Ligatures Ligature vs reed vs mouthpiece comparison - Can you hear much of a difference?

[Pete Thomas]

I have a set of comparison audio clips. This time I made it just a scale.

Two mouthpieces (PPT metal and onyxite)

Two reeds (Rico jazz and legere)

Two ligatures (Metal 2 screw and Fabric)

Is there any/much difference?

http://tamingthesaxophone.com/tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece-comparison.html

 

[Chris98]

Hi Pete,

To my ears at least there is precious little difference between any of the scales.

Supposing you were to play to a metronome so that the speed of each scale was exact, I bet you'd be able to cut between each recorded track with it's unique combination of lig, reed and mouthpiece and get away saying it was done with one set up and in one take.

But maybe my ears aren't as well tuned as some, I'm sure some will hear clear and distinct differences.

Just out of curiosity, when playing the metal PPT do you hear a difference in your head, when compared to the onyxite, even if the recording suggest there is very little audible difference to an audience/microphone? I was just wondering if the material has a perceived effect on the tone to the player because of the of the way that material transmits the vibrations through and into our skulls.

Thanks for the recordings,

Chris

 

[Nick Wyver]

In the lig comparison I couldn't identify any consistent differences, but I reckon reed A is cane and B is the synthetic.

In the first reed comparison A=cane B=synth
second A=synth B=cane

I've no idea which mouthpiece is which but I think A in the first is the same as B in the second.

The differences are tiny so the above is probably cobblers.

 

[Taz]

I think the only one I thought sounded brighter was with AAB, but it was only a very slight difference.

 

[Rogerb]

I was just thinking that, if this was SOTW, you'd have a full-scale argument going by now ....I guess 'cos their ears are so much more finely attuned
I couldn't detect any real pattern, or differences which couldn't be attributed to their having been played at different moments in time!

 

[kevgermany]

I had a listen, heard a couple of things. Put my headphones on to hear things better, cos the pc speakers are so poor. Then there was a huge difference, but it was the headphones. Need to have another list before I say anything, but it's clear the differences are small.

 

[BeBopSop]

BTW Play the 4 sound clips all at the same time for some nice harmonies! lol

 

[Rogerb]

How would you start them all at the same time?

 

[Pete Thomas]

6 mice?

It's true though if you start one then another one two notes later and so on they will be in harmony. They are all more or less at the same tempo.

 

[Fraser Jarvis]

Ok this is what i heard:

Ligs:
A,A,A, Reasonably bright with some core.
A,A,B, Very bright sound and quite robust.
A,B,A, Sounds thin.
A,B,B, Sounds shallow and weak.

Reeds:
A,A,A, Darker sound with more core.
A,B,A, Sounded bright but seemed like it was on the verge of squeaking.
B,B,A, Couldent tell any difference between this and A,B,A.
B,A,A, Sounded darker than the others without much else going on in there.

Mouthpieces:
A,A,A, Quite colourfull and bright.
A,A,B, Bit brighter than A,A,A.
B,A,A, & B,B,A, Sounded very similar, couldent really tell much difference, but it did sound as though you were struggling with this piece a bit.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Ok this is what i heard:

Ligs:
A,A,A, Reasonably bright with some core.
A,A,B, Very bright sound and quite robust.
A,B,A, Sounds thin.
A,B,B, Sounds shallow and weak.

Reeds:
A,A,A, Darker sound with more core.
A,B,A, Sounded bright but seemed like it was on the verge of squeaking.
B,B,A, Couldent tell any difference between this and A,B,A.
B,A,A, Sounded darker than the others without much else going on in there.

Mouthpieces:
A,A,A, Quite colourfull and bright.
A,A,B, Bit brighter than A,A,A.
B,A,A, & B,B,A, Sounded very similar, couldent really tell much difference, but it did sound as though you were struggling with this piece a bit.

That doesn't actually make sense, because e.g.) in each case, A,A,A is the same soundfile, but they are sounding different to you.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Ho ho. I misunderstood it too so my results are cobblers.))

I thought you'd mixed up the a and b designations. So, for instance, reed a is always the same, lig a is always the same, and so on?

Just call me cloth ears.

 

[Fraser Jarvis]

That doesn't actually make sense, because e.g.) in each case, A,A,A is the same soundfile, but they are sounding different to you.

Yes i realize that, but they all sound quite different to me...must have been the order in which i listened to them in each sub group that made me hear them differently.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Ho ho. I misunderstood it too so my results are cobblers.))

I thought you'd mixed up the a and b designations. So, for instance, reed a is always the same, lig a is always the same, and so on?

Correct.

But I've now done another page in which the soundfiles are there but no clues as to the combination of reed, lig and mouthpiece:

http://tamingthesaxophone.com/tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece-comparison-blind.html

Correct answers win a CD

 

[Pete Thomas]

I was just thinking that, if this was SOTW, you'd have a full-scale argument going by now

I've posted on SOTW as well now.

 

[old git]

No. Can't hear any difference.

Apologies for being serious.

 

[Dave McLaughlin]

Pete,

Any chance you could make these scales available as downloadable files? I'd like to do some spectral analysis to see if there's any difference in the relative levels of harmonics between the setups.

 

[Nick Wyver]

I just played them and recorded them. Seemed to work.

 

[kevgermany]

Pete,

Any chance you could make these scales available as downloadable files? I'd like to do some spectral analysis to see if there's any difference in the relative levels of harmonics between the setups.

Real player does it.

 

[Dave McLaughlin]

Thanks Kev - RealPlayer did the business.