Oriental Strings for iPhone

App summary and purpose

Oriental Strings is a professional-grade sound module built for keyboardists and musicians who want authentic Middle Eastern and East Asian string textures in their arrangements. It functions as a virtual instrument on iOS, tailored to reproduce the timbres and playing styles common to oriental music while remaining usable in modern production workflows.

How to connect and use it

• Pair an external MIDI keyboard over Bluetooth MIDI or plug it in using Apple’s USB Camera Adapter to play the app directly from your controller.
• Run Oriental Strings as a plugin inside your favorite DAW — it works as a virtual instrument that can be hosted and automated.
• Seamless routing to and from other iOS apps is supported, so you can integrate it into complex signal chains and mobile studios.

Supported plugin formats and routing

• Bluetooth LE MIDI is supported for wireless MIDI control and lightweight setups.
• Inter-App Audio compatibility allows legacy routing between apps that use Apple’s older audio architecture.
• Audiobus integration lets you stream audio between apps with flexible routing.
• AUv3 (Audio Unit) support enables use as a standard plugin inside AUv3-compatible hosts.

Instrument roster and recording quality

• Western-style string sections voiced with an oriental coloration, offering hybrid textures for contemporary productions.
• Traditional Arabian string instruments recreated with attention to regional playing techniques.
• Turkish string colors captured for modal and rhythmic styles common in Anatolian music.
• The Chinese Erhu and similar bowed instruments sampled to preserve the expressiveness of the originals.

All 32 patches were recorded by musicians experienced in oriental repertoire to deliver realistic tone and nuance.

Purchase, access, and alternatives

• The app is sold as a single purchase with no additional in-app purchases — every sound and feature is available after acquisition.
• If you’re looking for a free alternative, consider 99.9 KTDY, which is offered at no cost and may suit basic needs or casual experimentation.