The Recorder
The Recorder is the definitive recorder sample library, featuring 27 top-of-the-range Baroque and Renaissance replica instruments from prestigious makers around the world. Created with performer Emily O’Brien and sponsored by the American Recorder Society (ARS), over 60 hours of recording went into capturing each instrument chromatically across over a dozen articulations both historical and contemporary.
Official 3rd Party Kontakt Library – Compatible with Kontakt Player 7.6.1+
Early Bird Pricing: $50 off through 9 December!
COMMUNITY EDITION
Explore the sounds of the recorder with this collection of 6 free instruments in SFZ format, thanks to a grant by the ARS.
Included are soprano, alto, tenor, bass, greatbass, and contrabass recorders from the Baroque A=440 set.
This instrument requires you to install and use a SFZ player, either Sforzando (Win/MacOS) or Sfizz (Linux), to load the SFZ files.
Sforzando can be run either as a standalone app, or as a plugin in a digital audio workstation (DAW) or notation program. On Windows, a VSTi plugin is provided, on MacOS an Audio Units (AU) plugin is provided.
Sforzando can load the provided .sfz files through drag and drop, or via setting the User Files Path in the Settings panel. Please see the video tutorial on the right for more details on how to load and use these instruments.
SFZ files are open source and can be modified in any text editor (e.g. Notepad), see sfzformat.com. The sample files are in open-source FLAC lossless compressed format, and the Community Edition itself is under a CC BY license (more info on CC BY & attribution regarding VS products).
$399 $349 / $249 $199
| Developer: | Versilian Studios LLC. |
| Software: | Kontakt or Kontakt Player 7.6.1+ Required |
| Format: | Official 3rd Party Kontakt Library (NKS 1) |
| Samples: | Complete: 37,500 (187,600 Files) (?)Samples are individual performances, not including duplicates from multiple mixes or mic positions. The File count is the total number of sample audio files in a product. Baroque 440: 10,300 (51,500 Files) (?)Samples are individual performances, not including duplicates from multiple mixes or mic positions. The File count is the total number of sample audio files in a product. Instrument list |
| Filesize: | 86.2 GB of HDD space (+120 GB for installation files) 24.8 GB of HDD space (+50 GB for installation files) |
| Other: | SSD for sample storage & loading recommended Modwheel-equipped controller recommended |
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Version Comparison
BAROQUE COLLECTION
A full consort of Baroque A=440 recorders from ‘nino to contra, powered by the same VISAGE 3 Engine as the Complete Collection.
Instruments
Sample Files
Mic Positions
Gigabytes, Installed
USD
VISAGE 3 ENGINE
Full True Legato, Tuning & Temperaments Engine, MIRAGE FX Page, 5 Microphone Positions, Mix Presets System, & more!
COMPLETE COLLECTION
The definitive recorder sample library, featuring 27 instruments in three consorts: Renaissance, Baroque A=440, and Baroque A=415.
Instruments
Sample Files
Mic Positions
Gigabytes, Installed
USD
VISAGE 3 ENGINE
Full True Legato, Tuning & Temperaments Engine, MIRAGE FX Page, 5 Microphone Positions, Mix Presets System, & more!
COMMUNITY EDITION
Compact, open source collection of Baroque recorders for composers, students, and hobbyists to explore the recorder family.
Instruments
Sample Files
Mic Positions
Gigabytes, Installed
USD
SFZ FORMAT
Open Source Format, Moddable, Cross-Platform Support, .FLAC samples, Scala Tuning (in Sforzando only)
FEATURES
27 Professional Instruments
From the rapid soloistic flourishes of the high Baroque to the soulful motets and painterly madrigals of the Renaissance, over three centuries of history are covered across three consorts, or sets, of instruments.
Featuring instruments in both A=415 and A=440 by the world-famous Von Huene Workshop, including rare “gold sample” reference instruments used to test-play new models, and several high-end Yamaha models, the Complete Collection is topped off by a stunning, complete Renaissance consort by renowned American maker Tom Prescott, completed shortly before his retirement.
The Baroque Collection covers the typical 7 instruments in the Baroque A=440 consort.
Over 180,000 Sample Files
The largest recorder sample library ever made by an order of magnitude, 70 hours of total recording time went into this project to capture each instrument across 15 different articulations.
Every instrument is sampled fully chromatically, with your choice of diatonic or chromatic true legato behavior. Velocity controls the accent intensity of sustaining notes.
Sustains are recorded at 2RR, Tenutos at 4RR, and Staccatos at 6RR for natural phrasing.
