoteq's K2, C3, M2, U4 models are not one specific brand, but a "custom model", so to speak. You can derive physics from the design itself, and then some comparative listening to recordings to fine-tune the model, so that's what Modartt did here.


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## bvaughn0402 (Nov 27, 2019)

Well, you bring up an interesting point ... seems an organ is more like modeling an electric guitar vs an acoustic. It is the movement of air in the space of an amp that really defines it sound.

So if you just model the electric guitar with no amp, it isn't much of anything.

But an acoustic is different.

So I can see modeling a piano is room agnostic. But it would seem modeling an organ apart from its environment is going to miss something. Because (correct me if I'm wrong), but didn't people build these organs based on the space it occupied?

I get what you are saying though, and as always have tremendous respect for your point of view.

I guess that is what I'm after ... not "here is a model of a Les Paul, add your own effects and room", but more "here is a Les Paul through a Mesa Boogie V30 Cab".

It would make sense, a convolution reverb of the space mixed with the OrganTeq might yield what I would hope for. Like my guitar example, I don't want a prestine physics inspired Les Paul model and then I have to add everything in.

All in all, I'm sure after I try it, I'll buy it. If it were under $200, I would have probably just bought it. :D


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## EvilDragon (Nov 27, 2019)

There's no such thing as "room agnostic". The same piano can sound different in different rooms due to how the sound reflects off the walls, ceiling, floors, and whatever else is in the room...

(Also, air moving inside an amp doesn't define the sound of an electric guitar  - it's the electronic circuit that does, along with pickups of the guitar and the guitar body itself...)


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## bvaughn0402 (Nov 27, 2019)

EvilDragon said:


> There's no such thing as "room agnostic". The same piano can sound different in different rooms due to how the sound reflects off the walls, ceiling, floors, and whatever else is in the room...
> 
> (Also, air moving inside an amp doesn't define the sound of an electric guitar  - it's the electronic circuit that does, along with pickups of the guitar and the guitar body itself...)



True, but wouldn't you say the Organ even more so is not room agnostic? It isn't like someone bought an organ off of Sweetwater and put it in some theater or church. They built the organs FOR the space, right?

And do you know if they will be producing add-ons for this? I assume they will.


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## EvilDragon (Nov 27, 2019)

Yeah organs are built for a particular space, but that makes it fully room gnostic 


You can bet there will be updates and add-ons. Modartt isn't about to stop any time soon


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## gamma-ut (Nov 27, 2019)

I believe one of the main target markets for this (as with Hauptwerk) is actual churches (and the keyboardists hired to play them) - but not the ones with their own antique organs. So, being able to tune a model to suit the space rather than sound like Notre Dame so it doesn't sound woefully out of place is probably more important.


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## decredis (Nov 27, 2019)

My first impression, having had a brief go with the demo, is that this is remarkably convincing. Not to a level equivalent to where Pianoteq is at, unsurprisingly for the first version. If it were under £100 I might pick it up now, but as it is I have other priorities this Black Friday; but I’m excited to see how it develops.


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## chimuelo (Nov 27, 2019)

EvilDragon said:


> Modartt: Organteq
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Grand jeu demo, 2nd to the last convinced me.


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## evilantal (Nov 28, 2019)

It's finally here!
But indeed, price is comparibly high to Hauptwerk...


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## PerryD (Nov 29, 2019)

Had some fun with Organteq on Friday evening. Second half is Organteq isolated (with Pianoteq tubular bells). My neighbors probably will start calling me the Phantom of Kennesaw.  An arrangement of an old Christmas piece I wrote many years ago.


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## EvilDragon (Nov 29, 2019)

That was pretty great!


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## PerryD (Nov 29, 2019)

EvilDragon said:


> That was pretty great!


 Thanks! High praise coming from you.  I just replaced the file with a less oversaturated mix. Fun stuff!


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## Mark Schmieder (Dec 30, 2019)

Wow, that's the most convincing demo I've heard yet! Great work!


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## CT (Dec 30, 2019)

Hmm. 

I think I have already said this in another thread regarding Organteq, but I don't think reeds and mixtures fare very well at all with the modeling approach. Gentler flue ranks are a tad more convincing... but there are some fine sampled organs out there that I'll happily stick with.


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## Mark Schmieder (Dec 30, 2019)

I wonder if we'll find that a mixture of sampling and modeling holds some possibilities here?

I watch this product in awe, as I know enough about organs to know how tough a job this is, and admire the bravery!

I am trying to stay away from stuff that might be yet another rabbit hole for me, at my advanced age, but Hauptwerk is going through some major restructuring at the moment with regards to how they deal with customers and pricing, and I just barely shied away from finally buying into it over the holidays (on advice from a friend), so it is still possible that OrganTeq may be in my future.

In the meantime, I am spreading the word, as this product might not show up on the radar for a lot of my friends in the classical world.


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## DerGeist (Jan 3, 2020)

Not a proper organist, just a piano player who dabbles so I really can't speak to authenticity. That said, I really like Organteq. A good reverb helps (using spaces II). Mapping the stops to a midi controller was a revelation that made it feel more like a living instrument. I did not enjoy their midi mapping process. I also get notes that stick when holding a key and changing stops. Maybe that happens or real organs.

If anyone is interested, I'm using one of these as a controller:









Midi Fighter Twister


With four banks of 16 encoders, Twister allows control of any parameter in any software.




store.djtechtools.com





It works great because the knobs can be pressed and you setup the lights to indicate stop in/stop out. A drum pad also worked pretty well for this purpose without the visible feedback.

My only issue, as with others, is the price. I don't doubt that it is a fair price but I'm having a hard time coughing up the coin for it for the same reason I wouldn't buy a $300 USD harp. Great instruments, but I just can't justify it for something for me that is a bit niche. For $150 I would be all in. I always feel a bit dirty complaining about cost for what is clearly an excellent product.


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