There are probably less than 25 types of modern double horns manufactured worldwide, each with their own unique design and playing characteristics; however, the actual shape of any double horn air column is remarkably constant, often varying only a few thousandths of an inch. For anyone who plays though, these small physical differences in dimensions result in large musical variations. It is the horn makers challenge to learn how the physical criteria, eg., bore dimensions, valve design, alloy and finish effect the instrument's musical atributes. This has often been a relatively slow and secret process of trial and error; however, within the past 20 years or so, considerable research has been published and electronic measuring techniques have made possible far better designs than ever before.Our Acoustic Primer explains as simply as possible the acoustic design process we use which makes possible the most evenly tuned, strongly resonant horns in the world. Please ask for a written copy.
The graph above, on the left, is reprinted from our Acoustic Primer article in the Horn Call, Nov. '98. The left graph is the sampled sound of Brice Andrus of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra playing the Peacock Variations of Kodaly on Telarc CD. The right is the sound spectrum which tells us how well the horn's design is doing in an actual performing situation and most important, it is objective. There is a virtually limitless combination of horn component tapers and other dimensions possible, each of which effects the way the entire instrument plays. Suffice it to say that all of these components or factors must be properly balanced to produce a horn which is well in tune and easy to play in all registers, has a fast response time, pleasing tone quality and projects well. There are certain combinations of tapers and alloys which are particularly suitable for a certain style of playing, be it solo or recording, orchestral, recital or chamber music, but the only objective way to search for these parameters is to use computer aided design processes. A brief overview is presented on our research page. A more thorough description is freely available by mail, entitled Acoustic Primer, published in the Nov. 1998 Horn Call. To summerize; computer programs predict acoustic results of any particular combination of tapers or alloys we are interested in. Once the instrument is built the same types of programs double check the response, intonation and tone color in order to see if the design lives up to our expectations. Because we have invested decades on research and study, our horns are guaranteed to be the most efficient in the world.