Five Unique Microphone Positions
A specialized range of microphones were used to capture the recorders accurately and naturally, comprising five arrays in four positions.
Up close, a stereo ribbon microphone (Samar VL373A) provides detail, warmth, and texture, ideal for solo uses or when adding your own favorite reverb plugin. It can be collapsed to mono easily or fed through an external Mid-Side processor for control over the stereo image.
Next are two pairs of microphones in what is called a ‘Wide Faulkner Array’, with a wide pair of brighter omnis flanking a narrower set of darker directional mics. You can mix smoothly between the two to achieve a more direct or more spacious sound.
The Mid array is a pair of ultra low noise LDC’s, Microtech Gefell M940, provide a neutral, unhyped sound ideal for blending with most other libraries.
Finally a distant, NOS array of Rode TF5 SDC’s capture the acoustics of TRC Studio A, suitable for combining recorders with orchestral samples from scoring stages.
Cutting-Edge True Legato
Many libraries today promise natural legato intervals, only to provide a stilted delivery due to a simpler (and cheaper) recording method which requires two crossfades, in and out.
The Recorder eschews this practice and utilizes instead a vastly more time consuming method which eliminates the need for the second crossfade, giving a beautifully natural transition.
A more “traditional” set of legatos are provided for comparison and timbral clarity, using chromatic destination notes rather than the diatonic destinations sampled.
VISAGE exposes full control over every parameter of the legato behavior, allowing you to tune the legato exactly to taste, or you can pick between six pre-calibrated presets and get playing.
Historical Tuning & Temperaments System
Our new VISAGE 3 engine allows you to work in a range of historical temperaments and intonations, from various flavors of Meantone to the rich key coloration of so-called “Well” temperaments, to even some varieties of near-Equal options.
A useful Transposition feature allows you to utilize A=415 instruments in modern A=440 production (and vice versa), providing many different timbral options to perfectly fit the context and range of your virtual production or composition.
Powerful VISAGE 3 Engine
Utilizing the new VISAGE engine to its fullest, both versions of The Recorder pack in a range of controls over every aspect of the instrument including but not limited to:
- Volume, pan, width, solo/mute, purge, and routing for each mic position
- Blendable Mid microphones (continuous variable)
- Full velocity curve control
- Dynamic range control
- Separate control over volume of releases and short articulations
- Moveable keyswitch block
- Transposition
- Range limiting & expanding
- Easy-access reverb settings
- Fully customizable tuning & temperaments engine
- Neighbor-borrowing RR (customizable)
- Mono aftertouch note-off triggering available
- Integration with NKS/NI keyboards (NKS 1.0)
- MIRAGE FX control panel
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- Exposes and simplifies Kontakt’s internal FX engine
- Utilizes the latest FX in Kontakt 7
- Modular construction allows updates to VISAGE/MIRAGE FX separately
-
Kontakt Library with Kontakt Player Support
Both versions of The Recorder have been licensed to work in the free Kontakt Player; you do not need to own or purchase Kontakt in order to use it.
Utilizing the ‘Libraries’ tab, navigating, loading, and auditioning patches is an easy and convenient process.
In addition, you can enjoy all of the conveniences of Kontakt, such as snapshots, easy controller integration, standalone functionality for live use, and integration with NI’s line of keyboards via NKS 1.0 integration.
The purchase of this library will also qualify you for the special Crossgrade pricing for Kontakt, significantly reducing the cost of ownership.
Any version of Kontakt OR Kontakt Player from 7.6.1 or higher will work with The Recorder.
Instrument List
Baroque A=440 Consort
- Sopranino in Boxwood (Yamaha)
- Soprano in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- Alto in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- Tenor in Satinwood (Yamaha)
- Bass in Maple (Yamaha)
- Great Bass in Maple (Yamaha)
- Contrabass in Mahogany (Von Huene)
Baroque A=415 Consort
- Sopranino in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- 6th Flute in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- Soprano in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- 4th Flute in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- Alto in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- Voiceflute in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- Tenor in Boxwood (Von Huene)
- Bass in Maple (Yamaha)
- A=392 Alto in Boxwood (Von Huene)*
* Treated as if in A=415
Renaissance A=440 Consort (Prescott)
- Soprano in d”
- Soprano in c”
- Alto in a’
- Alto in g’
- Alto in f’
- Tenor in d’
- Tenor in c’
- Bass in f
- Greatbass in c
- Contrabass in F
Ganassi A=440
- G Alto in Boxwood (Ralf Netsch)
