Modartt has released Organteq Alpha, a free physically modeled pipe organ instrument available as a standalone application for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Organteq Alpha simulates a small organ with 2 stops – a Flute 8′ and a Flute 4′ (octave). The current version of the instrument covers a keyboard range of 4 octaves (from F1 to F5). Also included are the reverb amount control, output volume slider, and the MIDI panic button next to the virtual keyboard. Modartt states that the current version is essentially a preview of a more advanced, commercial edition of Organteq which will be released next year.
See also: Modartt Pianoteq 5 ReviewI’m not an organ expert by any means, but Organteq Alpha sounded very good to my ears. And that isn’t surprising, as Organteq was developed by Modartt, the company behind the award-winning Pianoteq software. I’d be curious to hear what our readers who have more experience with organ instruments would have to say about this one in the comments section, though. One important thing to note is that Organteq Alpha isn’t a sample-based instrument. Instead, the organ sound is completely synthesized which should result in zero sampling artifacts, with higher CPU usage and reduced RAM consumption. Also, the forthcoming commercial version of the plugin will probably provide more control over the timbre, which is another attribute of physically modeled instruments.
As for the physical model used in Organteq Alpha, Modartt describes it as “a technically sophisticated reproduction of the interaction between the air jet and the pipe which brings vividness to the instrument, especially during the attack transient.” Again, I’d love to hear your opinions about the instrument’s sound.
Organteq Alpha is, at the moment, only available as a standalone application. The app runs without installation. All you need to do is extract the downloaded ZIP archive, launch the EXE file (on Windows, at least), and choose an audio/MIDI device. It isn’t clear if the forthcoming version of Orgnateq will also be released as a VST or Audio Unit plugin.
The instrument can be downloaded completely free of charge from the developer’s website linked below. You’ll be asked to submit your email address after clicking the download button, but subscribing to Modartt’s mailing list is completely optional.
Organteq Alpha is available for free download via Modartt (4.15 MB download size, ZIP archive, standalone software for Windows, macOS, Linux).
11 Comments
Pete
onPhysical modeling is awesome.
Related: in the lot at work, there’s someone whose car has a license plate frame from a used car dealer called “KARPLUS.” Every time I see it I think of Karplus-Strong synthesis of vibrating strings.
Tomislav Zlatic
onHah, car+strong synthesis. :)
Haist
onIf Karplus-Strong isn’t car wax, nothing is.
Liam
onIs there any way of recording the audio produced by this?
Valduin Perfector
onНет!
Ej Manual
onThis thing sounds warm and inviting. Love that reverb! Very lush! I wish there was a VST version so I could use it in my songs. Great stuff!
Tomislav Zlatic
onAgreed. I’m guessing that the commercial version will also be a VST.
Mariusz
onI am a believer in emulation of mathematical instruments, which do not use samples (pianoteq is my tip :) ) because this is a truly progress in the science. I can’t imagine always buying a piano or organ, drums, synths, murmur of leafs maybe etc. like a tons gigabytes of samples PLUS an additional costs of hdd / ssd…?
I’m not a finalist of the Chopin competition or the second Bach but these instruments really reflect the nature of the emulated designs. And I am not against use samples completly but common sense has been lost (2gb for mariba somewhere I have seen (?!) :) )…
Too bad this version it is only encouragement in only standalone mode, and not suitable for DAW.
Tomislav Zlatic
onYou’re totally right, I forgot to mention the HDD cost of sample-based instruments. And yes, hoping to see this one in VST some day!
Andrés Flamenco
onHello! I’m a Linux user, and I downloaded that version of the new Modartt organ. It sounds very good, really!
At least in the disto that I use (Ubuntu Studio16.04), When I open my DAW (Ardour) and Organteq separately, I simply route the sound from one to the other and it can be recorded without problems!
Tomislav Zlatic
onThanks for your comment, Andrés! Glad to hear that it’s working nicely on Linux.