What Is an ODF in GrandOrgue?

ODF stands for Organ Definition File — the XML blueprint that tells GrandOrgue how to turn a folder of recorded pipe samples into a playable virtual organ.

How to Voice Stops in GrandOrgue (Per-Pipe Volume & Tuning)

One stop too loud, one pipe slightly sharp? GrandOrgue’s Organ Settings dialog lets you voice any stop — or any individual pipe — by adjusting its volume (Amplitude/Gain) and pitch (in cents). Here is where to find it and how to use it safely.

How to Split One Keyboard into Two Manuals in GrandOrgue

Own a single 61-key MIDI controller but want to play a two-manual organ? GrandOrgue lets you divide one physical keyboard into two (or more) virtual manuals using per-manual key-range limits — no extra hardware required.

How to Record Your Playing in GrandOrgue (Built-in Recorder)

You do not need extra software to record yourself playing GrandOrgue. The program ships with a built-in Recorder / Player panel that captures your performance two ways: as an audio file (.wav) that sounds exactly like what you heard, and as MIDI data you can play back through GrandOrgue later. Here is where to find it and how to use both recorders well.

Opening the Recorder / Player Panel

With any organ loaded, open the Panel menu and select Recorder / Player. The panel has three sections:

• Audio Recorder — records the actual sound to a .wav file.
• MIDI Recorder — records your performance as MIDI events (notes, stops, expression).
• MIDI Player — plays a recorded MIDI performance back through GrandOrgue.

Each recorder has Record, Stop, and Record & Rename buttons; the player has Play, Stop, and Pause.

Recording Audio (.wav)

1. Open the Recorder / Player panel.
2. Use Record & Rename to choose a file name before you start — this keeps takes from overwriting each other.
3. Press Record, play your piece, then press Stop.

The result is a .wav file containing exactly what came out of GrandOrgue’s audio engine: your registration, the swell movements, the reverb — everything. It is the simplest way to share a performance or to check your own playing critically.

Getting the recording level right

If your .wav comes out too quiet or distorted, the fix is in GrandOrgue’s audio settings, not in the recorder: the master volume control on the toolbar sets the level the recorder captures. Aim for strong levels that never clip — you can always turn a clean recording down, but you cannot repair digital clipping. If you are also fighting delay between key press and sound, see our guide to fixing latency in GrandOrgue, since buffer settings affect both.

Recording MIDI (and Why It Is Useful)

The MIDI recorder captures what you did rather than what it sounded like: every note, stop change, and expression movement, stored as compact MIDI data. Then the MIDI Player can perform it back through GrandOrgue.

Why bother, when you already have the .wav? Three reasons:

• Re-registrate after the fact. Record the notes once, then play the MIDI back with different stops to audition registrations — like re-recording the organ without re-playing the piece.
• Practice analysis. Play back a difficult passage and listen from the room instead of the bench.
• Tiny files. A MIDI recording of a ten-minute piece is kilobytes; the .wav is hundreds of megabytes.

The trade-off: a MIDI file only sounds right when played back through GrandOrgue with the same sample set loaded. The .wav plays anywhere.

Sharing Your Recording: Converting to MP3

GrandOrgue records audio as .wav, which is perfect quality but large. To share online or send to friends, convert to MP3 with a free tool like Audacity: open the .wav, optionally trim silence and normalize, then export as MP3. Keep the original .wav as your master.

Advanced: Recording Into a DAW

GrandOrgue does not work as a VST/AU plugin inside a DAW — it is a standalone program. The standard workaround is a virtual MIDI cable like loopMIDI: route GrandOrgue’s MIDI output (or your keyboard’s MIDI) into your DAW for multi-track projects, film scoring, or combining organ with other instruments. Our guide to using GrandOrgue with a DAW covers the setup step by step.

FAQ

Where is the record button in GrandOrgue?

There is no record button on the main toolbar. Open the Panel menu, choose Recorder / Player, and use the Record buttons in the Audio Recorder or MIDI Recorder section.

