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Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

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zurek

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Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostMon Jun 06, 2016 6:21 am

I have the pleasure to introduce the Rozay Virtual Organ for Hauptwerk. It is a model of a French early baroque instrument built in the second half of 17th century, rearranged around the year 1723, possibly by L. A. Cliquot. The instrument has 3 manuals, a pedal and 26 speaking stops of the typical French flavor - it has really strong "early music" character.

The sample set can be used in Hauptwerk version 4.2 and higher, the Advanced version is recommended for the full surround sound. It is available in 6-channel format (direct / diffuse / rear setup). Using the dedicated mixing slider the user can adjust the virtual listening position, moving towards or away from the pipes. The sample set is available in a plain wave format.

More details, including the specification of the instrument may be found on the Sonus Paradisi web pages.

The demo version is available for free download from the web page of the virtual instrument:
The lovely toy stops (Rossignol and Vielle) are enabled also in the demo set to bring some amusement to your homes.

I have also decided to bundle the Rozay sample set with my numerous other French organ models:

so that buyers of multiple sample sets together can benefit from nice discounts, up to 34%. The bundle discounts ment to help the introducing the Rozay sample set end on 8th July 2016.

This month can transmute easily into the month of the French organ music!
Jiri Zurek,
Prague
http://www.sonusparadisi.cz
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einer_von_weitem

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostWed Jun 08, 2016 6:03 am

I welcome any new sample set, especially by a renowned provider!

What follows is not intended as a criticism (necessarily) but as a request for information/clarification.

The Rozay sample set looks very nice.

I note that among the bundles offered by Sonus paradisi is the combination Rozay/St Michel-en-Thiérache, two French instruments both essentially dating from the period c.1700.

Now if I compare the specifications of these two instruments I note that they are extremely similar, except that St Michel, on the face of it, offers more. It has a 16-foot stop on the Grand'Orgue; Rozay has no 16-foot stop. St Michel has an extra flute on the Positif. Unlike St Michel Rozay has some divided stops. This CAN be useful but mostly isn't in practice since so often the part you want to separate out crosses the division point. The pedals are permanently coupled to the Grand'Orgue with St Michel (and here the 16-foot stop will tend to be handy especially if for once you play something non-French). St Michel has that one coupler, Rozay has none. I admit that this is for purists: you can add the coupler, not present in the real organ, with Hauptwerk, and with Hauptwerk you can also disable the pedal coupler in St Michel though that is impossible in the real organ. I always strive to play a sample set as if it were the real organ, so I would not normally use or disable couplers to do something that I cannot do on the real organ.

If I were to buy either Rozay or St Michel I can only buy the surround version. I never use surround, unnecessary, I think, with headphones, which I use exclusively. I can do a wet version by loading only the "diffuse" channels. But if I only need those why can't I buy them separately?

I'm also uneasy with a 6-channel sample set like Rozay and this slider business by which I'm supposed to shift the listening position. I have never missed this slider where it is not provided. Where it is provided it tends to be parked forever in the position where for some reason it ended up when I installed the sample set. If I load Rozay as a wet set do I need the sliders?

Is it true what I read (I think) in the Dutch Hauptwerk forum (or was it here even?) that with six channels there is some interference between them detracting from the authenticity of the sound? That possible criticism was levelled, I think, at the Brasov sample set. But if there is something to it, presumably loading only the two channels needed for the wet version is not affected?

Now why sample Rozay if it is so similar to St Michel? Of course it is good to have Rozay documented in this way, but why not invest the effort needed in sampling something that is more different from what is on offer already. Do either the Rozay organ itself or the sample set sound better than St Michel? Many people I suspect will tend to assume that the Rozay sample set must be superior because it is more recent. But personally I'm impressed again and again with the quality of "old" sample sets, including not least those by Sonus paradisi, such as Velesovo or Krzeszów. If you click on the link below you will find that my most recent Youtube video (at the time of writing this anyway) was done with the Anloo organ, which I found was extremely well adapted to the piece in question. But not only that, I also found once again that the Anloo sample set simply sounds fabulous, "ancient" and no-frills as it is.

