|
Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ. |
|
|
|
Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ. |
|
In Reply to: NO, all wooden instrument are made to resonate! nt posted by bartc on April 7, 2005 at 06:16:48:
Some wood instruments, like flutes, are dependent on wood resonance to determine their tonal qualities. Some other wood instruments, such as oboes and clarinets, are made to effectively NOT resonate. The very best clarinets are those that have the very least wood resonance; you can't feel the instrument vibrating while you're playing it. It's the vibration of the reed that is paramount, and the instrument is strictly a vessel to control the frequency and shape of the soundwaves emanating from the instrument, controlled by the artist's articulation. The wood functions more as a damper than a resonator, because reed vibrations, if present or enhanced along the body of the instrument, would be detrimental. I've found that at home some woods can also be used with audio for wonderful damping effect. A good wood can eliminate some of the harshness and bad vibes and let the more musical vibes flow more freely, less inhibited. The result is tonal qualities that are more true-to-life and have a greater sense of "presence." Properly implimented, good woods like ebony or Mpingo do not alter frequency response or provide a "flavor," but seem to work with electronics in a way that lets the real music sound more natural, focused, unveiled. (Of course, slapshod attempts at incorporating wood damping can indeed color the music and reduce detail.) I use ebony damping HAL-Os on my phono stage tubes, and the musical improvement is astounding. Most of the improvement is from getting rid of microphonics, but the ebony itself has a subtle influence, not a coloration, not a tone control, except that it seems to let the true tonal nature of voices and instruments come through more life-like -- it's really very uncanny because you would expect perhaps a clarinet to sound very much like a clarinet, but indeed brass cymbols and high hats sound actually more like brass, whereas they seem a little tinnish without. I think our ears are the most sensitive to the human voice as far as determining whether a reproduction is true-to-life. This is the ultimate test for me, when the human vocals sound most true-to-life. I almost get a chill sometimes when the vocals are so real. The greatest listening pleasure for me is when I feel like I am part of a real and present event instead of just admiring how well my stereo reproduces a recording.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- Re: NO, all wooden instrument are made to resonate! nt - Clarinetist 04/7/0520:23:15 04/7/05 (1)
- Well said clarinetist.... - RioTubes 09:49:53 04/9/05 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