Does GrandOrgue record to MP3 directly?

No — the built-in audio recorder writes .wav files. Convert to MP3 afterwards with Audacity or any audio editor.

Can I record video of my playing?

GrandOrgue has no video capture. Record the audio in GrandOrgue and capture the screen with a tool like OBS, then combine them in a video editor.

Why is my recording silent?

Almost always one of two things: no stops were drawn during the take (the recorder captures exactly what you heard — including silence), or the master volume was down. Do a short test take and listen back before recording a full piece.

Can the MIDI player play files from other programs?

The MIDI Player is designed for performances recorded by GrandOrgue’s own MIDI recorder. Standard MIDI files from elsewhere may play, but results vary — GrandOrgue expects its own event mapping.

Keep Reading

• How to fix latency in GrandOrgue
• Using GrandOrgue with a DAW

How to Use Hauptwerk Sample Sets in GrandOrgue

Every week, someone searching for free Hauptwerk sample sets discovers GrandOrgue and asks the obvious question: can I play those Hauptwerk sets in GrandOrgue? The official answer comes straight from the GrandOrgue project’s own FAQ on GitHub: GrandOrgue cannot load a Hauptwerk sample set directly — but if the samples are not encrypted, you can add a GrandOrgue-style ODF for the set and open it with GrandOrgue. Here is what that means in practice, which sets qualify, and which ones are a dead end.

Why “Directly” Does Not Work

A sample set is two things: the audio samples (the recorded pipes) and the organ definition file (ODF) that describes the organ — which samples belong to which stops, how the windchests and keyboards relate, the couplers, the tremulants. Hauptwerk and GrandOrgue use incompatible ODF formats. The samples themselves are usually plain .wav files both programs can play, but without a GrandOrgue-format ODF, GrandOrgue has no idea what to do with them.

So the task is never “convert the samples”. The samples are fine. The task is getting a GrandOrgue-style ODF for them.

Which Sets Can Be Converted — and Which Cannot

This is the part to get right, because it saves you hours:

• Can be converted: older, unencrypted sets — typically Hauptwerk v1-era free sets whose samples are plain .wav files and whose definition is an accessible XML file. Many early free instruments fall into this category.
• Cannot be converted, ever: sets with encrypted samples (the .hbw/.hbx formats) or hardware-dongle/iLok protection. The encryption exists precisely to prevent this, and for legal reasons only Hauptwerk may use those formats. Do not waste time trying.

The Sonus Paradisi case

Sonus Paradisi makes some of the most admired sample sets available, and their full commercial versions are encrypted — they cannot be used in GrandOrgue, full stop. This is worth stating plainly because it is the most common disappointment. A few of their free demo volumes have circulated with community-made GrandOrgue ODFs, but the paid encrypted sets are off limits. For the full story, see our page on Sonus Paradisi and GrandOrgue.

The Two Official Routes to a GrandOrgue ODF

The GitHub FAQ names exactly two options:

Option 1: Find an existing GrandOrgue ODF

Over the years, community members have written GrandOrgue ODFs for a number of unencrypted Hauptwerk sets and shared them. The project’s wiki maintains a sample sets page with links. Searching the web for the set name plus “GrandOrgue ODF” is often faster than converting anything yourself.

Option 2: Convert the Hauptwerk definition with OdfEdit 2.0

OdfEdit is a Python 3-based GUI tool, referenced in the official FAQ, that converts a Hauptwerk-style definition file into GrandOrgue format. The rough workflow:

1. Install Python 3 and OdfEdit.
2. Load the unencrypted Hauptwerk definition (XML) of the set.
3. Run the conversion, which produces a GrandOrgue .organ file pointing at the existing samples.
4. Open the resulting .organ file in GrandOrgue and check every division.

If you prefer building ODFs graphically rather than converting, GoOdf is a fully GUI-based alternative for creating and editing ODFs without hand-editing the .organ text — also mentioned in the FAQ. For background on what an ODF actually is, see what is an ODF?