So now that I've had my appetite whetted should I just go and order St Michel? Or should it be Rozay after all? (Or both?? I wouldn't rule that out altogether either.)
My Hauptwerk recordings on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJu6YY ... XMA/videos
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telemanr

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostWed Jun 08, 2016 7:11 am

If I listen without earphones I find that surround sets provide a truly expansive experience. And then the slider offered with some sets allows me to practice as I would if I were at the console but to also hear what a listener seated farther away would hear on occasion. I wish I could do that when I play in our church.
And when I listen on earphones I can also choose the position as well.
I do think that most people do not use earphones exclusively and sample providers are simply doing what most people want. And adding even simply rear speakers adds a very pronounced sense that you are in the original space. I do listen on earphones sometimes but the surround experience is much more realistic.
If you never change the slider position from default you could at least look at what effect the positions provide and decide what would be your preferred listening setting even if you only do this once. To not even bother seems strange.
Rob Enns
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bourdon

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostWed Jun 08, 2016 7:27 am

I would just add one remark to these very interesting reflections from Einer von Weitem and Telemann:
- aside from general sounding or specification, the marking and , in my opinion, interesting & useful difference with Rozay, is that the reverb is clearly shorter than in St Maximin and St Michel.

And one question : on the demo sample set, I don't feel much difference when using the "proximity "slider in terms of getting nearer or farther away from the organ case ?.. ( full features being loaded , of course).
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1961TC4ME

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostWed Jun 08, 2016 8:54 am

As far as the surround and 6-channel stuff goes, be not afraid. :wink: SP sets that include surround and 6-channel can be loaded anyway you like. Hence, you can load the set with all signals, i.e. direct (dry), diffuse (wet), and surround (wetter yet) all together, OR you can choose to load only the signal you desire to hear for headphone use. So if you like it dry, no problem, if you like it wet you got that as well. The best of both worlds.

Marc
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CarsonCooman

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostWed Jun 08, 2016 9:11 am

einer_von_weitem wrote:Now why sample Rozay if it is so similar to St Michel? Of course it is good to have Rozay documented in this way, but why not invest the effort needed in sampling something that is more different from what is on offer already. Do either the Rozay organ itself or the sample set sound better than St Michel? Many people I suspect will tend to assume that the Rozay sample set must be superior because it is more recent. But personally I'm impressed again and again with the quality of "old" sample sets, including not least those by Sonus paradisi, such as Velesovo or Krzeszów.


A very significant consideration in terms of these early French organs is that St. Michel was sampled before sampled tremulants became the norm for sampling procedures. Rozay has sampled tremulants. Considering how important the tremulant sound is to early French organs and parts of the repertoire for those instruments, that alone is a reason for the sampling/release of Rozay.
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1961TC4ME

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostWed Jun 08, 2016 11:57 am

CarsonCooman wrote:A very significant consideration in terms of these early French organs is that St. Michel was sampled before sampled tremulants became the norm for sampling procedures. Rozay has sampled tremulants. Considering how important the tremulant sound is to early French organs and parts of the repertoire for those instruments, that alone is a reason for the sampling/release of Rozay.


I'll second that. Although the St. Max by SP (as an example) is an awesome set overall, it's tremulants aren't quiet up to par. I'll assume the St. Max tremulants were not sampled with the latest of procedures, I've found them to be fairly unusable and unrealistic sounding. Otherwise, great set!

Marc
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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostThu Jun 09, 2016 5:53 am

Vielle (hurdy-gurdy, two reed pipes constantly sounding a quint)


Does it mean it's not a chromatic stop ?
http://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/21050
Can you play something else than a G ?
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CarsonCooman

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostThu Jun 09, 2016 9:01 am

sesquialtera wrote:Does it mean it's not a chromatic stop ? Can you play something else than a G ?


It is not a chromatic stop that one plays via a keyboard, but rather classified among the "toy" stops, like the Nachtigall. It is an on/off switch for the G quint drone.
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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostThu Jun 09, 2016 10:06 am

It is an on/off switch for the G quint drone.

Thank you Carson for this reply, it makes it clear now.
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adri

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Re: Rozay Surround Virtual Organ (Sonus Paradisi)

PostFri Jun 10, 2016 5:36 am

I would not recommend constant use of earphones.
Especially at realistic volume

Be careful not to damage your hearing as many young people are doing all the time.

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