adri wrote:For authentic sound I highly recommend the St Thierache organ. You can combine manual 3 and 4 if you wish or select only one of them. Its flutes are divine.
A really amazingly good set.
St. Pons seems nice too although I don’t have it.
Arlesheim is nice but the organ is less fiery as some other sets. I’m trying it now fir 14 days.
Ebersmunster is more fiery but its stop list is more limited. It is an earlier organ as well. Hard to compare to Arlesheim.
AVO organs are not on same level of sampling and thus cheaper. Try before purchasing. Is my advice here.
Good luck. !!
Dear Adri,
I must answer about some of your comments.
1. Arlesheim and Ebersmunster are 2 really different organs. Arlesheim has nothing to do with an original SIlbermann organ. It's a Metzler organ . It's a very beautiful and verrsatil instrument. Ebersmunster is more original despite the restoration made by Kern and sounds great and french. I played the original and the sample too (by a friend).
2. You consider that the quality of a sample is in relation with its price ? WHat a joke ! I would not be rude with some producers who always sell HW1 samples at indecent prices ! In that case you must certainly think that Piotr Grabovski's free samples are very bad because they are free !.I could give you a good exemple of a new sample whose price is around 400€ and whose recording and mostly editing is really bad for my taste. We hear imbalances that could have been avoided.
3. ABout AVO samples, you're wrong. I've the chance to test samples and record demos for Augusine, producer of AVO. He always do a better job. His last sample is perfect to play all the french baroque music. I know that, because he realized the extended version by following my advice.... and sorry, I know what a french baroque organ is. You must also know that all well known french composers didn't always play on very big instruments. This sample provides a perfect medium size organ very suitable for french ancient music with a very clear recording and a lot of personnality. WHen you know a little who is Augustine, you will discover that he has others ethical aims than earning money.
4. ANd now, to answer the question of the choice. A friend of mine has St Michel en Thiérache and Ebersmunster... very good ! ROzay ... too dry. St Maximin is very good too. This organs are originals. There is the Rieti sample.... a copy of Dom Bedos, but Formentelli's job should have been so much better. So, among all, this AVO sample is simply perfect : all is clear, well recorded, very well edited and very nice to play... at a very cool price.
5. But if you want a great sample to play french music, just wait a few monthes... my wonderful 1775 organ has been sampled.... it's just an organ with a little more than 80% of original pipes of XVIIIth century in a wonderfull acoustic.
Best regards
DominiqueD