realsamples has released the German Celesta sample library, the latest addition to their ongoing Edition Beurmann, featuring instruments from the famous German collector Andreas Beurmann.

Invented over 125 years ago, the celesta remains an obscure yet fascinating instrument. Opposed to a piano, hammers touch steel plates instead of strings: It sports a vibrant, mellow and charming sound reminiscent of a vibraphone, glockenspiel, marimba and a piano - yet a sound of its own.

Back in the day, it was inspiring to those looking for a new sound - Tschaikowsky wrote some parts of his Nutcracker for a celesta. The instrument out of the Beurmann collection is from Schiedmayer and was built around 1960. It cost a fortune, and it still does, so there are few concert halls that keep one around. It's great for anything from classical to those looking for unconsumed yet familiar sounds for pop, folk or any experimental genre.

For the critical task of recording the instrument, custom-made Wagner U47w tube microphones were used in conjunction with Crane Song Flamingo preamps and Universal Audio 2192 digital converters, captured in 192 kHz/24-Bit resolution. The sample library features 16 different samples of each key. A celesta owes a huge part of its character to the key release noises, so they were recorded with 8 samples per note to complete the virtual celesta experience.

Presets are available for all common sample formats including HALion, Kontakt (2+), EXS24 and GigaStudio3.

The German Celesta sample library is available in different resolutions, starting at $139.95, and can be purchased directly on the realsamples website.

Audio Demos

Tschaikowsky - Der Nussknacker: Tanz der Zuckerfee
Celesta aus Bergs 'Altenbergliedern'
Debussy 'Voiles' (Bd.1, Nr.2)
Hommage to Schönberg (by Steffen Fahl)