Northrop Aeolian-Skinner IV-108 Is released!

Hi friends,

We're proud to announce the release of the iconic Aeolian-Skinner in the Northrop Auditorium of the University of Minnesota. This completes a 5-year journey (from first talks beginning in 2018 to now!)

Read about it all here:
http://www.evensongmusic.net/?p=9294

The introductory price of $499 will be valid through January 15, 2024, after which the price will rise to $549

Best holiday wishes to all from Evensong, Jonathan and Charlie.

It can even play Messiaen… https://youtu.be/L6y-yhnRaJo?si=krxocmIKkXtrgF0k

It's not a good idea to offer a 33.5 GB file as an http download in one file!
Abort halfway through and you can start all over again!
Once the download could be continued after an abort and a second time it was not possible (with the Edge browser).

An MD5 check code would also be appropriate. You've made it a bit easy for yourself.

It's not a good idea to offer a 33.5 GB file as an http download in one file!

I have had excellent results with "Free Download Manager" - it supports auto-resume, and is able to access the file from multiple locations and divide up according to your bandwidth: highly recommended for these large downloads

It's available for mac and pc

https://www.freedownloadmanager.org/

Meanwhile my initial impressions of the instrument are just fantastic - congratulations to team Evensong: I'll be posting some recordings to the usual locations in the coming days; and will update my review.
I'm thrilled to have this in the collection!!!

It's not a good idea to offer a 33.5 GB file as an http download in one file!
Abort halfway through and you can start all over again!
Once the download could be continued after an abort and a second time it was not possible (with the Edge browser).

An MD5 check code would also be appropriate. You've made it a bit easy for yourself.

So far we've had very little problems with the download - but thanks for the kind feedback.
the MD5 hash is incorporated into the filename, but perhaps it would be a good idea to give separate instructions

here it is:
781DE85339D39EF96E37E37334861F1B

we can prepare a multipart download, but it will take a bit of time to get it uploaded. It's been our experience that we have far more problems with users incorrectly installing multi-part files than we do problems with downloads!

Thanks Jerry and sorry Jonathan, earlier I was just upset after a 15GB abort.
I had installed the FreeDownloader, which doesn't work with every manufacturer, and I didn't try it because the link wasn't immediately visible.
I started the download, went to a wonderful John Rutter concert
and when I got home, the download was done. The MD5 is also right, so it's all good.

Best regards
Wolfgang

@Jonathan: I'll integrate a fast Downloader in my Tool ws.HashGen, with which users won't have any problems with multiple files.

Best regards
Wolfgang

@Jonathan
Please check the GT/Super with some tones from Plein jeu VII - Tone beats occur, e.g. with as1 (I don't know if those are the right words in English to describe this).

@Jonathan
Please check the GT/Super with some tones from Plein jeu VII - Tone beats occur, e.g. with as1 (I don't know if those are the right words in English to describe this).

We are aware of those, and it will be fixed in the next update.

There is another update already out that fixed the Unda Maris sounding in the wrong octave as well as some coupler issues:
https://tinyurl.com/mk964rbt

Download and choose "upgrade" when installing

Thanks Jonathan. I've the Pasadena, but the Northrop is now your Number One.

I think this is the best American organ sampleset yet. It has a warm, late Romantic sound and disposition, reminiscent of good E. M. Skinners without being identical. None of the later Aeolian-Skinner "neo-Baroque-like and who needs reeds on the Great or strings on the Positive?" stuff going on here.

Since this is somewhat dry auditorium, rebuilt smaller than the organ was designed for, I added a rear perspective in Rank voicing to all the Direct and Ambient ranks with releases truncated, and sent that to my rear speakers with some of the SP Caen rear-facing 6 meter IRs added.

With the bigger emulated room, it sounds closer to Girard than any other sampleset, and has similar tonal resources overall, even if individual stops don't sound the same.

The existing E. M. Skinner samplesets have always fallen short of the big ensemble I'd always hoped for. This one has it.

Nice job!

I think this is the best American organ sampleset yet. It has a warm, late Romantic sound and disposition, reminiscent of good E. M. Skinners without being identical. None of the later Aeolian-Skinner "neo-Baroque-like and who needs reeds on the Great or strings on the Positive?" stuff going on here.

Since this is somewhat dry auditorium, rebuilt smaller than the organ was designed for, I added a rear perspective in Rank voicing to all the Direct and Ambient ranks with releases truncated, and sent that to my rear speakers with some of the SP Caen rear-facing 6 meter IRs added.

With the bigger emulated room, it sounds closer to Girard than any other sampleset, and has similar tonal resources overall, even if individual stops don't sound the same.

The existing E. M. Skinner samplesets have always fallen short of the big ensemble I'd always hoped for. This one has it.

Nice job!

Thanks for the kind words, Mark!

Now that this project is coming to a close, I can say it was well worth the 5 years it took.... this is the finest romantic sampleset in our collection, and probably the best work we've done so far.

We have found a few more minor problems (which are corrected in the latest update), After playing this set for quite awhile, and on the recommendation of some people who know Skinner strings very well, we went back and re-did the noise reduction on all of the solo strings, the Direct version of the Swell strings, the Flauto Mirabilis and the Great Flute Harmonique. I felt like we maybe did just a bit too aggressive noise reduction on those stops, and so I wanted to revisit it. We're testing it now, and will release an entire new install once we are confident it is ready.

There are exciting days ahead for Evensong - we have some things in the pipeline that I hope will equal or exceed what we've done here - can't say more until the contracts are signed and the recording is in the can.

…it even can play Franck!
https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/58129

We installed this sample set today on a demo license at church (22.2 audio) and it is fantastic! We are definitely going to be purchasing the full license. There is plenty of foundation tone with fullness and brightness, and the big Great mixture adds a lot to the top when you want it. Although there is no proper 4' Principal in the Choir division, like many instruments from this period, with the 4' coupler you can get quite a full sound from the Choir division. There are plenty of imitative orchestral stops with a wonderful Tuba and a 32'-16' Pedal Bombarde that can only be described as heroic. On the softer side, there are 7 celeste stops to choose from and you can make a huge celeste ensemble and couple All Swells to Swell to get what is only an American sound. Not every organ needs huge reverb, and not everyone is looking for that, but there is enough to round out the sound quite nicely. This organ is definitely worth at least checking out on demo to see if you like it.

I agree with mnailor that this is probably the best comprehensive American sample set to date. Although not a Skinner, the design is still close to his thinking with a lot of the stops that made him famous included in the specification and the quality and stoplist surpass other offerings in this same style.