Posted by GC on October 31, 2003 at 13:22:49:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Bowman, Doug Elliot, SM Wick? posted by Mary Ann on October 31, 2003 at 11:43:47:
Bass instruments need a bit of brightness for definition of tone. Look at bass guitarists; many play with a ton of treble, which keps the sound from being muddy in live situations. Most of the treble is lost in the ensemble and at a distance, but the sound is clearer and has a more defined pitch center. Excessively bassy tones just sound thuddy in most rooms; they may have a sound you can feel, but the pitch is hard to hear.
Tuba tones behave similarly. The point of tuba is bass, but bass is clearer and carries better with a good dose of harmonics on top. Excessively dry, dark sounds are usually murky.