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The optimal set up- "Sound is personality" The optimal set up has to focus on each musician individually. It is paramount for him to feel as a unit and free with his instrument to reach his personal sound ideal. A sound optimisation is always a personal matter which has to enable the following Qualities:
Set up - ease of playing: Paramount for the player is the ease with which he can produce the sound and the sound that the player experiences through his ears and through body contact with the instrument. Set up details like bridge, sound post, bass bar, elevation and strings etc. have an enormous effect not only to help the ease of playing. Set up is a powerful tool to help an individual player to get the most for himself out of his instrument in his subjective way. We are actively involved in developing new acoustical research techniques in our workshop that have enabled us to consistently produce instruments of the highest sound quality. This research and our many years of experience also allow us to make effective sound optimisations to client's instruments. |
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Bridge and sound post - "The heart and the soul"
The balance of bridge and sound post with all their various possibilities in design, wood choice and crafting is in itself a dimension in violin making. The bridge is the main transmitter of the vibration of the strings into the body. At the same time it is also functioning as a filter to these vibrations. The various ornamental cut outs and dimensions in the bridge have an influence on the sound. The skilled violin maker is able to manipulate the sound of a violin with the design and choice of material of the bridge. The correct choice of size, material and setting of the sound post has a large influence of the acoustical properties of the instrument. Here are especially important: Projection, tone quality, dynamic range and articulation.(see above) |
 Animation of modal analysis at 268 Hz  Animation of modal analysis at 415 Hz  Animation of modal analysis at 509 Hz  Animation of modal analysis at 665 Hz  Animation of modal analysis at 741 Hz  Modal analysis "Z-Modal 1.03" Interface  back to top |
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Modal analysis, sound intensity and sound radiation - "New tools"
Our working philosophy is that the better one understands the dynamic properties of instruments the better possibilities one has of building consistently tonally successful instruments. To this end we have introduced several modern technologies into our workshop that help us to discover more about instruments. Modal analysis is the process of identifying the properties of the resonances of objects. These resonances are sometimes called modes. We use equipment in our workshop to take dynamic measurements of instruments and process these measurements using computer software we have developed in our workshop. A few of these modes measured in our workshop are shown in the animations. By being able to see exactly how an instrument bends and twists at every resonance in slow motion on the computer monitor, we have a better insight of what modifications and where on the instrument these modifications could be made to change the sound of the instrument. Modal analysis is a very powerful tool, as the resonances of instruments are the reason for their tonal characteristics. Visualizing the sound- radiation and intensity produced by instruments in the form of frequency spectrums is an effective addition to listening to the modifications made to instruments. We have built equipment in our workshop that enables us to make these measurements and process them using computer software developed in our workshop. A frequency spectrum from a violin can be seen here showing the resonance structure of the instrument.  |
