MNTRA Instruments Core Bundle

All The Tools You Need To Make Breathtaking Music

MNTRA is the new audio tools division of LA HACIENDA CREATIVE studios based in Montreal, Canada. With a focus on exploring new realms of musical composition and sound design, they achieve incredible results with their next-generation virtual instruments. Created for real-world demands by their passionate team, their virtual instruments are built on their extensive experience in interactive audio and decades of collecting rare instruments and sounds from across the globe. 

The MNTRA Instruments Core Bundle gives you the opportunity to access the entire incredible range of assiduously sampled virtual instruments, and help you unlock exponential creativity within your productions.

Augmented Ancient Sonic Geometry

Pyramids invites you into a world where ancient geometry meets modern sound design. Crafted from pure quartz, these instruments resonate with crystalline clarity, offering both an acoustic and expanded sound experience. Their precise ratios, inspired by the Great Pyramids of Egypt, produce transparent tones that can be shaped through movement, rhythmic beating, and the addition of other vibrating sources. As the first release in the Elemental series, Pyramids is an instrument explored to its core, surpassing the physical world’s limitations to create augmented and versatile sound expressions.

Each pyramid resonates with a crystalline purity that’s both transparent and deeply immersive. When spun, the instrument generates an acoustic vibrato, offering a fresh perspective on the
interaction between harmonics, fundamentals, and beat frequencies.

Recorded with meticulous care, including sessions in both reverberant and dead rooms, they captured the instruments from both inside and outside perspectives. Pyramids has been one of the most challenging instruments MNTRA have ever recorded, as its onset and subtle tail required an extremely low-noise environment and custom-built signal chain. After multiple recordings and adjustments, the result is a rich, dynamic sound array that’s both expressive and versatile. From delicate resonances to the intense vibrations of a cracked pyramid, every sound is captured in pristine detail.

Whether you're a Sound Healer, Experimental Ambient Musician, or Sound Designer, Pyramids offers a vast array of sonic possibilities. With various sizes and different mallets—acrylic, suede, nails—and the addition of resonant jingles, you can create anything from gentle healing ambiances to electroacoustic soundscapes.

Features

• 94 Presets
• 50 Atelier Presets
• 32 Instrument Sample Maps
• 22 Sample Start Modulation Enabled Sample Maps
• 17 Round Robins
• Up to 2 Microphone Channels
• Recorded at leading-edge 32-bit 384khz resolution
• CPU-friendly playback at 24-bit 96khz resolution
• No fuss copy protection, simply install and the instrument is uniquely encrypted to be used within your system.
• Seamless download, updates, and installation within MNDALA 2 with a registered MNTRA account

Dark Sounds Suite Expanded

Orakle X is MNTRA's largest Sound Sculpture Instrument yet, offering everything you need to make modern cinematic music inspired by ancient sounds. Informed by their passion for international instruments and techniques, Orakle X transcends place and time. Orakle X includes experimental string articulations, thunderous horns, flute clusters, overtone singing, a massive array of unique percussion, and so much more.

At the heart of Orakle X is MNTRA's founder Brian D’Oliveira’s (The Witcher NOTW, Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7 + 8) vast collection of one-of-a-kind instruments, assembled during his many travels across the globe. His dedication to studying the ancient performance techniques of these unique instruments, combined with MNTRA's leading-edge ultrasonic sampling workflow, allows them to be heard in an entirely new way. 

From aleatoric flute swarms and bombastic drums to bowed metal textures and extended Baroque cello harmonics, Orakle X gives you all the components needed to create visionary sound worlds.

Recorded with state-of-the-art equipment in MNTRA's legendary RCA Victor studio in Montreal, and meticulously sampled to capture the nuanced resonances of these rare instruments, Orakle X has vast compositional and sound design applications.

Features

• 51 Sample Maps
• Up To 59 Round Robbins
• Recorded at industry-leading 32-bit/384kHz resolution
• Extreme resolution CPU efficient in-DAW playback & blazingly fast preset loading 
• Plugin app and samples watermarked to you
• Easy downloads and updates via Pulse Downloader
• 18.5 GB installed

Learn more about Orakle X.

