I was working once with Arabic music producer - he had a huge keyboard in my studio, chromatic. BUT! the magic is in Pitch Bending. He was bending every note all the time. Very skilled keyboard player he was. Try that

 

i took this track here as inspiration.
I don't want to steal it but learn with the help of existing songs how to produce something like this exactly.

The Chord Progression is Bm-A-G-A-Bm-A-G-A and so on .

different programs unfortunately tell other results to find out the key

Decoda says it's A major, Scaler says it's B minor and Cubase says it's D major... it's absolutely confusing...

anyway, I tried to build something similar, I think in itself the idea is not bad but I'm not satisfied, for me it sounds absolutely not Middle Eastern or Balkan, I think the instruments fit but what is played doesn't sound like the example.
I didn't use microtuning in the instruments because unfortunately all the vsts I used have different microtuning options but unfortunately none of the vsts says exactly which notes are changed how, East West Play Ra and Best Service Engine. Therefore I have done without the microtuning.
I only played around with the pitchbend on the Oud.

I hope someone can tell me how to get even closer to the sound I want to achieve, here's my beat:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/88d7pe44wsfuz8t/Audiosex Example.mp3?dl=0

 

From which Site are the Pictures that you Post ?
Thank you !

 

www.electricbass.ch/tools/fingersaetze/zigeuner-dur-arabische-tonleiter-1580
www.electricbass.ch/tools/fingersaetze

 

I think you are getting closer to want you want to achieve, but you need more practice. Real Balkan music is somewhat chromatic (mostly used as embellishments to existing melodic lines). North African and Arabic music uses lots of real microtones.
Your music and some of the tracks you want to imitate sound quite inoffensive and sterile, imo. Like someone's vague idea about what is Oriental/Balkan pop music.
Why not try to reproduce some existing pop songs from the region? (You can easily find some midi files, I guess?)

 

Hello @BenniTheBlockbuster:

207 arab MIDI Songs/tracks - Page #1 : Midis101.com
www.midis101.com/search/arab

vanBasco's MIDI Search - Results
www.vanbasco.com/search.html?q=arabic&resultsperpage=10

In this section you can listen to or download some selected Arabic midi files,
https://shadows2000.tripod.com/arabmidis.html

 

Adam Nelly has an awesome video about microtonal, check it out also.

 

Yamaha PSR-A350 - Oriental Keyboard (329,00 €)
https://de.yamaha.com/de/products/m...boards/portable_keyboards/psr-a350/index.html
www.thomann.de/de/yamaha_psr_a350.htm

Yamaha PSR-A350 - All Oriental Instruments

New Yamaha PSR-A350 - All Oriental Styles

Korg Pa700 Oriental - 1.349,00 € www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/pa700_oriental/

KORG Pa700 Oriental Demonstration

 

Last edited: Feb 7, 2022

So you think it's impossible to make this sound with VST instruments only ?
I have seen these oriental keyboards before and I like the sound, but I would like to do it with VST first.

It must be possible somehow, I found this video here, he plays the whole thing also on a normal M audio midi keyboard, which surprises me he uses only the white keys .
Has he possibly locked his scale with a program ?

Go to 7:00 Minutes

Thanks for the web pages with the midis !

 

1.) List of microtonal software plugins https://en.xen.wiki/w/List_of_microtonal_software_plugins

2.) Resources for Microtonal Music
https://sevish.com/music-resources/

A,)
Example: The Surge XT VSTi (Free) have a good *.tun / *.scl import function ! https://surge-synthesizer.github.io



B.) Download this - it's great.

Tuning files
Handpicked microtonal tuning files that I collected around 2014.
Includes a written guide to introduce you to using these tunings. Download them all

Multiple tuning formats are included:

tun: for Serum, Omnisphere, u-he, Surge XT plugins etc.

• 
  
  • • scl/kbm: for Surge, Pianoteq, ZynAddSubFX etc.
    • mid (MIDI Tuning Standard dump) for Xen-Arts

See a list of microtonal software plugins that support microtuning.

 

Last edited: Feb 7, 2022

I have studied Indian music for more than 15 years. (Sitar and Sarod)
Microtonics occur because not ALL notes are perfectly in tune. (Scales are another matter).
Try lowering a quarter pitch on just a few notes and you'll get that "different mojo feel" (Generally 2nd, 4th or 6th grade, NOT ROOT!).
I' m not a synth/keyboard expert, but you need to program and store these altered notes.

 

...correct

but I think his problem lies elsewhere ....

 

That's indeed the best way. Like @23322332 said, you are getting closer to what you're after..

I am not surprised at all. You shouldn't rely on any program to give you the key/scale. It's marketing BS..
Scaller guessed it tho, probably by accident ;)

No. It is totally possible. Why would it make any difference? With Vstis you have all the options of any keyboard and more..
As you yourself stated:

Indeed.

No, I don't think so. He only hit transpose button, from F min to A min so he can play white keys only (+pitch bend)

You can pitch bend only the scale degrees that you want (it will be one or two) + use it for embellishments

 

Thank you very much for your answer !

 

I think I'm getting a little closer to the whole thing, I didn't think the whole issue would be so difficult to make it sound oriental.
But yes, I'll keep at it, today I tried all day to get a good result, with and without microtuning, only pitch bend etc....

