Recorded ouds often sound boxy and thin compared with how the instrument feels in the room. The cause is nearly always placement.

Where to put the microphone

The soundhole is a bass port, not the source. Pointing directly at it gives you a boomy low end and very little of the wood. Start with a small-diaphragm condenser about 30cm away, aimed at where the neck joins the body, angled slightly toward the bridge. That position picks up the string articulation and the body resonance in a workable balance.

• Move the microphone rather than reaching for EQ. Twenty centimetres of repositioning does more than an hour of filtering.
• Record the room a little. A completely dry oud sounds like a museum exhibit; the instrument’s decay is part of its character.
• Watch the risha noise. It is part of the sound and becomes intrusive when the microphone is close and pointed at the striking hand.

If the room is bad, a blanket behind you and another behind the microphone will do more than any plugin. Reflections arriving a few milliseconds after the direct sound are what makes a recording sound like a small room, and no processing removes them convincingly.