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.

Features

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

Learn more about Oro.

An Otherworldly Portal Into Ultrasonic Sound Healing

Atma is a collection of sacred sound instruments obtained by MNTRA's award winning founder & composer, Brian D’Oliveira, during his many pilgrimages to holy sites around the world. Ranging from ritual healing bells to pitched Aztec volcanic rocks, MNTRA creatively sampled these special instruments to explore the potential of the powerful nonlinear sound-design engine MNDALA.

By capturing the rich textures of these ancient instruments with their leading-edge ultrasonic sampling process, MNTRA allow you to explore their complex harmonics with a depth and clarity that was previously impossible.

Atma is a sonic gateway into new dimensions of sounds that have been left unexplored until now. The interactive animated performance interface has been carefully crafted to enhance the exploration of these new sonic realms. Featuring a crystalline ocean and an emerging ephemeral being, opening a gateway into these new dimensions.

Features

• 39 Instrument Sample Maps
• Up To 30 Round Robbins
• Recorded at industry-leading 32-bit/384kHz resolution
• Extreme resolution CPU efficient in-DAW playback & blazingly fast preset loading 
• Plugin app and samples watermarked to you
• Easy downloads and updates via Pulse Downloader
• 6.8 GB installed

Learn more about Atma.

Interdimensional Strings Suite Inspired by Sci-fi and Ancient Cultures

Dark and ancient string textures captured at MNTRA's legendary Montreal RCA Victor studio. Creatively processed and warped to offer a wide range of expressive otherworldly sounds; from dystopian clusters to dark & ethereal textures.

Driven by MNTRA's love of both classic sci-fi worlds and ancient cultures, they crafted Arca to be a hybrid sound design tool unlike no other. Blend an 1820s Baroque Cello with supernatural granular shimmers, Mongolian Morin Khuur with radioactive saturation, Nyckelharpa with spaced-out glitches, and much more... Arca gives you the power to create immersive sound worlds yet to be discovered.

Taking full advantage of the powerful sound design capabilities of the MNDALA engine, these unusual sources have been artfully sculpted by MNTRA's award-winning team to offer a wide variety of uniquely expressive sounds.

Arca is built around MNTRA's powerful 3-axis control system represented by a custom Perform view animation created for seamless intuitive live expression. Each preset is a unique performable instrument unto itself to be learned and explored.

Features

• 18 Instruments + 17 Creative Processing Sample Maps
• Up To 30 Round Robbins
• Recorded at industry-leading 32-bit/384kHz resolution
• Extreme resolution CPU efficient in-DAW playback & blazingly fast preset loading 
• Plugin app and samples watermarked to you
• Easy downloads and updates via Pulse Downloader
• 6.8 GB installed

Learn more about Arca.

Caprakan

The Earth's Ancient Voice

Caprakan reimagines ancient earthen sounds and shapes them into a myriad of unusual and inspiring instruments. Including over 50 individual rare instrument sources, Caprakan fuses traditional instruments from Andean and Mesoamerican cultures with explorations of electronically-excited vibrating matter. Within these rare sources, you will discover deep percussion, expressive winds, detailed strings, and organic noise-like sources to give you a colourful foundation to conceive and design amazing music and sounds.

Earthy, dark, and cinematic, Caprakan takes inspiration from the Mayan god of mountains and earthquakes. Furious and powerful, Caprakan vibrates and shatters matter, creating potent sounds that travel hundreds of kilometres. Together with Huracan, Caprakan lets you explore a possible alternate reality where cultures from Central and South America, free from colonialism, were able to continue developing their musical instruments, creating an entirely individual style of electronic music tools.

