Introducing Ha Noi, an ode to the magic of Vietnam’s capital city. This project is the outcome of an immersive creative residency in Vietnam, undertaken by our gifted in-house sound and visual designer, Noah Sherrin. Leveraging the transformative power of our MNDALA 2 engine, these already-vivid sounds have been artistically reinterpreted and reshaped into a multitude of new forms.

We were graced by the talents of top-tier, local musicians who contributed characteristic sounds and expressive performances, drawing from time-honored traditions and innovative contemporary techniques. With 6 categories, Ha Noi includes over 80 presets, 43 Instrument sample maps and 14 soundscape sample maps that invite you into the soundworld of this special city.

Features

Voice

• Ca Trù Voice (Long, Broken)
  Vocal techniques in the Ca trù musical tradition. Ca trù is an ancient form of musical storytelling featuring a female vocalist, often accompanied by a Đàn đáy player, and involving the interaction of the spectator.
  Played by: Vu Thi Thủy Linh

Strings

• Đàn Tranh (Bend 1, Bend 2, Bend 3, Bend Up, Bend Down, Tremolo, Vibrato)
  The Đàn tranh is a plucked zither with a long soundbox and many strings (14-25). These kinds of bends are characteristic to the emotional quality of the instrument.
  Played by: My Chin
• Đàn Nhị (Straight, Straight Hard, Glissando)
  The Đàn nhị is a two-stringed bowed string instrument. The instrument’s small tubular body is often covered by snakeskin. This highly expressive instrument often carries the melodies of traditional Vietnamese music.
  Played by: Ngô Thái Sơn
• Electric Đàn Bầu (Straight, Vibrato, Bend Up)
  The Đàn bầu is a one-string zither and is essential to Vietnamese folk music, but also commonly employed in pop and rock. It is played by striking harmonics and bending them with a lever. Here it’s plugged into a megaphone amplifier.
  Played by: Ngô Tra My
• Đàn Đáy
  The Đàn đáy is a plucked 3-string lute with silk or nylon strings. It is commonly used as an accompanying instrument in Ca trù music.
  Played by: Pham Dinh Hoang
  

Percussion

• Trong Ban (Regular, Hand Hit, Flam)
  A large traditional hand drum played with a stick or hand.
  Played by: Le Quỳnh Trang
  

• Chèo Drum (Regular, Bounce, Flam, Side)
  A small drum that serves as the rhythmic backbone for Chèo, a type of satirical musical folk theatre from northern Vietnam.
  Played by: Le Quỳnh Trang
  

• Drum Set (Low, Mid, High, Double)
  Group of drums from a traditional Vietnamese drum set, precursor to the modern trap drum kit.
  Played by: Le Quỳnh Trang
  

Pitched Percussion

• T’rưng (High, Low, Muted)
  The T’rưng is a bamboo xylophone used by the Jarai and Bahnar ethnic groups in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
  Played by: Vu Thi Thủy Linh

Wind

• Sáo Mèo (Large Vibrato Fast, Large Vibrato Slow, Small Double Tongue 1, Small Double Tongue 2, Small Double Tongue 3)
  The Sáo Mèo is a bamboo free reed wind instrument used by the H’mong ethnic group of northern Vietnam. Often two larger and smaller (male and female) pipes are coupled together to facilitate a wider range and tonal contrast.
  Played by: Nguyen Hai An
• Sáo Bầu (Drone, Short, Straight)
  The Sáo Bầu is a free-reed wind instrument. It has a gourd wind chest with a center playing pipe and two outer drone pipes.
  Played by: Nguyen Hai An
• Tiêu (Double Tongue, Flutter, Overblown)
  The Tiêu is a large vertically played bamboo flute.
  Played by: Nguyen Hai An
• Sáo Trúc (Straight, Vibrato)
  The Sáo trúc is a small bamboo flute with six or ten fingerholes that is often called the ‘voice of Vietnam’.
  Played by: Nguyen Hai An

FX (Soundscapes original and effected)

• Hanoi Ambiences – Birds
  Urban wildlife recorded in central Hanoi with an LCR microphone array. Ran through an extensive chain of creative processing.
  

• Hanoi Ambiences – Fan
  Recording of an oscillating fan with an LCR microphone array.
  

• Hanoi Ambiences – Traffic
  Hanoi’s infamous traffic recorded with an LCR microphone array.
  

• Hanoi Ambiences – Light Rain
  Light summer rain captured in Hanoi’s old quarter with an LCR microphone array.
  

• Hanoi Ambiences – Med Rain
  The beginning of a monsoon recorded near the Temple of Literature in Hanoi with an LCR microphone array.
  

• Ninh Binh Ambiences – Heavy Rain
  A heavy rainstorm on a lotus field in Ninh Binh, a small city on the Red River, captured with an LCR microphone array.

• Ninh Binh Ambiences – Traffic Rain
  Rain and background traffic in Ninh Binh, a small city on the Red River, captured with an LCR microphone array.