Prix
MusicTech Magazine, Excellence Award
Sound On Sound Magazine 5 from 5
StrongMocha 5 from 5
Sample Sound Review 5 from 5
megasynth.de 4,7 from 5
bonedo.de 4 from 5
Mentions
Einar Selvik (Wardruna)
Vikings TV series music
"Dark Era gives you access to a great selection of rare and hard-to-get instruments along with complimenting soundscapes as well as smart and easy solutions for playing and replicating the real deal. Great job, Eduardo! So if you want to add some solid historical texture to your music and don’t happen to own a wide selection of obscure historical instruments - this is the library to get!"
David Arkenstone
With 3 Grammy nominations, 20 Billboard hits, and millions of fans worldwide, has established himself as one of the best contemporary instrumental musicians of our time.
"Again, Eduardo has opened up the world to us. The amazing textures and playable instruments are truly transporting to another time. The percussion and flutes are stunning and very much alive. I see many years of inspiration from this collection…!"
Neal Acree
World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Starcraft.
"Eduardo Tarilonte's libraries never fail to deliver the sounds that we never knew we needed but that we can't live without. Dark Era takes that to the next level with another must-have collection of inspiring and unexpected sounds. Perfect for fantasy video game scoring and so much more. Highly recommended!"
David García Díaz
Sound designer and video game composer whose work includes games like RiME or the Bafta´s audio achievement winner "Hellblade: Senua´s Sacrifice".
“When it comes to Viking Pagan folk music, Dark Era, by Eduardo Tarilonte is one of the very few and for me the best instrument to capture the tones that make this music style unique. Throat singing, war horns, frame drums, skin drums...and a large etc. All captured with great detail and easy to use just right out the box. I wish I had "Dark Era" when I was working on the soundtrack of Hellblade: Seuna’s Sacrifice.
If you want to create music in the style of Heilung or Wardruna, or add a raw, dark, beating texture to your music, I think this is the right tool to have.”
Teufel
Band "Tanzwut"
"ERA II Medieval Legends, Celtic ERA and Dark ERA are for me as a medieval musician and producer a perfect basis for studio work. The sounds of the medieval instruments are authentic and harmonize with each other. It is a pleasure to work with these samples and to create new songs for my band Tanzwut with the help of this impressive sound library".
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.
Dark Era benefits from an exceptional lossless compression that reduces the file size from around 15 GB to approximately 4 GB, without compromising on quality.
Engine Player 1.2.0 or higher required.
Professional Composers 05/2023 
"Dark Era gives you access to that medieval vibe, the dark eerie sound, and it truly inspires you to make music that will bring you back to your forefathers, mourn the lost, or even go to war on big battle fields." - Mikael Baggström
Full review at professionalcomposers.com
Interface 01-02/2020 
"...the Dark Era is of impressive quality again. The great thing about Eduardo Tarilonte's libraries is that they are linked by name to a certain time and style, and they are great for that. However, you can use them in almost any style of music and give it an extra dimension. This certainly applies to the sound design loops, to which you will soon add modern instruments and voices."
KR Home-Studio 05/2019 
Extrait: Si, comme les autres opus d'Eduardo Tarilonte, Dark ERA prend toute sa mesure dans les musiques de film, documentaires et jeux vidéo, on peut également l'utiliser dans d'autres contextes. Organique et bien documentée, par l'utilisation de reconstitutions d'instruments historiques ou issus de cultures vivantes, cette banque permet de composer une atmospère sonore inspirée des âges anciens...
Dark ERA propose une signature sonore unique, qui va audelà de la compilation d'instruments virtuels. Pour avoir testé plusieurs des produits de la collection ERA, un point mérite d'être souligné: au fil de ses différentes productions, Eduardo Tarilonte spécifie précisement les univers sonores et évite la redondance d'un projet à l'autre. Ce qui fait de chacun d'eux un "must have". Que nous inventera-t-il prochainement?
SOS 04/2019 
"The string and wind instruments are wonderfully organic and full of character while the percussion can go from delicate to bombastic. Add in all the rhythmic elements, and the very impressive set of soundscapes, and Dark Era is a pleasure to compose with."
