The Dark Tower by MNTRA Instruments virtual instrument plugin interface

The Dark Tower: Percussive Industrial Virtual Instrument by MNTRA

Rated 4.9/5 on Plugin Boutique (20 ratings)

The Dark Tower is a percussive virtual instrument from MNTRA Instruments, built from sounds recorded inside a decommissioned grain silo. It ships with 52 presets and 22 sample maps and runs as a VST2, AU or AAX plugin.

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01Overview

The Dark Tower draws its sounds from metal sheets, staircases, ventilation shafts and other structures inside an abandoned silo. The developer recorded these sources in a space with multi-story concrete chambers, so the sounds carry natural delays and reverb that the developer says are hard to reproduce in a studio. The instrument is part of MNTRA's Microfield Recording Series and is aimed at electronic, industrial and experimental producers.

Best for

Trailer impacts
Industrial percussion
Film tension scoring
Dark electronic production
Experimental sound design

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

02Key features

What you get

52 presets and 30 Atelier Presets for quick starting points
22 sample maps with all SSM powered samples enabled
Round robins of up to eight variations per sound
Sources recorded inside a concrete silo with natural reverb
Sample format of 96 kHz / 24 bit
Recording format of 192 kHz / 24 bit
Built on MNDALA 2 with X, Y and Z macro controls
Package size of 250 MB

03In depth

Sound Sources and Recording Space

MNTRA Instruments recorded The Dark Tower inside a large concrete silo. The team struck metal sheets, interconnected staircases, ventilation shafts and other unusual metal structures to create its percussive sources.

The developer says each sound travels through several stories of concrete and metal before capture, which produces natural delays and reverbs in the recordings. Sample maps are recorded at 96 kHz / 24 bit, with round robins of up to eight variations to help avoid repetition.

Presets and Sample Maps

The library includes 52 presets and 30 Atelier Presets, along with 22 sample maps. All sample maps are enabled in the SSM powered sample set.

The instrument is built on MNDALA 2, which the developer describes as offering a sequencer, live effects and macros on the X, Y and Z axes. Use these controls to shape the percussive sources into synth-like textures. The package totals 250 MB.

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	VST2, AU, AAX

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What formats does The Dark Tower support?

The Dark Tower is available in VST2, AU and AAX formats.

What do I need to run The Dark Tower?

The developer recommends 500 MB of free disk space for setup, at least 16 GB of RAM and an i5 or better CPU. An SSD is recommended, and the instrument supports popular VST, AU and AAX compatible DAWs.