Triple A Audio has announce its first release, a meticulously recorded virtual instrument that brings the mystical melodies of the Middle East and the Caucasus to your digital studio.
Folk Noir: Qanun for Kontakt opens the slate of the fledgling company’s upcoming products. Founded by famous rocker Serj Tankian and recordist and composer Olajide Paris together with Gevorg Mnatsakanyan in 2023, the company aims to tell a story with every product. A story about the musician they cooperate with, the recorded instrument, and ultimately the experience of the user.
“We wanted to open with the Qanun because it can easily relate to Western music tradition, bridging the gap between the East and West, a function that Armenia also gracefully serves,” says Paris.
Triple A Audio sampled an Armenian Qanun hand-made in a small village in Armenia in the Southern Caucasus. With metal levers and wooden tuning pegs to alter the pitch of the note, it can play a range of up to 3 and a half octaves. The recording player wore the traditional silver thimble and pick made of bull horns on both index fingers to resonate the sounds.
“We wanted to create a virtual instrument that would allow musicians to explore the rich, beautiful tones of the Qanun like never before,” said Paris. “This Armenian Qanun has an entirely different structure and sound than other variants of the instrument. It’s an equal temperament that extends the musical range of the instrument beyond the mughams of the Middle East onto Western-style concertos, symphonies and even jazz.”
The Qanun virtual instrument for Kontakt is deeply sampled using multiple mics, catching every pristine pluck by qanun master Mayranush Rubenyan in delicate perfection. With up to 5 round robins and 5 velocity layers on each of the 8 articulations, it’s a professional-grade tool for composers, producers, and musicians.
The Qanun opens the series Folk Noir, which is the Triple A Audio designation for instruments that fit in the more traditional folk categories. But always with a twist.
Available for the full version of Kontakt 6 or higher, Qanun is on sale for the intro price of 79 USD/EUR until November 1st, 2023 (regular 99 USD/EUR).
More information: Triple A Audio
