[Enviroguy]

Ok..

Please listen and tell me what you think.

After a year of searching, I believe I now have the soprano tone that matches my sound concept on the Antigua 590. The setup is a Metal RIA 8* (huge .095 tip - yes, that's right), BG Jazz lig #L28MJ, and a #2 Vandoren Classic reed.

Here's the sound clip:

http://www.drakeih.com/cierra/toddsop5.mp3

To me, the tone is dark, but not woody. It's responsive, but not exaggerated (like on the Link STM). I'm pretty exited about this tone, and welcome your opinion. I really don't have any sax-playing adult friends to bounce this kind of thing off of. So your comments are much appreciated.

 

[sycc]

Sounds very oboe like. Depending on the reed I use, when I play a classical arrangement of a hymn at church, some parishners think my soprano sounds like a oboe. You have a very nice refined sound

 

[hakukani]

Strange, I found your tone very bright, not that that's a bad thing. I also note that your vibrato is reminicent of Sidney Bechet.

I come from the opposite approach. Check out Don't Blame Me with me on sop.

http://www.myspace.com/hakukani

 

[fellex]

i found it wonderful. so that the secret, bigger tip opening and soft reed.

 

[Saxmusiclover]

It does sound dark (to me), almost tenorish. At least it's much darker than the Kenny G-ish sound some people (especially non-sax players) like on sop. I like it (your sound I mean). Good luck with you sop.

 

[A Greene]

If you like the sound - then that's all that counts. It's hard to get a real sense of the tone without being in the room hearing you play. Soprano is strange that way.

Is there a reason you needed to get to .095? How is pitch in the upper register?

Your playing seems to be in the soft range on this recording. Does the tone change (in a good way) as you play louder?

 

[Enviroguy]

If you like the sound - then that's all that counts. It's hard to get a real sense of the tone without being in the room hearing you play. Soprano is strange that way.

Is there a reason you needed to get to .095? How is pitch in the upper register?

Your playing seems to be in the soft range on this recording. Does the tone change (in a good way) as you play louder?

The large tip is just what I got when I bought the mpc second hand here on SOTW. But I figured out that it helped with the "bigger" sound that I was looking for in a metal mpc. The #2 reed seems to give the best response. I've tried every reed I could lay my hands on, but the #2 Vandoren just seems to respond best. But I got Saide Music to order some #2.5 classic Vandorens for me. I may try to work into them so I will get more reed life. The #2 reeds seem to get too soft too soon.

The upper register is pretty well "even" in tone and tuning with the lower end. I only play up to F2 on the sound clip, but the "big" aspect of the tone holds up to C3. The palm key notes above this respond ok, but I need more work to get them to fill out with fuller tone. I know this will come with time, practise and a good dose of obsession.

 

[RootyTootoot]

I liked it and the tuning seemed good especially considering the set up. I couldn't play with such a good scale with such a wide tip, I don't think. Like hak, i think i'd call the tone "bright" rather than "darK"! Just out of interest, what reed/mp set-ups are you using for alto and tenor?

 

[gary]

I liked it too.

I would hardly call it dark, though, nor for that matter tenor-like which I suppose just goes to show you what one has in their head before hearing something like this.

It has a light, airy, almost hollow sound to my ears. It really doesn't actually fit in my ear as a stereotypically characteristic soprano sound. And that's not bad. I think it's a pleasing distinctive sound and if you like it, and it reflects your personality, then maybe you've found the end of the rainbow. Congrats.

 

[Enviroguy]

I liked it and the tuning seemed good especially considering the set up. I couldn't play with such a good scale with such a wide tip, I don't think. Like hak, i think i'd call the tone "bright" rather than "darK"! Just out of interest, what reed/mp set-ups are you using for alto and tenor?

My tenor setup is a Florida STM 0.105 tip reworked by EZ, original steel Florida STM lig and #3 Vandoren reeds. I don't play alto enough to have a regular setup anymore.

 

[harmonizerNJ]

What you have played sounds like you have put a good deal of work into this already. Keep it up. I need to do a lot of shedding on my sound for the soprano.

There are some notes where the pitch varies a little bit while you are playing a single note. This is probably the most noticeable "soprano difficulty artifact" that I heard. Your intonation sounds nice and consistent throughout the range you play in this clip.

 

[bluesaxgirl]

Sounds very good, you have such a strong vibrato. And it does favor the oboe quite well, I'm not sure that is what you were trying to do.

 

[Enviroguy]

Sounds very good, you have such a strong vibrato. And it does favor the oboe quite well, I'm not sure that is what you were trying to do.

Yes, my vibrato is pretty strong but sounds good on tenor. It shows in my singing voice too. I have to record myself and listen to get a good feel for how much vibrato is too much on the sop. I also "bend" notes quite bit at the end of a phrase. It's kind of a country "twang" thing. Until I started recording my self, I had no idea how strange that sounded on soprano.

 

[baritone]

I think your tone is very Scotish~~~~~

 

[milandro]

ok, I think that what many identify as "dark" is in fact " spread" or " hollow" (which is not used in a derogatory way but, to me, it defines a sound which has a large core and is as thick as the core at edges and not a sound with a thinner core and speading out at the edges, like the difference among wistling with a small opening of your lips or a wide one......try it..... :? can you hear?).

I too think this is bright and spread-hollow at the same time, spread, not unlike the sound I have on my alto (in fact is sound almost like my sound on Alto), and in fact, if anything, my only criticism is that it is not very soprano-like.

The intonation seems to become less controllable as you go up and I bet that is the result of a too large opening which you tame with a too thin reed resulting in a less controllable setup. I had the same on my alto and cured it , according to Phil Barone's advice, getting a smaller opening Otto link STM than the one I had, now things are much better. I bet that as your embouchure tires or your reeds wear out, you occasionally, suddely break into some unexplained frequencies splatters. Could be mistaken, but I would advise you to try a smaller opening (and maybe a smaller chamber) with a thicker reed and you would sound much more in control of things.