The Big Round Sound By Kenneth Anderson POPULAR MECHANICS DECEMBER 1959€. G. Conn, Lid. painstekingly mekes more than $0,000 musical instruments a year The Big Round Sound By Kenneth Anderson THERE'S A ROOM in a building at Elkhart, Ind., where the walls literal- ly close in on a busy musician known as “Hot Lips Harry.” Harry can’t read a note of music and he doesn't get a nickel for his long hours of trumpet and cornet playing. But he can produce tones with measured precision and he ean hold a note longer than any*professional player Hot Lips Harry actually is a robot in the research laboratories of C. G. Conn, Ltd., a company that manufactures more than 50,000 band instruments a year. It’s one of many devices employed in a scien- 1 ch for the elusive thing musicians call the “big round sound.” The “fat sound,” the full clear tone for which the music man strives, is a bit difficult for scientists to capture because DECEMBER 1959 Photos by Joseph Fletcher it’s subjective. Whether it’s good or depends to a certain extent upon, the judgment of the listener. The people who study musical acoustics can make a “pic- ture” of a sound by playing a trumpet, or any other instrument, and recording the sound's wave pattern on an oscillograph. In a similar manner, scientists can con- trive a shade of color and measure its ve length, But the artist who works with the color must decide, subjectively, whether the color is pleasing to the eye. And the musician who plays the trumpet must determine whether the tone is pl ing to the ear. In fact, juries of musician convene regularly to vote on the tones they think an instrument should produce After the juries decide how a horn should perform, the scientists try to design 17‘This unconventional instrument, called a Con- nosax, was introduced to music in the roar- ing twenties but failed to meet with public approval. It is now consigned to Conn museum Dr. Jody Hall, chief acoustical engineer for Conn, plays the first Seusaphone, below, ever mado. It is now @ museum together wit the “snorklephone” at the right, b experiment. The snorklephone phone with part of the curve straightened out the instrument that will give the desired per- formance. “We only try to produce the most acceptable instrument,” says Dr. Earle Kent, director 0: research at Conn. “Nobody has made a ‘per- fect’ instrument. And probably never will.” Designing a nearly perfect cornet, trumpet, trombone or saxophone isn’t as simple as it may seem to a person browsing among the mer- chandise in a music store. The mathematical formula for the effective length of a horn at a single frequency fills a piece of paper five feet six inches long. Before the days of digital com- puters, it took a researcher two days to solve the formula and check the answer. An elec- tronic brain can handle three of the giant problems per minute. All Things Are Interdependent But there are many other factors besides the length of the horn to be considered. And a number of these variable factors are interde- pendent—if one changes, the others change. Changing the diameter of a horn bell, for ex- ample, can upset the measurements for a dozen other parts of the instrument. Even the player's lips and oral cavity can affect his performance. Dr. Jody Hall, chief acoustical engineer at Conn, discovered that after a dentist had worked on his teeth, his playing of some of the low notes was off by 12409 of a semitone. A factor not immediately apparent, even to the musician, is the relation of the mouthpiece to the horn. Each instrument is designed to beused with a certain mouthpiece, and cus- tom fitting is needed. An error of only 2 of an inch in the placing of the mouth- piece in the tone chamber, or mouthpipe, can make a good instrument sound bad ‘on some notes. Almost everything, including people, in the room will have some effect on the sound of a musical instrument. For this reason, Hot Lips Harry sometimes works by remote control, A transducer can be attached to the mouthpiece, as well as a rubber disk, to produce controlled sounds through a horn, And levers can be set up as fingers to push the valves of a cornet or trumpet. The strange room in which the robot trumpet player performs is referred to as “Bulgy.” ‘The walls and ceiling bulge toward the center to provide as much asymetry as possible. The method in this apparent madness is the elimination of parallel surfaces that might reflect or “build up” sounds of the instruments be- ing tested. Patches of felt cloth have been attached to the walls and ceiling where DECEMBER 1959 Each instrument is tested by @ musician, who checks tones wit fan electronic device called @ Stroboconn necessary to remove the last effects of sound reflections, The temperature in the room is controlled to within Yo of a de- gree Fahrenheit. The usual approach, according to D1 Kent, would be to construct an anechoic chamber, or “dead room.” However, it was discovered that professional musicians find it extremely difficult to make music in such a room, The asymetrical room per- mits a bit of “liveness” for the player's benefit without emphasizing or detracting from any part of the tone. Wet Plaster Affects Tone To illustrate what a difference a room makes, when the acoustical plaster on the walls of “Bulgy” was still wet, musicians using the chamber found they could play a half-octave higher than usual. The tones returned to normal after the plaster dried. One of the carpenters who worked on “Bulgy” commented, “It’s the only room I've seen like it and I hope I never see another.” The three-dimensional blue- 119Electroformed tone chamber