Core to the creation of Caprakan is MNTRA Instruments' interest in learning and mastering these ancient instruments, and their continuous search for novel sounds and processes. Led by their extensive experience creating award-winning musical sound worlds for AAA video games, they have created Caprakan to be an all-inclusive sound palette, offering a curated selection of all the potential layers of a musical piece: rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, and beyond. Within MNTRA's Animistic Sampler Engine, MNDALA 2, these incredibly deep samples expand infinitely in possibility. Using MNTRA Instruments' proprietary 3-axes global control system, countless parameters can be expressively manipulated in real-time, allowing you to create ever-evolving soundscapes just with one preset! Whether you're looking for quick inspiration in the vast library of handcrafted presets, or want to delve deep into sound design using backend parameters that allow the shaping of every element, Caprakan enables you to conceive unique musical sounds never heard before, that are surprisingly full of life and magic.

Features

• 100 Presets
• 50+ Instrument Sample Maps
• Up to 18 Round Robins
• Up to 3 Dynamic Layers
• Up to 4 Microphone channels (Close, Far, Vintage, Resonant)
• Recorded at extreme definition 32-bit 384kHz ultrasonic resolution
• CPU-efficient in-engine playback at industry-leading 24-bit 96kHz resolution
• No fuss copy protection - simply install and the instrument is uniquely encrypted to be used within your system
• Seamless download, updates, and installation within MNDALA with a registered MNTRA account

Learn more about Caprakan.

Sound of Northern Vietnam

Introducing Ha Noi, an ode to the magic of Vietnam’s capital city. This project is the outcome of an immersive creative residency in Vietnam, undertaken by MNTRA Instruments' gifted in-house sound and visual designer, Noah Sherrin.

Born from the sound world of Hanoi, a city renowned for its dramatic contrasts, vibrant music, and rich history, Ha Noi is a look into the heart and soul of the city's unique musical heritage. The MNTRA team were graced by the talents of top-tier, local musicians who contributed characteristic sounds and expressive performances, drawing from time-honored traditions and innovative contemporary techniques.

The Perform View artwork flow’s from the story of Hoan Kiem Lake, or The Lake of the Restored Sword, in the center of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. The story says a fisherman once came across a large shiny blade while casting his net in the lake and gifted it to a rebel leader named Lê Lợi. The sword gave Lê Lợi and his army immense strength, enabling them to defeat their enemies. After the war was won, Lê Lợi, now emperor, was taking a boat ride on the lake when the Golden Turtle God, Kim Qui came up and asked him to return it to his master the Dragon Lord Long Quân. Grateful for the strength the sword had given him, Lê Lợi returned the sword to the Golden Turtle who took it in his mouth and swam down into the lake. Some say you can still see the shiny reflection of the sword at the bottom of the lake. Depicted in the style of a Đông Sơn drum, massive ornamental bronze drums crafted by people of the Đông Sơn culture, the story is told through abstract drawings and geometric patterns in concentric circles.

Leveraging the transformative power of MNTRA Instruments' MNDALA 2 engine, these already-vivid sounds have been artistically reinterpreted and reshaped into a multitude of new forms. This creative endeavor presents a dynamic palette brimming with a myriad of sonic-colors that reflect Hanoi, including not only instruments but also soundscapes captured throughout Northern Vietnam.

With Ha Noi, you are invited into the soundworld of this special city. Ha Noi tells a rich tale of heritage and innovation that resonates with the heartbeat of a city in motion.

Learn more about Ha Noi.

The Dark Sounds of Aztec Death Whistles, Expanded

Step into the enigmatic realm of Aztec death whistles with UDW X. Often dubbed as the world's most chilling instrument, these ceramic, skull-shaped marvels were used extensively in Mexica spiritual ceremonies and in the battlefield to instill fear on their enemies. MNTRA are thrilled to present our exquisite collection of rare and handcrafted death whistles sourced from years of research, tailored for your unique productions.

Ultrasonic Death Whistle (UDW) is your key to MNTRA's distinct vision of sampling, supercharged by their robust MNDALA 2 Acoustic Synthesis Engine. Pairing the depth of their source samples with the expansive sound-shaping capabilities of MNDALA 2, the horizon for creative possibilities is boundless. UDW X, the expanded version, not only offers over double the samples found in the original UDW but also incorporates advanced features from MNDALA 2. Delve into Sample Start Modulation, detailed multi-mic position recordings, and novel effect processors that redefine sonic artistry. To set the stage for your exploration, MNTRA have also crafted a new bank of more than 60 captivating presets.

