Orchestral Tools says Umbra is a “godsend for video game composers”

The brand’s affordable Creative Soundpack merges Middle-American flutes, wooden drums and a bass vocalist

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Orchestral Tools Umbra

Umbra is a new Creative Soundpack from Orchestral Tools that gives producers, musicians and sound designers a library packed with shamanic flutes, drums, percussion and a bass vocalist who hums and whispers. The unusual collection includes processed presets for pads, drones and kicks, among other inspiring sounds.

Orchestral Tools says that the sound palette that Umbra evokes could be an invaluable tool for video game and film soundtrackers. The instant playability of the arcane instruments could help conjure up scenes of Inca rituals, Viking Ages ceremonies and more fantastical soundscapes. That said, experimental producers could find these sounds useful in left-field, genre-bending contemporary tracks.

Umbra comprises eight single instruments with 10 articulations and two mic positions each. There are three wooden flutes that include a high quena, a mid-range quenacho and a contrabass flute. There are articulations for slides, ornaments and a finger-tapping pizzicato.

Percussion includes a gong drum, a shaman drum, a rainmaker and a frame drum. Orchestral Tools has recorded the sounds with a range of standard and non-standard playing styles, such as muted hits and rubber ball bowling.

Moving onto vocals, the collection feature a bass vocalist who lent his low-reaching vocal cords for Umbra’s Shaman. His voice goes down to a low G and was recorded singing various vowels, whispers and mutters. Orchestral Tools says “these unusual sounds are perfect for creating an air of mystery in any piece of music”.

Umbra plays in Orchestral Tools’ free SINE player, which runs in any DAW. It’s available at an introductory offer of €59, moving up to €79 on 24 March 2021.

Find out more at orchestraltools.com.

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