Sample Sets – GrandOrgue

Sonus Paradisi Sample Sets and GrandOrgue: What Works

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:58:35 +0000

Sonus Paradisi Sample Sets and GrandOrgue: What Works

Sonus Paradisi makes some of the finest commercial organ samples in the world — and this page gives you the honest answer up front: their free Vol 0 demos work in GrandOrgue, but their full commercial sets do not, because they are encrypted for Hauptwerk. Here is exactly what you can play, and why.

Search results sometimes imply that any sample set works in any organ software. With Sonus Paradisi, that is not true, and you deserve the straight version before you download anything. Sonus Paradisi’s current commercial catalogue is encrypted (dongle/iLok protection) and requires Hauptwerk 5 or later — GrandOrgue cannot load encrypted sets, full stop. What does work: the free Vol 0 demo editions, and a handful of older unencrypted releases playable through community ODFs.

The honest summary: Sonus Paradisi’s full commercial sample sets are encrypted for Hauptwerk (iLok/dongle) and cannot be used in GrandOrgue. Only the free Vol 0 demos — and some early unencrypted editions via community ODFs — will load. Don’t buy a full Sonus Paradisi set expecting to play it in GrandOrgue.

What Works: The Free Vol 0 Demos

Sonus Paradisi publishes free Vol 0 demo editions of several organs. These are genuine free downloads that load in GrandOrgue:

Doesburg — the famous Dutch organ in demo form.
Kdousov — a Czech baroque-style instrument.
Hradec Králové — another Czech organ demo.
Other Vol 0 demos are released from time to time — check the Sonus Paradisi site’s demo section for the current list.

Demos are limited — reduced stop lists or compass — but they are real, playable instruments and a legitimate way to hear what premium sampling sounds like in GrandOrgue.

What About Older, Unencrypted Editions?

Some early Sonus Paradisi releases predate the current encryption. A few of these can be played in GrandOrgue using community-made ODFs from sources like Andrew’s ODFs. This is a grey corner of the ecosystem: availability varies, and you should only download such material from sources you trust, with the original producer’s licensing in mind.

Why We’re Telling You This

It would be easy — and profitable for someone — to write “Sonus Paradisi for GrandOrgue!” and let you discover the encryption problem after paying. We’d rather you spend that money on a MIDI keyboard or more RAM. If you want a big free organ today, try Friesach or the best free sets ranked here; if you specifically want Sonus Paradisi’s sound, the Vol 0 demos above are the honest free path, and the full sets belong with Hauptwerk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Sonus Paradisi sample sets in GrandOrgue?

Only the free Vol 0 demos (Doesburg, Kdousov, Hradec Králové, and others) and some early unencrypted editions via community ODFs. Current full commercial sets are encrypted for Hauptwerk and will not load.

Why are the full versions encrypted?

Copy protection: they require a dongle or iLok and Hauptwerk 5+. GrandOrgue, as free open-source software, cannot read encrypted proprietary formats.

Where do I download the Vol 0 demos?

From the Sonus Paradisi website’s demo/free section. They are official free releases.

What is Andrew’s ODFs?

A community collection of GrandOrgue organ definition files (ODFs), including adaptations that let some older unencrypted sample sets — Sonus Paradisi’s early ones among them — load in GrandOrgue.

I already bought a full Sonus Paradisi set. Any hope?

Not in GrandOrgue, honestly. Your options are Hauptwerk (which the license targets) or enjoying the free demos here. Check the producer’s refund/transfer policy if the purchase was recent and mistaken.

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Lars Palo Sample Sets: Free Swedish Organs for GrandOrgue

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:58:21 +0000

Lars Palo Sample Sets: Free Swedish Organs for GrandOrgue

Lars Palo gives away beautifully sampled Swedish pipe organs for free under Creative Commons licenses. From the tiny 6-stop Bureå Funeral Chapel to the 35-stop Piteå MHS, his instruments are light on RAM, come with built-in graphical consoles, and are ideal for students and modest computers.

Not everyone needs — or can run — a 44-stop symphonic monster. Lars Palo’s free sample sets cover the other end of the spectrum: honest Swedish parish organs, sampled with care, released for free under Creative Commons licenses. They load fast, sip RAM, and ship with their own graphical consoles, so they are perfect first organs for students, laptop players, and anyone on a low-RAM PC.

The Instruments

Piteå MHS — III/P/35

The largest of the set: three manuals, pedal, and 35 stops from the Musikhögskolan (School of Music) in Piteå, Sweden. Big enough for serious repertoire and service playing, still far lighter than the giant symphonic sets. Released under CC BY-SA 2.5.

