Hi All.
Could anyone help me to track down a high quality samples of a Duduk, an Armenian wind instrument. Either AKAI or KURZWEIL format. Any kind of help is greatly appreciated! The project is calling for it, and I’m stuck!
Thanx.
~Josef.

No, but:

A search of Findsounds.com turned up nothing but led to a websearch engine I hadn't heard of called infodepot.com. That led here:
http://members.tripod.com/%7ezangezur/music/woodwind.html

There are MP3 recordings of it there. I have to tell you, that thing sounds exactly like a stock flute sound I have on my Yamaha VL1. It's just a little bit too reedy to be believable as a flute, which is what the duduk seems to sound like. (Patchman music sells a great breathy jazz flute patch, but I don't have a real legit VL1 flute.)

So if you can find someone in Boston with a VL1 to play it, there's your ticket. I'd be happy to send them the sound.

Nick, thank you!
Yeah, I love this instrument (duduk) quite a long time now, some 20 years. I think it has the most expressive / emotional quality timbre of all winds. Its like flute, clarinet, bassoon all together! I knew musician ( back in Europe) who was the master of this instrument. He had several different ones (alto, bass …) and I felt like that thing was actually singing with a human voice.
Anyway, I was asked to do a music for "Reiki" and I just have this sound in my head, and I'm heaving a hard time to go around it.
I don't know any duduk player here. The idea of using a VL1 would be fine, except I knew only one guy here at Berklee who could pull it off, but I have no idea where he is now. I should have gotten that keyboard for myself. I think it is the best electronic music instrument ever made so far.
I do some nifty stuff with my K2500 and breath controller and fretless midi guitar, but once you hear the real thing, even a great sample is a major compromise.
Anyway, is it hard to master a VL1 ? Maybe I'll look around for one.
Could I hear some of your music using VL1?

Thanx again!
~josef

No offense to you or Nick and mind you have no real idea of what a Dudek is supposed to sound like.But I have been a flutist for for over 30 years
and for half that time have been experimenting with the various alternate controllers (ewi's, wx7+11's, pitchriders)etc.I now use a Yamaha wx-5 and have tried it with everything from a VL-70,VL-1 to the Technics WSA 1 and have yet to find anything with the realism or expression of the Korg Oasys.As far as I am concerned Yamaha dropped the ball on this technology (physical modeling)long ago. But to hear some great examples of the VL-1 being played by one of the best players in the world,check out any of the Pat Metheny Group albums of the past 8 years.Lyle Mays mostly just uses it for the harmonica patch .

[This message has been edited by vincoprod (edited 03-28-2002).]

thanx Vincoprod, I'll check it out.
~j

It depends on what aspects of realism you're talking about. All things being equal, the most realistic sounds are always going to be samples, of course - but all things aren't equal in most musical contexts.

What the VL1 does better than anything else is behave like an acoustic instrument, modeling the different transitions between notes, what happens when you blow harder and softer..the nuances. However, some of its emulations are better than others. As I said, legit flute is one instrument it doesn't do all that well, because the sound is too reedy in the lower registers to be believable as a flute. BUT - that sound is exactly what the dudek MP3s I listened to sounds like!

Which is why I recommended it for that sound. It doesn't do any good to say that you think your favorite synthesizer sounds more realistic than the VL1- a separate argument that I'm not particularly interested in (because you can only have it about individual sounds)- in the context of someone looking for a specific sound.

I do agree it's unfortunate that Yamaha wasn't able to keep going with Virtual Acoustic synthesis. The problem is that, as their marketing person puts it, in the music store "it sounds broken." People don't know how to play a breath controller (and I don't mean wind controller, I mean just a breath controller) right away. I can't imagine it taking any time to learn how to coordinate it, but music stores don't know how to sell anything like that.

It seems they also don't know how to sell digital mixers all that well!

Good point, Nick, as usual J
Thanx and take care.
~J

After re-reading my last post, I see that it came off as being a little rude. That wasn't my intention - at least not this time!

Sorry, Vinco.

Nick. No sweat .I loved the concept of the VL 1 when it came out . Wish they could have kept the ball rollin.

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John V.

Duduk sampling is not easy, the most of samples which are in market is simply trash! If you need simple A, B, C notes, year you can find them, but if you need it with all details, I think the best way to perform it yourself.

If you have any question regarding duduk, just drop me PM, I personally produce duduks and know everything about this incredible wind.