Spitfire Audio’s Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla Now Available


A signature sound that adds emotion into music, film and games.

This obscure Andean instrument, played by composer Gustavo Santaolalla, is the star of Spitfire Audio’s latest plugin: Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla.

The ronroco is a mandolin-like instrument with 10 strings arranged in five double courses, the middle pair tuned an octave apart to create a distinctively resonant tone.

Spitfire Audio’s new instrument samples the composer’s own ronroco, handmade by master luthier Chiquito Rodriguez, meticulously capturing Santaolalla’s unique and emotive playing style and signature E minor tuning.

Equipped with multiple articulations, including slides, slurs, twiddles, tremolos and vibrato, the instrument incorporates adjustable strum speed and authentic fret and string noise for added realism.

The plugin features three performance modes (Note, Chord and Sequencer) that can be used to perform and program realistic chords, strums, arpeggios, and lead lines.

Its auto-chord voicing feature automatically maps chords with reference to traditional tunings and realistic finger placements, recreating how the chords would sound if performed by a ronroco player.

The plugin is also equipped with a 32-step sequencer with per-step articulation, and an effects section that includes two types of reverb and a delay with modern, tape and ping-pong options.

Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla Walkthrough:

Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla is priced at £139/$169/€149, but an introductory discount of 20% is available until 8 May.

Find out more on Spitfire Audio website.

 

Introduction To Balfolk Boombox ‘Synthy Gurdy’


Hurdy gurdist Rory Scammell shared this intro to the Balfolk Boombox, a custom hurdy gurdy synthesizer that he created in collaboration with Sam Palmer.

The hurdy gurdy is a traditional string instrument that produces sound using a crank, which rubs a rosined wheel against the strings.


Scammell & Palmer’s version features a variety of Eurorack modules, allowing the instrument to play percussion, bass, leads and more.

Here’s a performance video of the Balforlk Boombox in action:

 

Depeche Mode: M Concert Film Coming This Fall


Pioneering electronic rock band Depeche Mode has announced Depeche Mode: M, a new live concert film, scheduled to be released in Fall of 2025.

Directed by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Fernando Frias, best known for his Oscar-nominated drama I’m No Longer Here, the film captures the band’s three sold-out performances at the Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City during their 2023-2024 Memento Mori world tour.

Depeche Mode: M blends live performance footage with archival material, offering an immersive journey into the band’s monumental Memento Mori tour, which spanned 112 concerts across Europe and North America, drawing over three million fans.

The film goes beyond a traditional concert documentary, exploring the deep connection between the themes of Depeche Mode’s 15th studio album, Memento Mori and the Mexican cultural perspectives on death and mortality. Frias’ creative vision highlights the passionate bond between the band and their Mexican fans, while paying homage to the universal power of music, tradition, and the human spirit.

Depeche Mode: M will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on June 5, 2025.