MNTRA Naada

Reimagined resonances from India

Naada, the third offering in MNTRA's Portals series, takes us on a transformative journey to India - reimagining its classical sounds as uniquely expressive, cinematic instruments and textures.

By seamlessly blending the depth of ancient ragas with contemporary aesthetics, Naada opens new realms for sonic exploration, offering musicians, producers, and sound healers unmatched flexibility to fuse diverse textures and sounds across genres.

Empowered by MNDALA 2's animistic synthesis engine, Naada pushes beyond conventional limits, transmuting acoustic sources through its extensive dynamic DSP powers to unveil new sound dimensions.

This not only facilitates genre fusion but also promotes the discovery of a broad spectrum of new sounds and textures ready to be explored.

From the eternal beauty of ancient ragas, to the dynamic energy of modern hybrid electronic soundtracks, and the resonant expanse of healing sound baths, Naada dismantles musical boundaries, serving as a gateway to the universal vibrations that unite us.

Features

Proprietary Engine - AAX/VST/AU Plugin included. No additional software required.

3-Axis Universal Controls - Simply map your favorite controller once for all plugin instances.

Intuitive Performance GUI - Custom animation-driven performance interface & mouse hover interactions.

Industry Leading Audio Quality - 384khz/32-bit extended ultrasonic range sample sources

CPU-Efficient In-Engine Playback - industry-leading 24-bit 96kHz resolution

The Story of Naada

Naada (नाद or Nāda) is the Sanskrit term for "sound" or "tone".

Rooted in the ancient wisdom of Nada yoga, practitioners believe that sound waves, or nadas, serve as the invisible thread linking the outer and inner cosmos.

According to this philosophy, the universe itself resonates with the vibrations of nadas, hidden energies that connect all existence.

With Naada, we present a contemporary instrument rooted in millenary practices and instruments from both the north and south of India.

Ten years ago, MNTRA founder Brian D’Oliveira’s first trip to India sparked a profound transformation, rekindling a connection to his Indian roots and childhood spent in an Ashram, and igniting a lifelong passion for the boundless world of Indian Classical Music.

A decade later, guided by his teacher, the esteemed violinist Sangeeta Shankar, daughter of the legendary N. Rajam, we embarked on a collaborative journey to create a playable sound world highlighting India’s rich musical tradition.

Our journey led us to some of India’s finest musicians in Chennai, where we meticulously recorded instruments such as the South India Nadaswaram, and North India Sarangi, and Sarod.

Back in our studio in the serene wintery woods of Québec, we enriched this collection with instruments gathered during our extensive travels across India - the male and female Tanpuras and Shruti box (both available in our free instrument Sur!), and percussion instruments like the Kanjira and Pakhawaj.

From the outset of this project, we also wanted to highlight the 22 shruti system, which gives precise access to the specific intonation and tuning of each note in a Raga.

Informed by the research of Dr. Vidyadhar Oke, we incorporated presets that harness this system, offering a glimpse into the distinct characters of some of the most popular Ragas.

Unique to Naada is the Anahata - a custom-built one-of-a-kind Indian cello crafted in collaboration with genius luthier Alexandre Letellier at Nouvelle Luthier Labs.

With the resonance of 23 sympathetic strings and the deep warmth of its five main playing strings, we sampled the Anahata in long evolving performances that through round robins and sample start modulation (SSM), infinitely change spatial position and expression on every note highlighting its magical qualities.

To further extend the creative possibilities, we incorporated ambient field recordings from deep within South India's countryside and the vibrant community of Auroville, and then spent several weeks creatively processing and re-amping our recorded sources through a myriad of modular outboard and guitar pedals.

This collection of sources creates a harmonious blend of past and present that are multifaceted and can be reinterpreted in a myriad of genres and rhythms.

Designed to inspire creativity across musical styles, Naada invites you to embark on your musical journey.

Whether you’re exploring ancient ragas or crafting new sonic landscapes, may Naada be your gateway to the universal vibrations that connect us all.

What's Inside?

