Blocking the Bell Port

David Lazzi

@badblocks Thanks for the tip. I live close to Paris and I feel a little guilty ordering halfway around the world (China) ... I will probably try FIMO or rubber hose at first.

badblocks

@clint so far the durable SLA seems to work well, it's quite rigid and is holding up to daily practice. The 2.3mm was a bit too narrow for the sensor, it produced some held note behavior from the back-pressure with certain articulations. I think the next size up is going to be my keeper. Thank you again!

Clint

Just stumbled on these resources:

... wasn't aware of them. Is there a place where "New Developments" are posted?

From the photo on the product page, it appears that the printing material is not PLA ... maybe it's nGen Lux?

Printing the plugs now (in PLA) ... we'll see how it goes!

Support_AODYO

@clint Nicely spotted! Yes we have been working on these for a while and decided to make them public this past week. I will be making an announcement on the forum next week but they have already been announced in our newsletter and on our social media platforms!

Clint

@support_aodyo I am Shocked to realize that I was not on the newsletter list. Just signed up ... Thanks!!

David Lazzi

@david-lazzi said in Blocking the Bell Port:

@Support_AODYO OK, So I will therefore train more on flutter tongue with a piece of tape on the bell port. About the growl, you make me doubt. I sent you back the Sylphyo a couple of days ago and I can't check it. As far as I can remember, when I purr like a cat while I'm blowing, the sounds of the Sylphyo reacts very well. The Sylphyo sounds the same way like a clarinet mouthpiece, a kind of dirty but fluid sound. I'll record myself as soon as I get my Sylphyo back.

I got my Sylphyo back and I was able to test the growl technique again. I confirm that it works perfectly on certain sounds such as #33 Synthbrass'80 and not at all on others like #29 Alto Sax Phi. For me the sound scratches with a kind of deterioration, on the contrary of what the "Elevation control" produces in sound #17 Sylphyridoo. If anyone is interested I can make recordings of the internal sounds for reference and post them on a new dedicated thread. But coming back to this thread, when I use a plastic dowel (I don't have the official breath adjustment kit yet) to reduce the opening, I have to change the settings in "Breath" to make it work again. Thanks Aodyo for the table -> https://www.aodyo.com/user-manual-page-en-21.html#section-playing-the-sylphyo.breath-resistance which saved me time!

Support_AODYO

@david-lazzi Growl is not something that is currently fully supported on the Sylphyo. Like you said it works very well with certain sounds and not well at all with others. Natural growl is a very difficult parameter to work with in electronic instruments so we don't know if we will be able to make it work fully.

As for changing the breath settings when you block the bell port, that is fully normal (Blocking the exit naturally increases the pressure on the sensor faster, which requires a breath settings adjustment).

David Lazzi

@support_aodyo said in Blocking the Bell Port:

@david-lazzi Natural growl is a very difficult parameter to work with in electronic instruments so we don't know if we will be able to make it work fully.

OK no problem, I see this technique as a plus, not as a necessity for every sound. I just wanted to complete my 1st post, and I think it's worth noting for players even if it's not an official feature.

Clint

Controllable back-pressure is (for me) the holy grail of adjustability in a wind instrument. This may not be a major, up-front selling point of the Sylphyo, but I'll bet it is one of the features that long-time players will grow to love.

Native flute players spend a lot of effort to find flutes with the back-pressure that suits their style and anatomy. A friend with emphysema has to have flutes made specifically for his condition.

I did a paper a while back comparing breath pressures of ethnic wind instruments: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1308/1308.5214.pdf . The study was done specifically to demonstrate that breath pressures in certain classes of instruments are safe (allowing them to be prescribed for certain medical conditions such as asthma and PTSD). I think the Sylphyo takes this concept to a whole new level, with the selectable bell port plugs.

I wonder if the Sylphyo could be of service in certain health modalities - possibly Bio/neuro-feedback - for treatment of asthma, COPD, hypertension, anxiety, and other conditions linked to heart rate variability (see https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1401/1401.6004.pdf)

I've printed the 3 designs offered by Aodyo on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4829720). Very interesting design! Significantly longer, more ergonomic, and stylish than my design!!

My prints are in PLA, which may be stiffer than the material used in the Aodyo product (https://www.aodyo.com/the-breath-adjustment-kit-actualite-29.html) ... and I found it quite stiff to insert. I inserted the #1 (4.1mm air channel diameter) which has the thinnest (most flexible) tabs at the top. I was concerned by the amount of pressure I needed to insert and remove it. The #2 and #3 (3.0 and 2.0mm) must be even stiffer, and I hesitate to try them.

Does anyone know what material the Aodyo plugs are printed with?

Support_AODYO

Sorry for the late reply @Clint , here is the information for the Aodyo plugs: SLS plastic, Nylon PA12 100-120μ (white)

Clint

@support_aodyo said in Blocking the Bell Port:

SLS plastic, Nylon PA12 100-120μ (white)

So it looks like (from various on-line specs) that Nylon SLS materials are significantly more flexible and elastic than PLA. I am concerned that the plugs I printed in PLA from Aodyo's Thingiverse STL files might be stiff enough to damage the bell port of the Sylphyo.

Maybe a notation should be added to that Thingiverse posting to suggest that Nylon is preferable to PLA or ABS for that reason ...

Clint

@clint I have just added a "User comment" to this effect on the Thingiverse plugs ...

MiloDodds

@clint When you say PLA does that mean polyurethane? I'm also thinking that maybe I could try carving a small rubber stopper with my Dremel tool (or use an Exacto blade) since I don't own or have access to a 3D printer. I also have some of that hot water molding plastic that I think has been mentioned. Anyways I like the way you think and then you go make something happen, you're totally DIY minded.

Clint

@milododds There are many creative solutions for crafting Bell Port plugs! (Make sure they are removable and won't damage the plastic in the bell of the instrument)

PLA = Polylactic Acid, a common thermoplastic polymer used for filament material in 3D printing.