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).
