Guess the soprano!

clear

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2020
Messages
1,681
Reaction score
876
I've recorded sound samples from 2 ukuleles (Kamaka HF-1 soprano and HF-2 concert, both 2020 models with factory strings) for a fellow UU member.

I think is might be fun to make it into a guessing game.

I labeled them as Ukes #1 and #2 randomly.
Which uke, #1 or #2, is the soprano?


Uke #1 samples
https://soundcloud.com/user-919961063/sets/uke-1

Uke #2 samples
https://soundcloud.com/user-919961063/sets/uke-2

Both ukes together (#1 is on left channel; #2 is on right)
https://soundcloud.com/user-919961063/sets/both-uke-1-left-channel-and-uke-2-right-channel



Answer key:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QuGMCQGU_Ykfhy3MjnU8wj4axU-ly8X9/view?usp=sharing
 
Last edited:
Both samples are labelled uke #1. Is this a trick question?

John Colter
 
Thanks for making that clear, Clear! I listened, I chose, I was wrong!

John Colter
 
Many thanks for the comparison! I had a thorough listen with some decent headphones and got it right.

I was surprised how similar they sounded but #2 definitely had a bit more resonance and warmth to its sound. On the other hand, the high frequencies were almost identical, at least to my ear (might be the headphones or recording). This is the main reason why I was so curious about the difference between the two. In a lot of videos I've watched of both ukes, the highs on the concert have sounded clearer and fuller than on the soprano, but I'm now thinking that might be more due to playstyle. I tested this on my soprano Kamaka and indeed, if you really dig in hard you can get a clear enough sound from the soprano as well, so I think people just tend to play the concert differently. Putting it in a very general manner, the soprano is often played by strumming lightly whereas the concert is played with fingerpicking. The greater resonance in the low end for the concert is quite noticeable but that's not really what I was looking for when considering the concert.

For a re-entrant concert uke, I think I will be satisfied with my Kanile'a. Thanks again, you've basically saved me a 1200 Pound purchase. Although to be completely honest, someone actually did buy the last concert Kamaka at SUS already and I don't know if I would even be able to find one in the EU anymore, so that definitely makes the decision much easier. :D

Then again, they still have that Kamaka 2D2i available... ;)
 
#1 sounds like the sop to me number #2 the concert. They both sound great, though I do love that sop sound of #1 (assuming I right here). Now I'll go check the key.
 
Many thanks for the comparison! I had a thorough listen with some decent headphones and got it right.

I was surprised how similar they sounded but #2 definitely had a bit more resonance and warmth to its sound. On the other hand, the high frequencies were almost identical, at least to my ear (might be the headphones or recording). This is the main reason why I was so curious about the difference between the two. In a lot of videos I've watched of both ukes, the highs on the concert have sounded clearer and fuller than on the soprano, but I'm now thinking that might be more due to playstyle. I tested this on my soprano Kamaka and indeed, if you really dig in hard you can get a clear enough sound from the soprano as well, so I think people just tend to play the concert differently. Putting it in a very general manner, the soprano is often played by strumming lightly whereas the concert is played with fingerpicking. The greater resonance in the low end for the concert is quite noticeable but that's not really what I was looking for when considering the concert.

For a re-entrant concert uke, I think I will be satisfied with my Kanile'a. Thanks again, you've basically saved me a 1200 Pound purchase. Although to be completely honest, someone actually did buy the last concert Kamaka at SUS already and I don't know if I would even be able to find one in the EU anymore, so that definitely makes the decision much easier. :D

Then again, they still have that Kamaka 2D2i available... ;)

They do sound very much alike throughout the dynamic range. I think it goes to show the Kamaka sound. I try to get as dry a recording as possible (mic was AKG P420 cardioid pattern, high-pass filtering, 0dbB gain, placed at about 8" away at the 12th fret; recorder was a Zoom H6 without any filtering).

In videos that you watched where the concert sounded clearer on the high notes, I think it is because it is easier to play the concert there than the soprano. Here's a sound sample recorded at the same time without using a capo going up the neck on a major chord:

https://soundcloud.com/user-919961063/sets/played-without-using-a-capo

The concert was easier to fret there so it sounds cleaner. (I didn't include this in the set of samples above because w/o a capo, I thought my playing skills influenced the uke's sound too much. But I think it illustrates why concerts generally sounds better in the upper registry.)

I think you aren't missing much on the Kamaka sound with your HF-1. I'm still very impressed that the Kamaka soprano behaves so well up and down the registry and when played softly vs loudly; better than my Kala and KoAloha sopranos.

2D2i you say? Post it here

https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?146930-Please-somebody-buy-this

maybe somebody will save you some UAS sleepless nights :)

As for my own UAS, I'm now back into guitars so I don't think I'll have much $$ to put into ukuleles.
 
I enjoy when people post things like this.
It might help someone who is on the fence on whether to get a HF1 or HF2. Either way, they sound great.
 

Superb, thank you so much for the comments and sound samples, including the chord samples. You might be right about the concert being easier to play, at least for some people. I've seen some videos of the same person playing the soprano and concert very differently so it's definitely plausible that that's the reason why the concert sounds clearer.

Also, I was completely kidding about the 2D2i. There's no way I'd pay anywhere close to $3000 for a uke. :D Not saying it isn't worth the money but it's too rich for me and I don't really want to pay that much extra for what is mostly just bling. My limit so far has been around a grand or a bit more like the Kamakas are. Regarding UAS, now that I'm over the HF-2 I finally feel that I don't actually have to buy anything, which is something I haven't felt in quite a while. I do have maybe two significantly more expensive ukes I'm eyeing, basically upgrades to a couple of my current ones, but those are long term goals far into the future. :)
 
Top Bottom