mp3 Demo - Johann Sebastian Bach - Fuge BWV 1000 g für Lautenwerck

mp3 Demo - Georg Böhm - Präludium - Fuge - Postludium g

mp3 Demo - D'Anglebert - 2ème Gigue

Performed by Steffen Fahl

mp3 Demo - Praeludium I - Johann Sebastian Bach

mp3 Demo - Praeludium III - Johann Sebastian Bach

mp3 Demo - Aria - Dietrich Buxtehude

mp3 Demo - Bassa Imperiale - Regina Clara

mp3 Demo - Wenn ich so denk - Anonym

Performed by Tobias Birkenbeil

The performances contain additional reverb.

The German Lautenwerck library brings a long-gone instrument into your sampler: The Lautenwerck - or Lute-Harpsichord - was one of Johann Sebastian Bach's favourite instruments.

Despite 50 Lautenwerck builders in Germany, not a single instrument survived throughout the centuries. When the instruments had vanished, the awareness had gone, too: Only few decades ago, musicologists rediscovered the instrument's existence, solving the mystery of scores written specifically for Lautenwerck. Until then, the usual idea was that a composer had meant a regular lute instrument by providing such remarks. After the knowledge had resurfaced, Professor Beurmann had a reconstruction built by Ludwig Richter in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

The oval Lautenwerck body resembles the look of a lute as well - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Back in the days of harpsichords and spinets, the lute-harpsichord offered a much warmer, soft and intimate yet defined tone. While having been built to imitate a lute on a keyboard instrument in the first place, it brings a consistent attack to the table (due to not being touch-sensitive, like a harpsichord) and also by allowing for full decay of all notes due to missing dampers. This allows for a vibrating, reverberant yet still transparent sound.

Just like harpsichords and spinets, the Lautenwerck is not touch-sensitive. However, not any given note will sound exactly the same due to different resonances of body and strings. In order to pay tribute to the instruments' variation, every note was captured with 8 different samples. The key release sounds are also of major importance for the overall experience. Therefore, we recorded 4 release samples per note.

The instrument is now available for your sampler, presented in its original Valotti tuning at 412 Hz (presets at 440 Hz are available as well). Furthermore, the library contains an essay in German by Dr. Andreas Beurmann, explaining the background of the instrument.

The sample library contains nearly 700 single recordings.

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

Recorded in the great sounding rooms of the Hasselburg estate, we employed vintage Neumann™ TLM170® microphones in conjunction with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. We recorded the instrument at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.

mp3 Demo - Girolami Frescobaldi - Toccate F

mp3 Demo - Girolami Frescobaldi - Toccate G

mp3 Demo - Giovanni Gabrieli - Ricercar

Performed by Steffen Fahl

mp3 Demo - William Byrd - Ausschnitt aus "The Galliarde to the Firste Pavian"

mp3 Demo - William Byrd - Ausschnitt aus "My Ladye Nevels Grownde'"

mp3 Demo - Elias Nicolaus Ammerbach - Passametzo

Performed by Tobias Birkenbeil

The performances contain additional reverb.

The Italian Harpsichord II library features an instrument built around 1590 by an anonymous maker. Being very typical for the Italian style, the instrument features a housing seperated from the painted cabinet.

Italian harpsichord, around 1590 - photo: Andreas E. Beurmann

Furthermore, the instrument - which had been owned by Australian opera singer Joan Sutherland - sports a special feature: The housing is not bearing directly on the cabinet, but on two ledges below the ribs. This allows for the under-body to resonate.

Although the keyboard is showing signs of wear, the harpsichord still remains in fully playable condition despite its age. It is now available for the first time in the sampler within the Italian Harpsichord II library, presented in its original Kirnberger III-tuning at 378 Hz (presets at 440 Hz are available as well).

front view - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Like all harpsichords, 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.

Up to now, many keyboards and samplers represented harpsichords by always triggering off the exact same digital sample, leaving a sterile sounding impression. In order to pay tribute to the liveliness and depth of this antique instrument, we captured 8 variations of each note.

part of the soundboard - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

The key release sounds are also of major importance: What was originally side noise is now often overlooked and even simply left out in artifical simulations, resulting in an abstract overall picture. Therefore, we recorded 4 release samples per note. In addition to the samples, the library contains essays by Andreas Beurmann, explaining the background of the instrument.

left cheek - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

The sample library consists of nearly 550 single recordings.

