The effect of the cutoff frequency on the sound production of a clarinet-like instrument

Petersen, Erik Alan; Guillemain, Philippe; Kergomard, Jean; Colinot, Tom

doi:10.1121/1.5111855

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The upstream (closest to the mouthpiece) section of the cone determines the low frequency resonances of the resonator, and the lattice of open toneholes modifies the high frequency (above the global cutoff) resonances by changing the effective acoustical length. It is possible to design a resonator such that the frequency of the first impedance peak and the global cutoff frequency of the lossless tonehole lattice can be varied independently [5].…”

Section: From Lattice To a Saxophone-type Resonatormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The cutoff has also been studied for the flute [4]. It is generally assumed that the cutoff frequency has an impact on the timbre or perceived "character" of a given instrument due to its influence on both sound production and radiation, and is therefore of interest to both instrument makers and musicians [3,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The purpose of the current article is to generalize the theory of wave propagation in periodic media from cylindrical to conical resonators. In a recent article, the current authors present an algorithm for designing cylindrical resonators with independently variable first impedance peak and global cutoff frequencies [5]. Analogous equations are derived for conical resonators in Section 2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency of conical resonators: applications to the saxophone

et al. 2020

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The tonehole lattice cutoff frequency is a well-known feature of woodwind instruments. However, most analytic studies of the cutoff have focused on cylindrical instruments due to their relative geometric simplicity. Here, the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency of conical instruments such as the saxophone is studied analytically, using a generalization of the framework developed for cylindrical resonators. First, a definition of local cutoff of a conical tonehole lattice is derived and used to design “acoustically regular” resonators with determinate cutoff frequencies. The study is then expanded to an acoustically irregular lattice: a saxophone resonator, of known input impedance and geometry. Because the lattices of real instruments are acoustically irregular, different methods of analysis are developed. These methods, derived from either acoustic (input impedance) or geometric (tonehole geometry) measurements, are used to determine the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency of conical resonators. Each method provides a slightly different estimation of the tonehole lattice cutoff for each fingering, and the range of cutoffs across the first register is interpreted as the acoustic irregularity of the lattice. It is shown that, in contrast with many other woodwind instruments, the cutoff frequency of a saxophone decreases significantly from the high to low notes of the first register.

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Section: From Lattice To a Saxophone-type Resonatormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency of conical resonators: applications to the saxophone

et al. 2020

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“…The cutoff frequency is determined by the geometry of a constituent cell of the lattice, depending on the radius of the main bore, the tonehole radius, chimney height, and inter-hole spacing, shown in Figure 1. The geometry of a lattice can be designed to have a desired cutoff frequency [10][11][12]. While a true cutoff exists only for infinite, lossless lattices [2], a strong cutoff behavior can exist for finite resonators with at least two or three open toneholes.…”

Section: Basic Theory 21 the Tonehole Lattice Cutoff Frequencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All four resonators are designed to have the first impedance peak at approximately 185 Hz when all toneholes are open, and the three resonators with tonehole lattices have cutoffs at 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kHz [12]. Each resonator, except the simple cylinder, has 10 toneholes.…”

Section: Resonators Designed To Have Cutoffs At Chosen Frequenciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The link between the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency and clarinet sound radiation: a quantitative study

et al. 2020

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Musical instruments are said to have a personality, which we notice in the sound that they produce. The oscillation mechanism inside woodwinds is commonly studied, but the transmission from internal waveforms to radiated sound is often overlooked, although it is musically essential. It is influenced by the geometry of their resonators which are acoustical waveguides with frequency dependent behavior due in part to the lattice of open toneholes. For this acoustically periodic medium, wave propagation theory predicts that waves are evanescent in low frequency and propagate into the lattice above the cutoff frequency. These phenomena are generally assumed to impact the external sound perceived by the instrumentalist and the audience, however, a quantitative link has never been demonstrated. Here we show that the lattice shapes the radiated sound by inducing a reinforced frequency band in the envelope of the spectrum near the cutoff of the lattice. This is a direct result of the size and spacing between toneholes, independent of the generating sound source and musician, which we show using external measurements and simulations in playing conditions. As with the clarinet, the amplitude of the even harmonics increases with frequency until they match odd harmonics at the reinforced spectrum region.

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Multistability of saxophone oscillation regimes and its influence on sound production

et al. 2021

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The lowest fingerings of the saxophone can lead to several different regimes, depending on the musician’s control and the characteristics of the instrument. This is explored in this paper through a physical model of saxophone. The harmonic balance method shows that for many combinations of musician control parameters, several regimes are stable. Time-domain synthesis is used to show how different regimes can be selected through initial conditions and the initial evolution (rising time) of the blowing pressure, which is explained by studying the attraction basin of each stable regime. These considerations are then applied to study how the produced regimes are affected by properties of the resonator. The inharmonicity between the first two resonances is varied in order to find the value leading to the best suppression of unwanted overblowing. Overlooking multistability in this description can lead to biased conclusions. Results for all the lowest fingerings show that a slightly positive inharmonicity, close to that measured on a saxophone, leads to first register oscillations for the greatest range of control parameters. A perfect harmonicity (integer ratio between the first two resonances) decreases first register production, which adds nuance to one of Benade’s guidelines for understanding sound production. Thus, this study provides some a posteriori insight into empirical design choices relative to the saxophone.

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The effect of the cutoff frequency on the sound production of a clarinet-like instrument

Cited by 8 publications

References 22 publications

On the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency of conical resonators: applications to the saxophone

On the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency of conical resonators: applications to the saxophone

The link between the tonehole lattice cutoff frequency and clarinet sound radiation: a quantitative study

Multistability of saxophone oscillation regimes and its influence on sound production

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