Full metadata
Title
Analysis of current electric pickup technology utilized in clarinet performance and investigation into potential improvements
Description
Despite the growth of technology in music composition and performance, professional clarinetists maintain that air microphones are superior to piezoelectric pickups. Pickups offer increased mobility, isolation, and reduced feedback, but air microphones are used simply for the perceived sound quality. In this study a ported barrel pickup and a contact transducer pickup placed at various intervals on the clarinet were sampled and compared to a reference recording to determine how the sound differed for each method. In addition, the history of wind instrument pickups, the acoustics of the clarinet, and the basics of piezoelectricity were discussed to help examine the results. The pickups were examined in three ways: overall level in decibels, frequency cutoff, and overtone displacement. Through these results it was determined that the most accurate methods of clarinet pickup are the ported barrel pickup, contact transducers closer to the vibration of the reed such as the ligature or barrel surface, or a transducer placed at the end of the bell. These findings were consistent with the discussions regarding history, clarinet acoustics, and piezoelectricity. This study also produced a reference for the sounds associated with different pickup methods, as well as possible improvements for clarinet pickup design.
Date Created
2018
Contributors
- Englert, Patrick William (Author)
- Spring, Robert S (Thesis advisor)
- Gardner, Joshua T (Thesis advisor)
- Caslor, Jason (Committee member)
- Rogers, Rodney (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
306 pages : illustrations, color photographs, graphs
Language
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.49258
Statement of Responsibility
by Patrick William Englert
Description Source
Viewed on August 10, 2020
Level of coding
full
Note
Partial requirement for: D.M.A., Arizona State University, 2018
Note type
thesis
Includes bibliographical references (pages 82-85)
Note type
bibliography
Field of study: Music
System Created
- 2018-06-01 08:06:13
System Modified
- 2021-08-26 09:47:01
- 2 years 8 months ago
Additional Formats