Today we’ll learn more about the unique aspects of the fujara, dvojačka and some other related instruments.
Different instruments can be found in the most diverse ethnicities worldwide, mostly consisting of a familiar construction with specific details that make it unique to that particular culture or social expression. This is true for most cultures, proving that humans can make music for quite a while and with the same instruments, even if separated by natural barriers and frontiers.
The fujara is an instrument that fits this description nicely: in essence, it’s a very big wind instrument that resembles a flute or bassoon, fitting the tabor pipe family of instruments (a wind instrument that requires only one hand to play it, with the remaining hand usually playing a drum or bell). It originated in central Slovakia and provided a deep and organic timbre to multiple popular songs and folk tunes.
Although this is a very specific instrument, it doesn’t mean you cannot have it in your library of trusted sounds. It might be hard to get your hands on an authentic fujara, but luckily, there are some virtual options to be explored. This article brings the best fujara virtual instrument plugins available in 2023.
Best Fujara/Dvojačka VST Plugins & Libraries 2023
1. BestService Ethno World 6 Instruments By Marcel Barsotti
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This comprehensive collection brings the best ethnic instruments from all over the globe.
Ethno World 6 is the result of years of research and improvements over more than 15 years. The team behind its development wanted to include a large number of ethnic instruments in the same Kontakt library, with the focus of eventually becoming one of the most reliable sample collections with this goal.
Key Features:
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- The instruments
The array of instruments in Ethno World 6 is vast: you can expect to find bowed, strung, woodwind and brass, key, drums, and percussive instruments that are present worldwide in multiple cultures. Among these offerings, you’ll find the fujara and dvojačka inside the “Woodwind & Brass” section. - Group Edit
If you need to set the entire ensemble’s sound at once, a dedicated section will help you. Ethno World 6 divides this segment into four, with dedicated “Volume,” “Pitch LFO,” “High Pass,” and “Low Pass” windows. For example, inside the “Volume” window, you can set the overall envelope for the instrumental ensemble and the overall volume. - Micro tunings
Some cultures rely heavily on specific tunings, and some are micro tunings. They are very different from our usual tunings and chords, coming from an entirely different background. The “Microtuning” section houses all options available to customize and configure this, with specific presets tied to a culture ready to be explored. - Effects
Ethno World 6 includes some built-in effects to be added to your instrument of choice. The “Effects” area is dedicated to showing the available options, which include a compressor, saturator, equalizer, delay, chorus, and phaser, aside from the classic reverb. If you think a specific sound is somewhat limited, try flirting with these options to expand your sonority in seconds. - Humanize mode
It is very nice to have such an array of sounds inside your DAW, but often they need to be carefully programmed to showcase some human touch, even if played by a MIDI keyboard. To help you with that, BestService included a humanize mode in Ethno World 6, which play the new notes in your song with a slightly altered timbre. - Convolution reverb
Impulse responses are very handy in providing a specific ambiance digitally. They are sets of algorithms that aim to reproduce how a room or specific ambient sounds like, and you can have that technology inside the built-in reverb effect. This provides clarity, authenticity, and quality to your sounds instantly.
- The instruments
Compatibility:
This plugin is available for macOS 10.14 or higher (the latest update) and Windows 10 or higher (64-bit only). It comes in VST, VST3, AAX, and AU plugin formats. Kontakt Player or Kontakt version 5.6.1 or higher is required.
Summary:
A superb collection of ethnic instruments, Ethno World 6 excels by delivering a nice collection of such instruments allied with relevant parameters and controls. The functionality of this library is very intuitive, and the most difficult part is deciding which instrument sounds best. As our focus lies on the fujara and dvojačka flutes, we can safely say that its samples were carefully recorded and provide a great quality, especially if deeply explored with the built-in effects and general settings.
2. VSL Fujara Flute
More Info & Download (VSL Player, USB Dongle & iLok Needed)
The best-tailored plugin for fujara sounds.
