Why do saxophone players move so much?
The performer may be managing the sound in front of a microphone. Or, doing a little dance. I play in a Big Band where there are 4 saxophones. We have a couple of songs with a little bit of choreography just to add a fun element to the performance.
Is sax short for saxophone?
The saxophone is also used as a solo and melody instrument or as a member of a horn section in some styles of rock and roll and popular music….Saxophone.
| Woodwind instrument | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Wind, woodwind, aerophone |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 422.212-71 (Single-reed aerophone with keys) |
| Inventor(s) | Adolphe Sax |
How do the saxophone keys work?
Tenor and soprano saxophones are in the key of B♭, just like clarinets. All three of these instruments produce a B♭ when playing a C on the score. That is why in order to produce the same C pitch as keyed instruments or the flute (concert or “written” C), they must actually play a D.
Do saxophones need to be tuned?
When playing a saxophone, whether in a small ensemble, full band, or even solo, tuning is very important. Good tuning makes for a clear, beautiful sound, and it is essential for every player to know how to tune and adjust their instrument.
How to make a saxophone sound good in a mix?
I know it’s not accurate but it will guide you to the right direction. For the final touches I added reverb, delay and tape saturation to help the sax sit well in the mix and create space, depth as well as width. The saxophone was recorded in mono so a mono reverb was a good choice and it sounded good.
What frequency do you cut your saxes at?
The sax had some boxiness and I had to clean that by cutting at 492hz. For the upper mids I removed some nasal noise at 1.2kHz and boosted the presence at 5.1kHz. Finally I added some air by creating a high-shelf boost at 11kHz.
What reverb to use for saxophone?
The saxophone was recorded in mono so a mono reverb was a good choice and it sounded good. A plate or room reverb works really well on woodwind and brass sounds, for this one I chose a plate. I also removed some high frequencies on the reverb signal and used a medium reverb time (tail). The sound was mono, to add some stereo I used a stereo delay.
What is a good ratio for gain reduction on a saxophone?
I used a ratio of 3:1 and a gain reduction of about -3dB, with a make up gain of 3dB. This is the most tricky part because it really depends on how the sax was recorded and what your end goal is.
