Arabic Oud – “The Queen of Instruments”

Awaken the Sound of the Arabian Nights

In Arabic music, the Oud is considered one of the oldest musical instruments; in fact, in the Middle East it plays an important role in musical tradition. Although the origins of this instrument are uncertain, the popularity of the Oud has spread across the Mediterranean, North and East Africa and the Middle East, where it is still very popular to this day. In the Western World, the Oud is probably best known as the forerunner of the European lute.

The Arabic Oud Library was created in close collaboration with the renowned musician and Oud virtuoso Bassam Ayoub. Bassam Ayoub performed and recorded all playing variations with the main emphasis on achieving an authentic sound, both for melodic playing and rhythmic accompaniment.

The Arabic Oud offers three different, meticulously recorded Oud instruments with breathtaking 39 articulations and brings one of the oldest string instruments to life right under your fingertips. The versatile sound spectrum of the Oud can enrich any kind of music and the integrated microtunings are very appealing to professional Maqam performers! Because of its wide range of playing styles, the Arabic Oud is ideal for both studio and live performances.

The Engine

The Arabic Oud transports the sound of the Middle East into todays DAW-based production environment. The Engine Player’s carefully programmed interface makes it really easy to work with the library, allowing you to be inspired by the sound of the Arabic Oud and unleash your creativity.

The Arabic Oud user interface gives you access to the most important and commonly used microtunings of oriental music: Bayati, Rast, Saba and Seka. Each tuning offers two variants (Normal and Syriac Church) as well as free choice of the root key.

The Keyswitches allow you to switch between the different playing techniques to create incredibly realistic performances. There are two types of keyswitches: latch and hold. While Latch Keyswitches remain active after the key is released, Hold Keyswitches remain active only as long as they are pressed and held by the player – after the key is released, the playing mode changes to the last selected Latch Keyswitch.

The green Midi Song Keys above the playing area provide short Midi sequences which showcase the numerous playing possibilities of the Arabic Oud. (See the Info tab for more information about the correct speed and tuning for each midi performance)

Arabic Oud Live Performance

Each of the three instruments of the Arabic Oud is also available as Lite version. These patches contain the very essential articulations to perform the Oud realistically in a live environment.

Syrian-born Bassam Ayoub, musician and singer, has toured with various bands across many Arabic countries and Europe. He has worked with countless artists, as well as with renowned oriental keyboard and expander manufacturers such as Korg, Farfisa and Limex. Arabic Oud is the result of his extensive experience in sampling oriental instruments bringing playability and realism to the next level with Engine 2.

Works with Engine Version 2.6.0.33 or higher!

Best Service ENGINE 2 Sample Player is included with this product!

Mac OS

  • Mac OS 10.9 – 10.14 
  • Min. recommended: Intel Mac 2GHz, 2GB Ram
  • Interfaces: Standalone, AU, VST (64bit only) 
  • AAX Support for Pro Tools 11+

Windows

  • Windows 7, 8 and 10, 32bit & 64bit
  • Min. recommended: Intel Core 2.0GHz, 2GB Ram
  • Interfaces: Standalone, VST (32bit and 64bit)
  • AAX Support für Pro Tools 11+

for all systems

  • Internet connection for product activation required (on any computer)
  • Additional hard disc space according to the library size

The latest Engine 2 and a tutorial video can be downloaded here:
Best Service DownloadsSystem FAQ

Product activation:
An internet connection is required to authorize / activate the product.