Common Conversion Pitfalls

Converted sets usually work, but rarely perfectly on the first try. The issues the community reports most often:

• Release samples misbehaving. Release markers and cue points do not always translate cleanly; notes may cut off oddly or releases may sound too long. This is the number one thing to check after converting.
• Volume balance between ranks. A stop that sat perfectly in Hauptwerk may come out too loud or too quiet in GrandOrgue. Expect to adjust rank gains in the ODF.
• Missing features. Anything the original set did that has no GrandOrgue equivalent (or that the converter does not handle) will be silently dropped — always compare against the original’s stop list.
• Temperament and tuning quirks. Verify octaves and tuning across the compass; small errors are common and need manual checking pipe by pipe for critical work.

Start With Sets Made for GrandOrgue

Honest advice: converting is a project, not a shortcut. If you just want to play, start with the many excellent sets built natively for GrandOrgue — including 14 free instruments from Piotr Grabowski and the community sets in our sample set library. Our roundup of the best free GrandOrgue sample sets is the fastest path to music. Come back to conversion when there is a specific unencrypted instrument you cannot live without.

FAQ

Can GrandOrgue open a Hauptwerk .organ file?

No. Despite the similar name, GrandOrgue .organ files and Hauptwerk definitions are different formats. GrandOrgue cannot load a Hauptwerk sample set directly — you need a GrandOrgue-style ODF for the same samples.

Are encrypted Hauptwerk sets usable in GrandOrgue?

No. Encrypted sample formats (.hbw/.hbx) and dongle-protected sets cannot be converted or loaded. This is both a technical and a legal barrier.

Is converting a sample set legal?

Converting an ODF you have legitimate access to, for your own use, from unencrypted samples, is generally accepted in the community — but always respect the sample set’s license. Do not redistribute converted sets without the producer’s permission.

What is OdfEdit?

A Python 3-based graphical tool for editing organ definition files, including converting Hauptwerk-style definitions to GrandOrgue format. It is referenced in the official GrandOrgue FAQ.

Keep Reading

• Sonus Paradisi and GrandOrgue: what works and what does not
• What is an ODF?
• Best free GrandOrgue sample sets

How Does GrandOrgue Simulate the Swell Box? (Honest Answer)

This is a fair technical question, and it deserves a straight answer rather than marketing. GrandOrgue simulates the swell box — the enclosure — mainly by scaling the amplitude (loudness) of the enclosed pipes as you move the swell control. It does not physically model what happens inside a real wooden swell box. Below is exactly what that means, when you can hear the difference, and what to do about it.

The Short Answer

In GrandOrgue, each enclosure has a position from closed (0%) to open (100%). Every pipe assigned to that enclosure gets its gain scaled according to that position: shutters closed means quieter, shutters open means full volume. That is the core of the simulation — amplitude scaling.

What is not modeled: the acoustic behavior of a real swell box — the way wood panels filter high frequencies as they close, the coupling of pipes through shared wind, the subtle changes in attack and release character. The samples themselves do not change character with enclosure position; they get louder or softer.

Why Amplitude Scaling Is a Reasonable Approximation

On a real organ, closing the swell shutters does two things at once: it reduces loudness and it dulls the tone, because high frequencies are blocked more effectively than low ones by the wooden shutters. Amplitude scaling reproduces the first effect faithfully and skips the second.

In practice, this approximation holds up well because:

• Most of what the ear perceives as “swell” in normal playing is the loudness change.
• At moderate enclosure positions — where you spend most of a phrase — the missing tonal filtering is subtle.
• Room reverberation (see below) masks a large part of the difference.

When You Can Hear the Difference

Honesty requires the other side too. The approximation is most audible when:

• Solo high-pitched stops under a nearly closed box. A real box would sound noticeably duller and more distant; GrandOrgue’s version sounds like the same stop turned down.
• Fast swell effects. Rapid opening and closing exposes the lack of tonal change more than slow, musical swells do.
• Dry listening, headphones, no reverb. Without room sound, every simplification is more exposed.

