Posted by Carl on July 14, 2001 at 15:05:41:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yet another change to The Tuba Sound posted by Jay Bertolet on July 14, 2001 at 07:08:54:
Hi Jay (et al):
>Carl, is this package legit?
As far as I know, and from a couple years of demos at the Frankfurt fair, I'd say "yes".
>Does it really do the stuff that it says it will?
Will it help objectively and quantitatively identify intonation and response flaws? Yes. Will it help someone design the perfect tuba? We'll only know that when someone's tried it for that purpose; and as far as I know, no-one has.
>Please elaborate (if you can) on any firsthand experience you've had with this device
As I wrote, I saw this demonstrated several times at Frankfurt. They hooked up various trumpets, and produced impressive graphs outlining the various tuning "quirks" inherent in each instrument. When you look at the scientific basis of what's posted on their page, it's hard to dispute. It was only a matter of time when someone produced a (relatively) affordable package that'd do all this. Will it receive resistance from the established intrument building community? Absolutely! While I did post that Gerhard Meinl's people have used either this package (or something quite similar) to identify tuning problems on instruments, I know that Gerhard's design are (and probably always will be) based on a storehouse of experience & tradition passed down from his family. That's a heavy load to shed; unlikely he (or other manufacturers) will lightly cast that off in favor of mere science.