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Jonathan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1582
Registered: 7-27-2004
Location: Los Angeles
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Incredible. I can't wait to hear it.
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corridoio
Oud Junkie
Posts: 184
Registered: 3-11-2007
Location: Italy
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very beautiful Alami!
I'm happy this project has come to life!
Ale.
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ALAMI
Oud Junkie
Posts: 645
Registered: 12-14-2006
Location: Beirut
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Thanks to all for your kind words, coming from the most discerning oud community anywhere, it is a great reward...really.
A small idea turned out to be one of the most interesting adventures I ever had. Like many of you here, oud is something that we do in our corner for
our own pleasure with none or very few to share with.
It feels good to be an amateur again.
The oud is now a week old, time to talk about what's is all about : the sound.
Before even the oud was stringed the bowl had a humming sound, when you put your ear over the hole you can hear like a breathing sound, not the sea
sound you hear in a shell but something that's goes up and down.
Fadi wanted to string the oud in low tension for the first 3 months, so we used a set of low tension Pyramid Lute strings that Jameel fixed me for the
old 1892 Arja oud.
The first weired thing we noticed is that if 2 strings are not in absolute perfect unisson, I mean even if extremely slightly, the kind of difference
we usually consider OK, that even a regular tuner considers OK, the intonation is terribly wrong, it is something really difficult to explain in
words.
And when they are in perfect unisson the loudness jumps, you can almost tune the second string only by spotting the loudness. It is something that we
have on the oud and that oudists know but on this oud it is very accentuated.
The other thing is the sustain, I want your opinions guys on this, can sustain be too much ?
May be better to start hearing,
My friend Ziad Ahmadieh passed by today, we did a recording session, it is a small studio built for voice over recording.
The recording was done on Protools using an U87I Neuman (condenser) on the left channel and a Pulsar Maudio (dynamic) on the right channel. These are
the raw files played by Ziad, as is no treatment or effects.
I am posting the short takes (mp3 128) until I fix a link for the bigger files.
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ALAMI
Oud Junkie
Posts: 645
Registered: 12-14-2006
Location: Beirut
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3 more takes in a zip file
HERE
(better to right click and choose "save link as")
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Reda Aouad
Oud Junkie
Posts: 553
Registered: 1-2-2009
Location: Lebanon
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It is clear that it is still a new-born oud.. but great sound !! Rich, powerful and balanced.
Ziad used to be my music teacher at school when I was very young.. I like his style. Very good taqasims.
Regarding the sound.. the sustain is very good.. not in excess at all. But the studio gives maybe a bit dull sound.. very dry. But it is great! I
would love to listen to it in a few months.
I want to ask you as well.. did you change the mics distance between the recordings? In the first the mics seem to be far.. in the last too close.. I
felt the second recording had the best setup, with a distance in between the other two recordings. The stereo feeling is also very nice.
Congratulations one more time 
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Reda Aouad
Oud Junkie
Posts: 553
Registered: 1-2-2009
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I was talking about the first 3 recordings you uploaded in my last post.
Concerning the second batch of recordings.. the difference in intonation is indeed accentuated as you described.
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Reda Aouad
Oud Junkie
Posts: 553
Registered: 1-2-2009
Location: Lebanon
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I see what you mean by excess sustain. I notice it more in the second group of recordings. But I like it
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katakofka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 811
Registered: 1-24-2008
Location: Cleveland
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great sound I love it. When you put higher tension strings it should give more powerful sound. About sustain I won't worry, it's a part of the rich
sound of Fadi's oud. This oud is a great success, sound and design. Felicitation
Did ziad like it?
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Oud Freak
Oud Junkie
Posts: 292
Registered: 11-23-2007
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Mood: Oud Jerk
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kata, the great sound richness of the sound of a matta oud can only partially transmitted in recordings. Ntg better than feeling the instrument's
vibrations while playing it or hearing it live. I might b exaggerating but i think am right. Cheers
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Oud Freak
Oud Junkie
Posts: 292
Registered: 11-23-2007
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Quote: Originally posted by Jameel  | | Wow. That's incredible work. Fadi is a seriously skilled luthier. Doing those twisted ribs is challenging enough, but then he upped the challenge and
used alternating species. And he nailed it. What a motivating thread. Thanks Alami for posting this. Fantastic. |
Dear Jameel ("the beauty maker"),Thank you for your active participation and your positive comment
on this work. Some other members should have reacted and commented at least about the "finished product" (designed by Alami "the brain" and made by
F.Matta "the magician"). Surprisingly, no sign of life but their silence speaks for itself  . I also have a request: please make more of your marvelously finished ouds and show them to us. Such a treat for the eye (wish to try them
as a treat for the ear)! All the best! Cheers! OF
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Oud Freak
Oud Junkie
Posts: 292
Registered: 11-23-2007
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Mood: Oud Jerk
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| Quote: Originally posted by Jameel | | Wow. That's incredible work. Fadi is a seriously skilled luthier. Doing those twisted ribs is challenging enough, but then he upped the challenge and
used alternating species. And he nailed it. What a motivating thread. Thanks Alami for posting this. Fantastic. |
Dear Jameel ("the beauty maker"),Thank you for your active participation and your positive comment
on this work. Some other members should have reacted and commented at least about the "finished product" (designed by Alami "the brain" and made by
F.Matta "the magician"). Surprisingly, no sign of life but their silence speaks for itself . I also have a request: please make more of your marvelously finished ouds and show them to us. Such a treat for the eye (wish to try them
as a treat for the ear)! All the best! Cheers! OF
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Amazing work. Beautiful in looks and sound. Mabrouk!
