Product: SB2X Yamaha SILENT Brass

Yamaha’s new generation SILENT Brass

When Yamaha released its original SILENT Brass system more than two decades ago, it was revolutionary. Complete with mute, digital processing unit and headphones, the product gave brass players - notoriously noisy neighbours - the capability of practicing without disturbing others. Practice mutes were nothing new, but being able to hear a natural unmuted sound through headphones, whilst playing with a practice mute, gave more purpose to ‘silent’ practice and proved to be this product’s unique selling point.

Yamaha has now introduced its next generation SILENT Brass and I compared the new system with its predecessor. Initially struck by the difference in its appearance, I noticed that the new mute is much lighter and can be dismantled easily to fit completely within the bell of the instrument, making storage and transportation so much more convenient.

Most euphonium practice mutes are ‘stuffy’ to play and cause extreme sharpness in the lower register, but this new version features an adjustable plunger, altering resistance, response and intonation to suit the individual. Interestingly, I found best results when the plunger was not extended at all.

The digital processing unit - or as Yamaha has named it, The Personal Studio - remains at the heart of this product. Significant developments have been made here too. The new ‘unit’ features Yamaha’s exclusive ‘Brass Resonance Modeling’ - an enhanced technology used to recreate an unmuted sound. How does it work? The Personal Studio unit receives sound from a microphone housed inside the mute and uses digital processing to cancel out the sonic characteristics of the mute, before bringing back the natural sound of the unmuted instrument via headphones or an amplifier. This was achievable with the old system of course, but with the new system the fidelity of sound and feel is much improved.

In addition to contrasting ‘reverb’ settings, The Personal Studio also allows for connectivity to an audio player or smart ‘phone device, making it possible to practice with an electronic metronome, minus one tracks, or to simply play along with your favourite recordings karaoke-style! The ‘phones’ jack can also be used as an output jack for recording what you play, so making home recordings in ‘silence’ is possible too!

The new generation SILENT Brass is a phenomenal piece of kit, and the perfect accessory to enthuse players of all ages and abilities. As Yamaha professes, it delivers greater playing enjoyment, anytime, anywhere.

DAVID CHILDS

Yamaha SB2X SILENT Brass System for Euphonium, including headphones, single jack-to-jack lead, pick-up mute (PM2X) and Personal Studio (STX-2): £220.00. www.uk.yamaha.com

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