Broadwood by Ben Smith
Location: Edinburgh
Date: 22/8/19

Not much is known by me about this here piano.
We were en route south from the Highlands and stopping in Embra for a bit of festival action.
I was carrying a portable rig with me as I had just recorded a piano in the Highlands, and the opportunity presented itself one lazy morning.
I popped in – set up – and using two odd (work with what you got) Rode mics hung over the hammers I got the requisite 224 samples the best I could.
You can here the festival in the background so NR might be preffered – but I like the artefacts and atmosphere.
No felts involved – just a practice pedals that slightly dampens the resonance.

Files as follows using Christian’s long from round robin template.
NB: all RAW files without NR
Soft layer x3 per note
Loud layer x3 per note
Release Triggers x3 per note
Pedal on x8
Pedal off x8
Wild Track

The EXS instrument is assembled best as I can, following Christian’s guide and my intuition.
A few things to note:
1. round robins are all set for the soft and loud layers although playing a arpeggio only rotates only plays the first sample on each key
2. Pedal on and off samples won’t respond to the sustain pedal and won’t round robin
3. RTs only play first file and I can’t get the decay right – so when you hold a note manually and lift off, the RT is super loud.
4. when sustain pedal held – the noise floor accumulates nastily – might need an NR version of files or maybe I’ve set something up wrong.

As a result of these issues, I have left the Pedal samples out of the instrument, and RT files are reduced in volume to -5.
Got to sort out those bits then its should all be lovely.

I am going to continue my EXS adventure but in all likelihood – I may have to learn to use Kontakt.
Over to you.
Thoughts welcome.

Ben