Audio DAWg Installs 3 Manual Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ in Dallas Church
A major architectural update is finally complete at Preston Hollow United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas with the unveiling of a new three-manual Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ, sold and professionally installed by Hauptwerk dealer, Audio DAWg.
“I was blown away by how realistic it sounded”, said Preston Hollow’s Organist & Choir Director Russ Rieger. “Now I know we made a very smart decision with the addition of the Hauptwerk virtual pipe organ.”
It wasn’t an easy move to stray from tradition. When the decision was made to embark upon a major renovation in their large santuary, the church’s music team was faced with a quandry: keep the original, aging pipe organ or jump into new technology. Rieger insisted that every seated position within the church should enjoy equally outstanding sound quality; a challenge Audio DAWg was able to meet. With the addition of the Hauptwerk virtual pipe organ console, screens, software and PA system, they were able to achieve far more than they could have hoped for sound-wise, while retaining all the functionality of a real pipe organ – all in one digital solution.
The substantial Hauptwerk console was custom built by Renatus Organ in the UK and outfitted with beautiful three manual wood keyboards custom built by UHT keyboards in Germany. Two 24” touch screens were encased in integrated frames to provide control of the pipe stops and every aspect of the Hauptwerk organ’s functionality.
The Renatus organ console itself includes all the coupler tabs that are found on the Lavender Audio Hereford Cathedral Father Willis Sample Set. They are labeled for both French and the Bovenkirk Dutch organ sample sets. Audio DAWg custom built a PC which incorporates an RME HDSP MADI PCIe interface card, along with an SSL 24 channel Alphalink AD/DA converter. This amazing system features state-of-the-art sound quality, as well as low latency. Should the church ever wish to add additional speakers, having the extra I/O allows for easy expansion. The organ includes 12 full-range active 900-watt powered speakers and a powered sub that goes down to 8Hz! Together, the system provides a substantial presence in the new sanctuary!
“We spent weeks on the installation, as well as voicing each stop and pipe to compensate for the church acoustics. All said and done, this virtual organ sounds amazing,” says Mike “Spunky” Brunone of Audio DAWg. “If a church were to purchase a real pipe organ of this caliber, they would spend millions of dollars. Needless to say, we brought the Father Willis Organ and Hereford Cathedral to Dallas for a lot less!”
Audio DAWg provides Hauptwerk Virtual Organs to home organists, church’s and schools. If you’d like more information on Hauptwerk, please give us a call. We can build an organ to meet your needs.
Audio DAWG is an authorized dealer for Hauptwerk, Milan Digital, Lavender Audio, Pipeloops, Inspired Acoustics, Renatus Organ Builders, UHT Keyboards and Classic Midi Works.