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Comparison of available Theatre Organ samples

Existing and forthcoming Hauptwerk instruments, recommendations, ...
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Jcvtpo

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Comparison of available Theatre Organ samples

PostThu Dec 16, 2021 10:41 am

I currently own the Paramount 341 and I'm considering buying another sample set. I've had the opportunity to demo the MDA MasterWorks 331. I've heard good things about the new Wurlitzer Opus 1610 and the Jensen sets.

Is there anyone out there who has multiple theatre organ sample sets who can offer up their subjective comparison of the available sets?
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organsRgreat

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Re: Comparison of available Theatre Organ samples

PostThu Dec 16, 2021 12:54 pm

I have all the Paramount sets, the MDA, and the Jensen. I find the first and third complement each other well. Neil Jensen’s set is quite old, but the sampling is beautifully even throughout the compass. It was recorded quite close – just a few inches from the pipes I think Neil said – this captures as much brightness as possible, which suits my style of playing.

Because of its age the set uses tremulants generated in software. This means the tremulated sound is not so realistic as on the Paramounts (which have sampled trems), but it does offer the opportunity to adjust the speed and depth. An Orchestral Oboe, for instance, can be an effective solo voice if the trem is not too fast and not too deep. This set is quite expensive if you buy all of it – around £1,000 I recall, and whatever that is in dollars. Fortunately it’s available in four stages, and even the smallest set is extremely capable. Neil doesn’t seem to be promoting it very actively at present, which I think is a pity; in many respects, even now, it's the best available. The only page I can reach is the checkout page, which at least means you can buy it!

https://www.keymediaproductions.com/checkout.php

The Paramount sets are more recent, and have sampled trems throughout. My only reservation is that some of the ranks are not sufficiently evenly voiced to use them alone for solos. Most theatre organists do mix the ranks quite a lot, but a few of the greatest were more “soloistic” – for instance George Wright in the USA, and Reginald Porter-Brown in the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwOc07U7vhA

On the other hand if you want that “big Wurlitzer” sound, the Paramount 4/50, with four Tibias, four Voxes, etc, will produce a very lush effect. The more speaker channels you can afford the better it will sound. As you will already know, the 3/41 can sound pretty lush too!

I haven’t used the MDA set for a while, but considering that a leading theatre organist was involved in the design (Jelani Eddington?) it works surprisingly well with the trems off.

The Wurlitzer Opus 1610 is unusual in that it includes a completely un-extended Diapason chorus; this would be ideal if you sometimes want a church organ sound. I’ve not heard it, but it would almost certainly be Hope-Jones’ idea of a Diapason chorus, rather than a Skinner one, for instance.

As it happens I recorded a few demo files for the London meeting of the Electronic Organ Constructors Society a couple of months ago, and these are still uploaded to my Google Drive. I’d have to check exactly what’s in which file, and as I’m not too well just now you might have to bear with me for a week or so. To get my ideal theatre organ I bought a second computer and a second Hauptwerk dongle (I’m completely version 4 at present), and mix the 3/41 and Jensen 3/35 electronically, via Reaper. Since both sets are mainly Wurlitzer, they work together beautifully.
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Andrew Grahame

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Re: Comparison of available Theatre Organ samples

PostSat Dec 18, 2021 8:02 pm

Hi Jcvtpo,

I've sent you a private message.

Andrew

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