For the recording process, we employed custom-made Wagner™ U47w® tube microphones with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. The samples were recorded at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.

mp3 Demo - Johann Sebastian Bach - Ouverture der Partita 4

mp3 Demo - Jean-Philippe Rameau - Les Trois Mains

mp3 Demo - Francois Couperin - Le Reveil Matin

mp3 Demo - Jacques Duphly - La Boucon

Performed by Steffen Fahl

The performances contain additional reverb.

The French Harpsichord library features a double-manual instrument by renowned French builder Nicolas Pigalle. The instrument - built in Dijon in 1771 - features an "enchanting sound with singing clarity and a substantial bass", as collector Prof. Andreas Beurmann explains. These qualities - along with its huge tone which also manages to bring out its delicate, sophisticated finesse and detail - make it is an excellent representation of the French style. "It is one of only two surviving harpsichords from Dijon, a city once so rich in musical tradition, the other also being by Pigalle", he continues.

Pigalle harpsichord - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Based on its two manuals and different registers, the Pigalle harpsichord offers lots of unique sounds, sampled with 5 different register combinations, including the upper 8', lower 8' (principal 8'), the 4', both 8' as well as the "tutti" combination of both 8' registers and the 4' recorded together.

Like all harpsichords, the instrument is not touch-sensitive like a piano. However, not any given note will sound exactly the same twice due to different resonances of body and strings.

Until now, many keyboards and samplers represented harpsichords by always triggering off the same digital sample, leaving a sterile sounding impression. In order to improve upon previous recreations and to pay tribute to the liveliness and depth of this antique instrument, we captured 8 variations of each note (4' register: 4 variations per note).

Pigalle harpsichord: nameboard and manuals - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

The key release sounds are also of major importance: What was originally side noise is now often overlooked and even simply left out in artifical simulations, resulting in an abstract overall picture. Therefore, we recorded 4 release samples per note.

Despite its age - close to 250 years - the harpsichord still remains in great condition. It is now available for your sampler, presented in its original Valotti tuning at 383 Hz (presets in 440 Hz also available). In addition, the library contains an essay in English by Dr. Andreas Beurmann, explaining both the historical and musical background of the instrument.

Pigalle harpsichord cover painting - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

The sample library consists of more than 3.400 single samples.

For the recording process, we employed custom-made Wagner™ U47w® tube microphones with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. The samples were recorded at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.

mp3 Demo - Franz Schubert - Deutscher Tanz Nr.10 (Tastenumfang dem Instrument angepasst)

mp3 Demo - Franz Schubert - Deutscher Tanz Nr.12

mp3 Demo - Franz Schubert - Deutscher Tanz Nr.2

Performed by Steffen Fahl

The performances contain additional reverb.

The Orphica Piano library offers a very special little piano: Invented by Carl Leopold Röllig, the small portable instrument was built exclusively by Austrian piano maker Joseph Donal at the end of the 18th century.

Orphica - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Produced merely for about 15 years, the Orphica remains one of the rarest pianos today - only 30 instruments are preserved at most. Inventor Röllig was reminded of the Lyre of Orpheus. He chose the name accordingly for what happens to be a predecessor of today's portable keyboard.

The sampled instrument was built around 1798 and offers a slinky, charming and lively piano tone unlike any regular piano sound. Due to its small size featuring three octaves, it has a different main focus: Twinkle-toed, yet present with chocolate-like mids and grace, it can be great for any piano track asking for an unconsumed sound.

Orphica player. Drawing taken from "Orphica ... Mit Kupfern", Wien, Blumauer 1795

This unique instrument in the collection of Andreas Beurmann still remains in good condition and is fully playable despite its age. It is now available in your sampler, presented in its original tuning at 402 Hz (presets in 440 Hz included).

In order to deliver the Orphica experience, we captured the sound with 16 velocity layers of each note to compliment the surprisingly expressive dynamic range. Furthermore, we recorded release sounds of each key in eight variations to complete the experience of this marvellous little instrument. In addition, the library contains essays by Dr. Andreas Beurmann, explaining the background of the instrument.