It is not hard to imagine a specific use for a fujara flute, but that did not stop VSL from developing a dedicated plugin to cover these authentic sounds. Always presenting a clean look and samples with extraordinary quality, Vienna Symphonic Library brings a package that contains everything you might need to nail the immersive fujara tones.
Source: VSL
Key Features:
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- Played by a professional
Multi-instrumentist Veronika Vitazkova played all samples inside FUJARA FLUTE with masterful precision, worthy of someone who is a specialist in folk instruments. It is not that the fujara requires a special technique to be played; it is just a nice touch o authenticity for someone experienced to be playing every note. Her portfolio is vast; she played multiple orchestral ensembles and toured with Ennio Morricone in Europe. - The instrument
Veronika used her fujara in FUJARA FLUTE, a special model crafted by master luthier Milan Koristek. The instrument has a length of 173cm (or 68 inches), which is required for a substantial definition in the low end, and was specially built to be used both in G and A. - Articulations
Like any wind instrument, the fujara benefits from articulations and shines greatly when they resonate properly. You can select different options in FUJARA FLUTE, like “Short Notes,” “Long Notes,” “Marcato,” “Crescendo,” “Fluttertongue & Trills,” “Fast Repetitions,” “Effects,” and “Low Notes Flutter.” - Perform
The first main section, “Perform,” shows some faders that deal with specific aspects of the overall sound. For example, you can set the overall volume, expression, envelope controls, dynamic range, humanization, and even parallel compression. These faders can also be assigned to MIDI CC values for an even faster tweaking of parameters. - Microphones
The microphones included are focused on setting the perfect ambient sound that the instrument should have. In essence, you have dedicated faders that set the volume for each microphone, and tweaking the values can make your instrument sound uniquely good. - Mix
The section in which these microphones can be set is called “Mix,” and it does not solely allow for microphone adjustments: you can set their volumes, mute or solo each channel, add effects, set the proper phase, and even tweak the stereo imaging of your instrument.
- Played by a professional
Compatibility:
This plugin is available for macOS 10.13 or higher (64-bit only) and Windows 8.1 and 10 (64-bit only). It comes in VST, AAX, and AU plugin formats.
Summary:
VSL delivers awesome, complete plugins that will probably be everything you look for in a virtual instrument. FUJARA FLUTE is no exception, with exquisite and precise control over the most minimal details about the instrument’s sonority. Of course, the features included here are also found in their other products, but even if you are not accustomed, you will still get great sonic results.
Conclusion
Ethnic instruments tend to be specific in their usage, even more, when finding an exemplar to play around with. To overcome that, we can count on one of the best aspects of modern life: the power of digital recreation. Multiple instruments that are very difficult to get their hands into are available in sample libraries or plugins, and the sound results are often satisfying.
The fujara is a great example of an ethnic instrument, as it is very specific and relevant to a specific region. You can even have one, but some may require an experienced musician to play it… And that was overcome by the two items on our list.
VSL FUJARA FLUTE is tailored to the instrument, focusing on its sound and providing some useful additions that may complement the final sonority in a relevant manner. The sample files are good-sounding and were played by a professional, so the rest comes naturally in a convincing way. Bonus point? It is entirely free.
BestService Ethno World 6, on the other hand, includes multiple ethnic instruments, with the fujara flute being one of these. Here you can have the same good features as VSL FUJARA FLUTE, with the addition of thinking with the entire ensemble instead of a solo performance. This can be useful not only to include other ethnic instruments but also to form your fujara ensemble masterfully.
Eventually, the final choice is up to you. Feel free to test both products and see which works best for your productions.
See you next time!
Eduardo Cardoso is a musician and audio producer based in São Paulo, Brazil. He studied both music production and theory in college and has successfully launched his career as a solo artist in 2021. With over 10 years of experience with the music business, he currently acts as a session musician, music producer, audio editor, and content creator. Read more..