If you mostly play hymns and repertoire with the box half to fully open, you will rarely notice. If you are doing exposed solo work with extreme box positions, you will.

How Convolution Reverb Compensates

The single biggest upgrade to swell realism in GrandOrgue is not a better swell model — it is convolution reverb. A real swell box sits inside a real room, and much of the “distant, veiled” quality of a closed box is actually the room responding differently to a quieter, partially blocked source.

Adding a good impulse-response reverb after GrandOrgue restores much of that spatial behavior: closed-box playing genuinely sounds farther away and more blended, even though the underlying model is still amplitude scaling. Our guide to convolution reverb in GrandOrgue walks through the setup.

How This Compares to Hauptwerk

An objective comparison, without taking sides:

• Hauptwerk models enclosures with more detail — per-note amplitude shaping combined with filtering that approximates the tonal dulling of real shutters. It sounds closer to a real box, particularly at extreme positions.
• GrandOrgue uses the simpler amplitude-scaling approach. It is less physically complete, but it is free, open source, and musically effective for the vast majority of playing.

This is a genuine engineering trade-off, not a flaw: GrandOrgue’s simpler model costs less CPU, which matters when you are already running a large sample set on modest hardware. For a practical overview of enclosures, expression pedals and the related tremulant, see how the enclosure, swell and tremulant work in GrandOrgue.

FAQ

Is GrandOrgue’s swell “just a volume control”?

Essentially, yes — it scales the amplitude of enclosed divisions. But that description undersells it slightly: the scaling follows the enclosure position per pipe, integrates with MIDI expression pedals, and combined with reverb it is musically convincing. “Just a volume control” is technically close but musically unfair.

Does closing the swell box change the tone in GrandOrgue?

Not the way a real box does. Real shutters filter high frequencies as they close; GrandOrgue scales loudness without changing the sample’s tonal character. This is the main audible simplification.

Can I improve swell realism without switching software?

Yes: add convolution reverb, avoid extreme box positions for exposed solos, and map a proper MIDI expression pedal so your swells are smooth rather than stepped. These three changes close most of the perceived gap.

Do all sample sets support the swell box?

Only divisions the ODF author assigned to an enclosure respond to the swell control. If a division is unenclosed, the swell shoe does nothing to it — that mirrors real organ building, where some divisions sit outside the box.

Does the tremulant interact with the swell?

They are independent effects — tremulant modulates amplitude periodically, the enclosure sets overall level. They combine, and both are covered in our enclosure, swell and tremulant guide.

Keep Reading

• Enclosure, swell and tremulant in GrandOrgue
• Convolution reverb in GrandOrgue

How to Use the Crescendo in GrandOrgue

The crescendo is one of the most musical controls on a pipe organ — and one of the most misunderstood in GrandOrgue. It is not a volume pedal. It is an automatic registration assistant: as you push it forward, it adds stops in a pre-defined sequence, taking you from a whisper to full organ without touching a single stop knob. Here is what it does, how to tell whether your sample set has one, and how to hook it up to a MIDI pedal.

What the Crescendo Actually Does

On a real organ the crescendo (German: Walze or Rollschweller) is a roller or shoe that steps through a fixed sequence of stop combinations. Push it a little and a soft flute appears; push it further and principals join; push it all the way and you get full organ with mixtures and reeds. Pull it back and stops drop off in reverse order.

In GrandOrgue, a crescendo works the same way in software: it is a control with a position from 0 to 100%. Each position maps to a stage of a stop sequence defined in the sample set’s organ definition file (ODF). Moving the control adds or removes stops for you automatically. Your existing hand-set registration stays underneath — the crescendo builds on top of it, and when you return it to zero, your original registration is back.

Does Your Sample Set Have a Crescendo?

