From classical roots to cinematic heights, Svara delves into the intricate beauty of traditional Indian instruments while also exploring sounds from modern filmic contexts. This collection is an homage to Indian film music, providing a wealth of textures and nuances for composers writing Bollywood-inspired scores or seeking a unique sound palette for worldbuilding soundscapes.
A contemporary Indian film orchestra featuring traditional instruments and virtuoso players.
Highlights
Classic Bollywood string sound
Unique percussion sounds and rhythms
Extensive articulation options
Ornaments and phrases played by local musicians
3 legato styles
Short notes, slides and portamentos
Expressive percussion sounds with playable rhythmic patterns
Wide selection of traditional instruments
Tanpura drone instrument
Up to 7 mixable mic positions
Walkthrough
The sonic fingerprint of Indian cinema
Today, Indian film music is widely known for a distinctive fusion of classical Indian music with international influences. The violins and violas from Svara are the perfect encapsulation of this: Western instruments with articulations showcasing the techniques and ornamental phrases that breathe life into Indian film scores. Additionally, Svara contains a selection of drone, flute, and percussion instruments. Svara can be used for everything from composing fast-paced and exuberant raga melodies to underscoring melancholic scenes to creating unique sound worlds—but no matter what, it delivers the sound of Indian cinema.
Bollywood strings
To capture the characteristic sound of contemporary Indian cinematic strings, we recorded a solo violin, a 10-piece violin ensemble, and a 6-piece viola ensemble. There are “regular” articulations such as sustains, swells, crescendos, staccatos, and more. In Svara, these are all performed with the techniques and flair of the region. You’ll also find “ornaments” folders for these instruments containing spritely swirls, slides, bends, and dips in five selectable keys. While cellos and basses are not traditionally part of the Indian cinematic string section, we know some composers may want them anyway, so we’ve included a 3-piece cello ensemble and solo bass from Phoenix Orchestra.
A distinctive and rich musical culture
India is a culturally diverse land, and its traditional instruments are equally diverse. We’ve hand-picked a selection that forms a bridge between classical India and Bollywood. Here are some of the highlights from the wide range of traditional instruments in Svara.
Bansuri
Bansuri is a bamboo flute capable of long sustains and lively melodies. We’ve recorded it in three sizes.
Tabla
A set of two drums. The heads are coated with a special tuning paste to enable a range of percussive and bass sounds.
Tanpura
A stringed drone instrument that creates a foundation for melodies and harmonic instruments.
Santoor
A trapezoidal hammered dulcimer that generally has 100 strings.
Kanjira
A frame drum similar in construction to a western tambourine, often used to create very complex rhythms.
Ghatam
A clay pot percussion instrument held in the lap and played with the fingers and heel of the hand.
Khol
A hollow ceramic drum with heads at both ends. Played horizontally.
Shruti Box
A briefcase-shaped drone instrument played via bellows.
Harmonium
A pump organ that has been a standby in Indian film music since the country’s first talkie, Alam Ara.
Indian cinematic traditions
Svara was recorded at Studio Uno in Chennai, drawing on the knowledge and skill of experienced local musicians. The collection reproduces tonal beauty and rhythmic complexity of famous Bollywood films and also captures the sound of the region. In addition to common sustains and staccatos, many of the instruments feature articulations with a long tradition.
Experienced local players
A hand-picked selection of musicians lent their vast expertise and unique skillsets to the Svara recording sessions.
Bansuri: Naveen Kumar. Percussion: K. R. Shruthiraj, Karthikeyan Ramanathan, N. Guru Prasad, Krishna Kishore, Karthikeyan Ramanathan. Violin and viola: Francis Xavier P. D., Francis Sebastian, Herald Antony, Carol George, Joby Jose, Jain M. P., Subin Kumar A. S.. Violin: Jose Jacob C., Mariadas V. J., Danny John. Tanpura: Ajit K. S., G. Srinivasan, Navaneetha Krishnan. Harmonium: Madhu Paul. Santoor: Ashwin Walawalkar.
Produced in collaboration with Richard Harvey, Albin Dominic, and Alex Lamy.
Runs in SINE
Mic merging
Preserve your system resources: Fine-tune your mix using multiple mic positions, then merge into a single channel within the player.
Greater usability
SINE is designed to complement the compositional workflow. Create on the fly with auto keyswitch options, and easy remapping tools.
Download single instruments
Choose only the instruments and mic positions that you currently need—no need to download the entire collection at once.