Bureå Church — 3 manuals, 33 stops

A full three-manual parish organ from Bureå Church in northern Sweden. A genuine all-rounder: enough stops for Romantic colour, clear enough for Bach. A strong “one organ” choice if you can only install a single mid-size instrument.

Bureå Funeral Chapel — 1 manual, 6 stops

Six stops, one manual, and barely any RAM footprint. This is the organ for old laptops, Raspberry Pi experiments, and anyone who wants to check that their MIDI setup works before downloading gigabytes. Don’t let the size fool you — it is a real, musical little organ.

Kalvträsk

Another small Swedish church organ in the same spirit: modest disposition, quick to load, free. Ideal as a second organ for contrast, or as a practice instrument that is always ready in seconds.

Free, Under Creative Commons

Lars Palo releases his sample sets for free under Creative Commons licenses (for example, Piteå MHS is CC BY-SA 2.5). That means you can download, play, and share them — just respect the license terms shown on each organ’s page, particularly the attribution and share-alike requirements where they apply. The downloads live at familjenpalo.se.

Built-In Graphical Consoles

Every Lars Palo set ships with its own GUI console: clickable stop jambs that look like the real organ. You don’t need to build a custom layout or memorise MIDI mappings to start playing — open the organ, click stops with the mouse, and play. For beginners this removes the biggest setup hurdle in GrandOrgue.

Who These Organs Are For

Students — free, quick to install, and musically honest. Perfect for daily practice.
Low-RAM PCs and laptops — the small sets run happily where a 44-stop organ would not fit. See sample sets for low-RAM PCs.
Second-organ collectors — add Swedish colour next to your big symphonic set. Compare with the best free sets overall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Lars Palo’s sample sets really free?

Yes. They are released for free under Creative Commons licenses. Check the specific license (e.g. CC BY-SA 2.5) on each organ’s page.

Which Lars Palo organ should I download first?

Bureå Funeral Chapel if your PC is weak or you want a quick test; Piteå MHS if you want one serious three-manual instrument; Bureå Church for the middle ground.

Do I need to configure MIDI to use the stop jambs?

No — the built-in GUI consoles are clickable with the mouse. MIDI mapping is optional.

Can I use these organs in my own recordings or videos?

Creative Commons licenses generally allow this with attribution, but read the exact license of the set you use — share-alike clauses can apply.

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Piotr Grabowski Sample Sets for GrandOrgue

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:58:13 +0000

Piotr Grabowski Sample Sets for GrandOrgue

Piotr Grabowski is one of the most prolific creators of free virtual organ sample sets. Several of his instruments — Friesach, Święta Lipka, Nitra, Goch, Ermelo, and Duren among them — are available for GrandOrgue at no cost. Here is what is free, what is donation-supported, and which sets need Hauptwerk instead.

Some sample set producers charge hundreds of euros per organ. Piotr Grabowski, a Polish organist and recording engineer, has taken the opposite path: he samples fine European organs, edits the recordings himself, and gives most of them away for free. If you play GrandOrgue, his catalogue is the single biggest source of free instruments — but not every organ he offers has a GrandOrgue version, so this page sorts that out.

GrandOrgue Versions: The Free List

The following organs by Piotr Grabowski are available in GrandOrgue format, free of charge:

Friesach — the 44-stop Eisenbarth symphonic organ (St. Bartholomäus, Austria). Our full guide: Friesach for GrandOrgue.
Święta Lipka — the famous Polish pilgrimage church organ, a baroque-leaning instrument with real character.
Nitra — a Slovakian organ with a clear, singing principal chorus.
Goch — a German parish organ, versatile for hymn playing and classical repertoire.
Ermelo — a Dutch instrument with the transparent voicing the Netherlands is known for.
Duren — another German organ, solid all-round material for practice.

Which Sets Are Hauptwerk-Only?

Piotr Grabowski also produces sample sets exclusively for Hauptwerk. His catalogue grows over time, and the format of any given organ can change. The honest rule: check the provider’s page (piotrgrabowski.pl) for the organ you want — it clearly marks which formats each set ships in. Do not assume a newly announced organ has a GrandOrgue version until the producer says so.

The Donation Model, Explained

Most of Piotr Grabowski’s sample sets are free to download and play. The project runs on donations: if an organ becomes part of your daily practice, sending the producer a contribution is how free instruments keep coming. Think of it as paying the tuner, not buying the organ.

How to Get Them

Go to piotrgrabowski.pl and browse the sample set list.
Confirm the organ you want lists a GrandOrgue version (usually a .orgue single file or an .organ package).
Download, then open the file in GrandOrgue via File → Open.
Browse our sample set library for more free instruments, or the best free sets ranked if you want guidance on what to try first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Piotr Grabowski’s sample sets really free?

