Sounds & Samples
Embertone first caught my attention with the introduction of their Sensual Sax instrument for Kontakt – a highly playable recreation of the classic reverbladen ’80s sax sound. To this days it remains a smile-inducing favourite, and even five years later shows what careful sampling and intelligent scripting can bring to a sample library. In the intervening years, Embertone have introduced a series of excellent, predominantly wind and string, libraries that build on this legacy.
However, their latest instrument takes sampling of a single source to another level. The Walker 1955 Steinway D features 36 velocity layers per note (and for every pedal combination). Release samples can vary depending on how hard and how long you play the note, and the instrument can be switched to a staccato mode that uses another full set of staccatoonly samples. In all cases, there are recorded repetition variants for round-robin triggering.
The ability to successfully record such fine-detailed velocity changes came from the fact that the piano was equipped with computer-controlled playback of its keys and pedals. John Walker, who lends his name to this library, pioneered the process of so-called ‘re-performance’. He built a private concert hall and assembled an impressive collection of instruments to help; the high quality source and environment are audible from the start.
The piano was recorded using two AKG C414 XLS mics in an ORTF stereo configuration (2ft from the piano’s lip). This all adds up to a hefty 34GB of disk space. However, Embertone didn’t stop there, as you can also buy a further five alternative mic position versions of the instrument, taking the total disk requirement to over 200GB! These include Close, Hammer, Room, Wide Perspective and Binaural variants, each using a different set of mics, and can be purchased for an additional $15 each. It would’ve been useful to have a way of accessing and mixing different mic positions from within one instance of the instrument, and perhaps the provision of an even more distant room-weighted version. I could also quibble about the mics used to record the piano. An alternative ‘vintage default’ option would have been welcome, or at least a high-end ribbon or tube mic – but overall the results are excellent.
Another great-sounding, highly playable addition to the Embertone catalogue. Bruce Aisher www.embertone.com VERDICT 8.9