![](https://www.audiotechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Orchestral-Tools_Spindle_Main-pichi.jpg)
Orchestral Tools: Spindle
A free felt piano.
Collaborating with names such as Tom Holkenborg, Harry Gregson-Williams, and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Orchestral Tools is a small, independent company whose instruments are used by A-list Hollywood composers and underground Berlin up-and-comers alike. When it comes to capturing orchestral music, there aren’t many locations in the world that can compete with Teldex Studio, situated in Berlin. Boasting ideal acoustics for orchestral recordings, it is the largest independent recording facility in Germany, and with a 455-square-metre live room it is almost the same size as Abbey Road’s Studio One.
The relationship between Orchestral Tools and Teldex began in 2012 when the first installation of the Berlin Series ‘Woodwinds’ was recorded there. Since then, Teldex Studio has become the sonic home for Orchestral Tools, and has allowed it to reach new levels of orchestral sampling, delivering rich, detailed, and flexible instrument collections that will add new depth to symphonic compositions. As well as this, the studio has possibly the largest collection of vintage Neumann microphones in the world, making it the perfect space for recording orchestral collections.
Spindle is a Rösler upright studio piano with soft-felt hammers, producing a gorgeously muted sound. Recorded up-close and intimate, and from four microphone positions, the low end tones are warm and round, with lots of detail in the high-end. It includes three velocity layers with three round-robins per note, which make it well-suited for repetitive ostinatos and sparse arrangements. Channel your melancholic nordic noir, or add a touch of improvisation to electronica or beats.
Spindle can be accessed through the free SINEfactory library.