I would like to know what instruments are involved here, I mean of course in each example always the lead instrument.
In the last example the instrument is free without background noise.
I have searched all my Kontact libraries, but unfortunately can not find a sound that comes to it, I first thought it would be a clarinet or a duduk, unfortunately apparently not .
Maybe someone have an Idea :

Sound 1 :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c37baa7wsk6nwr5/Lead Instr. 1.mp3?dl=0

Sound 2:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3zy0xowd4iwyars/lead instr 2.mp3?dl=0

Sound 3:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/het61y3t6zgbwr0/lead instr 3.mp3?dl=0

Sound 4 isolated :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dkuxy6auu7vk2m6/lead instr 4 isolated.mp3?dl=0

And i dont know, is there something glide to the Songs or Portamento...i dont know something about the sounds makes it so special

thanks to all for your help !

 

EastWest/Quantum Leap RA - $199.00

EastWest/Quantum Leap RA provides composers with access to a variety of rare and unique instruments from Africa, Europe, India, the Americas and Australia, the Far East, and the Middle East and Turkish Empires. Musicians will find that RA has an amazing sound quality and they'll marvel at the articulation of each instrument which has a wide range that goes from controlled to expressive.

https://www.soundsonline.com/Ra
www.kvraudio.com/marketplace/ra-by-eastwest


Best Service - Ethno World 6 Complete - € 449,-
Playable sample library with more than 320 ethnic instruments and voices based on over 28,700 samples

https://www.thomann.de/gb/best_serv...LCJjdXJyZW5jeSI6NCwibGFuZ3VhZ2UiOjJ9&reload=1
www.thomann.de/de/best_service_ethno_world_6_complete.htm

 

Thank you, but i have Them both and there is No Sound that comes Close to any of my examples

 

I listened to your sound clips. Here are a few possibilities. I think it's a Tar and Violin. See next post Sound examples.

A. UVI - World Suite 2 --> www.uvi.net/de/music-genres/world-suite-2.html
B. Master Duduk | For Kontakt| Rast Sound --> https://rastsound.com/downloads/master-duduk/
C. Best Service - Orient World (Middle Eastern Instruments) Saz, Balaban, Zurma, Ney, Kanun, Violin, Akkordeon, Oud, Saxophon
www.musikhaus-korn.de/de/best-service-orient-world-middle-eastern-instruments/pd/33573
D. Kontakt Pro Middle Eastern Sounds Arabic Oriental Kamanjat Strings 2020
https://taqs.im/downloads/kontakt-pro/

1.) Zourna - Free VSTi (Zourna produces the sound of the Zourna.)
- It features a quarter tone control for ease of use with middle eastern scales.
https://smatni.tripod.com/safwanmatnivstplugins/ & www.mediafire.com/?66jl3780m57cd

2.) SIKA Oriental Scale (Sika Oriental Scale is a free sound library for Kontakt.)
- Light weight Oriental sounds with quarter note control to add oriental scales.
Aud, Kanoun, Accordion, Alto sax, Trumpet and Duduk.
www.httmusic.com/sika-free.html

3,) Syntar by Syntar (Syntar is a VST instrument designed to fulfill your every sitar sound requirement.)
https://plugins4free.com/plugin/295/

4.) DSK World Stringz (Strings instruments from all the world based, vst free plugin.) – 13 world string Instruments:
Celtic harp, Cumbus, Dobro, Dulcimer, Guzhen, Kanum, Koto, Luam, Pipa, Pipa tremolo, Sitar, Tar & Turkish oud
www.dskmusic.com/dsk-world-stringz/

5.) DSK Asian DreamZ (Asian instruments based vst free plugin.)
– 8 Asian Instruments: Pipa, Pipa tremolo, Luan, Guzhen, Erhu, Koto, Ban di, Percussion kit
www.dskmusic.com/dsk-asian-dreamz/

 

Last edited: Feb 8, 2022

Hello @BenniTheBlockbuster, first listen to everything and then name the instrument you are looking for.
Instruments: Saz - Balaban - Zurna - Ney - Kanun - Oud - Violin - Duduk - Kaval - Tar

Saz

Balaban

Zurna

Ney

Kanun

Oud - Violin

Duduk

Kaval

Tar

 

Last edited: Feb 8, 2022

Only your last example used microtonal scales
"Microtonal" means foreign tuning systems, Arabs might as well say our scale is microtonal because it actually is for them, right? Same with the term Middle Eastern, supposed to be West-Asia but w/e, thats too off topic.

Exactly, it's just a sound. I'll doubt that you want to recreate authentic sounding ME music, what for? Just use the aesthetic, and the way 99% of composers do it is with using foreign scales, not tuning systems, it's kinda cheap and overused tactic but it has worked for decades, I think that's what you want and not some groundbreaking culture merging work, even if that'd be amazing.

Pro Tip: A lot of times even microtonal scales don't even do the job of accurately depicting foreign music, because composers usually then use half flat's and sharps when in reality natives use 3/4 flats and sharps, like in Persian music for example.

Bottom line: Just fuck around with the gypsy scales