Performed by MNTRA’s founder - composer and multi-instrumentalist Brian D’Oliveira, UDW X proudly presents their collection of rare pre-Columbian Death Whistles. These captivating instruments were sourced through years of meticulous field research and development while Brian composed for multiple award-winning AAA video game soundtracks. Each Death Whistle has been named to echo its unique character. Hand-sculpted, every whistle produces a sound that stands distinctively apart. UDW X, with its video game-inspired interface, provides non-linear and simultaneous control over a plethora of dynamic parameters, granting you nuanced mastery over musical expression.

The Ultrasonic Death Whistle (UDW) serves as an enticing introduction to our distinct approach to ultrasonic sampling, transformed with the powerful capabilities of our MNDALA 2 acoustic synthesis engine. By merging rich source samples with the dynamic sound-shaping abilities of MNDALA 2, MNTRA offer an expansive canvas for boundless creative endeavours and explorative sound design.

In this Expanded UDW-X version, you'll find more than twice the samples available in the original UDW. It incorporates the cutting-edge features of MNDALA 2, from Sample Start Modulation and detailed multi-mic position recordings to our latest bespoke designed DSP effects algorythms. And to fuel your inspiration, MNTRA included a fresh bank of over 60 curated presets showcasing some of these new sound design features. With these additions, UDW X pushes the exploration of the mesmerizing Aztec Death Whistles even further, inviting you to a sonic adventure like no other.

Features

• 78 Presets
• 32 Instrument Sample Maps
• 12 Sample Start Modulation Enabled Sample Maps
• Up to 31 Round Robins
• Up to 4 Microphone Channels
• Recorded at leading-edge 32-bit 384khz resolution
• CPU-friendly playback at 24-bit 96khz resolution
• No fuss copy protection, simply install and the instrument is uniquely encrypted to be used within your system.
• Seamless download, updates, and installation within MNDALA 2 with a registered MNTRA account

Learn more about Ultrasonic Death Whistle X.

Cosmic Digital Dust

Galactron is an assembly of electronic sounds that reminisce on neo-psychedelic aesthetics, inspired by the explosion of FM Synthesis, daring stereo movement, gigantic reverbs and ambience pads. Through MNTRA's sampling engine, MNDALA 2, the sounds of the synthesisers that the MNTRA team have used and loved for a long time, have grown to become a new kaleidoscopic creation, always colourful and always different.

Galactron complements MNTRA's ever-growing collection of instruments with a retro-modern approach to keys, pads and otherworldly atmospheres. Sampling a collection of 80s digital (or digitally controlled) synthesisers, these already characterful sounds are brought to the next level within MNDALA 2's deep sound shaping network of effects and modulation. Through the 3-axes (XYZ) global controls, these sounds come to life in a way that was unthinkable before, morphing and breathing as you play them.

Features

• 133 Presets
• 40 Instrument Sample Maps
• Recorded at 24-bit 48kHz
• No fuss copy protection, simply install and the instrument is uniquely encrypted to be used within your system.
• Seamless download, updates, and installation within MNDALA 2 with a registered MNTRA account
• 40 sample maps

Learn more about Galactron.

Wild Winds Awaken

Introducing Huracan, a gateway into a new world of winds and percussion inspired by Meosoamerican and Andean cultures. 11 rare and unique wind instruments are accompanied by 5 textural percussion sounds, giving you a complete, curated palette, ready to create breathtaking music.

Huracan (A.K.A; U Kʼux Kaj, Heart of Sky) is a Kʼicheʼ Maya god of wind, storm, and fire. Here MNTRA imagined a hidden cenote deep in the jungle where a lone traveller stumbles upon the ancient deity, incidentally awakening it from a deep slumber and activating a portal into an alternate timeline where pre-hispanic cultures continued to thrive unaffected by colonisation. Over time they developed their own distinctive version of synthesisers and electronic instruments.