Strings

• Anahata (Long Dyn, Long Harmonics, Long Straight, Grained, Grained Dist, Shimmer Dist, Shimmer)
  Custom Indian Cello with random expressive longbows. Each round-robin is positionally different in a 180 stereo field. It was crafted in collaboration by genius luthier Alexandre Letellier at Nouvelle Luthier Labs. It has 23 sympathetic strings that resonate when playing the five main strings when bowed or plucked.
• Ektar
  A drone lute consisting of a gourd resonator covered with skin.
• Tanpura (Female, Male, Combined)
  Plucked string instrument notable for its role in providing a continuous drone that enriches the music’s melodic and rhythmic flow. It features a hollow body made from a gourd and a long neck, with four strings tuned to the raga being performed. The Tanpura samples in this instrument map were crafted by the renowned Naeem Sitarmaker from Miraj.
• Sarangi (Jhala Texture, Medium Stretched, Medium Stretched Low, Short, Short Stretched, Short Stretched Low)
  The Sarangi is a medium-sized stringed instrument played with a bow. It has no frets, so it can produce a wide variety of tones and articulations. It has three strings and three resonant boxes of different sizes.
• Sarod (Singles, Glissando Up, Tremolo, Grain Dist, Grain Pitched, Grain Verb, Dyn Overload, Dyn Shimmer, Dyn Verb, Trems Grain Octave, Trems Grain, Trems Wash, Up Dist)
  Plucked string instrument, with no frets, resonant strings, and a gourd resonant body.

Winds

• Nadaswaram (Long, Long Stretched, Short, Short Stretched, Short Stretched Low, Flutter, Flutter Stretched, Glissando Up, Rhythm, Rhythm Stretched, Detuned Dream, Dist Verb, Dist Wah, Flange Hit, Grain Drone, Grain Ensemble, Grain Octave, Low Dist Bass Bright, Low Dist Bass Wide, Low Dist Crackle, Noisy Tape, Rumble Bass, Short Grain Octave, Short Grain, Short Tape, Verb Hit)
  Wooden double reed instrument with a bell-like ending. It’s one of the loudest reed instruments in the planet, and its uses are varied in both North and South India.
• Shruti Box (Long, Driven Sub, Overtones Dry, Overtones)
  The Shruti Box, an essential accompaniment in Indian classical music and sound meditative practices, is a hand-operated reed instrument used to provide a drone in a fixed pitch or pitches. It supports vocalists and instrumentalists by offering a stable tonal foundation. Its simple design allows for continuous airflow through reeds, producing a sustained sound that can be adjusted to match the specific pitch requirements of any performance.

Percussion

• Damaru (Texture 1, Texture 2, Texture 3)
  Small ‘Shiva’ drums, made in a shape similar to an hourglass, with beaters tied to the center, that when twisted hit both leather drum heads rapidly. For these sample maps you’ll hear two Damaru ‘Shiva’ spinning drums from Varanasi.
• Kanjira (Modern Single, Modern Muted, Traditional Single, Far, Muted, Slide, Texture, Rim Dist)
  The Kanjira is a small South India Frame drum using a lizard skin.
• Pakhawaj (Bass Face, Treble Face, PL)
  Medium-sized goat skin drums with two heads to be played on both ends because they have different diameters and sounds. It’s placed sideways on the floor or a stand, and the dominant hand usually plays the higher-pitched side. It’s used commonly in Dhrupad music.

FX (Soundscapes original and effected)

• Auroville Day Ambience
  Ambience captured during captured during early morning in Auroville. Sample Start Modulation (SSM) option available.
• Farm 4 AM Ambiences
  Ambience captured during the dawn hours in the countryside of Tamil Nadu, with calls of wild Peacocks. Sample Start Modulation (SSM) option available.
• Farm Field Insects Ambience
  Ambience captured during midday hours in the countryside of Tamil Nadu, with flies buzzing around microphones. Sample Start Modulation (SSM) option available.
• Farm Midday Birds Ambience
  Ambience captured during the hours before dawn in the steps of an ancient forest in in the countryside of Tamil Nadu. Sample Start Modulation (SSM) option available.
• Farm Monsoon Ambience
  Ambience captured during midday hours in the countryside of Tamil Nadu, with light monsoon rains. Sample Start Modulation (SSM) option available.
• Farm Night Ambience
  Ambience captured during the hours before dawn in the steps of an ancient forest in in the countryside of Tamil Nadu.
• Pondycherry Restaurant Walla
  Ambience crowd wall captured at a roadside restaurant on the way to Puducherry
• Wild Peacocks Ambience
  Ambience captured during the dawn hours in the countryside of Tamil Nadu, with calls of wild Peacocks. Sample Start Modulation (SSM) option available.