South American instruments
Produced in collaboration with composer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Harvey (The Lion King, Interstellar, The Da Vinci Code, Mulan), Andea offers a diverse array of instruments from South and Central America. The 61 instruments selected from Richard’s personal collection offer sought-after sounds featured in several successful soundtracks. These unique plucked-string, wind, and percussion instruments instantly evoke distinctive landscapes and the authentic sounds of rich musical cultures.
Richard Harvey is a prolific composer and multi-instrumentalist who has collaborated with artists such as Hans Zimmer, guitarist John Williams, and Paul McCartney. He’s conducted, composed, orchestrated, and played on numerous film and television soundtracks, including The Little Prince, The Da Vinci Code, The Lion King, Interstellar, Luther, Disney's live action Mulan, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Richard is an expert player and collector of unique musical instruments, with an unparalleled collection of more than 700 instruments—old and new—from around the world. His previous collaboration with Orchestral Tools, Phoenix Orchestra, drew on his deep expertise in traditional instruments. Now through Andea, Richard is sharing his incredible instrument collection with the composer community.
Highlights
Unique colors and textures
Andea features a diverse selection of rare and highly sought-after instruments, including:
A 10-string mandolin-like instrument with a deeper range than a charango. A favorite of composer Gustavo Santaolalla.
Four pairs of nylon strings produce a rounded, rich tone whether playing sustained notes, trills, or chords.
The national instrument of Paraguay, perfect for traditional folk songs or delicate passages.
An Argentinian military drum with an animal-skin head and playable wooden hoops that produces deep tones with dry timbres.
A bow-like Brazilian instrument with a taut wire, played with a stick while holding a shaker.
Instantly evoking Andean mountain culture, the siku family of panpipes is used in traditional and modern music from South America.
A bamboo flute with Bolivian origins, offering warm, breathy timbres across a narrow pitch range.
One of several ocarinas: Clay wind instruments with a plaintive tone. Well-suited to evocative melodies, folk, or fantasy themes.
Eight distinct shaker instruments—made from gourds, animal hooves, branches, baskets, sticks, and metals—that help propel music forward.
Authentic and intimate
Andea presents distinctive instruments meticulously recorded with expert players. All instruments are represented as faithfully as possible—with actual pitch ranges plus instrument-specific mapping and articulations—so you can build authentic parts. And for easy playability, you also get chromatic patches. With instruments captured through four mixable mic positions, Andea offers a dry, immediate, and intimate sound that you can shape and sculpt easily.
