Sampled from a 150-year-old baby grand, The Oeser is a realistic and inspiring piano library from Key Instruments. Engineering the Sound investigates.
Sample libraries have come a long way in recent years. But still, it’s no mean feat to capture the soul of an acoustic instrument for use in modern, DAW-based workflows. But The Oeser, a new library from Key Instruments, does just that.
Using an 1877 Franz Oeser piano as its sound source, this library offers up multiple tonal colours of the baby grand, presenting it as an easy-to-use Kontakt instrument. Engineering the Sound lifted the lid (pun very much intended) on this special collection.
Despite the comprehensive nature of the sampling on offer here, The Oeser really is an easy instrument to approach. There are four core instruments to choose from:
Pure: the sound of the piano itself without any unconventional treatment or preparation.
Felted: with a strip of felt across the hammers to create that ethereal and unearthly softness.
Muted: the strings are muted by hand in this case, which is an especially creative sound design choice.
Picked: ever wondered if a piano can be transformed into a harpsichord? Here’s what it might sound like.
Beyond the piano variations, you can place yourself within different environments around the instrument to change your aural perspective. For example, you can listen from the studio lounge, up close and personal, or even from underneath the piano.
To top it off, you can listen through three stereo pairs of microphones, using the finest microphones from Neumann and AKG, as well as some classy preamps from Neve and Avalon.
The Oeser retails for €75. Visit the Key Instruments website for all the details.
