El Jaguar virtual instrument by MNTRA Instruments plugin interface

El Jaguar: Virtual Instrument Re-Amped Through Colombian Picó Sound Systems

El Jaguar is a virtual instrument from MNTRA Instruments built from Afro-Caribbean percussion, marimba, drum machines and modular synths that were re-amped through Colombian Picó sound systems. It is available as a VST3, AU and AAX plugin.

VST3AUAAXWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

El Jaguar is the fourth instalment in MNTRA's Portals series. The developer describes it as an interactive instrument that expands a producer's palette with textures rarely available outside their source. The sounds were recorded in Quebec with a 808, a LinnDrum, hollow-bodied wooden drums, marimbas and hand-played African percussion, then re-amped in Barranquilla, Colombia, through towering Picó stacks. The collection covers warm, distorted textures suited to Latin rhythms, hip-hop beats and experimental electronic music.

Best for

Latin percussion
Hip-hop beats
Experimental electronics
Textured drum layers
Afro-Caribbean rhythms

Developer: MNTRA Instruments
Category: Virtual Instruments
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

190 Elements presets for ready-to-play sounds
73 Atelier presets included
240 sample maps across the instrument
Up to 20 round robins per sample
All SSM-powered sample maps enabled
Recorded at 384 kHz / 32 bit
Up to four stereo microphone channels
Re-amped through Colombian Picó sound systems

03In depth

Sound Character and Source Material

The core of El Jaguar is re-amping. Acoustic and electronic sources were played back through large Picó sound systems, and the air, room and volume shaped the results. The developer says this adds warmth, distortion and movement to each sound.

The source material spans hollow-bodied wooden drums, marimbas, modular lines, electric plucked strings and vintage drum machines. Sources were saturated, bent and resampled before use, so the library leans toward raw, textured tones rather than polished ones.

Presets, Sample Maps and Recording Specs

El Jaguar includes 190 Elements presets, 73 Atelier presets and 240 sample maps. Up to 20 round robins are available per sample, and all SSM-powered sample maps are enabled.

The samples were recorded at 384 kHz and 32 bit, with up to four stereo microphone channels. The installed library is 9.20 GB, and the developer recommends about 20 GB of free space for setup.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	MNTRA Instruments
Type	Plugin
Category	Virtual Instruments
Formats	VST3, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is El Jaguar?

El Jaguar is a virtual instrument from MNTRA Instruments made from Afro-Caribbean percussion, marimba, drum machines and modular synths, re-amped through Picó sound systems in Barranquilla, Colombia.

What formats does El Jaguar support?

El Jaguar is available as a VST3, AU and AAX plugin for 64-bit systems on Windows and macOS.

What do I need to run El Jaguar?

You need a 64-bit VST3, AU or AAX compatible DAW, 16 GB of RAM recommended, an i5 or better CPU, and about 20 GB of free space. Mixcraft 9 Pro is not supported. macOS 10.14 or later is required, and the plugin includes full M1 chip support.