Characteristic Oriental Plucked String Instrument
The Qanun is one of those instruments that you don’t just hear – you immediately feel it. Its sound is deeply rooted in the musical traditions of the Orient and has shaped this sonic world for over a thousand years. As a delicate wooden psaltery with 63 to 84 strings, it has been documented since the 10th century and remains a central element of both traditional and modern Middle Eastern music.
The Syrian multi-instrumentalist Bassam Ayoub has given this sound world a virtual life. With his experience recording Middle Eastern instruments and his deep understanding of playing techniques and expression, he has already shaped libraries such as “Arabic Oud” and “Arabic Percussion” – always with the goal of translating authentic instruments into the digital world as realistically and playably as possible.
With the Qanun, this approach reaches a new level: a detail-rich sampled instrument that consistently combines authenticity, expression, and playability. 22 articulations, multiple velocity layers, and up to 16 round robins ensure that every nuance remains alive and the true character of the Qanun is preserved.