Checking Out Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla & Spitfire Audio
Gustavo Santaolalla’s Secret Weapon: Spitfire Audio bring the composers famous acoustic scoring companion, the Ronroco, to your daw for Emotive and Cinematic Possibilities.
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Checking Out: Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla & Spitfire Audio
The latest release from Spitfire Audio, Ronroco was developed in close collaboration with Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla is a beautifully rendered virtual instrument that captures the haunting, earthy soul of the composers own South American ronroco scoring companion. Known for its central role in Santaolalla’s sound for scores such as The Last of Us, Babel, and The Motorcycle Diaries, this unique instrument is now fully playable in Kontakt and the results are both inspiring and intimate.
From the first note, it’s clear this isn’t a generic world instrument library. Every sample was recorded by Santaolalla himself in his Los Angeles studio using his personal, handmade ronroco and signature performance techniques. The result is a rich tapestry of nuance: double-string resonance, natural fret noise, subtle vibrato, and those warm octave tunings the instrument is known for.
The instrument delivers both detail and emotional depth and feels alive, capable of delivering introspective fragility or cinematic grandeur depending on how it’s played or programmed.
4 Tabs: Perform, Sequencer, Calibrate, and FX.
The Ronroco is presented through Kontakt interface, divided into four tabs: Perform, Sequencer, Calibrate, and FX.
Perform Panel
The Perform page allows for expressive live playing, with easy articulation switching and intelligent fretboard noise for realism.
The Sequencer is where things get interesting. It features a 32-step, 4-bank pattern engine that can produce authentic Ronroco rhythms, with drag-and-drop MIDI for seamless DAW integration. The library also comes with a built in collection of arpeggio and strum patterns in 3/4, 4/4/ and 6/8, just enough patterns to get you started.
Sequencer
The Calibrate page offers deep control over mic positions, stereo image, dynamics, and envelope shaping.
The FX tab includes high-quality convolution and algorithmic reverbs, plus delay controls that help shape the instrument’s space and mood.
However, while the instrument promises plug-and-play potential, some users may find the most realistic performances don’t come from playing it live via MIDI keyboard, or at least I didn’t at first. The library seems to shine best when sequenced, utilizing the different performance styles the instrument was envisioned with and that’s where the magic happens. I found the subtle life-like tremolos, articulated strums, and dynamic performances come together most effectively when programmed in your DAW rather than performed in real time.
Although the interface is clean, there is a short but noticeable learning curve. This isn’t a “load and go” instrument in the traditional sense. Getting the most musical results requires a little investment watching the walkthrough video or spending 15–20 minutes experimenting is well worth it. I feel I must mention that if you set it aside for a few weeks, you may need to refresh your memory to get back into its workflow. That said, the reward for that effort is a deeply expressive and evocative sound that’s hard to beat.
Spitfire Audio and Gustavo Santaolalla have delivered a truly special instrument in Ronroco. It’s authentic, emotionally potent, and versatile enough to find a place in everything from cinematic scores to ambient tracks and folk fusions. If you’re already a fan of Santaolalla’s work or just want a new, soulful acoustic voice in your composing toolkit this instrument will be a welcome addition to any composers kit.
Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla normally sells for $169.00 from Spitfire Audio
At the time of posting the library is on a special introductor promotion price of $135 at Spitfire Audio
Facts
Downloads as 1.22 GB
Sampled from 10 String Ronroco
Multiple Playing Styles
Sequencer
Authentic Techniques
Runs in the Kontakt Player 6.71+
Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla normally sells for $169.00 from Spitfire Audio
At the time of posting the library is on a special introductor promotion price of $135 at Spitfire Audio