Most of them, yes — including the GrandOrgue versions listed above. Donations are welcomed and keep the project alive.

Which Piotr Grabowski organs work in GrandOrgue?

Friesach, Święta Lipka, Nitra, Goch, Ermelo, and Duren are the established GrandOrgue versions. Anything else: check the provider’s page before downloading.

How do the free sets compare to commercial ones?

Honestly, very well for practice and even performance. Commercial sets sometimes offer more release detail or surround perspectives, but Grabowski’s organs are complete, musical instruments — not demos.

Can I use these organs commercially, e.g. in recordings?

That depends on the license attached to each set. Read the license text that comes with your download; when in doubt, ask the producer.

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Friesach Sample Set for GrandOrgue: The Free Symphonic Giant

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:58:06 +0000

Friesach Sample Set for GrandOrgue: The Free Symphonic Giant

The Friesach sample set is one of the most generous free gifts in the virtual organ world: a 44-stop, three-manual symphonic instrument sampled from the Eisenbarth organ in St. Bartholomäus Church, Friesach, Austria — and it costs nothing. This guide covers the honest specifications, the community extensions, and exactly how to get it playing in GrandOrgue.

If you have always wanted a large symphonic organ in GrandOrgue without spending a euro, start here. Friesach is a free sample set by Piotr Grabowski that captures the Eisenbarth organ built in 2000 for St. Bartholomäus parish church in Friesach, Austria. With three manuals, pedal, and 44 stops, it is big enough for Romantic repertoire, organ symphonies, and full congregational-style playing — and it is completely free to download.

What You Actually Get

The organ behind the samples is a modern three-manual instrument by Eisenbarth, installed in 2000. Modern tracker-style voicing, a generous acoustic, and a disposition that covers French symphonic colour as well as German Romantic weight. The samples were recorded, edited, and released for free by Piotr Grabowski, the Polish organist and sample producer behind many other free organs.

Honest Specifications

Sample set	Friesach (Eisenbarth, 2000)
Church	St. Bartholomäus, Friesach, Austria
Manuals	3 manuals + pedal
Stops	44
Producer	Piotr Grabowski
Price	Free (donations welcome)
GrandOrgue format	Distributed as a ready-to-load organ file

A note on honesty: you may see the number 71 mentioned in older corners of the internet in connection with Friesach. The correct, verified specification from the producer is 44 stops. If a download claims otherwise, treat it with suspicion and stick to the sources linked below.

Community Extensions Worth Knowing About

Friesach has been popular long enough that the community has built on it. Two extensions are commonly mentioned:

Les’ Friesach Extended — a community expansion that adds extra stops and couplers around the original disposition.
Al Morse’s extension — another community reworking with additional colour and registrations.

Extensions are fan projects, not official releases. They usually expect you to have the base Friesach set installed first, and quality varies — try the original disposition before adding them.

How to Download and Load It

Visit the producer’s page at piotrgrabowski.pl and find Friesach in the free downloads section.
Download the GrandOrgue package. Modern distributions arrive as a single .orgue file; older ones may be a folder with an .organ XML definition file plus sample folders.
In GrandOrgue, use File → Open and point it at the .orgue file (or the .organ file inside the folder).
Wait for the samples to load — a large organ like this takes a while, especially the first time. See our sample set library for more free instruments while you wait.

If you get stuck, the GrandOrgue wiki’s Sample-Sets page on GitHub lists known sources and troubleshooting tips.

RAM and Performance: The One Thing to Know

Friesach is a large organ, and RAM requirements in GrandOrgue depend entirely on the size of the sample set you load. Plan for 16 GB of RAM or more if you want to load the full organ comfortably. An SSD is strongly recommended: on an NVMe drive, loading a 30 GB organ can drop from around five minutes to under thirty seconds. If your machine is more modest, see our guide to sample sets for low-RAM PCs instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Friesach sample set really free?

Yes. Piotr Grabowski releases it for free. He accepts donations, which is the polite way to say thank you if the organ earns a place in your practice routine.

How many stops does Friesach have?

44 stops across three manuals and pedal, per the producer’s specification. Ignore older pages claiming other numbers.

Does Friesach work on Mac and Linux?

The sample set itself is just data; it works in GrandOrgue on any platform GrandOrgue supports. The download, loading steps, and RAM requirements are the same everywhere.

Can I use Friesach for Romantic French repertoire?

That is exactly what it is good at. The Eisenbarth disposition leans symphonic, with the reeds and foundations you need for Franck, Widor, and Vierne.

Do I need the extensions?

No. Les’ extended version and Al Morse’s extension are optional community projects. Start with the original 44-stop disposition.