Orchestral Tools Announces Drones Arkanum Update

Open a dark sepulcher of restless spirits with 33 new patches from Alexander Hacke

Berlin, Germany, February 22, 2024 — Orchestral Tools announces Arkanum, an exciting update to the Drones collection that adds 33 completely new patches designed by celebrated experimental musician and Drones architect Alexander Hacke [Einstürzende Neubauten, hackedepicciotto, Crime and the City Solution]. Building off of the core sonic language of Drones, these patches provide an evocative palette of dark rumblings, eerie ambiences, and ghostly murmurs—ideal for adding an otherworldly dimension to any composition or sound design project. To celebrate the update, which is free to existing Drones users, Orchestral Tools has made the entire collection available for a special offer price of €119 + VAT (€189 regular price). The offer runs until Wednesday, March 6, 2024. The new Arkanum instrument group is also available individually, for just €33. For more information and to purchase, please click here.

Channeling the restless spirits
Recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin as well as at Silent Green, a former mausoleum chosen for its dark and mysterious acoustic qualities, the Drones collection is notable for offering some of the longest notes available in a sample library and the ability to stack these notes in multiple, controllable layers. The evolving sounds traverse the entire frequency range, from rumbling sub-aural lows to shimmering highs, providing the perfect foundation for atmospheric scoring and under-scoring, meditative composition, or spooky textural experimentation.

Alexander Hacke during the recording of Drones

Arkanum continues the sonic journey of Drones with a dark and evocative assemblage of layered sounds built from the instruments Alexander Hacke played personally during the recording sessions—electric 6-string and bass guitars, electric bass, and acoustic guitar. Combining ebow, feedback, and a pentagram amp setup, these are the sounds that best demonstrate Alexander Hacke’s personal sonic aesthetic. Using these recordings as a starting point, Alex applied additional drone layers and some heavy processing to create the new patches that form Arkanum. As with the original Drones patches, many of the patches in Arkanum reward expressive experimentation with the mod wheel as they morph seamlessly between different textures. This specific attention to playability is a hallmark of the Drones collection as it allows players to channel these complex, shifting sounds in extremely musical ways.

“I believe that music and sound is the ultimate way to transmit deeper philosophical ideas,” said Hacke. “I hope that with everything I do it will give fellow musicians the feeling that they are not alone, that we are in this together, and that there is a unity within sound.”

For more information on Arkanum, please visit: http://www.orchestraltools.com/

About Orchestral Tools
Orchestral Tools makes premium-quality sampled instruments for professional composers. Notable libraries include the Berlin Series, Metropolis Ark, Tallinn, Tom Holkenborg’s Brass and Percussion, created in collaboration with composer Tom Holkenborg, and Phoenix Orchestra, created in collaboration with composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Richard Harvey. Originally founded in 2005 by Hendrik Schwarzer, Orchestral Tools operates internationally from its base in Germany, with offices in Freiburg and Berlin.