This is the honest catch: a crescendo only exists if the sample set’s ODF defines one. GrandOrgue does not add a crescendo automatically to every organ. Some sample sets include a fully programmed crescendo roller; many smaller or older sets do not.

How to check:

• Look at the sample set’s documentation or readme — a built-in crescendo is usually mentioned.
• In GrandOrgue, open the Audio/MIDI menu and look at the MIDI settings / MIDI objects list. If the set defines a crescendo, it appears there as a controllable element.
• If you cannot find any crescendo element, the set simply does not have one. No setting in GrandOrgue can conjure it — it would have to be added to the ODF.

Mapping a MIDI Pedal or Knob to the Crescendo

If your sample set has a crescendo and you own a MIDI expression pedal, a spare slider, or even a mod wheel, you can drive it hands-free:

1. Open the Audio/MIDI menu and go to the MIDI settings (MIDI objects) dialog.
2. Find the crescendo element in the list of controllable objects.
3. Select it and use Listen for Event, then move your pedal or knob. GrandOrgue learns the MIDI message.
4. Test the full travel: heel-down should give 0%, toe-down 100%. If your pedal sends reversed values, most pedals have a polarity switch, or you can invert the range in the MIDI settings.

No spare pedal? You can still operate the on-screen crescendo control with the mouse — less elegant mid-piece, but fine for experimenting with the stop sequence.

Crescendo vs. Swell Box: Do Not Confuse Them

Beginners constantly mix these up:

• Crescendo changes registration — which stops are sounding. The volume change you hear is a side effect of more pipes playing.
• Swell box (enclosure) changes loudness — it opens and closes shutters around pipes that are already speaking.

They are independent controls and they combine beautifully: set a medium registration with the crescendo, then shape phrases with the swell shoe. For a full explanation of how GrandOrgue handles enclosures, see our guide to the enclosure, swell and tremulant.

Playing Tips: Making the Crescendo Musical

• Learn the stages. Every crescendo sequence has steps where the character jumps (often where reeds enter). Play through the sequence once before using it in a piece so the jumps do not surprise you.
• Do not ride it constantly. On real organs the crescendo is used for gradual builds across sections, not for every phrase. Overuse makes everything sound the same.
• Combine with the swell. Crescendo for the big structural build, swell shoe for breathing inside the phrase. That two-layer dynamic is what makes the effect convincing.
• Check your memory levels. If you use GrandOrgue’s setter memories, remember the crescendo position is separate from stored registrations — returning it to zero restores your stored stops.

FAQ

Is the crescendo the same as a volume pedal?

No. A volume pedal (or the swell shoe) changes loudness. The crescendo adds and removes stops in a fixed sequence. They sound different and serve different musical purposes.

Why does my sample set not show a crescendo?

The ODF author did not include one. The crescendo sequence has to be programmed per organ — GrandOrgue cannot generate it automatically. Larger, more completely programmed sets are more likely to have one.

Can I use a keyboard mod wheel as a crescendo control?

Yes, if it sends standard MIDI continuous controller messages. Map it with Listen for Event exactly as you would a pedal. It is not as ergonomic as a foot control, but it works.

Does the crescendo affect the pedal division too?

That depends on how the ODF author programmed the sequence. Many crescendo sequences include pedal stops in the later stages. Check the set’s documentation.

Keep Reading

• Enclosure, swell and tremulant in GrandOrgue
• MIDI pedalboards for GrandOrgue

Organ Registration for GrandOrgue: Practical Stop Recipes

Registration — choosing which stops to draw — is where organ playing becomes an art. This guide gives you the stop families, three recipes that always work, and the mistakes beginners make, all demonstrated on a free sample set you can load today.