and bell unit of horn is yanked out of chemical vat, where ‘copper was dep don mandrel French horn’s bell is created by mounting brass disk against mandrel on lathe. Below, holes in saxophone chamber are drawn out by machine that pulls metal dies through brass from outside prints, which the builders prob- ably will never see again, were prepared from mathematical for- mulae that plotted quadrants of different ellipses. Most people don’t realize that it takes longer to build a cornet or trombone than it does to produce an automobile. Although the mu- sic men probably could turn out a playable horn on short notice, the usual length of time required to shape a fine instrument from a sheet of brass is three to four months, Production of the horn with the “big round sound” usually starts under a microscope in the ma- terials-testing laboratory. Here the researchers study samples of metals that will be used in the various parts of an instrument. Fach part requires an optimum grain size that is a key to the strength and ductility of the met- al. If the ductility is poor, the metal may tear while it is being shaped or bent. If the grain size is too large, the metal may de- velop a rough, “orange peel” sur- face. ‘The metal parts also are tested for optimum thickness, which has a measurable effect on the tone of the instrument. One of the elec- tronie devices used in such re- search can detect variations in the thickness of metal plating with the accuracy of a microscope. Called a non-destructive thickness tester, the device generates eddy currents in the metal and senses variations in thickness by meas- uring the eddy currents, Use Copper Ions for Bells Conn’s research workers have experimented with silver, copper, brass, bronze and many other metals in a search for better ways to make a more perfect horn. Out of their research has come 2 method of producing one-piece seamless horn bells from copper ions Electroforming a horn bell is similar to electroplating, except the microscopic bits of coppe e allowed to build up in a thick layer. The copper ions are de- posited electrolytically on the surface of a stainless-steel man- drel that has been machined to tolerances measured in millionths of an inch, Stainless steel is used 120On @ revolving drum, pens attached to valves record degree of bounce, which mey couse slurring of notes. for the mandrel, or form, because the pure copper bell can be separated easily from stainless steel. Brass cannot be used in the electroforming process. Electroformed horn parts reportedly cut intonation errors in half, permitting a more even balance of tone in all ranges. Mouthpipe tolerances are 10 times as close as in instrument parts produced by the more conventional methods of drawing and soldering, The bulk of the brass instruments, how- ever, are still made by hammering, draw- ing, Soldering and swaging—starting with a thin sheet of brass. If the ultimate product is a trumpet, the piece of brass is held’on a tubular metal form and whacked with a wooden mal- let until it has the shape of the form. The seam is soldered and smoothed under pressure. The bell is spun from a fiat disk and fastened to the rest of the horn with silver solder. The disk is attached to a flared mandrel on a lathe. As the disk spins on the lathe, a craftsman forces a long pole against the piece of brass. The pressure exerted through the pole makes the brass disk bend along the surface of the mandrel until it has the same flared shape After the brass disk has been shaped in- to a bell, it is burnished by pressing a metal tool against the bell as it spins on the lathe. A bell for a French horn goes through a series of six spins and five an- neals, Each anneal requires 15 minutes of baking in an oven heated to 1050 degrees tong straight horn without valves, another Conn ex- periment, has same fone as conventional trumpet DECEMBER 1959 Dr. Earle Kent, Conn’s research director, checks trumpet tone by attaching transducer to mouthpiece Fahrenheit, The annealing is handled on a critical schedule because the bell can crack if the process isn’t stopped at the right time. Jigs Used for Bending Specially designed machines bore valves, shape tone holes, test valve bounce and make the inside of a curved column as smooth as the polished outside surface. The curves are added to the horn columns by bending them in jigs. The curved sec- (Continued to page 220) 121WANT A PRACTICAL GIFT THIS CHRISTMAS? 77 CLIP THIS AS A SUGGESTION / FOR YOUR WIFE ...an ideal man’s gift It’s just what you need for all kinds of jobs from attic to basement... around the yard, too. Wherever you want light and power, they're at your fingertips. Best of all, they're on the job without the inconvenience and hazards of tangled cords. 20 feet of cord locks at any desired length...retracts automatically into case. Handle has built-in outlet for electric tools and appliances. Mounts easily on wall or ceiling. Guaranteed. Only $8.95 at hardware and department stores. Tema els 220 The Big Round Sound (Continued from page 121) High-speed polishing whee! puts lustrous finish on band instrument, which goes next to lacquer room tions are placed in precision dies, and water is forced through under pressure of 2800 pounds per square inch. The water pressure not only smooths the inside sur- face but puts the proper acoustical measurements in the column. The calibration of the instrument's bore, from mouthpiece to bell, must be accurate within millionths of an inch, Conn searchers use the term “cali-bore” describe the accurate to alibration of the tone column that is necessary if the horn