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

This sample set contains nearly 900 single recordings.

Orphica (plan view) - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

For the recordings, we employed custom-made Wagner™ U47w® tube microphones in conjunction with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. The samples were recorded at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

fingerboard and action - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.

mp3 Demo - Alessandro Scarlatti - Toccata in D

mp3 Demo - Michelangelo Rossi - Toccata C

mp3 Demo - Bernardo Pasquini - Toccata Del Sec-Tono

Performed by Steffen Fahl

The performances contain additional reverb.

The Italian Harpsichord III library features an instrument built around 1690 by an anonymous maker. Featuring three sounds - a front and a rear 8' register as well both together - it allows for the traditional rich and slick Italian harpsichord tone, offering additional flexibility by choosing the adequate 8' or using the gentle 2 x 8' combination with its inspiring and complex harmonics.

Italian harpsichord, around 1690 - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

While it is very typical for the Italian style to feature a housing seperated from the painted cabinet, this instrument is one of the rare Italian harpsichords with a fixed housing. Instead, it belongs to the category of so-called false inner-outer instruments: The edges of the body as well as the offset cheeks are used to pretend that it features a separate housing.

Left cheek with carving - photo: Andreas E. Beurmann

After more than 300 years, the harpsichord still remains in well-playable condition despite its age. It is now available for your sampler, presented in its original Kirnberger III-tuning at 382 Hz, capturing all three register variations - front 8', rear 8' and both 8' registers together. Presets at 440 Hz are also available. The harpsichord features a so-called "short octave" in the lowest range, assigning some keys to lower notes and thus giving the instrument an extended range in the bass (at the cost of other bass notes).

Like all harpsichords, the instrument is not touch-sensitive in the sense of a piano. However, not any given note will sound exactly the same twice due to different resonances of body and strings. Therefore, we captured every sampled register with 8 variations per note.

The key release sounds are also of major importance: We recorded 4 release samples per note. In addition, the library contains an essay in German by Andreas Beurmann, explaining the background of the instrument.

The sample library contains more than 1.600 single recordings.

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

For recording, we employed custom-made Wagner™ U47w® tube microphones with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. The samples were recorded at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.

mp3 Demo - Johann Sebastian Bach - Prael BWV 995 A

mp3 Demo - Johann Sebastian Bach - Allemande BWV 995 b

mp3 Demo - Johann Sebastian Bach - Sarabande - BWV 995 d

mp3 Demo - Johann Sebastian Bach - Gavotte 2 - BWV 995 f

mp3 Demo - Georg Muffat - Passacaglia A

mp3 Demo - Silvius Leopold Weiss - Passacaglia D

Performed by Steffen Fahl

The long decay is a feature of the instrument - the strings ring out without damping. Some performances contain additional reverb.

The German Theorbo-Harpsichord library brings a long-gone instrument into your sampler: Its basic concept is similar to the Lautenwerck - or Lute-Harpsichord - which uses gut strings for lute-like response. However, the Theorbo-Harpsichord is like its "big brother", featuring different stops (2x16') plus an additional metal-strung 4' stop.

Not a single instrument survived throughout the centuries. When the instruments had vanished, the awareness had gone, too: This type of instrument - rediscovered by musicologists only few decades ago - combines tones similar to lute or harp instruments with the airy, bell-like chime of a harpsichord.

After the knowledge had resurfaced, collector Andreas Beurmann had a reconstruction built by Ludwig Richter in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

The Theorbo-Harpsichord is the "big brother" of the Lautenwerck - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

Back in the days of harpsichords and spinets, a theorbo-harpsichord offered warmer tone. Its two 16' stops and different rows of jacks offer variations that resemble lute and harp instruments. The switchable metal-string 4' brings airy richness and fast attack to the table.

All notes bloom with full decay due to undampened strings (in contrast to harpsichords and pianos) - this leads to a vibrating, reverberant yet still transparent sound.

We sampled the instrument with 6 different register combinations, including differents jacks of the 16' stops, and its coveted 16'+4' combination.

Just like harpsichords and spinets, the instrument is not touch-sensitive. However, not any given note will sound exactly the same due to resonances of body and strings. In order to pay tribute to the instruments' variation, every note was captured with 8 different samples. The key release sounds are also of major importance for the overall experience. Therefore, we recorded 4 release samples of each note.

