Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 09:49:34 -0400 From: "Samuel J. Gravina" Subject: Volume, tone and limitting
IronMan Mike Curtis wrote:
> If you like distortion, you're going to have feedback problems at > very high volume. ... Technically, it's clipping or limiting. > > If you need more volume, the best way to get it is with more acoustic > volume from your harmonica. There is no player on the planet that > cannot improve their acoustic volume and tone (the two go together).
This got me wondering. Players with good volume do have better tone. Maybe high volume is a type of limiting of the read. At some volume the reed vibration has to become non-sinosoidal, otherwise it would start spinning around it's pivot and we know that hardly ever happens. In other words, doubling a low driving force, your air, will double the reed vibration amplitude and the volume, but at high driving forces doubling the force gives less than double the volume, i.e. it's limitted.
Maybe the same thing that makes tube limiting amps sound good is what makes high volume players sound good.
Now that I think about it it seems to me that most ordinary harmonica music must be played in this non-linear realm since it is so easy to drive a harmonica read. I don't have a harp with me today to try it.
