chuck in ny
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is there a good acoustic reason why a sound hole has to be on the face of an instrument rather than the side?
jenny
i am planning a couple of builds and think to put the ports on the sides. not only acoustics, a matter of industrial design. interesting subject to say the least.
On top of that, some believers in soundbox tuning say it can also change the base key of the instrument.
The soundhole does basically two jobs:
- lets out vibrations from the inside of the soundbox/underside of the soundboard
- loosens up the soundboard so it can vibrate more easily
On top of that, some believers in soundbox tuning say it can also change the base key of the instrument.
Soundports and alternative soundholes have been done on guitars as well, mainly for reducing feedback from electric amplicifcation:
- smaller 'adamas'-soundholes on Ovation and Applause (and Applause ukes),
- slit-style soundholes on Washburn instruments (and the Kala HH bass ukulele),
- teardrop soundholes at the side of the upper bout on Tacoma instruments (including the Tacoma Papoose, an octave guitar, and the above mentioned peavy)
- blind soundboard on Alvarez Yairi guitars (and some 1920s Lyon & Healy camp ukes)
An entirely closed soundbox would be a bad idea for acoustic instruments, because it would inhibit most movement of the top. Such 'chambering' is however used on electrical instruments that need some 'acoustic sounding' amplified quality.
I think they're referring to the Helmholtz resonance frequency of the soundbox. This is the frequency that will have the largest amplitude response to vibration. Usually this will be at a slightly lower frequency than the lowest note that will be played on the instrument.Can you explain this? What is meant by bass key, exactly? I'm interested to know. The science of acoustics is amazing.
I have a student with a sound port on the side and it gets a lovely sound, whether I am holding it, or sitting across from her. It definitely feels more "live" (is that the word I'm looking for?) when you are holding it and the port is right under your face.
I think they're referring to the Helmholtz resonance frequency of the soundbox. This is the frequency that will have the largest amplitude response to vibration. Usually this will be at a slightly lower frequency than the lowest note that will be played on the instrument.
Having the peak response within the range of the instrument can lead to problems like "wolf notes", where one particular note is much louder than others.
As a live sound engineer, a sound port on the top side of an 'ukulele is problematic. It bleeds into the vocal microphone and adds another factor to audio feedback. While I can adjust my boards around that, it detracts from the natural 'ukulele sound. Ric
As a live sound engineer, a sound port on the top side of an 'ukulele is problematic. It bleeds into the vocal microphone and adds another factor to audio feedback. While I can adjust my boards around that, it detracts from the natural 'ukulele sound. Ric