Arca: Dark Cinematic String Instrument by MNTRA Instruments

Arca starts with recordings of bowed world instruments, including string trios, cello, kemenche, morin khuur and nyckelharpa. These sources cover long and short articulations, harmonics, glissandi and scratch techniques.

The sources are then reshaped into sample maps with names such as Tesla Coil Long, Space Drive Up Down Glissandi and Digital Scramble Scratch. Developer MNTRA Instruments describes the library as a curated collection of dark, cinematic soundscapes, aimed at sounds that go well beyond the original instruments.

Each preset is organized around a 3-axis control system shown in a custom Perform view. The global controls can be assigned to any MIDI slider, knob or controller. Once you map them, the mapping carries across new MNDALA 2 instances, so you do not need to set it up again each time.

For sound design beyond the included presets, Arca exposes MNDALA 2's non-linear Sound Design environment, so you can build your own sonic landscapes from the same engine.