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Hybrid
Includes both a Mac and Windows version of the program.
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The R.S.P. '73 consists of a collection of truly authentic 'deeply sampled' renderings of the Fender Rhodes® Stage Piano MK I - '73, captured in high definition 24 bit quality. Ingenious Danish programming has resulted in both the 24 bit Kontakt, EXS24 mk II and 24 bit Halion editions of the library being included in the same 4 CD set. The same programming system allows purchasers of the 2 CD set 16 bit Gigastudio edition to download small files which will allow installation of both the 16 bit Emagic EXS24 MK II and Steinberg Halion editions at no extra charge. This delivery system should prove to be a major boon to both users who need to switch sample platforms from time to time, and dealers - who will be able to supply the library for any of several popular samplers simply by stocking two multi platform editions.
The R.S.P. '73 was recorded at 24 bit resolution through a Mindprint En-Voice preamp (without any use of EQ, tube saturation or compression), and then digitally transferred to a Nuendo AudioLink 96 audio card. The piano sound was captured directly from the harp, bypassing the passive tone control on the front panel, in order to capture the full frequency range of the instrument and minimize unwanted noise. All sample editing - including noise reduction and normalizing was also done at 24 bit resolution.
How much detail is there in the instrument?
To start with, all samples are full length and unlooped. Each of the 73 keys of the Mark 1 was sampled at 12 different velocities - ranging from 0 to -26 dB - but this is only half the story. In order to capture that magical feel of really 'playing' a Rhodes®, we also recorded 'release' samples for each of the 12 velocities, at the exact same level as the corresponding 12 sustain samples. The release tone - a sound created when a damper bounces against the tine as a key is released, is an intrinsic element of what musicians recognize as the original 'Rhodes® Sound'.
To accommodate systems with RAM limitations, several 'Lite' versions of the R.S.P. '73 are included. Lite versions contain the samples of the white keys, which are stretched down a semitone to cover adjacent black keys. Lite versions come in 12, 8 and 4 velocity layer flavours.
For that duller 'old school' sound, a special Hi-cut version of each program (Giga version only) is also included.
In response to a number of requests, all programs are available in both Equal and Stretch tunings
The R.S.P. '73 "Feel"
Why is the 'feel' important?
If you are a composer or piano player, you will no doubt be able to answer this question for yourself. The Stage Piano MK 1 - '73 is one of a select few instruments which can honestly claim to be a writer's primary compositional workhorse. Not just a tool for committing already firm ideas to a recording medium, but an inspirational tool - an instrument which works in a synergistic way with the composer to generate fresh new musical ideas, simply through the act of sitting down with it and playing freely. We believe that this inspirational quality is largely the result of a combination of the basic timbral range of the original Rhodes® piano and its very organic dynamic response. We dare to say that the Scarbee R.S.P. '73 has, for the first time, captured that same tone and feel - the "soul" of this classic keyboard. The R.S.P. '73 is an instrument you really look forward to sitting down and just playing.
Why sampling in preference to a physical modeling approach?
Physical modeling is a great synthesis option which allows us to break down and explore the nature of a sound, but it relies very heavily on the software engineer's ability to fathom the unique elements which combine to create that sound, to analyze and measure them, to write code which can accurately recreate them, and to find a hardware platform capable of delivering enough DSP muscle to realize the software in high resolution. This process requires that many subtle, and some not so subtle, choices be made by the engineering team. As a result, the end product is often the combination of a few individuals' opinions, a programming team's expertise in coding, and the processing abilities of the host platforms available at the time the software is designed. It's a bit like computer animated characters in movies. Although they are generated by extremely sophisticated software and hardware, and can, say, morph from a person to a grapefruit and back in seconds, they're still just "pretty close" when it comes to delivering a credible alternative to a real actor. The Scarbee R.S.P. '73 is more like film of a human actor in comparison. Perhaps not able to morph into a grapefruit, but totally believable in its main role as a "real actor".
Unlike a modelled instrument, the Scarbee R.S.P. '73 is not a software engineer's approximation of the elements which combine to create a Rhodes®-like sound. The Scarbee R.S.P. '73 is a high definition mirror image of an actual Stage Piano MK 1 - '73 piano.
Available in Giga 2.5 & Giga 3, Kontakt, Halion, and EXS24 formats. Please specify in the comments section of your order which you wish to receive.
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