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francis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 428
Registered: 4-8-2008
Location: Saintes , France
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Quel résultat!!! ( et quel beau projet)
Tout est superbe , look d'enfer et le son est au niveau!
Bravo!
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Reda Aouad
Oud Junkie
Posts: 553
Registered: 1-2-2009
Location: Lebanon
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| Quote: Originally posted by Oud Freak | | Quote: Originally posted by Jameel | | Wow. That's incredible work. Fadi is a seriously skilled luthier. Doing those twisted ribs is challenging enough, but then he upped the challenge and
used alternating species. And he nailed it. What a motivating thread. Thanks Alami for posting this. Fantastic. |
Dear Jameel ("the beauty maker"),Thank you for your active participation and your positive comment
on this work. Some other members should have reacted and commented at least about the "finished product" (designed by Alami "the brain" and made by
F.Matta "the magician"). Surprisingly, no sign of life but their silence speaks for itself . I also have a request: please make more of your marvelously finished ouds and show them to us. Such a treat for the eye (wish to try them
as a treat for the ear)! All the best! Cheers! OF |
With all my respects to most luthiers, Fadi is THE most skilled. Has has proven it once again in this project, as a challenge for himself and the
other luthiers around the world. I don't mean to be rude at all, and I concur on the Freak's statement that Jameel is indeed the beauty maker, his
2005 oud being one of the most beautiful ouds I've seen http://www.khalafoud.com/khalafoud2005.htm , and others do great jobs as well. But Fadi has indeed increased the heat and I think that other
luthiers should now step up to the challenge, in oud design and building.
I invite all members to tell about their impression about this project. Don't stand still. The least you can do is congratulate Alami for his
marvelous design and Matta for his extreme craftsmanship. A machine twisting the ribs couldn't do a better job or give a better finishing to this oud.
I am still astonished every time I look to the pictures..
Once again.. congratulations to both Alami and Fadi Matta for this one-of-a kind project.
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Ararat66
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1025
Registered: 11-14-2005
Location: Portsmouth, UK
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Mood: mellow yellow
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Hi Alami
It's great to see this at last - and most of all to hear it. I think it is a wonderful creation, your friend is an amazing player btw, and Fadi Matta
an awesome luthier (I am very tempted!!).
The sound files, particularly 1,2 & 3 are really interesting because sure it is unmustakenly an oud but the sound is really 'fine grained' for
want of a better description, very very beautiful sound and unusual to my ears, it sounds very refined, I can imagine its like a thoroughbred so
tuning has to be spot on, I think that's what you have.
I love it, can't wait to hear it open up.
Many congratulations, brilliant work by all.
Cheers
Leon
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arsene
Oud Junkie
Posts: 366
Registered: 5-19-2007
Location: Rotterdam, NL
Member Is Offline
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Wow, I just stumbled on this thread today and just abandoned all other activities and read it in one go.......
My head is seriously spinning, this is one of the most amazing things oud I have ever witnessed!!! Ever!!
As I was progressing through the thread I couldn't even imagine that at the end I would be able to hear it, and there it is, mp3 files ready for me to
download! :P
I will join the rest and say congratulations for such an amazing work, I wish I could play it right now!!!!
I am too very curious about the sound in a few months or so!
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Ararat66
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1025
Registered: 11-14-2005
Location: Portsmouth, UK
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Mood: mellow yellow
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What do you reckon to the sound Arsene?? pretty special I think, very refined.
Leon
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Luttgutt
Oud Junkie
Posts: 578
Registered: 1-10-2009
Location: Norway
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Mood: Curious
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Unbelievably Beautiful
And I love the sound!!
