Spitfire Audio may be best known for their orchestral offerings, but their extensive range also includes a whole host of libraries that capture slightly more unusual instruments. Their latest release falls into their Folk & World category, and has been created in collaboration with Gustavo Santaolalla, the award-winning composer behind the scores of The Last of Us, Motorcycle Diaries and Babel.
As its name suggests, Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla captures the unique sound of the ronroco, a stringed instrument originating from the Andean region of South America that’s often considered a larger, lower-pitched relative of the more well-known charango. The instrument features five courses of two strings, and the middle course is often tuned in octaves, contributing to the rich resonance and sustain for which it is renowned.
The GUI is divided into four main pages: Perform, Sequencer, Calibrate and FX. The Perform page is dedicated to live playing, and comes packed with tools for triggering different articulations as well as replicating the likes of string and fret noise for authentic-sounding results. Patterns and rhythms can be created in the Sequencer page, and the resulting parts can be dragged and dropped into a DAW track as MIDI data for detailed editing, while the library’s overall sound and behaviour can be customised using the Calibrate page. Finally, FX houses a trio of high-quality effects: a convolution reverb, an algorithmic reverb and a delay.
Recording duties fell to Mike Georgiades, the Ivor Novello-nominated engineer behind Spitfire’s MG Soft Acoustic Guitar and MG Soft Nylon Guitar libraries. Spitfire say that Mike's programming ensures that the library captures every delicate articulation, strum and squeak of Gustavo’s performances, with five distinct velocity layers ensuring that the library delivers a truly responsive and musical tool.
“Gustavo opened up the world’s ears to the creative possibilities of the ronroco thanks to his sensitive, luminous playing and intuitive yet complex compositions. We want to offer these creative possibilities to more musicians, composers, and producers who love what they’ve heard in Gustavo’s score and want to incorporate that same feeling into their own projects. The instrument has inspired Gustavo and we are certain its virtual counterpart will inspire countless artists in new ways.” - Paul Thomson, Co-Founder, Spitfire Audio
Compatibility
Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla runs in Native Instruments Kontakt or Kontakt Player versions 6.71 and above, which are supported on PCs running Windows 10 or higher, and Macs running macOS 10.15 and above. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available, along with standalone applications.
Pricing & Availability
Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla is available now, and is being offered at an introductory price of $135£111 / €119 until 8 May 2025, when it will increase to its full cost of $169£139 / €149. GBP prices include VAT.
