JosephR
Oud Admirer
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Registered: 2-18-2013
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looking to buy a MIDI oud (but not "electric")
I'm still looking for some kind of link to a luthier (most likely in Turkey?) who makes an oud that can drive an external synthesizer, via typical
software on Mac, etc,--- or via a standalone, such as Korg Kronos, etc. The thing is, people keep directing me to Godin, Nazarian and others who make
so-called "electric ouds" ... this is NOT what I want --- the instrument I want looks exactly like a traditional acoustic oud, and in fact can
be played as such ... I know this oud synthesizer exists, because I've seen Smadj and his partner Mehdi Haddab play them. Smadj told me his
was made in Turkey, but I've never been able to find the luthier. Any suggestions or links will be greatly appreciated! 
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mham
Oud Addict
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Registered: 12-21-2016
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That's an interesting research !
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dario
Oud Maniac
Posts: 55
Registered: 3-27-2014
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Can you not just fit a MIDI pickup to an acoustic oud of your choice? These exist for classical guitars, which have a bridge very similar to an oud,
so it shouldn't be difficult...
Here's an article about a classical guitarist that does this: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Nylon_meet_MIDI_Susan_Weinert
and the products she uses:
http://www.rmcpickup.com/products.html
More information from Thomann:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/onlineexpert_page_midi_and_modelling_guita...
PS I imagine this would be easier with a floating bridge oud as it has a saddle the strings pass over. Anyway, I'm sure any skilled luthier would be
up to the challenge of combining an oud with this technology, and I'd be interested to hear the result!
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JosephR
Oud Admirer
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Dario, I'd very much like to believe it, but I'm pretty skeptical that "any skilled luthier" could do it... most luthiers with MIDI knowledge deal
only with fretted instruments .... I was told by one guitar maker (who said he did know how to install a Takamine-type midi pickup system on an
acoustic classical guitar) that it was beyond his capability, because it's a much trickier task to detect properly, and digitally distinguish notes in
6 courses of strings , with no frets to help (btw, I prefer the 12-stringed to the 11-stringed oud, but that's not an essential requirement). I think
the luthier I need would have to be someone who really knows ouds, and preferably someone who has already done this successfully, with an acoustic oud
--- also it's a lot more complicated to do this with an acoustic oud than with an electric oud. Thanks anyway, for the Thomann link --- I e-mailed
them just in case, but I have little hope from that direction. Any other likely links are welcome! 
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dario
Oud Maniac
Posts: 55
Registered: 3-27-2014
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Joseph, I thought the unfretted thing might be an issue too but actually MIDI has a resolution of less than one cent in pitch (how do you think those
80s keyboard pitch bends were achieved?) so that really shouldn't be a problem - indeed, if snapping to a chromatic scale was an issue there'd be no
point making a MIDI oud! Plus the RMC pickups have an individual transducer for each string of a guitar, and since the oud has the same number of
courses you should be good to go (the only potential issue being string spacing at the bridge if the transducers are built in a fixed assembly).
Another thing I thought of - MIDI violins are definitely a thing. Thus you could look up luthiers that do this - even though the construction of a
violin is significantly different from an oud, at least it's unfretted. I'm sure they could at least give some advice.
I emphasise that I know nothing about this stuff, I'm just speculating. Good luck!
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JosephR
Oud Admirer
Posts: 7
Registered: 2-18-2013
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looking to buy a MIDI oud (but not "electric")
OK, I'm glad the fretless aspect apparently wouldn't pose an extra problem, as that guy thought it might... but it's still a difficult thing, and I
still haven't found any luthier who is confident they can do it... even a violin maker I talked to long ago, here in Paris, said he wouldn't try it,
and that if he was me, he'd only ask an oud-maker, not even a European lute-maker, unless he knew ouds!. Even if I had all the right tools, I
certainly wouldn't attempt it myself. If it was easy to make the kind of oud I saw Smadj play, then you'd see a lot more of them for sale --- for an
experience traditional oud-player they're far more attractive, and practical than Godin-type electric ouds, because they can be played as traditional
instruments, and do anything electric ouds can do, except high-decibel rock-influenced stuff.
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jekksjekks
Oud Lover
Posts: 12
Registered: 3-14-2016
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hey sorry to revive an old thread but I was just browsing through and have some input for you all.
I write heaps of electronic music and as such use alot of midi controllers in my writing process.
Over the years I've been planning a few instrument builds for my main instruments that involve midi, standard electric pickups and a few other handy
devices for live and studio use.
These guys I found have some really versatile hardware as far as midi options for instruments that aren't standard 6 string guitar and 4 string
bass.
http://www.ets-hardware.com/tuning_forks.php
There's also graphtech who are really good at midi pickup systems, but you'll have to get a full custom kit for an oud setup.
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