realsamples Releases 18th Century Spinet by Benjamin Slade as part of the <em>Edition Beurmann</em> Collection
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German sample manufacturer realsamples releases a virtual copy of a prestigious Benjamin Slade spinet from around 1705 as part of the Edition Beurmann. The instrument is taken from the famous collection of historical instruments by Professor Andreas E. Beurmann. Certain musical instruments are unparalleled even after centuries of trial and error – the famous stringed instruments by Stradivari, to name the most popular example. Another one would be a spinet built by famous 18th century-builder Benjamin Slade. Its sweet and warm sound outperforms any modern spinet. However, only one spinet of Slade survived throughout history. To make this sound available to players worldwide within the English Spinet II sample library, German collector Professor Andreas Beurmann and realsamples joined forces to offer a virtual version of the rare spinet. The result is a sample library with more than 700 single samples of the instrument to provide even subtle nuances of the sounds. Like all spinets, the instrument is not touch-sensitive in the sense of a piano. However, even if the differences are minuscule, not any given note will sound exactly the same due to different resonances of body and strings: "We sampled every key eight times to offer the slight yet very important timbre changes of the instruments." says Nicolay Ketterer, head of realsamples, who led the recording sessions at the Hasselburg estate. In addition, the harpsichord is sampled with 4 different release samples of each note. "The sounds of the key release were originally regarded as side noise and as such, they were meant to be minimised.However, they contribute to the overall picture of the real instrument, and they are a vital part to the perception." he adds. Recorded in the great sounding rooms of the Hasselburg estate, custom-made Wagner™ U47w® tube microphones were used in conjunction with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters recorded in 192 khz/24 bits resolution. Furthermore, the sample library contains essays from Professor Andreas E. Beurmann himself, explaining both the historical and musical background of the instrument. Following realsamples' ongoing Edition Beurmann, the virtual Slade spinet is the 11th instrument of the series to be released, featuring presets for all common software samplers including HAlion®, Kontakt2® and higher, EXS24® and GigaStudio3®. The English Spinet II library is available in 44.1/48 khz, 96 khz and 192 khz resolution, starting at 139.95 US $. The sample library can be purchased directly on the realsamples website. Sound samples and information: http://www.realsamples.de/Edition_Beurmann/sounddemos/English_Spinet_II_Demo_-_Johann_Sebastian_Bach_-_Englische_Suite_3_g-Moll_-_Prelude_SF09.mp3
Visit product page at: http://realsamples.net/index.html?d_611_English_Spinet_II___Edition_Beurmann262.htm
Background information
realsamples was founded in 2003 and is based in Karlsruhe, Germany. The company specializes in large sample libraries, providing authentic virtual realisations of acoustic instruments. In 2007, realsamples started the Edition Beurmann featuring instruments of the Beurmann collection. Professor Andreas E. Beurmann, born 1928, co-founded the record company Miller International in 1961, originating the radio play label Europa shortly after. At this time, Beurmann began to build his collection of old instruments which now ranks among the world's most precious selections of historical instruments. It is partly on display at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany (http://www.mkg-hamburg.de/mkg.php/de/sammlungen/musikinstrumente/ The cooperation of Beurmann and realsamples now makes this instrument available to be played both at the museum in Hamburg, where a GigaStudio® system is to be installed, as well as in your personal studio with this sample library. The Edition Beurmann also features many other instruments (including historical pianos, harpsichords and a spinet) of the Beurmann Collection.
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