Read the full SoundOnSound review for Dark ERA here.
KEYS 05/2019 
"Dark Era liefert ein breites Spektrum Sample-basierter Instrumente aus dem frühen Mittelalter. Hier findet man zahlreiche Raritäten wie Knochenflöten, Schwirrgerät oder die Tagelharpa. Alle Instrumente wurden mit akribischer Sorgfalt ausgearbeitet und in hoher Audioqualität aufgenommen und liefern einen einzigartig authentischen, dynamischen und charaktervollen Klang. Per Steuertasten wählbare Spielweisen, dosierbare Nebengeräusche und eine Fülle temposynchroner Patterns und Phrasen erlauben lebendige, filmmusikreife Kompositionen alleine auf der Grundlage dieser Library. Athmosphärisch dichte und geschmackvoll arrangierte Klanglandschaften sowie ein exotisches Repertoire menschlicher Stimmen runden diese beeindruckende und inspirierende Library ab. Der Preis für das neue Meisterwerk von Eduardo Tarilonte ist absolut gerechtfertigt." - Andreas Ecker
MusicTech 04/2019 
"Simply beautiful recorded, great phrases for instant inspiration, nice effects and envelope extras, very easy to use. Dark Era is Tarilonte at his best, providing all the authenticity you need in the instruments and then goin wild in the soundscapes. Absolute genius."
Andy Jones for Music Tech Magazine April 2019
SoundBytes 03/2019 
"If you are part of any media, movie or game music business, then you already know what to expect from Tarilonte’s libraries. This one is no exception. As always, great sounding instruments, fantastic voices and very unique soundscapes. If you need to recreate any dark-age atmosphere then this one is indispensible. This library has loads of interesting instruments and sounds that can also be used in modern day arrangements. As I said at the beginning, it’s unique and sounds great. It is so obvious that the author of this library has a great passion for all kinds of mystical and magical eras of history, and as a result, this library is a splendid storyteller, carrying its own personal voice and character." - Alexander Arsov for Sound Bytes Magazine
StrongMocha 03/2019 
Rating: Five out of five stars
Composers who are composing to a dark age or fantasy style vibe for a trailer, to picture or games need to have this one. If you are a producer in need for some glue and special signature sounds for your next song you also need to take a look, not only lounge tracks will benefit from this collection. I could see modular being pulled out of their boring Elektro sounds into fusion and complete new lands.
Dark ERA is a northern god, fantasy and pagan style library, super versatile. You get that northern ancient sound. Dark Era is a must-have if you are excited by the barbaric Vikings and the northern vibe. There is a strange connection I have when I hear these rare ethnic instruments. Dark Era manages to be lovely, deep, and disturbing.
Bonedo 02/2019 
"Dark ERA besitzt definitiv die gleichen Qualitäten der mir bekannten bisherigen stilbildenden Libraries von Eduardo Tarilonte und von meinem subjektiven Empfinden ist die Klangqualität sogar noch etwas satter und druckvoller, sodass Instrumente ohne weitere tontechnische Finessen direkt in Produktionen eingebunden werden können. Das erfreut wahrscheinlich in erster Linie Musiker, die ihre Brötchen mit Scoring (Film, Games) verdienen, die Verwendung von Dark ERA im weiten Feld der Musikproduktion ist aber absolut nicht auszuschließen. Stilistisch wird einerseits Neues (z. B. Kehlkopfgesang) geboten, andererseits gibt es Überschneidungen zu bereits erschienenen Tarilonte Libraries, was den Wert dieser Neuerscheinung aber nicht schmälert, sondern Dark ERA vielleicht sogar für Musiker interessant macht, die noch kein Produkt des spanischen Sounddesigners besitzen und mit der neuen Library eine breitgefächerte Sammlung historischer Instrumente, und Scoring-tauglicher Loops/Sounds erhalten."
Megasynth 03/2019 
"Ich gebe zu, ich bin ein Fan dieser ERA-Serie, wobei ich Dark ERA fast schon als beste Variante dieser Reihe bezeichnen möchte. Angefangen bei der Vielzahl der Instrumente mit den über die Keyswitches abrufbaren Artikulationen und Effekten, über die Soundscapes mit den Loops und Voices bis hin zu Klangqualität – hier stimmt eigentlich alles.