  
Well done Alami and Fadi 
Alf Mabrouk Alami
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arsene
Oud Junkie
Posts: 366
Registered: 5-19-2007
Location: Rotterdam, NL
Member Is Offline
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Leon, I would say very defined, crisp & clear and more words like that with which we try to describe sound... overall balanced I guess... Let's
see how it opens up, given the design and mr. Matta's track record, i'd put my money on a sweet revelation of divine aural bliss
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Ararat66
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1025
Registered: 11-14-2005
Location: Portsmouth, UK
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Mood: mellow yellow
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'Sweet revelation of divine aural bliss', didn't they support Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young years ago
Leon
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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Mood: big band envy
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Really beautiful sound, in addition to being a beautiful instrument!
Congratulations!
mavrothis
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ALAMI
Oud Junkie
Posts: 645
Registered: 12-14-2006
Location: Beirut
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Thanks to all for your kind words.
OF and Reda (or anyone passing by Beirut) just drop me a u2u or a mail when you're around and you can do a test drive.
I am delighted that you like the sound guys and am also curious to see how it would develop, I think that I can already feel that the oud is a bit
less touchy and is a bit more forgiving
regarding the absolut perfect unisson tuning and precision. .
Have anyone felt that some ouds are more forgiving than the others when it comes to fingers precision ?
I'd like to have a thought for a great artist and designer: Mr Les Paul who passed away a few days ago, His Gibson is one of the greatest instruments
ever designed. I can spend hours just looking at it.
Another thought, I hope that we will never have a "Best" luthier or a "best" design or we will all end up with the same oud and same sound, it would
be a boring oud world. Challenge is not important, curiosity is. Of course this oud would have stayed on paper without a master luthier like Fadi,
when Fadi saw the plans and the mold for the first time, I immediately felt that his curiosity was triggered, he spent minutes looking silently to the
3D renders and the plans, he was already building the oud in his head.
I love projects like the "medieval oud" by John and the other experimental turkish oud being built by Yaron or the older projects done by Jameel.
Sometimes professionals are so taken into their work that when they have free time they are reluctant to spend it experimenting, I know it by personal
experience. Amateurs (talking about myself) and outsiders who are not full time luthiers can benefit the professional world by triggering
curiosity.
I have 9 ouds and at least 5 of them are "best" into something: the "old" Matta design is the loudest, the 1892 five course Arja is the purest, the
Der Bedrossian is a beauty queen, the Ghadban is the best overall, Nazih is also a great master and a very curious guy.
BTW the oud was selected in an international design contest, will let you know if it makes it to the finals.
I've received many "commercial" questions. This design (which is now legally protected) is radically unusual and we don't know if the structure will
hold or if the face will deform, there is a lot of assymetry that can generate off axis stress, this oud needs time. It would be unwise to make it
commercially available at this stage.It may or it may not become available in the future, no decision is taken.
I am already thinking of how the design can be improved. Pure geometry, intuition and traditonal making did a great job on the first model,
improvements will need a lot of research.
...to be continued
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arsene
Oud Junkie
Posts: 366
Registered: 5-19-2007
Location: Rotterdam, NL
Member Is Offline
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well, needless to say Alami, you would do us great pleasure and honor by keeping us posted on this marvellous adventure! And yes, every instrument -
be it traditional or mind-boggling innovative - if made with passion is 'the best ever made'
And Leon, I think that's what CSNY were feeling after a couple of, er, let's say brainstorming sessions.
*EDIT* I'll be in Cyprus from Thursday onwards and I suddenly realised thats not so far from Beirut!!!! I'll let you know if i'm tempted 
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Oud Freak
Oud Junkie
Posts: 292
Registered: 11-23-2007
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Mood: Oud Jerk
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Agreed with Alami that there is nothing absolute. Each maker has his own strengths and weaknesses. I also agree with Reda about matta. I wonder who
else could have done such a wonderful job. It is true that ur floating Matta is full power but I wouldn't own it. The model per se and its sound are
not my cup of tea. However, for me Matta remains the boss, despite the fact he insisted on a specific model for a long period. Now his new ouds are
linking between power, loudness and rich traditional oriental sound: full option! I also like ghadban'sproduction and flexibility from 2006 till
today. I always say to these two luthiers that I lam glad they do not imitate each other, bcz they wouldn't b interesting if they do so. Well, enough
for today! OF
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Mike
Super Administrator
Posts: 1568
Registered: 12-3-2002
Location: California, USA
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Mood: Happy
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Just catching up with forums today. Been a little pre occupied lately. Anyway, great pictures, lovely oud, and beautiful sound. Alf mabrouk Alami!
What an incredible project by an innovative guy and an extremely talented luthier.
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