Mutes
In our previous article we talked about instruments for which at least part of the augmentation is realized inside the instrument. But there are also accessories that let you change the timbre of an instrument without really being a part of the latter. We are talking about mutes.
There is a great variety of mutes, and especially for brass instruments. One particularity of the mutes for brass instruments, is that some of them can be placed above the bell. The sound that is obtained, quite characteristic, is called the wah-wah.
When the mute is placed above the bell, the sound is filtered and loses a number of frequencies. But when the mute is progressively removed, the filtering is removed as well and the sound goes back to normal. Knowledge of this principle has allowed us to create this same effect on the electric guitar using pedals called… wah wah pedals!
In 2004, Neal Farwell presents his work “Rouse” for electronically transformed trombone. One of the particularities of this work, is the mute made using a loudspeaker that injects the sound into the instrument. The composer’s idea is to create a setup where the mute effect depends on an electronically variable frequency.
Effects pedals
The 20th century brings a real revolution that is going to influence the whole music industry.
In the 30’s, the first electric guitars are produced and achieve commercial success. The electric guitar doesn’t produce almost any acoustic sound, but the vibration of the metallic strings is captured by electromagnetic pickups, amplified through electronic amplification, and played through a loudspeaker, constructed specially for this occasion.
Starting from the 60’s, effects pedals make their appearance. Then, from the 80’s onwards, the range of pedals is extended thanks to digital electronics With the effects pedals, it is possible to modify the very timbre of an instrument.
Analogue to start with, the effects become digital, and the musicians are spoiled with endless choices to modify the timbre of their instrument.
We find effects such as delays, echoes, reverbs, choruses, flanges and much more.
Everyone can set up their own pedalboard following their preferences and in order to create their own sound. The electric guitar with discretionary modulable processing is an augmented instrument par excellence.
Effects for wind instruments
Similarly to the amplification and pedals for guitars, manufacturers of other instruments, this time acoustic ones, try to do the same.
One of the attempts to augment the sonorities of woodwind instruments, was the Varitone by Selmer.
It was indeed this famous woodwind instrument manufacturer who, in 1967, presented an amplification and sound processing system for flute, saxophone and clarinet.
At the same time, a similar system was launched in the USA, the Multi-Vider. It allowed you to amplify and add effects to the flute, trumpet, clarinet and saxophone. As for the Varitone, the effects were limited to the octaver, which transposes the sound one or two octaves, and filters.
Despite an intense advertising campaign, neither the Varitone, nor the Multi-Vider found their audience and both remained unsuccessful attempts at woodwind instrument augmentation.
But woodwind instrument players have not lost their taste for increasing the sonorities of their instruments. A solution for this was the arrival of effects pedalboards for guitar and voice in the 90’s and, eventually, the arrival of multi-effect digital pedalboards.
Some performers specialize in the creation of their own augmented instruments and equip themselves with pedalboards like guitarists. It is by the way interesting to note how some feel the need to control the variations of timbre over time and not only switch the effects on and off. Although most guitar pedals are not adapted for this kind of control, one solution is to play barefoot to have access to the rotary knobs of the pedals’ parameters which are not designed for it.
The Sampo takes up the idea of an effects pedalboard, but with improved playability and the ability to assign pedals freely to various sound processing parameters or “effects”. The pedals are of the continuous type, meaning that changes are made progressively. Each pedal can manage one or more sound parameters, giving you the opportunity to create countless sound effects and customize your timbre.