A Kontakt instrument library capturing the South American ronroco, offering deep, warm tones with articulations, arpeggio patterns, and cinematic soundscapes for composers and musicians.
Purpose
The Ronroco by Guareschi is a Kontakt library designed for film composers and musicians seeking the distinctive voice of this South American instrument. Belonging to the charango family but larger and deeper in sound, it gained international recognition through composer Gustavo Santaolalla’s work on projects like ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’. Developer Guillermo Guareschi crafted it as a standalone scoring tool, suggesting one could score an entire film using only this instrument.
It functions as a creative workstation rather than a simple sample player, enabling composition of original melodies, realistic performances, and atmospheric textures. The library focuses on delivering both idiomatic playing techniques and cinematic potential, making it suitable for underscore, thematic writing, and sound design within a Kontakt environment.
Key Capabilities
The instrument provides long sustained notes recorded in round-robin with three dynamic layers, ensuring natural variation. Additional articulations include staccato, pull-off, mordente, and tremolo, each mapped to keyswitches for seamless switching during performance. A dedicated arpeggio menu offers a wide range of patterns designed to generate original and infinite sequences with high realism, useful for rhythmic or melodic development.
Chord and stroke presets cover multiple tonalities, while the soundscape menu allows creation of large idiomatic and cinematic beds. The Southern Winds tool assists in producing realistic tremolo effects, and a special ‘Rontoor’ articulation results from striking strings with a metal wand. An effects menu expands sonic possibilities through unconventional playing techniques.
Workflow
For efficient scoring, the library integrates keyswitches per articulation, enabling quick changes between long notes, staccato, and effects without interrupting the creative flow. The arpeggio patterns can be layered with sustained notes to build evolving textures, while soundscapes provide instant atmospheric foundations for scenes. Southern Winds can be automated to control tremolo intensity, adding expressive dynamics.
Composers can combine these elements to construct full arrangements, from intimate solo passages to dense, cinematic layers. The Rontoor effect and unusual playing methods in the effects menu offer textural contrast, ideal for underscoring tension or transition moments. This design supports both linear composition and improvisational experimentation within a project.
Practical Applications
This library suits film scoring, television, and game audio, providing a signature organic timbre that evokes emotional depth. The soundscapes and arpeggio tools are particularly useful for creating background beds quickly, while melodic articulations allow for expressive lead lines. It can stand alone for minimalist pieces or blend with orchestral and electronic elements for hybrid arrangements.
Songwriters may find it helpful for adding authentic South American color to tracks, and sound designers can exploit the effects menu for unique textures. Since the ronroco’s warm tone fits both intimate and epic contexts, it works for documentaries, dramas, and even adventurers’ themes. Its versatility as a primary or supplementary instrument makes it a valuable asset in any composer’s toolbox.
Key features
- Recorded in high resolution with Krystalos Audio technology
- Long notes with round-robin and three dynamic layers
- Articulations: staccato, pull-off, mordente, and tremolo
- Extensive arpeggio pattern menu for original sequences
- Chords and strokes across many tonalities
- Soundscape menu for cinematic beds and atmospheres
- Southern Winds tool for realistic tremolos, plus Rontoor and effects menus
Best for
Film and media composers seeking an expressive solo instrument for scoring, especially those wanting realistic South American textures. Also ideal for adding cinematic depth to tracks, creating atmospheric soundscapes, or composing complete scores with a single, versatile sound source.