Spitfire Audio – Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla

Unique sound that brings emotion to music, film and games

Immerse yourself in the personal sonic world of Gustavo Santaolalla . This library is designed for composers looking for truly authentic and expressive timbres to convey drama, tension and vast landscapes, as well as for producers looking for a unique acoustic character that cannot be found anywhere else. Captured here is the voice of the legendary ronroco, an instrument made famous in the soundtracks of The Last of Us , The Motorcycle Diaries , Babel and Gustavo’s iconic solo album Ronroco . More than just a collection of sounds, this is the embodiment of the musician’s deep personal connection with the instrument, carefully transferred into an easy-to-work-with format.

For Gustavo, the ten-string ronroco (especially in the E minor key he discovered and loved) became an instrument that transcended tradition and expressed his individuality. Its sound retains echoes of its Andean roots, but also transcends them, finding its way into cinematic soundscapes and deeply personal compositions. It can whisper, immersing one in thought, or soar, filling the space with emotion. It is an instrument that can create fundamental melodies and ethereal textures with equal ease.

Gustavo personally performed each sample, infusing them with his unique style and live emotion. He wanted to convey the true nature of the ronroco: how the wood resonates, how the notes fade, how the strings respond to a light touch. We covered the entire range of the instrument: from deep shadows to bright colors, to give you a truly lively, sincere and detailed sound.

The unique sound of the legendary performer

Gustavo Santaolalla is a true genius ahead of his time: a composer, producer, songwriter, and virtuoso who plays dozens of instruments. His magical soundscapes have forever changed the soundtracks of world cinema and pop music. He made history as the only composer to receive two Oscars in a row: for his poignant score for Brokeback Mountain and his grandiose soundtrack for Babel .

His instantly recognizable and profound soundtracks have become the signature of iconic projects, from the phenomenal video game and the explosive HBO series The Last of Us to Walter Salles’s poignant Che Guevara: The Motorcycle Diaries and Alejandro Iñárritu’s daring debut Amores Perros . But Santaolalla’s contribution to music goes far beyond cinema: 17 Latin Grammy Awards, status as a living classic of the Latin alternative scene, and more than 100 groundbreaking albums recorded with legends such as Café Tacvba, Julieta Venegas, and Molotov.

His personal creative projects, from the iconic solo album Ronroco to the revolutionary electro-tango collective Bajofondo, have become milestones in contemporary music. His accolades include two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe and two Grammys, cementing his reputation as a unique musician whose distinctive sonic palette with the soulful sound of Ronroco has received worldwide recognition.

Software Implementation: Mike Georgeides

Mike Georgeides is a renowned virtual instrument creator, Ivor Novello Award nominee, renowned for his “impeccably recorded and meticulously crafted” MG Soft Acoustic Guitar and MG Soft Nylon Guitar libraries . His expert approach to programming allows him to accurately reproduce all the features and nuances of a live instrument, using detailed scripts and fine calibration to achieve a revolutionary level of realism. The innovative technologies he developed for virtual string instruments formed the basis of the engine for this library.

A virtuoso guitarist and ronroco player, Mike has created a library in which every note played by Gustavo , with its subtle articulations, pick strokes and overtones (recorded in five dynamic layers), turns into a living and responsive musical instrument for your creativity.

Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla combines sophistication and intuitiveness in four main sections: Perform , Sequencer , Calibrate and FX . Every element of the interface is designed to provide the most natural interaction with this special instrument.

Perform: Real-time Playability

This is your central hub for live playing, seamlessly integrating multiple performance approaches:

Expressive Note Playing

Instantly capture Gustavo’s feel, playing melodies across the instrument’s range, enhanced by a suite of keyswitch-activated articulations. Including realistic pre/post-note slides (up and down), sampled vibrato (plus additional simulated vibrato via Modwheel), and characterful half/whole-step ‘twiddles’, all performed by Gustavo.

Up to seven round robins and four dynamic layers per note allow for incredibly realistic expression, with intelligent string selection that cycles through strings in a manner that’s true to Gustavo’s real life playing technique.

Authentic Slurs & Noises

Perform automatic slurs (hammer-ons/pull-offs) by overlapping notes within playable legato intervals, controlled by velocity sensitivity. Add lifelike detail with dedicated keyswitches for diverse, velocity-sensitive string squeaks, shifts, and slides. Trigger fret noises automatically on sustain pedal release for realistic transitions (can be disabled for manual control).

Intuitive Chord & Strum System

Effortlessly create authentic ronroco voicings and rhythms. Easily set chords by holding the ‘Set Chord’ keyswitch and playing a triad. Choose between ‘Auto’ voicing (which intelligently interprets major, minor, 7th, and sus chords for authentic ronroco voicings) or ‘Manual’ for full user control. Perform realistic up/down strums using dedicated keys (yellow keys), including a string hit articulation. Control strum speed and humanization for organic variation.

Arpeggio & Tremolo Control

Play individual chord strings arpeggio-style using the String Keys (blue keys) or trigger lush major/minor tremolo chords based on the current selection using the dedicated Tremolo Key. Control the tremolo attack/release envelope and start behavior (strum or fade-in).

Performance Effects

Utilise the ‘Fix String’ keyswitch to lock playing to a specific string, effective for certain slide techniques. Engage open-string switches for specific strings to create fluid, ringing chord changes and textures. Control how chord changes respond (Squeaks, Stops, Sustain). Manage the unique octave-doubled third string manually or automatically.

Sequencer: Instant Authentic Rhythm

Craft intricate patterns and rhythmic beds with a powerful, yet easy-to-use sequencing engine:

Craft intricate patterns and rhythmic beds with a powerful, yet easy-to-use sequencing engine:

Authentic Rhythms

Load presets containing MIDI patterns derived from authentic ronroco rhythms and arpeggiation styles interpreted from Gustavo’s playing. The library also carefully recreates playing articulations like upstrokes and downstrokes, crucial for capturing the instrument’s true sound, especially on the octave-doubled third string.

Creative Control

Set sequence length (Bars), Time Signature, and Rate (step division). Adjust Strum Speed, Humanise Strums (randomness), Humanise Steps (timing), and Swing amount for organic feel. Define chord and sequence release behaviors.

DAW Integration

Easily record your performance within the sequencer, including chord changes, and simply drag and drop the resulting MIDI directly into your DAW project. Load and save your own sequence patterns.

Calibrate: Tailoring the Feel

Fine-tune the instrument’s global settings to suit your needs:

• Adjust overall Volume, Stereo Width, and the balance between Close and Far microphone positions
• Control the level of Fret Noise and whether noises trigger on pedal release
• Manage the instrument’s Dynamic Range (compression) and shape the note Attack envelope
• Optionally blend in the authentic Room Tone from Gustavo’s own studio where the ronroco was recorded
• Configure String Setup order

The FX Page: Shaping the Atmosphere

Add professional polish and ambience with three integrated effects: choose from high-quality Convolution Reverb, Algorithmic Reverb, and Delay. Easily activate, bypass, and adjust parameters for each effect module.

Features

• 10-string ronroco
• Sequencer
• Authentic performance techniques

Installation

Extract the Presets.zip archive to the root folder of the library. The path should be as follows:

Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla [Spitfire Audio]\Presets\ Gustavo Presets and so on…