The instrument is now available for your sampler, presented in its original Valotti tuning at 412 Hz (presets at 440 Hz are included). Furthermore, the library contains an essay by Andreas Beurmann, explaining the background of the instrument.

The sample library contains nearly 4,000 single recordings.

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

Recorded in the great sounding rooms of the Hasselburg estate, we employed vintage Neumann™ TLM170® microphones in conjunction with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. The instrument was captured at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.

mp3 Demo 1 - Froberger - Toccata 1

mp3 Demo 2 - Fux - Sonate 6b Allegro

mp3 Demo 3 - Kerll - Toccata

mp3 Demo 4 - Georg Muffat - Partita 5 - c - courante

Performed by Steffen Fahl

The performances contain additional reverb.

The Austrian Harpsichord library features an instrument built by Johann Anton Miklis in 1671 in Prague (which belonged to Austria back then). Offering three sounds - 8', 4' register and the combination of both - it shows the rich and slinky texture of Austrian-built instruments which Mozart would have known.

Austrian harpsichord by Johann Anton Miklis, 1671

The harpsichord still remains in well-playable condition despite its age. It is now available for your sampler, presented in its original Valotti-tuning at 392 Hz, capturing all three register variations (8', 4' and both registers recorded together). Presets at 440 Hz are also available.

In its bass octave, the harpsichord does not feature a c-sharp note, as part of its design. We added "optimized" presets so it can be played regularly in the bass as well.

Like all harpsichords, the instrument is not touch-sensitive like a piano. However, playing a key will bever sound exactly the same twice due to resonances of the soundboard and strings.

Up to now, many keyboards and samplers represented harpsichords by repeating the exact same digital sample. In order to avoid the problem, we captured the sampled registers with 8 variations (4': 4 variations) of each note. The key release sounds are also of major importance: We recorded 4 release samples per note.

The sample library contains nearly 1.600 single recordings.

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

For recording, we employed custom-made Wagner™ U47w® tube microphones with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. The samples were recorded at 192 kHz/24-bit, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.

mp3 Demo - C. Bovy Lysberg - Allegro de Concert

mp3 Demo - H. Herz - Air Suisse - introduction et variations

mp3 Demo - F. Liszt - Au Lac de Wallenstadt

mp3 Demo - F. Liszt - Orage

mp3 Demo - E. Frey - Variationen über ein Hebräisches Thema, Op.1

mp3 Demo - E. Blanchet - Op.7-1

mp3 Demo - E. Blanchet - Op.7-2

mp3 Demo - H. Huber - Etude Op.9-5

mp3 Demo - H. Huber - Etude Op.9-7

mp3 Demo - H. Huber - Etude Op.9-8

mp3 Demo - W. Courvoisier - Passacaglia Op.20

Performed by Steffen Fahl

mp3 Demo - Larghetto - J. C. F. Bach

mp3 Demo - Praeludium - G. F. Händel

The performances contain additional room reverb.

The Swiss Grand library features an unusual concert grand built in 1860 by Hüni & Hübert. When the Zürich-based company burnt down in 1883, they were the largest piano manufacturer in Switzerland. Listening to this piano, it’s easy to hear why: It offers full-bodied, warm yet transparent tone with a raunchy bass in a league of its own.

Hüni & Hübert concert grand - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

The instrument was collected by Andreas Beurmann and kept in very good condition, remaining fully playable. It is now available for the first time in sampled form, presented in its original tuning at 437 Hz (presets in 440 Hz are available as well).

We captured the sound with 32 velocity layers per note for an expressive dynamic range. Furthermore, we recorded 8 key release sounds per key. In addition to the samples, the Swiss Grand library contains an essay in German by Andreas Beurmann, explaining the background of the instrument.

The sample library contains over 3.400 single samples.

Presets are included for HAlion®, Kontakt® (full version required) and EXS24® software samplers.

Hüni & Hübert front logo - photo by Andreas E. Beurmann

For recording, we employed Wagner™ U47w® microphones with Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters. The instrument was recorded at 192 kHz/24 bits, downsampled to your resolution of choice.

Brand names, trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.