The Four Stop Families in Sixty Seconds

Nearly every organ stop belongs to one of four families. Learn these and any stoplist becomes readable:

• Principals – the core organ sound: clear, singing, foundational. The backbone of almost every registration. (Often labeled Principal, Octave, Prestant.)
• Flutes – round, warm, and gentle. Your go-to for quiet music, accompaniments, and solo lines that need to sing without edge.
• Strings – keen, orchestral, slightly nasal. Lovely for expressive solo colors, especially under expression.
• Reeds – brilliant and assertive: trumpets, oboes, clarinets. The crown of loud registrations and the color of solo reeds.

Stops are also labeled by pitch in feet: 8′ sounds at written pitch, 4′ an octave higher, 2′ two octaves higher, 16′ an octave lower. A mixture is a compound stop that adds several high harmonics at once — the glitter on top of a full chorus.

Three Recipes That Always Work

1. Meditative: 8′ + 4′ flutes

Draw an 8′ flute with a 4′ flute on the same manual. Soft, warm, and transparent — perfect for quiet hymn verses, prayer music, and accompanying a soloist. Add a string 8′ if you want a touch more presence.

2. The standard chorus: 8′ 4′ 2′

Principals at 8′, 4′, and 2′ on one manual give you the classic “full but not loud” organ sound that carries congregational singing. This is the default registration for hymn playing: clear enough to lead, balanced enough to support.

3. Festive: chorus + mixture (+ reeds)

Take recipe 2, add the mixture, and crown it with a reed (a trumpet 8′ is the classic choice). This is your Easter-morning, final-verse sound. Build it gradually — chorus first, mixture for brilliance, reed last for majesty.

Try It on Friesach

The free Friesach sample set by Piotr Grabowski — 44 stops across two manuals and pedal — is an ideal practice organ for registration. Load it and work through this exercise:

1. On the Great manual, draw the 8′ principal alone. Play a hymn phrase. Notice the honest, vocal tone.
2. Add the 4′ principal, then the 2′. Hear how each addition brightens without changing the character.
3. Now add the mixture. That brilliance is what carries a full congregation.
4. Switch to a quieter manual: 8′ flute + 4′ flute. Play the same phrase — same notes, completely different world.
5. Finally, give the pedal an independent voice: a 16′ principal (or bourdon) plus an 8′ to bind it to the manuals. The pedal should have its own 16′ foundation — never rely on the manuals’ bass alone.

Once these combinations feel natural, store them as generals and divisionals so you can recall them instantly — our combination system guide shows how.

Five Mistakes Beginners Make

• 16′ stops on the manuals. A 16′ manual stop an octave below everything muddies the texture. Keep 16′ pitch in the pedal, where it belongs.
• Mixture without a chorus under it. A mixture alone sounds thin and screechy; it needs the 8′ 4′ 2′ foundation to make sense.
• Reeds with nothing behind them. A solo reed needs a flute or principal chorus accompanying it — a trumpet shouting into silence sounds comical, not majestic.
• Everything coupled, all the time. Couplers are seasoning. If every manual is coupled to everything, you lose the contrast that makes registration expressive.
• Forgetting the pedal has its own registration. The pedal needs independent stops — at minimum a 16′ and an 8′ — not just a coupler borrowing the manual’s bass.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which stops should I use for hymn playing?

Start with principals 8′ 4′ 2′ on the Great for singing verses, drop to 8′ + 4′ flutes for quiet verses, and build to full chorus with mixture for the final verse. Give the pedal its own 16′ + 8′.

What is the difference between a principal and a flute?

Principals are bright, assertive foundation stops that define the organ’s core sound; flutes are rounder and gentler, suited to quiet music and accompaniment. Most registrations combine both.

How loud should the pedal be?

The pedal line should be clearly audible as an independent voice without overwhelming the manuals — a 16′ foundation plus 8′ is the standard starting point. Adjust to the room: dry rooms need a bit more pedal, reverberant rooms a bit less.

Can I practice registration without a real console?

Absolutely. GrandOrgue’s on-screen stops, combined with stored generals and divisionals, let you practice complete registration technique with just a MIDI keyboard. Our learn pipe organ guide covers the full learning path.

