Dive into the Mystical Sounds of the Vikings

With Dark ERA, Eduardo Tarilonte, the master of atmospheric sounds, takes you on a journey back to a dark age, when the first legends were born and the ancient gods of the North ruled the fate of men. With this library, you can experience the sounds to which the Vikings and other long-forgotten peoples once sang their myths and legends.

The fascinating sounds of Dark ERA range from the deep resonance of the ancient Tagelharpa to the impressive Lyre, and the distinctive tones of Nordic bone flutes and the overtone flute Fujara. When the war horns sound, powerful percussion instruments thunder, and mystical throat singing begins, you'll definitely get goosebumps. These instruments blend with soundscapes and pulsating pads that deepen the atmosphere. Dark ERA becomes yet another masterpiece from Eduardo Tarilonte.

The Instruments

Dark ERA offers over 50 instruments with more than 20,000 samples – including string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion. To enable an authentic and versatile performance, multiple playing techniques were recorded and integrated into the powerful Engine Player. The wind instruments feature True Legato and a variety of articulations, while the flutes offer some unusual, intense effect sounds.

For the stringed instruments, there are round-robin samples for both ascending and descending notes. The plucked instruments were recorded with various techniques such as pick, fingers, and strumming.

Included Instruments:

• Bowed Strings: Tagelharpa, Jouhikko (Small & Big), Crwth
• Plucked Strings: Cologne Lyre, Ancient Lyre, Trossingen Lyre, Utrecht Lute
• Winds: War Horn, White Horn, Curved Horn, Shofar, Bukkehorn, Shell, Long Trumpet, Big Horn, Double Flute, Small Bone Flute, Vulture Bone Flute, Pictish Pipes, Elderwood Flute, Overtone Fujara, Didgeridoo, Wooden Lur
• Percussion: Shamanic Drum Small & Big, Big Frame Drum, Square Drums, Skin Drums, Skin Snares, Skin Tom, Sieves, Anvil, Viking Mouth Harps, Jawbone, Pan Medium & Rusted, Seed Shakers, Small Bells, Cowbells, Bullroarer, Horseshoe, Bronze Mortar

Sound Design

The collection is complemented by over 100 intricately programmed soundscapes that are sometimes rhythmically animated, with evolving sound textures and a unique atmosphere. All elements can be individually adjusted in volume and panorama within the mixer of the Engine Player.

For rhythmic accompaniment, there are Epic Loops consisting of up to 16 instruments and offering up to 20 adjustable elements. These loops allow flexible beat creation and automatically adapt to your DAW's tempo. You'll have different variations of the main loop, fills, endings, and a pulsating rhythm that perfectly matches the sound.

Rhythmic Pads connect drums and solo instruments, containing both melodic and rhythmic elements. You can also individually mix the elements of the pads.

Another highlight is the Vocal Rhythms, inspired by the Inuit. Here, you can assemble shouts from 24 MIDI files, which can be modified or completely re-created. The throat singing is divided into four styles, and you can even add C3 harmonics with a slider. Shamanic ritual chants and individual vocals add vibrant and authentic elements to the music.

Use Cases

This library is perfect for film soundtracks, TV documentaries, historical music productions, or mystical ambient music. It also provides the ideal soundtrack for games with a historical or epic background.

The Recordings

The stringed and wind instruments, as well as some percussion instruments, were handcrafted by specialist Benjamin Simao. The instruments were played by the following musicians:

• Benjamin Simao: Stringed instruments, Shamanic Drums, Tympanum Romano
• Iván Carlón: Wind instruments
• Adal Fernández del Castillo: Percussion
• Moisés Pérez: Throat singing & overtone singing, Vocal rhythms
• Joaquim Manjón: Overtone singing

Special care was taken when recording the frame drums: The powerful bass is fully showcased without losing any pressure in the sound. These tones remain present and powerful in the mix. Metallic percussion elements, such as anvils and horseshoes, can be heard clearly and sharply.

Dark ERA is compatible with other libraries in the ERA Series, as all were recorded at the same studio in Spain by Jorge Calderón Muriel using high-quality equipment (Kahayan Mic 4K7 and 12K72 Preamp). The instruments were recorded closely to capture all the nuances and provide direct, flexible sound material for editing.

Engine Player 1.2.0 or higher required.