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An Alchemical Transformation of Metal Instruments from Colombia

Unlock a portal into creative potential with Oro, an alchemical journey through the transformation of metal instruments in Colombia. As the second chapter in our location-based Portals series, Oro embodies our creative exploration of the place that half of the MNTRA Team calls home, Bogotá, Colombia. This inspirational instrument boasts a rich collection of modern valved brass instruments, an architecturally acclaimed pipe organ, and an array of metal percussion, accompanied by analog and digitally transformed versions of those sources and an immersive natural ambiance.

With over 170 meticulously crafted presets, 84 individual instruments, and 7 captivating natural soundscapes, Oro provides an expansive palette of possibilities drawn directly from Bogotá’s rich musical tapestry. Oro reimagines the legendary El Dorado, not as a mythical kingdom of riches to be exploited, but as a dynamic hub of creativity and diversity. It empowers you to shape a new generation of musical transformation and immerse yourself in Spirited musical traditions, where music transcends boundaries.

Inside Oro

170+ Presets
84 Instrument Sample Maps
7 Soundscapes Sample maps
Up to 11 Round Robins
Up to 4 Microphone Channels

MNTRA Instruments · Endless Blue – Noah Sherrin

The Story of ORO

Oro is a celebration of the transformative journeys of musical instruments through many different contexts and genres. The second installment in our location-based Portals series, Oro is the result of a creative exploration of the place that half of the MNTRA Team calls home, Bogotá, Colombia. The legend of El Dorado has been told about the territory of Abya Yala (the indigenous Kuna language name for present-day Colombia and Panama) for a long time, but this coveted kingdom of precious metals was much more than anyone could have imagined. This instrument is a reinterpretation of the meaning of precious metals in Colombia.

Many metal instruments arrived in Colombia through the Caribbean, were transformed, and became ubiquitous to many genres across the country. Now, as traditional rhythms are interpreted today in modern pop and dance music, instruments from neighboring countries and musical traditions have also assumed the roles of more traditional Colombian instruments. Within Oro, we present a deep collection of metal percussion, modern valved brass instruments, and an architecturally acclaimed pipe organ, alongside analog and digitally processed versions of those source samples, and immersive nature ambiances. With this inspiring set of metal instruments and the transformative power of our acoustic synthesis engine, MNDALA 2, we offer you the next generation of tools for the transmutation of these musical traditions.

Stemming from the military band tradition, brass instruments now play a pivotal role in styles such as Chirimía from the Northern Pacific Region, Porro and Fandango in the Magdalena river basin, and in Salsa, a genre that found a cradle in the western branch of the Andes. This intersects with the history of church organs in the continent, whose repertoire was first played by brass ensembles before the organs were locally available. The collected sounds within Oro have been expertly played by local artists who perform music styles from around the country. Each musician brought their unique perspectives, incorporating favorite techniques, arrangements, rhythms, and sounds, to create the unique fusion of Oro.

We introduce to you Oro, our token to a land where the music is as diverse as the natural landscape (or perhaps thanks to it!) We lovingly crafted it as a revisionist take on the legend of the golden kingdom, not a mythical land of riches to be exploited, but a dynamic, ever-changing, and generous hub of creativity and diversity. Oro is our invitation to keep creating and transforming music and tradition, rooted in the respect we extend to those who invest time in learning and sharing. The animated Perform View artwork, reflecting this, stems from the true appearance of what precious means in this land: woven textiles, bright colors, water, and syncretism.

Other products in the Portals Series

Ha Noi – an ode to the magic of Vietnam’s capital city.
Naada – reimagined resonances from India

First-time user of Mntra Instruments?

They require the MNDALA 2 Free Engine

Simply install once and you will be able to run all of our instruments.

Download Mndala 2 Free Engine

What’s inside Oro?

Wind

Trumpet (Long, Short, Fall, Glissando Down, Glissando Up, Vibrato, Frulatto, Shake)
Brass trumpet in Bb. The trumpet is fundamental to the development and establishment of Salsa as a shared Caribbean expression. In Cali, Colombia, the development of a singular musical and dance culture around it is at the core of the city’s identity.Played by: Andrés Castrillón ‘Tumaco’
Trombone (Medium, Short, Pullm Fall, Glissando Up, ‘Goat’, Bend Up, Grupetto, Frulatto, Fast Scoop)
Tenor trombone made with a copper alloy. The trombone is part of the regular salsa ensemble, next to the trumpet and saxophone. Willie Colón, one of the most relevant figures in this genre, was a trombonist himself. The possibilities of expressivity and glissandos in the trombone have become characteristic in its melodies and riffs. Played by: Luis Miguel Montiel
Sousaphone (Medium, Short, Staccato, Frulatto, Percussive Shot, ‘Thump’,’Scream’, Multiphonic, Flutter)
Brass Sousaphone. Sousaphones were created at the end of the 19th century modifying a tuba to be more portable and project towards the front. Sousaphones are part of larger marching bands or brass ensembles and play the lowest register. In Colombia, they have a special participation in bands playing Porro and Fandango. Played by: Daniel Rincón Ucrós
Bombardino (Long, Short, Staccato, Frulatto, Glissando Up and Down, Appoggiatura Up, Multiphonic)
Bombardino is another name for the Euphonium, a lower brass instrument smaller than a tuba that is especially popular in Jazz and marching bands and brass ensembles. It was brought to Colombia through the Caribbean and adopted quickly in military bands, especially around the Sinú River, and becoming essential to many ensembles playing Porro. Played by: Andrés Jiménez ‘Onofre’