Keep Exploring

Take these recipes into real service playing with our guide to GrandOrgue for churches, continue your technique with learn pipe organ, and practice on the free Friesach sample set.

Historical Temperaments in GrandOrgue (Meantone, Werckmeister & More)

GrandOrgue can retune your virtual organ to the tuning systems of the past — no pipework required. Here is what temperaments are, where to find them, and which one suits the music you play.

What Is a Temperament?

A temperament is a tuning system: the exact recipe that decides how high or low each of the twelve notes sits. Modern instruments almost all use equal temperament, which divides the octave into twelve identical semitones. It is a compromise — every key is equally usable, but no interval (except the octave) is perfectly in tune.

Before equal temperament won out, organs were tuned to systems that made some intervals beautifully pure at the cost of making others rough or unusable. That is why a Bach fugue can sound startlingly vivid — thirds ringing like bells — in a historical temperament, and merely correct in equal temperament. In GrandOrgue, switching temperaments costs nothing and takes seconds, so you can hear the difference for yourself.

Where to Find the Temperaments Menu

Open Audio/Midi > Temperaments. A dialog lists the built-in historical tunings — the exact set can vary slightly between GrandOrgue versions, but it includes equal temperament (the default) alongside period options such as 1/4-comma meantone, Werckmeister III, Kirnberger III, Vallotti, and Bach (Bradley Lehman). Select one and the whole organ retunes instantly.

One caveat worth knowing: the temperament feature works best when the sample set includes proper pitch information. If a sample-set creator tuned the samples directly instead of writing pitch data into the files, tick the “Ignore pitch info” box in the Audio/Midi > Organ Settings dialog — this lets GrandOrgue apply the temperament anyway.

Which Temperament for Which Music?

• Bach and the German Baroque → Werckmeister III (or Kirnberger III). These “well temperaments” were designed so that every key is playable while each key keeps its own character — exactly what Bach’s modulating fugues need. This is the historically informed default for most of Bach’s organ works; see our Bach organ works guide for repertoire ideas.
• Earlier music – Sweelinck, Frescobaldi, early Buxtehude → 1/4-comma meantone. Meantone gives you ravishingly pure major thirds, which is why Renaissance and early Baroque music glows in it. The price: keys with many sharps or flats sound harsh or “wolfish,” so stay in the friendly keys the music was written for.
• Curiosity and comparison → Bach (Bradley Lehman). A modern scholarly proposal for how Bach himself may have tuned. Try the same prelude in this, in Werckmeister III, and in equal temperament back to back — it is the fastest ear-training in historical tuning there is.
• Everything else, ensembles, and modern music → equal temperament. When in doubt, the default is the right answer.

An Honest Note: What Temperament Does and Doesn’t Do

Changing the temperament only changes pitch — each pipe is retuned up or down by a few cents. It does not change the samples themselves: the attack, the chiff, the room sound, and the character of the organ remain exactly as recorded. Think of it as asking the organ tuner to visit, not rebuilding the organ.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the temperaments menu in GrandOrgue?

Go to Audio/Midi > Temperaments in the menu bar. Pick a temperament from the list and it applies to the loaded organ immediately.

What should I use for Bach?

Werckmeister III is the standard recommendation for Bach and the German Baroque — all keys work, and each key keeps its own color. Kirnberger III is a close alternative from the same tradition.

Why does some music sound out of tune in meantone?

That is the temperament working as designed. Meantone makes common keys sound exceptionally pure by pushing the tuning error into remote keys. If a piece modulates far from its home key, switch to a well temperament like Werckmeister III.

Will temperament settings damage my sample set?

No. The setting only affects playback pitch and is stored in GrandOrgue’s settings, not in the sample set files. Switch back to equal temperament at any time.

The temperament option seems to have no effect. Why?

The sample set may lack embedded pitch information. Open Audio/Midi > Organ Settings and tick “Ignore pitch info,” then try again.

