Thu Jan 06, 2022 2:08 pm
Updated today:
"The long awaited Peterborough Cathedral concert pitch instrument update is complete, and the latest downloads include an additional organ definition to play it. The organ was re-pitched by Harrison and Harrison in 2015/16, and as well as being at concert pitch, this also included some tonal changes (addition of a 16' pedal extension to the 32' Open Diapason, a new Hill style Tuba Mirabilis, and addition of a Nazard and Sesquialtera on the choir). Additionally a few of the other reeds were improved during voicing in order to enhance their tone and consistency, and the project was widely regarded as a resounding success, with the current instrument sounding more splendid than ever. This latest Hauptwerk set update recreates the current state of the organ, using a combination of existing samples and new samples (a considerable number of ranks were completely resampled, and the sound of each pipe checked against the original pre-repitched recordings, in order to determine where new samples should be used to capture the current character of the instrument). Particularly, the entirely re-sampled Tuba and Tuba Mirabilis are sounding better than ever with the benefit of up to 7 different lengths of release sample to provide the ultimate in realism. The update also includes some fixes and improvements to the original sets. I will be contacting owners of the current Peterborough sets in the next few days to provide links to the update installation package, which is free to existing users.
In addition, There is a dry set which is under development and due to be released in the coming months. This version covers both the original "pre-repitch" version and the current concert pitch specification, and being recorded right up next to the pipes (with virtually no building acoustic), it is primarily intended for use in ambient spaces (churches or cathedrals), although there will be some original Peterborough Cathedral impulse responses included for use in dryer settings. I will post more information on this presently. In the meantime, may I wish you all a happy new year!"