Re: Re: Re: Re: OK, I did it - update


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Posted by John Swensen on October 22, 2001 at 18:54:38:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: OK, I did it - update posted by Sorry, But... on October 22, 2001 at 18:18:26:

It is possible to perform a valid experiment without a panel of listeners or a spectrum analyzer; all that is need for Joe to determine which mouthpiece plays better (from his end) is a blindfold, an assistant to change mouthpieces without telling Joe which he is playing on them, and, perhaps, a basin of warm water in which to store the mouthpieces between trials to prevent the temperature differences from giving Joe clues about which mouthpiece he is using. For really heavy mouthpieces, a tuba stand might prevent Joe's thighs from giving him clues.

The assistant flips a coin each time a mouthpiece is removed, and either the mouthpiece is exchanged for the other or the same mouthpiece is removed from the water bath. The actual mouthpiece selected for each trial is recorded where Joe can't see it until after the experiment is done. By recording Joe's comments, along with the mouthpiece selected at random, the comments can be analyzed by anyone after the experiment is concluded.

To add an assessment of the sound out in the hall, a tape recorder can serve as an impartial observer; the changer just announces each trial as the mouthpiece is inserted (e.g. "trial #23"). Joe can listen to the tape after the experiment and decide which sounds he prefers, then can refer to the changer's notes to correlate trial number with mouthpiece. If Joe voices his comments after each trial, by listening to the tape he can analyze both the playing characteristics and the sound in the hall before he knows which mouthpiece is used for each trial. Live listeners in the audience can be kept blind with a music stand between the mouthpiece and their line(s) of sight.

Spectrum analysis has its place in providing insight into aspects of sound (as demonstrated, so well, by Rick Denney's Tuba Sound studies), but I have yet to see a display mode on any spectrum analyzer that reads "plays best for me", or "has the sound I have been searching for".

John "objective about subjectivity" Swensen


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