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The Blanchet 1720




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clavecin BlanchetUsing this soundbank in a sampler, you can play a virtual harpsichord copied after a 18th century french instrument by Blanchet. It has one manual, two 8' stops, plus a lute stop. This soundbank is available in soundfont, and Kontakt 2 format. If you want a version for Hauptwerk, go to Soni Musicae / Hauptwerk.
 The soundfont version is not complete, because it has not the sound of mechanics (that are in original samples) when the musician releases the keys of the harpsichord, but the one for Kontakt has it.
The keyboard of a harpsichord is not touch sensitive (dynamic), and sounds at the same level whatever you press the keys, but it seems that it is impossible to obtain this with the soundfont format... To avoid dynamic differences and respect the original instrument, you can adjust velocity in your sequencer in a way that the volume is constantly the highest... The Kontakt 2 version does not need this.

SOUND ESTHETICS

This bank has been created according to the following aims : we tried to produce the best soundbank possible, without any concession, i.e. without any consideration of size.

According to this, we have one sample for each note, and it lasts as long as the sound is audible : the files last between 4 et 15 seconds, without adding the release samples.
The sf2 version weighs 214 MB instead of 250 MB for the full Kontakt 2 version, which has the release samples.

You may find this recording too dry, not reverberated enough. It is a deliberate choice, because we want this bank to be used in many contexts, mainly in a sequencer. So, it is possible to modify its sound, and add some reverberation or other effects, exactly as the user likes, what would have been impossible with a less neutral sound (for ex : church or concert hall).

The harpsichord has been tuned to A 415 Hz and to equal temperament. But, in order to make it easier to use with most of modern instruments (in a sequencer for example), we transposed a semi-tone, to get a 440 Hz tuned harpsichord. So you can play it in your compositions without problem.


Before you download the soundbank, please read the license and conditions of use

If you want to hear the sound of this harpsichord soundbank before downloading it, you can listen two pieces of a french composer, François Couperin (18th century), played by midi files. The 4 combinations can be heard successively : stop 1, then stop 2, then the lute, and then the two stops together, in a hazardous order that will horrify harpsichordists ...
Les Barricades mystérieuses
Les Papillons

Please do not give direct link for download on forum or web sites !

     
Download the sound bank Blanchet-1720
sf2 (62,7 Mo)
Kontakt 2 (145 Mo)
 
The sf2 version is compressed with sfark. To decompress it, you must use this software which exists for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux, downloadable there :
http://melodymachine.com/sfark.htm
This soundbank is free and will ever be, for you, but not for us. So, if you like it and want to help us to develop other soundbanks, or support our work, which takes time and money, you can make a donation. If so, send me an e-mail.

If you want to give us some feedback or any remarks about this soundbank or anything else, you can do it HERE

If you use Hauptwerk 1 or MyOrgan (free and better than Hauptwerk 1), you can find the Blanchet 1720 adapted to those softwares here :  Soni Musicae / Hauptwerk
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