Topic by Jake Johnson

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  • Jake Johnson
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Topic: Patent application discussing soundboard resonance frequencies

This is a patent application for a composite fiberboard soundboard for several acoustic instruments.

The fiberboard itself may not be of much interest to us, here, but the application includes a list of the usual resonance frequencies for the soundboards of several acoustic instruments (violin, viola, piano, guitar, etc) and discusses the relation of a soundboard's size and thickness to its resonance, frequency damping, and projection. Sometimes it provides the math, and other times it doesn't. Also discusses, briefly, the effect of having low perceivable soundboard resonance freqs as compared to higher ones on the perceived harshness of the sound. (But mostly as it affects the timbre of violins.)

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/66109...ption.html

Near the end, it references some drawings that unfortunately don't appear to be included in the Web version of the application.

Reply by Jake Johnson

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  • Jake Johnson
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Re: Patent application discussing soundboard resonance frequencies

One thing that this patent application mentions is that "the frequency of the lowest resonance (0,0 mode) of the piano or grand piano soundboard lies between 40 and 60 Hz, preferably between 45 and 55 Hz."

Are the stated frequencies accurate?

If so, would it be possible, in a future version, for the EQ to extend further into the bass than it now does, so we could raise or lower the amplitude of these lower soundboard resonances? (We can now control the extent to which the soundboard absorbs or reflects sounds, and its high freq cutoff, but we can't control the amplitude of the frequencies referenced in the patent application, since the lowest frequency that can be changed is 60 hz.)

Or was this cutoff point chosen deliberately, to prevent us from getting confused if we tried to amplify the low frequencies while also increasing the damping of notes using the  Impedance control? If so, let us be confused, please--I'd like to be able to control the resonance volume of the soundboard, even if the results were sometimes not what I expected.

Or am I misunderstanding the model? Would opening these lower frequencies to EQ'ing give us access to manipulating the volume of the soundboard resonances, or would that have to be programmed in separately?

Last edited by Jake Johnson (31-12-2007 17:24)