ORGUES VIRTUELS et ORGUES REELS ? UN FAUX PROBLEME !
English
Beaucoup de facteurs d'orgues sont quelque peu inquiets de la prolifération (apparente) des orgues virtuels ou VPO (Virtual Pipe Organs) basés sur une génération du son soit par échantillonnage d'orgues réels, soit sur une synthèse sonore purement algorithmique, ou encore apprise par techniques neuronales à partir d'enregistrements de tuyaux réels.

Mais je pense que ceci n'est qu'un faux problème car :

• Virtual organs are extending the Pipe Organ market, to people who don't know what is really a Pipe Organ, as organs are mainly visible in churches.
• Many organists are keen to get a very good sound quality for home training, because most of them can't purchase a real pipe organ.
• Moreover, virtual Pipe Organ technology (say : midi boards) can help classic organbuilding techniques.
• For medium size organs, virtual sounds are welcome : As, for example for 16' 32' 64' real pipes replacement.
• Hybrid organs are also very impressive, mixing real and virtual sounds. Ears may think that all the sounds are generated by real pipes.
• In all the cases, the most prominent VPO can't reach the outstanding sound quality and complexity of real pipe organs. (see : electronic versus pipe sounds)
  
• I built for concerts, apart from my real pipe organ, a 3 stops module with real pipes, which can be controlled simultneously with the VPO software. The 2 programs can run on the same PC.
• Virtual and REAL Pipe organs are complementary : Explanation :
• For home training, VPO are a good choice, or for a first contact to the fascinating Organ world.
• For very small churches, and for beginners, a simple VPO console is very cheap and can be later extended to Real Pipe organ, thanks to 7 or 8 stops. Moreover, the console and the boards can be re-used for the real Pipe organ control. (Look at my boards)
• For medium or large size churches, VPO is not at all a good choice, considering the long term : for example, what about such systems after 20 or 30 years ! At the contrary, real pipes constitute a potential which can survive during seculars. (What for example after 30 years, about the most recent ALLEN virtual organ installed in Vatican. http://www.church-organs.com/?p=164
• All these parts will be completely obsolete after 20 or 30 years.
• At the contrary, real pipes can survive for seculars, and good pipes are very easy to tune and maintain. Normally, only the reeds are to be tuned, and flue pipes only each 10 years. (I have the experience of it in St Gilles with a 7 stops real pipes with only one reed (Trumpet) Flue pipes are remaining tuned.
  
• From most Organbuilder point of view, VPO technology is completely hermetic. They are prisoners of this technology. Most of them are loving, and prefer a real control of their work. As they control voicing, they want to control VPO. But for most of them, it's impossible. In the case of algorithmic based VPO, it's worse. At the end, they have only to buy the VPO, install it, and plug the power supply.
• From the audience point of view, real pipe are incredibly LIVING : Breathe and Spirit as human beeings. (Important from the Priests point of view). I always observe the emotion of my visitors discovering my organ ! It would be completely different with a VPO !
• VPO are dead organ music...