Windy Welsh Tenor

A Tenor Recorder played on the side of a ridge in Snowdonia, North Wales.

The story

Windy Welsh Tenor came about as a response to the Winter Voices campaign. Aware that I can’t sing, I began to think about the process of making music that people go through after they’ve tried singing. In many instances once a child has taught themselves to sing, they to graduate to a Recorder in school. With that thought in mind, I dug out an old childhood Tenor Recorder and took it with me on a hike around the Carneddau in Snowdonia, North Wales. On the side of a ridge, I recorded a selection of notes on the Tenor Recorder with a Rode iXY. The location conditions affected most of the recordings but I got a few workable takes. Back home, the clean recordings were processed with reverbs, layered with ‘dry’ recordings in Kontakt and tuned back to roughly A (440). Two simple controls. Depth (Modwheel) is a Single Pole Low Pass Ladder filter on each of the 2 Round Robin groups. This is also assigned to Mono Aftertouch for two handed expressive playing. Space (CC21) affects the size and length of Delay. The resulting instrument is an evolving ethereal pad with vocal-like qualities. (Built in Kontakt 6.4.2 – sorry Kontakt 5 users!)

Reviews

  • Mesmerizing for real.

    I have tested and reviewed a lot of vocal samples and pads, but I have to admit this one was something special. Everything is so wonderfully great about this. I wish the range was a little bigger - which is just 4 octaves right now. It is great as it is though, don't get me wrong. The GUI blends it really well, and it prepares you for what's about to come. I'd love to see more customization though, such as ADSR envelope, reverb controls, and perhaps stereo-image setting.

    — Alex Raptakis on 15 October 2021

  • Recorders are cool, okay!

    Recorders are cool, okay! Perhaps that's because this doesn't sound much like what you'd expect from a tenor recorder. What this does sound like however is dollop of whipped creamy ambience... whatever that is. This is one of pianobook's simple but brilliant libraries where the tone of the instrument is rather unique and sounds great as soon as you load the patch. However, ride that modwheel and hear the 'depth' control take you somewhere else. Heavenly!!

    — R.Treves on 16 October 2021

  • Abolutely OUTSTANDING!

    I cant put it in words how the first notes played with this made me feel. Its just something from other world. The ambience, the feeling of this peaceful sound just surrounding me. This is the first time i felt something like that while playing a sample library and i have goosebumps on my hands! GUI could use a little work but its absolutely functional and i wish there was more range but overall i couldnt be more happy with it!

    — Arc-I on 08 April 2022
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By Gigabang

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