
Yamaha's Latest Silent Brass - jamesjyu
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2014/02/best-sounding-brass-instrument-tech-makes-sound-yamahas-latest-silent-brass/
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thrownaway2424
I have an original first generation Yamaha Silent Brass for trumpet. This page
doesn't show one or even really compare the new one to the old one. It's
freaking enormous! I think it juts out of the bell of a trumpet a good 6
inches at least, and the amplifier is pretty darn big too ... the size of a
paperback book.

This page doesn't say anything about the back pressure from the mute. I wonder
if it's any different from the original. I used the silent brass all through
college and didn't have many opportunities to play without it, and frankly it
screwed up my playing.

Here's a picture of the original from 1995
[http://www.yamaha.com/design/award/images/img_sb-7.jpg](http://www.yamaha.com/design/award/images/img_sb-7.jpg)

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indspenceable
Re: back pressure - that's what I was most interested in, and I was sad to see
it not addressed. I got a silent brass mute for my horn (trombone) a couple of
years ago, but found that playing with the mute in (like any other practice
mute that I have used) felt extremely different than playing without;
especially in lower registers. Even the older version was magical - making me
silent but still able to hear myself, but the cost is long term usability.

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analog31
I'm a string player. You can get practice mutes for string instruments, and
somewhat analogous to back pressure, they change how the instrument responds
to the bow. The result is that you can practice some things (left hand
technique, repertoire) but not others.

For myself, I'm practicing for pleasure and not to advance professionally.
Muting my instrument would spoil it. Fortunately I've got a tolerant family
and a detached house.

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gcv
Would an electric instrument help, or do they feel too different from
acoustic, too?

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analog31
Too different. Actually, another instrument that I play is electric bass, and
I simply practice it unplugged.

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muraiki
Those lucky brass players! We saxophonists have to deal with stuff like this:
[http://www.wwbw.com/E-sax-Practice-Mute-System-for-Alto-
Saxo...](http://www.wwbw.com/E-sax-Practice-Mute-System-for-Alto-Saxophone-
II-464520-i1410117.wwbw)

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chaffneue
I remember a tenor sax hanging off my neck was enough work let alone having
its entire hard case attached :) It seems, to me, the best solution for all of
these issues is just to rent a practice space and go play until your cheeks
and lips fall off. I am pretty amazed with how the trumpet output sounds
through that Yamaha mute, though - it looks like you could even circuit bend
that gadget to do some nasty things to a trumpet's tone.

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muraiki
Yeah, it really is remarkable! Synthesized brass/winds are generally quite
bad. I was very skeptical, but watching the video changed my mind. I do have
an old trumpet lying around...

I did see a video for the sax case where a person had it mounted on some kind
of stand, so that's probably a lot more feasible!

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TylerE
I don't think they're actually synthesizing anything in the traditional
sense...just essentially using a DSP to convert sound in the bell to natural
room sound.

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dmritard96
I have an original one of these for french horn. While the amp/sound
processing was cool, the really great thing was the air flow. It added such a
minimal amount of resistance that you could practice in hotel rooms and avoid
trips to the practice rooms in winter without totally ruining your tone or
having your range affected.

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thejerz
This is cool, and a great improvement over the previous generation Yamaha
product. However, "Brass Resonance Modeling" may be confusing to some non-tech
savvy consumers as it sounds similar to "physical modeling," a method of
synthesis. The technology improvements are not synthesis, but rather a non-
generative process more similar to a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

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erikschoster
Can you cite any more specific info? I'm very curious. From the demos, the
sound externally and direct is pretty much equivalent to the silent brass
system I picked up in 1999, but without that huge bulb sticking out of the
bell of course!

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gtani
I've been wondering about analogous things for flute, clarinet and cello. From
what i read here, they're all compromises, except for a heavily baffled room
in the basement. I really liked an Azola electric (solid body) double bass
that i tried but i was too slow in making a decision, and they're now very
hard to find.

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fmstephe
I too am always on the lookout for the equivalent of this for the clarinet. My
wife plays, but with two children in an English house it's hard to practice.

If you do find something promsing give me a buzz. I would be very grateful.

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memset
This is neat!

FYI, they have had "practice mutes" on the market for a very long time now!
[http://www.wwbw.com/Trumpet---Cornet-Mutes-Brass-
Mutes,Mute-...](http://www.wwbw.com/Trumpet---Cornet-Mutes-Brass-Mutes,Mute-
Type-Practice-Mute.wwbw?ipp=12)

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mattl
I still hope they'll be able to create a synthesized instrument capable of
reproducing the sound of the bassoon. It is such a complex instrument. :/

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gregsq
I'm making an electronic musical instrument. Still in development. I'll think
about what you've just said, as the plan is design more than one kind.

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jgalt212
My wife wants to know if Yamaha makes this for humans. She thinks me and my
side of the family talk too loud.

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vsviridov
i wonder if this can make a cheap brass sound like an expensive one :)

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s0l1dsnak3123
I might start playing French Horn again thanks to this!