Keys

Acoustic Organ (Bombarda Pedal Long, Bombarda Pedal Short, Trumpet andViola, Granlleno Long, Granlleno Short, Tutti Long, Tutti Short, Principal Nazardo Long, Muted Flute Long, Muted Flute Short, Keyboard II Long, Keyboard II Short)
Organ from the Sala de Conciertos Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango in downtown Bogotá, Colombia. The organ is the centerpiece of this oval-shaped concert hall with 33 stops in three different keyboards and a pedal set. The pipes were built with Colombian timber, tin and lead. Played by: Keyner Ramírez

Percussion

Surdo (Woodstick Hit, Flam, Rubber Hit, Woodstock Hit Mute)
Large-sized drum with aluminum, body and plastic heads, hit with a rubber-covered stick to produce a flam, they are worn hanging from the back or waist. Originally from the Rio de Janeiro area in Brazil, they have also popularized amongst musicians adopting them for other rhythms around the world. Played by: Felipe Moscote
Repique (Hit, Bounce, Flam)
Medium-sized drum with a body made with aluminum or other metal, and plastic heads, hit with a wooden stick. Tuned high to play fast and lead rhythms. Originally from the Rio de Janeiro area in Brazil, they have also popularized amongst musicians adopting them for other rhythms around the world. Played by: Felipe Moscote
Güira (Hit, Drag)
Steel cylinder with perforations played with a metal brush with hard bristles that produce a loud sound full of harmonics. Known from coming from the Dominican Republic, this instrument plays essential roles in genres like Merengue and Bachata that are especially important in the Caribbean, and has been adopted in other genres like Vallenato from Colombia. Played by: Felipe Moscote
Cowbell (Hit Low, Hit High)
Black Brass cowbell hit with a wooden stick. Known sometimes as Cencerro in Latin America, this instrument occupies an important role in Salsa and other genres. Colombian salsa is known for having a particularly strong presence of it.Played by: Felipe Moscote
Hihat (Closed, Mid Open, Pedal Open)
15-inch hi-hat played, with bottom and top cymbals closed, and played with a wooden stick.Played by: Felipe Moscote
Ride Cymbal (Hit Sustain, Hit Bell)
Large, dark cymbal hit with a wooden stick.Played by: Felipe Moscote
Crash Cymbal (Mute, Open)
20-inch crash played with a wooden stick.Played by: Felipe Moscote

Synth

5th Pad
Ambient harmonized pad created by processing a pipe organ through analog and digital gear.
Blown Sub
Thunderous synth bass drone created by processing a horn through analog and digital gear.
Crushed Metal Lead
Distorted, abrasive synth lead sound created by processing brass through analog and digital gear.
Dark Lead
Spacious dark lead created by processing a pipe organ through analog and digital gear.
Degraded Keys
Highly dynamic Lofi synth pluck created by processing a horn through analog and digital gear.
Distorted Lead
Overblown distorted lead created by processing a pipe organ through analog and digital gear.
Doom Organ
Epic distorted organ pad created by processing a pipe organ through analog and digital gear.
Evolving Pad
Dynamic synth pad created by processing a pipe organ through analog and digital gear.
Memory Pad
Echoing ambient pad created by processing a pipe organ through analog and digital gear.
Shimmer Lead
Bright lead with pitch-shifted echoes created by processing a trumpet through analog and digital gear.
Transistor Organ
Bright distorted organ lead created by processing a pipe organ through analog and digital gear.
Wire Transmission
Lofi and spacious eerie drone created by processing a trombone through analog and digital gear.

FX (Soundscapes original and effected)

Caribbean Seaside
Soundscape captured in a long beach, right by Santa Marta’s city center, in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. It was captured in the afternoon as the sun slowly receded.
Jungle Night
Soundscape captured at night in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a mountainous complex that rests next to the Caribbean Coast in Colombia. Sounds at night paint a completely different scene, with frogs and insects all around.
Jungle Sunrise
Soundscape captured close to sunrise in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, mountainous complex that rests next to the Caribbean Coast in Colombia. The closeness to the river brings in a distinct sound print.
Stream in the City Forest
Soundscape captured during a morning walk to one of the multiple mountains surrounding Bogotá, Colombia. A stream flows down bringing recent rainfall toward the plateau where the city is located.
Tempered Morning Guacharacas
Soundscape captured in a warm town in the Tolima department in Colombia. These birds, Guacharas (Ortalis ruficauda), are turkey-sized and have a reddish color in their tails. Its name, an onomatopeia of the sound it produces, fills up the morning hours of tempered-weather lands in Colombia, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Tempered Rain Night
Soundscape captured in a warm town in the Tolima department in Colombia. It was recorded under a tin roof during heavy rain at midnight during the dry season. The arrival of rain temporarily transforms the sounds the nightly fauna create.
Tempered River Day
Soundscape captured in a warm town in the Tolima department in Colombia. In this region, every river flows towards the majestic Magdalena, creating canyons and fertile land. Here, the riverbanks’ sand was black, fine, and soft. People can visit this secluded area to enjoy the shallow waters and the current.

Requires the MNDALA 2 Free Engine

Samples

Recorded at 24-bit 192 and 96 kHz ultrasonic resolution

Engine

AAX/VST3/AU plugin for Windows & Mac OS (10.11+) including full M1 Chip support
No fuss copy protection, simply install and the instrument is uniquely encrypted to be used within your system
Seamless downloads, updates, and installation within MNDALA 2 with a registered Mntra account

File Size

40 sample maps
7 GB installed, 13 GB recommended for setup

System Requirements

Minimum 8GB of RAM and an i5 or better CPU required
Supported by all 64-bit AAX/VST3/AU compatible DAW’s*

* Mixcraft 9 Pro is not supported

MNTRA MNDALA Engine Walkthrough

Learn how to use the MNDALA Engine and its features to facilitate your exploration of MNTRA's sound sculptures, with this tutorial from composer Jeff Tremblett.

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MNTRA Instruments Oro