Central to Huracan is MNTRA's founder Brian D’Oliveira’s (Composer of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf ) deep connection with South and Central American cultures and their unique instruments. Originally raised in the Venezuelan Andes mountains, he began a lifelong pursuit of learning and researching ancient musical cultures, starting with these unique instruments. Here, MNTRA have deeply sampled a curated collection of sources from his personal arsenal, allowing you to harness their unique potential in your own compositions.

Features

• 40+ Presets
• 16 Instrument Sample Maps
• Up to 20 Round Robins
• Up to 3 Dynamic Layers
• 3 Microphone channels (Close, Far, Vintage)
• Recorded at extreme definition 32-bit 384kHz ultrasonic resolution
• CPU-efficient in-engine playback at industry-leading 24-bit 96kHz resolution
• No fuss copy protection - simply install and the instrument is uniquely encrypted to be used within your system
• Seamless download, updates, and installation within MNDALA with a registered MNTRA account

Learn more about Huracan.

Explore the Dark Sounds of Aztec Death Whistles

Ultrasonic Death Whistle (UDW) was designed as an introduction to MNTRA's powerful MNDALA Sound Sculpture Engine. The combination of these two opens the door for unparalleled creative possibilities with MNTRA's leading-edge ultrasonic quality sampling.

Performed by MNTRA's Founder - Composer & Multi-instrumentalist Brian D’Oliveira, UDW offers a window into their collection of rare pre-Columbian death whistles that were found during their research and development. Some of them were even handcrafted in their studio to expand creative sound possibilities, and many of these death whistles were featured in the production of multiple Award Winning AAA Video Game soundtracks.

Each Death Whistle is named to represent their characters. Having been sculpted by hand, their sounds are recognizably unique, each sample map representing a different Death Whistle.

Features

• 13 Instrument Sample Maps
• Up To 31 Round Robbins
• Recorded at industry-leading 32-bit/384kHz resolution
• Extreme resolution CPU efficient in-DAW playback & blazingly fast preset loading 
• Plugin app and samples watermarked to you
• Easy downloads and updates via Pulse Downloader
• 2.25 GB installed

Learn more about Ultrasonic Death Whistle.

Irradiated Synth Textures

At the core of Pripyat is MNTRA's desire to present a collection of electronic textures with a unique aesthetic and take full advantage of the cutting-edge sound design engine MNDALA. This library features brutal electromagnetic interference, normally inaudible to the human ear - both in its pure form and re-amped through various acoustic resonators, warbling vintage analogue synthesizers processed through various guitar pedals and Eurorack modular effects, and clamorous ultrasonic recordings of dry ice on a rare Marimbaphone and a Bombo drum, as well as additional percussion sounds.

Within the proprietary MNDALA engine, the source material is vastly expanded, allowing you to create deeply textured soundscapes, as well as go-to synth basses, pads, leads, and FX. MNTRA's team of experienced sound designers have created a collection of 60 presets to get you started right out of the box, so whether you’re looking for quick inspiration or a complex sound design environment, there's something for you.

To intuitively control the complex array of back-end parameters in real-time, MNTRA created an interactive animated scene inspired by retro soviet poster art, allowing you to intuitively ‘play’ Pripyat like a physical instrument.

Features

• Recorded at 32-bit 96 kHz and 384 kHz resolution
• CPU-friendly in-DAW playback at industry-leading 24-bit 96kHz resolution
• Plugin app and samples watermarked to you
• Easy downloads and updates via Pulse Downloader
• 10 Sample Maps
• Up to 18 Round Robins

Learn more about Pripyat.

Dark Sound Effects Redefined

Kymera is a macabre collection of haunted sounds for the next generation of horror. Building on years of R&D in creating custom instruments for award-winning horror video games and films, the MNTRA team spent weeks in the studio experimenting with unconventional sound objects and techniques to bring you a horror toolkit unlike any other.

