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Thread: Yamaha Silent Brass System for Euphonium

  1. Yamaha Silent Brass System for Euphonium

    Hi again all,

    About a week ago, I was browsing eBay and found a used Yamaha Silent Brass System for euphonium for sale for 200$. I decided to give it a go, and it showed up yesterday. Here are some pros and cons, from my point of view.

    Pros:

    1) The mute is a good quality mute that does a really good job of muting the sound.

    2) Although this is the first practice mute I have tried, it seems to be pretty good resistance-wise. You can tell the difference when switching back to open, but to my ears, it was pretty tolerable, especially considering how much it muted the sound.

    3) The Studio Module is simple to use and does what it says it does. You can plug in your own headphones, and/or plug in an input cable to play background music, for example.

    4) Because of the aforementioned pro, you can do amazing things with just the euphonium, the system, and whatever else you add to your arsenal. At my school, we have a basketball pep-band that plays during games. This year, I am taking my euphonium, Silent Brass system, and a computer up to the spot where the rhythm section plays and plug into my own amplifier. On my computer, I have numerous virtual FX pedals where I can make my euphonium sound like anything from a solo guitar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJaX4ZpfULM) to an electric organ. My options are limitless, actually, and I can play any instrument through my euphonium, and henceforth cover for certain people (or have incredibly awesome solos). This is one of the reasons I bought the system.

    5) All came neat in a good-quality drawstring carry bag.

    Cons:

    1) My biggest con is that the Silent Brass system for euphonium does not come equipped with Brass Resonance Modeling. This means that instead of modifying the sound from the mute to better suit your resonance preferences, you are stuck with the sound that goes into the mute, and only that sound. To me, it sounds a little stuffy. The trombone and trumpet models come with this software equipped, and the sound that goes into the mute is changed so that by the time the signal gets to your output (headphones, amplifier, etc.) the sound actually sounds like it normally would without a mute (the tuba Silent Brass system does not have Brass Resonance Modeling, either).

    2) Cables can get in the way.

    3) Crappy headphones, but that's to be expected.

    Let me know what you guys think, about my review or the system.

    Preston
    Last edited by preston; 11-17-2015 at 11:37 PM. Reason: spelling
    Freshman Euphonist attending Boise State University
    Member of the BSU Symphonic Winds and Blue Thunder Marching Band
    1943 Boosey & Hawkes Imperial (Denis Wick SM3X)
    Yamaha YBH-301M (Schilke 58)

  2. #2
    So what program(s) are you running that takes this as input and lets you modify the output? Would this work with fruityloops (FL Studio)?
    Chris Bunker
    Adams E1, Wick 4AL

  3. I think FL should work with it, but haven't tested it myself. I've been using Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5, which is more of a filter kind of program (it's free, too). Plugged mute into microphone/input jack, and plugged amp into headphone jack. Considerable delay, however, from mute to computer to amp, so it may not be the best setup for playing with others.
    Freshman Euphonist attending Boise State University
    Member of the BSU Symphonic Winds and Blue Thunder Marching Band
    1943 Boosey & Hawkes Imperial (Denis Wick SM3X)
    Yamaha YBH-301M (Schilke 58)

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by preston View Post
    1) My biggest con is that the Silent Brass system for euphonium does not come equipped with Brass Resonance Modeling. This means that instead of modifying the sound from the mute to better suit your resonance preferences, you are stuck with the sound that goes into the mute, and only that sound. To me, it sounds a little stuffy. The trombone and trumpet models come with this software equipped, and the sound that goes into the mute is changed so that by the time the signal gets to your output (headphones, amplifier, etc.) the sound actually sounds like it normally would without a mute (the tuba Silent Brass system does not have Brass Resonance Modeling, either).

    Preston
    That is one of the main reasons why I haven't bought a Silent Brass system for euphonium yet. The new ones that have just come out for trumpet, flugelhorn, French horn and trombone all have the brass resonance modelling incorporated while the euphonium and tubas still use the old type of Silent Brass. I am hoping Yamaha decide to release a new version of the euphonium and tuba systems that have the Brass Resonance Modelling incorporated into the design very soon because from what I have heard, many people love the new Silent Brass mutes across the line. If anyone here might have any inside information as to whether they are developing a new Silent Brass system for tuba and euphonium, please give some details.

  5. #5
    I would also be very interested in that question. I have to practice with mute quite often and use a Denis Wick travel mute. From an intonation or resistance point of view, I have no issues with the mute, it's not perfect, but it works. However, it is NO FUN! I love the Euphonium Sound and so the dull result with the mute impacts my motivation quite a bit...

    I was hoping, that the new "Silent Brass" version would be my holy grail. According to available youtube-reviews of the trumpet version, this sounds quite promising.

    But obviously, this new silent brass version is still not available for Euphonium and I could find no information on the net so far. It would be great to know, if anyone heard anything about plans for the Euphonium version. If there is no chance for this to become available in the near future, I would probably have to give a more expensive full-size mute a try - although I do not expect a much better experience from that.
    Besson Sovereign BE968
    Willson 2950TA

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