Lachrimae - Renaissance Lute (Decent Sampler instrument, VST/AAX/AU)

15 ratings

Lachrimae was sampled from a Roosebeck Deluxe 7-course lute. There are 13 nylgut strings on this lute. The first string (aka 'chanterelle') is a single string while the other six courses are pairs of strings. The next three courses are unison pairs while the lowest three courses are paired in octaves. The higher octaves on the bass strings help give clarity and definition for the bass notes. Most of the samples are recorded with open strings but I fretted some of the higher notes. The highest sample, G4, is a 12th fret harmonic from the chanterelle.

I recorded these samples with my AKG Perception 420 large diaphragm microphone. I did minimal processing in Logic Pro 11 before building the instrument for Decent Sampler.

You can get an authentic renaissance lute sound right out of the box. The on-board effects help to elevate the sound to a different world. Here's a breakdown of what is included:

Low Pass Filter (LPF): Turn this knob counterclockwise to mellow out the sound. The knob will go all the way down to 500 Hz.

Chorus: This is a fairly slow, moderately deep chorus effect. Turn it up slowly to achieve a pseudo-doubling effect in stereo.

Delay: Turn this knob clockwise to bring up the delay effect. Notes will repeat somewhat quickly which creates some extra space for this lute to exist.

Reverb: Turn this knob clockwise to send this lute into a very large room.

Attack: Increase the attack time to hear the samples fade in rather than start immediately at full volume. This can cut off the initial transient of the plucked string and achieve a somewhat eerie, bowed string-like effect.

Release: Shorten the release time to make extra snappy and extra dry banjo sounds. Increase the release time to let the notes linger around longer, much like holding down the damper pedal. (Those should work on this instrument too!)

Tremolo: Turn the knob clockwise to increase the tremolo speed. Tremolo is when the note repeats several times. Tremolo wasn't a very common technique for lute playing, but turning the knob up to about 30% gives you a nice effect reminiscent of tremolo on mandolin. Turn the tremolo on about 25% and the attack time up past 50% to create some otherworldly pads!