Keep Exploring

Put historical tuning to work on the music it was made for with our Bach organ works guide, or keep building your technique with our learn pipe organ resources.

Dry vs Wet Sample Sets: Which Should You Choose?

One of the first decisions every GrandOrgue user faces is whether to load a dry or a wet sample set. The terms describe how much of the recording room you hear in the samples — and the right choice depends less on taste than on where you actually play.

What “Dry” and “Wet” Actually Mean

A dry sample set was recorded with microphones placed close to the pipes, capturing as little of the room as possible. What you hear is the pipe itself: immediate, detailed, and intimate. A wet sample set was recorded from further back in the building, so the natural reverberation of the church or hall is baked into every note.

The listening analogy that makes it click: a dry set is like standing inside the organ case next to the pipes; a wet set is like sitting in the nave listening to the whole building sing along. Neither is objectively better — they are two different seats in the church.

The Decision Rule: Match the Set to Your Room

Here is the rule of thumb used by experienced virtual organists:

• Playing in a large, reverberant room (a church or hall)? Choose a dry sample set. Your real room supplies the acoustics. Loading a wet set on top of a live room stacks recorded reverb onto real reverb, and the result is usually muddy and indistinct.
• Playing in a small, dry room — or on headphones? Choose a wet sample set. The recorded acoustics supply the sense of space your room cannot, and the organ sounds like it belongs in a building rather than a bedroom.

In short: let one acoustic space do the work — either the sample set’s or your room’s, never both at full strength.

The Third Option: Dry Samples + GrandOrgue Convolution Reverb

There is a popular middle path. Load a dry sample set and add GrandOrgue’s built-in convolution reverb, which applies a high-quality impulse response of a real acoustic space to the dry pipes. You get the clarity and detail of close-miked samples with a convincing sense of space that you can dial up or down — and even switch off entirely when you move the setup into a church.

This combination is especially attractive because dry sets are usually smaller downloads and lighter on your computer, while the reverb gives you the atmosphere of a wet set on demand. Our GrandOrgue convolution reverb guide walks through setting it up step by step.

Memory and CPU: The Hidden Cost of Wet

All else being equal, wet sample sets are heavier. The reason is physics: every note of a wet set carries seconds of recorded reverberation tail, which means longer audio per pipe, more RAM to hold it, and more simultaneous voices for your CPU to mix — especially in fast, full-organ passages where dozens of long tails overlap.

Dry sets, with their short, clean releases, are kinder to modest hardware. If your computer struggles with dropouts or long loading times, switching from a wet set to a dry one (possibly with convolution reverb added) is one of the most effective upgrades you can make without spending money. For more on running big organs on modest machines, see our sample sets for low RAM guide.

Quick Comparison

• Dry: close, detailed sound; small downloads; low RAM/CPU load; needs a live room or added reverb to sound spacious.
• Wet: spacious, atmospheric sound out of the box; ideal for headphones and small rooms; larger downloads; heavier on RAM and CPU; can turn muddy in an already reverberant room.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a dry sample set sound wet?

Yes — that is exactly what GrandOrgue’s convolution reverb is for. Add an impulse response of a church or hall to a dry set and you get spacious sound with adjustable intensity, without the RAM cost of a fully wet set.

Can I make a wet sample set sound dry?

Only partially. Some sample sets let you shorten or truncate release tails, which reduces the room sound, but you cannot fully remove baked-in reverberation. If you need dry, start with a dry set.

Which is better for recording?

Dry sets give you more control: you can add exactly the reverb you want in post-production. Wet sets sound finished immediately but commit you to the recorded acoustic.

Do wet sample sets always need more RAM?

Not always, but usually. The long release tails of wet recordings consume noticeably more memory and polyphony than the short releases of dry recordings, particularly in large specifications.

Keep Exploring

Ready to try both? Browse our best free GrandOrgue sample sets — the list notes which sets are dry and which are wet — or learn to add space to a dry set with our convolution reverb guide.