Page 1 of 1

Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 12:54 pm
by voet
When I joined the world of Hauptwerk, one of my first sample sets was OAM’s Metzler organ at Poblet Abbey. It was then, and remains today, one of my favorites. However, for all its many strengths, the lack of a swell division limits its usefulness for some literature.

Because of my great affection for the Poblet Abbey organ, I was very excited when Piotr Garbowski released the Metzler organ at Annakirche in Düren. This instrument has so many of the things that I admire in Poblet Abbey, but it also has a beautiful swell division that really expands its versatility.

In the short time I have had it, Düren has become another of my favorites. It is worth your consideration and if you decide to add it to your Hauptwerk collection, Piotr is offering it at a sale price until the end of January.

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 7:44 pm
by JulianMoney-Kyrle
I agree with you about Duren - it is a lovely organ and the quality of the sampling is much better than Piotr Grabowski's earlier, free sample sets. I have very much enjoyed playing it and it has become one of my favourite sample sets, too. I love Poblet, but I would have preferred a closer microphone position. I think Prof. Maier optimises his sample sets for headphones, and some of them sound too wet in my system (multichannel studio monitors plus subwoofer). Duren sounds better to my ear, and has the advantage of being multichannel and with variable perspective.

I bought this as soon as I had heard that it had come out, and I gather that I was Beauty in Sound's very first customer when they became the UK distributer. Rather annoyingly the price was reduced in Piotr's winter sale a few days later.

I would not say that Poblet and Duren are direct alternatives. They both have the Metzler sound, but Poblet is conceived as a "Bach organ", i.e. inspired by the Baroque organs of Thurungia and central Germany as exemplified by Trost, in contrast to the better known North German and Dutch style of Silbermann and Schnitger. As it is located in Spain it also has a trompeteria with fiery Spanish reeds. Duren has some French Romantic leanings, and it seems to me to be quite a flexible instrument.

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 4:56 pm
by vpo-organist
I can confirm that the Metzler/Düren is a beautiful sample set. But finances are unfortunately limited. I have to wait for the next Christmas discount and hope that there is more than a 5% discount.

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 5:19 pm
by dhm
[quote="JulianMoney-Kyrle"]I I gather that I was Beauty in Sound's very first customer when they became the UK distributer. /quote].
A small correction, if I may, with all due respect to Julian:
BIS are not *the* UK distributer for Piotr Grabowski; They are *one* of Piotr's two UK distributers. :D

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 7:03 pm
by JulianMoney-Kyrle
Hi Douglas,

Many apologies. I stand corrected.

I usually buy sample sets direct from the producer if I can but Brexit has thrown a spanner in the works here. As a result I have been pleased to have been able to buy several sample sets through you over the past few years, and I cannot fault the excellent service that you have given. I also remember your kindness in letting me come over to your home for a demonstration of HW when I first came across it nearly twenty years ago.

I saw the announcement of the new Duren sample set and that BIS had become a distributer more-or-less at the same time (probably on Facebook - I don't remember exactly) and immediately decided to order it. I don't think I had even noticed that you were also acting for Piotr even though I browsed through your Web site when I bought the new Riepp from you recently. Another very interesting instrument, and quite different from anything else in my rather too large library of HW organs. I have to say I am delighted with both of them.

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 10:30 am
by abaymajr
JulianMoney-Kyrle wrote:I love Poblet, but I would have preferred a closer microphone position. I think Prof. Maier optimises his sample sets for headphones, and some of them sound too wet in my system (multichannel studio monitors plus subwoofer). Duren sounds better to my ear, and has the advantage of being multichannel and with variable perspective.


Sorry if I seem too obvious, but I've been able to mitigate this OAM/Poblet wetness with a second perspective trimmed in real time at 180ms and mixed at -9dB in relation to the original channels. Another successful combination in my tests is -12dB on the 180ms-trimmed channels mixed to original channels trimmed at 4-5 seconds. Of course, it's not quite the same as a sampleset originally recorded in multiple channels, but with subtle adjustments, the result is convincing, at least on a 2-channel output setup.

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:08 pm
by OAM
You don't need to build a provisorium in future, work is in progress for a surround version with variable room acoustics.

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:48 pm
by JulianMoney-Kyrle
Dear Professore Maier,

Thank-you for this good news. I look forward to upgrading to the variable acoustics version of Poblet when it is ready.

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 7:11 am
by Jan Loosman
On the OAM site the surround version is already listed.
It would have been nice though if the surround version also would have been available with the introduction of this set. This was a long wait.
A simple jamb would also be nice in the new version.

Jan

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:11 am
by OAM
Thanks for the notice!
No, it's not already the new version, was just a typo error, corrected :-(

Re: Metzler at Düren

PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 12:59 pm
by bourdon
-- Abaymajr wrote : "but I've been able to mitigate this OAM/Poblet wetness with a second perspective trimmed in real time at 180ms and mixed at -9dB in relation to the original channels. Another successful combination in my tests is -12dB on the 180ms-trimmed channels mixed to original channels trimmed at 4-5 seconds. Of course, it's not quite the same as a sampleset originally recorded in multiple channels, but with subtle adjustments, the result is convincing, at least on a 2-channel output setup."

-Very interesting , but I thought it was impossible to modify the reverb in OAM's samplesets ?