Enter a World of Evil

Kymera is the first entry in MNTRA Instruments new series of instruments based on the principles of Musique concrète developed by French composer Pierre Schaeffer in the 1940s and now taken into the future. Inside you will find a vast collection of idiosyncratic sounds recorded in extreme ultrasonic quality, allowing you to pitch and manipulate the original recordings beyond recognition without losing their clarity and definition. As laid out in the tape experiments conducted by Schaeffer and his contemporaries in the mid 20th century, Kymera allows you to burn all relations between the sampled material and its sonic origin, creating brand new sound objects out of the ashes.

Inspired by classic horror sound effects, this instrument is not for the faint of heart. Spanning the screeching tones of dry ice on metal, whining hurdy-gurdy drones, blood-curdling screams, the voice of MNTRA's studio mascot Penny the French bulldog, and countless others; these sounds are a testament to their love for all things dark. 

Within the collection of 60 presets that MNTRA has designed to kickstart your journey into this dark new world, you will find sound effects including dynamic monster vocalizations, environmental sounds, and foley; as well as tonal elements such as rhythmic sequences, drones, and pads made from surprising and unlikely sources.

Whether you're a sound designer searching for the creature sounds of the future, an experimental musician looking to add organic depth to your productions, or a film/video game composer in need of instant inspiration, there is something waiting for you in Kymera.

Features

• 30 Sample Maps.
• Up to 14 Round Robbins.
• Recorded at leading-edge 32-bit 384 kHz resolution.
• Extreme resolution CPU efficient in-DAW playback & blazingly fast preset loading.
• Plugin app and samples watermarked to you.
• Easy downloads and updates via Pulse Downloader.

Learn more about Kymera.

Vespera Pro + Standard

The result of extensive sonic experimentation focused on acoustic synthesis, Vespera is a hybrid electro-acoustic synthesizer that seamlessly merges the raw distortion of tube-driven circuits with the innate resonance of physical objects. Each oscillation undergoes a complete transformation by painstaking re-amping through a vibrational speaker transducer -resonating through diverse mediums, including drums with various skins, metal springs, and the sympathetic vibrations of resonant instruments such as a rare giant Indian Ezraj and a Swedish Nyckelharpa. The outcome is a diverse array of organic textures and tones that transforms the grit of the original distorted modular synth signals into completely new sounds, unlocking unique possibilities for sonic exploration.

Powered by MNDALA 2's Animistic Synthesis capabilities, Vespera becomes an extension of your musical expression. Its nonlinear features allow each patch to resonate spontaneously, intuitively responding to the subtlest nuances of your touch. With over 128+ velocity possibilities at your disposal (powered by Sample Start Modulation), Vespera seamlessly integrates into your musical journey, offering an unprecedented level of articulation and responsiveness, surpassing the capabilities of traditional physical and virtual synths. Vespera is not just an instrument; it's a portal to a vast, unexplored sonic universe. Its meticulously designed patches beckon you to venture into a multidimensional realm of dark, gritty, and hauntingly beautiful sounds. Vespera's expansive sonic palette offers a multitude of unique reactive variations, pushing the boundaries of traditional modular synthesis. From pulsating rhythms to ethereal atmospheres and gritty textures to haunting drones, Vespera is a limitless playground for your sonic exploration.

Features

• Presets: 140
• Sample Maps: 83
• Total Samples included: 25,174
• Size: 19.3 GB
• Round Robins: 13
• SSM™ powered samples: 83
• Range: C0-C6 (6 octaves)
• Format: 48 Khz / 24 Bit Stereo, .mntra Format

Learn more about Vespera Pro + Standard.

System Requirements

• 93GB hard drive space required for setup
• VST / AU / AAX plugin for Windows & Mac OS (10.11+) Including M1 Chip
• Minimum 8GB of RAM and an i5 or better CPU required
• Supported by all VST/AU/AAX compatible DAW’s*

Please note: Orakle is not included in this bundle since Orakle X contains all original content + additional instruments and presets content.