is to produce the “big round sound.” The curves in the trumpet, trombone or French horn are of minor importance compared to the calibration of the bore. Valve bounce may seem a minor prob- lem in designing a trumpet or cornet. But it’s one of the gremlins that makes one note run into the next when the instru- ment is played. The exact amount of note slurring can be determined by taking high-speed movies at the rate of 2000 frames per second, Research personnel tested thousands of ideas and materials over a period of two years in order to reduce valve bounce 75 percent. When each horn finally is assembled, polished and lacquered, it is passed along to a professional musician who tests it in one of several soundproof rooms. And the musician doesn't depend on his cars (Continued to page 222) POPULAR MECHANICSAny man will enjoy new | £. p .» Smokes sweeter! Imported briar bow! lined with real honey. Starts caking the instant you light up. Hence, no break-in. 2. Smokes drier and 5.¢— healthier! Metal grate condenses moisture, tars, nicotine. No wet heel. 3. Smokes cooler! Air-vented chamber draws in fresh air. Aluminum fins and shank throw off heat, Famous honey-ining! Extra Interchangeable bowis~ $1.50 each “Ieepak” SetAironrate Yello-Bole Pipe plu two extra bowls, $5.95 Other Yello-Bole_P. also" of imported briat $2.50 to $4.95, Seng for FR IER, VELLO. Everythin for the Craftsman Rag Bere woopD wonxsnoe CATALOG oer Finest Domesticand imperted Woods ii AY Cow'mbner=SAvinG PRICES? Yous complete wood buviog elds and profet boot. Gremer is your Ge moat sor fostse of aoa kiln “dele doineeie and’ rare Impartea woods, Beanttal wood tinys,color/ul Dandings, mateked pls weeds; embossed moult nas, garvod ornaments, newest woodwonling tools, “hard to and eabinet hardware and Hinge. morethan isbttems! Packed with w= ssleerllsam pattcens, project eas nd money Baking wlan’ Racor? Be Cotunaed wth at CRAFTSMAN WOOD SERVICE COMPANY, Dept. hl? STassourm many steer <" emteace 6, uikors Inc., Dept. V85, NV. 22 222 Engraving intricate, fancy lines on surface of instru ment it one of jobs that still must be done by hand alone to tell him whether the instrument is in tune. Each room contains an elec tronic frequency-measuring unit, accurate to within 400 of a semitone. If a trumpet tester sounds an “A” and the instrument is in tune, a pattern in the window of the device will remain stationary. If the tone is flat, the pattern moves to the left. If it is sharp, the pattern moves to the right. Turning a knob to stop the left or right drift of the pattern automa’ lly tells the tester how flat or sharp the tone is, in hundredths of a semitone. With their knowledge of musical acous- tics, Conn_ researchers have assembled trumpets, Sousaphones and other instru- ments that do not look like anything you would find in a music store. One of the instruments, called a snorklephone, is a Sousaphone with part of the curve re- moved. Another is a trumpet that has neither curves nor valves. Dr. Kent, using the algebra and geometry of horns, has even tried to design musical instruments that have never existed. But the work so far has been strictly experimental. Al- though these scientists and engineers can make a trumpet that doesn’t look like a trumpet, it might be hard to market such an instrument. It might be equally hard to convince the public that a “straightened out” Sousaphone can have the same quality of tone as a Sousaphone with all the curves in it. (Continued to page 224) POPULAR MECHANICSCRESTOLOY MINIATURE PLIERS WL e).4 Bley INTE tera SIDE CUTTER ls Oth Py ere eee 3 Forged from CRESTOLOY Steel, these fine pliers have precision-fitted box joints that assure perfect jaw alignment and smooth operation under long, hard usage. Excellent balance, combined with broader handles reduces worker fatigue. All are electron ically hardened. Cutting pliers have tested edges. Finished with polished heads and gua metal handles. Sold by hardware dealers everywhere CRESCENT TOOLS — Cite Wings to lord = Crescent is ur trade-mark, registered In the United States ond ‘broad, for wrenches and other tools, Sold by leading distabutors ‘Gnd retailers everywhere ond mode only by CRESCENT TOOL COMPANY, JAMESTOWN, N.Y 224 Design for horn starts with formula 512 feet long. Computers solve and check its problems within seconds But the time will come, Dr. Kent be- lieves, when band instruments will be even more unconventional. Some day in the hazy future you may be sitti football stadium between halves Ii to a rendition of The Stars and Stripes Forever played on portable electronic struments, Dr. Kent already has some ideas along this line. ake Telephone Cable to Europe Carries 36 Voices at Once Voices of 36 persons are carried at the same time over the first telephone cable system to link North America directly to Europe. Two deep-sea cables span the 2200- mile distance from Clarenville, Newfound- land, to Penmarch, France. One carries the speech of 36 persons to Europe and the other the same number from Europe. The system links U. S. telephone networks to France, Germany, Belgium, The Neth: lands, Switzerland and Italy. x other areas can be reached through the European points. The system is owned by American Telephone and Telegraph Com- pany and the French and German telecom- | munication ministries. To find paths of ocean currents, men of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, U. S. De- partment of Commerce, are tossing 2000 soda-pop bottles into the Atlantic off the New England coast; each bottle holds a ' card for the finder to send to Washington. POPULAR MECHANICS