Oro

Unlock a portal into creative potential with Oro, an alchemical journey through the transformation of metal instruments in Colombia. As the second chapter in MNTRA's location-based Portals series, Oro embodies the 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 immersive natural ambiences.

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 Colombia’s spirited musical traditions, where music transcends boundaries.

What's Inside?

Brass

• 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, Appogiatura 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’

Organ

• Pipe Organ (Bombarda Pedal Long, Bombarda Pedal Short, Trumpet and Viola, 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 hihat 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

Creatively Processed

• 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.

Soundscapes

• Caribbean Seaside

Soundscape captured in a long beach, right by Santa Marta’s city centre,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, a mountainous complex that rests next to the Caribbean Coast in Colombia. The closeness to 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 colour in their tails. Its name, an onomatopoeia 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 flow 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.

Features

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

Technical Specifications

Samples

• Recorded at 24-bit 192 and 96 kHz ultrasonic resolution

Engine

• VST3 / AU / AAX 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 VST3/AU/AAX compatible DAWs*

* Mixcraft 9 Pro is not supported