The final delivery from Italy in 2023 included the final instruments making up the Ensign Organ Range which replaces the Chorum models based on sampled sound. A few days later we had our trusted photographer lined up to take the images needed for the web site and hard copy literature.
The new models are designed with UK customers especially in mind so differ from those available in other parts of the world.
Authentic UK voicing
The most significant option is of course authentic UK voicing based on the tonal landscape of Hill and Willis. Each instrument has a choice of 3 different ‘Pipe Sets’ which can be quickly exchanged to move from English to Baroque and Romantic voice soundscapes.
Each Ensign instrument has 2 bass channels, and the impact of the lower registers is noticeably stronger on these new models. Thumb pistons and rocker tabs have been redesigned presenting a nicely refreshed console.
The end of sampled sound generation
For those players that like to enjoy the experience of the all important stop, ‘the building’, a much more sophisticated reverberation system allows very detailed management of the building size and the players position in that space relative to the sound source. There are so many settings to explore that each pipe set holds these parameters so you can very quickly move between instrument in a small reverberant space that you are close to, to one in huge space where you are seated far away from the pipes.
These new Physical modelling instruments see the end of sampled sound generation from Viscount. A decision based on the recognition that nearly all customers visiting the showroom preferred the sound created in this uniquely flexible way.
We would love to get your first hand thoughts on the new instruments and invite you to visit our showroom in Bicester. Recordings can only give you a guide to what lays in store. You need to sit at an instrument and explore it at leisure to appreciates just how far the sound has come on in recent years.
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Viscount Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