Auch die automatische Anpassung der Loops an die Projektgeschwindigkeit der DAW und der Mixer, mit den man sich die Soundscapes nach Bedarf mischen kann, tun ein Übriges.
Sicher, Best Service hat bei der Konzeption von Dark ERA an die Vielzahl der Sounddesigner gedacht, die mit dieser Library sehr komfortabel Musik und für Film und vor allem die Gameindustrie erstellen kann. Doch ich kann Dark ERA wirklich jedem empfehlen, der mit ungewöhnlichen Klängen und Rhythmen seine Musik verändern will. Mit Dark ERA bekommt man eine Menge fürs Geld." - Gerald Dellmann
Sample Sound Review 02/2019 
"Dark Era really connects with me and the samples used in this library are simply beautiful, dark, and spellbinding. It’s no wonder why so many composers endorse Eduardo Tarilonte’s sample libraries. His sound design in the days of old eras cannot be duplicated, he is the master when designing fantasy driven libraries." - Steve Montgomery (Darkmood/Infinite Mindscape)
MusicTech Magazine, Excellence Award
Sound On Sound Magazine 5 from 5
StrongMocha 5 from 5
Sample Sound Review 5 from 5
megasynth.de 4,7 from 5
bonedo.de 4 from 5
Einar Selvik (Wardruna)
Vikings TV series music
"Dark Era gives you access to a great selection of rare and hard-to-get instruments along with complimenting soundscapes as well as smart and easy solutions for playing and replicating the real deal. Great job, Eduardo! So if you want to add some solid historical texture to your music and don’t happen to own a wide selection of obscure historical instruments - this is the library to get!"
David Arkenstone
With 3 Grammy nominations, 20 Billboard hits, and millions of fans worldwide, has established himself as one of the best contemporary instrumental musicians of our time.
"Again, Eduardo has opened up the world to us. The amazing textures and playable instruments are truly transporting to another time. The percussion and flutes are stunning and very much alive. I see many years of inspiration from this collection…!"
Neal Acree
World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Starcraft.
"Eduardo Tarilonte's libraries never fail to deliver the sounds that we never knew we needed but that we can't live without. Dark Era takes that to the next level with another must-have collection of inspiring and unexpected sounds. Perfect for fantasy video game scoring and so much more. Highly recommended!"
David García Díaz
Sound designer and video game composer whose work includes games like RiME or the Bafta´s audio achievement winner "Hellblade: Senua´s Sacrifice".
“When it comes to Viking Pagan folk music, Dark Era, by Eduardo Tarilonte is one of the very few and for me the best instrument to capture the tones that make this music style unique. Throat singing, war horns, frame drums, skin drums...and a large etc. All captured with great detail and easy to use just right out the box. I wish I had "Dark Era" when I was working on the soundtrack of Hellblade: Seuna’s Sacrifice.
If you want to create music in the style of Heilung or Wardruna, or add a raw, dark, beating texture to your music, I think this is the right tool to have.”
Teufel
Band "Tanzwut"
"ERA II Medieval Legends, Celtic ERA and Dark ERA are for me as a medieval musician and producer a perfect basis for studio work. The sounds of the medieval instruments are authentic and harmonize with each other. It is a pleasure to work with these samples and to create new songs for my band Tanzwut with the help of this impressive sound library".
Mac
- macOS 10.15 - macOS 15
- 64 bit: Stand-alone, AU, VST3, AAX (native Apple Silicon or Intel)
- RAM: 4 GB (more recommended)
Windows
- Windows 10 or newer
- 64 bit: Stand-alone, VST3, AAX
- Intel Core Processor
- RAM: 4 GB (more recommended)
The latest Engine Player tutorial video can be viewed here: Engine Audio
Enregistrement Requis:
All Engine Audio products require you to register at www.bestservice.com for downloads or activation.
This product requires an activation!
An internet connection is required to authorize / activate the product.
