First Jordanian sound designer, Abu Al Ragheb speaks to MBC

Talal Abu Al Ragheb talks about his passion for music, his latest Album of what he likes to call 'Mosaic Music', and his contribution to Sound Designing in Arabic Drama.

'It is the art of creating optimal sound surrounding that suits the scene and brings it to life.' By these words defined Talal Abu AL Ragheb the art of Sound Design emphasizing on its importance as instrumental to the resurrection of scenes.

As the first Jordanian Sound Designer, Abu Al Ragheb has introduced a significant change to this field with his artistic touch and by using the latest hi-tech devices that has left his distinctive print on the contemporary style of the Sound Designing of Arabic Drama he worked on such as, Al-Tareeq ela Kabul, Shahrazad, AL Hajjaj, Emre'o Laqais and Zaman Al-wasl.

In his interview with MBC Abu Al Ragheb talked about his first encounter with Sound Design and the beginnings of his career. His love for watching Western movies was an eye-opening experience that brought to his attention the accuracy of accompanying sounds to scenes, and from there he started his own research to know more about Sound Design and joined a few courses on-line on the same subject. His journey took him to the UK to meet with a friend of him who is specialized in Sound Design. This experience revealed to Abu Al Ragheb all the techniques and secrets of this art to bring it back to Jordan and conduct his first, the Arabic Drama 'Thi Qar' in 2000.

As an expert in Sound Design, Abu Al Ragheb believes that implementing Sound Design in Drama work should be harmonised with dialogue, music, sound effects and musical effects, all these elements combined together bring life to scenes and add meaning to them. In his opinion the Sound Designer should be creative and innovative, and to nurture his talent by creating his own library of sounds and the methods which lead to sounds that resemble the real ones, Abu Al Ragheb added. Furthermore, he explained that there are people who are known as 'Foley Artists' who create sounds to fit different purposes, pointing out to the importance of such art in the production of Western Drama.

The interview included practical examples shown by Abu Al Ragheb on Sound Design and methods of creating sounds and introducing them into mute scenes and how sounds bring these scenes to life.

His interest in Sound Design did not overshadow his passion to music and composing. For his music, it is sublime and grandeur, it captures the listener's feelings with its purity and modernity. The listener can discover this immediately when listening to Abu Al Ragheb's latest album 'Ro'yah', the most distinctive and original album which comprises of 14 ballades that inspire great admiration. They are a mosaic of Arabic oriental music and western style, combined together to reflect on the musician personality and to take the listener in a journey of spiritual and emotional spheres.