How to Recreate the Natural Sound of an Acoustic Violin with an Electric Violin

Why does the “natural” sound of a musical instrument disappear as soon as a pickup is used?

As soon as you play an electric violin or your acoustic violin is equipped with a pickup or a piezo cell for amplification, you will get a dry and direct sound.
The capture of sound by magnetic or piezo-electric pickups inevitably leads to a change in the sound production of your musical instrument, whether it is acoustic or electric.

In the case of an acoustic musical instrument like a classical violin or cello, the instrumentalist alone cannot notice the difference in sound production. Indeed, the resonance chamber of their acoustic musical instrument has not disappeared, their ear remains very close to it, and the sound they hear is identical. However, the amplified sound heard by the audience is entirely different. By amplifying your instrument using a pickup system, the audience no longer benefits from the natural sound amplified by the resonance chamber, but from a sound amplified through an electrical audio chain. Without making any modifications to the sound produced by the pickup, the result is often flat.

In the case of the electric violin, the produced sound always passes through a pickup and an amplification system. Without modification, it is also direct and dry. It requires the addition of some effects to give it presence.

Understanding the origin of the so-called “natural” sound

The sound is described as “natural” by musicians because it respects the principle of sound traveling through the air until it is heard by our ears. Humans hear all sound after it has traveled through the air. It is this characteristic that gives us the sensation of hearing a “natural” sound.

Sound is a wave created by the mechanical vibrations of an object. In the case of music, the mechanical vibrations are produced by the musical instrument. The vibrations propagate in various directions through elastic deformations. The speed of sound propagation depends on the medium through which it travels. For example, in air, sound travels at a speed of 344 meters per second. In water, sound propagates much faster, reaching 1482 meters per second.

In the educational system, this phenomenon is explained by comparing it to the waves created when a stone is thrown into water. Upon hitting the water, a series of waves is generated and propagates in all directions around the point of impact of the stone. These waves represent the sound waves detectable by our hearing. The stone is the musical instrument at the origin of the wave generation. The closer you are to the point of impact, the more pronounced the waves, and the louder the sound. Conversely, the farther you move from the sound source, the weaker the sound becomes as the wave propagation gradually weakens until it stops. The propagation of sound is altered by the surrounding environment, for example, any obstacle slowing down the waves or reflecting them in new directions.

It is this environmental universe that must be recreated using various tools to achieve the “natural” sound of your musical instrument.

Which tools are suitable?

The equalizer

The EQ is a tool that processes the audio signal. It filters or boosts frequencies categorized into bands grouping mids, lows, and highs, sometimes further subcategorized.

Your equalizer should target the frequencies produced by your musical instrument. Below are the minimum and maximum frequencies to aim for in the family of bowed string instruments.

The equalizer allows you to address most of the challenges faced by players of bowed instruments, such as the noise produced by the friction of the bow hair on the strings, a sound that is too nasal or lacks body, etc.

For the friction noise created by the bow, it must be identified in the frequency band to limit it. A sound that is too nasal is often due to overly present high frequencies. A sound lacking body needs a boost by emphasizing important frequencies.

You are free to find the right balance of equalization. Depending on your instrument, its pickup, and your playing style, the settings will vary. There are no strict rules to follow except to trust your ears and instincts. Aim for something that suits you! With a few tests, you will quickly identify the frequencies to boost or limit.

Impulse Response files

These files will revolutionize your sound! From our perspective, they remain the best way today to approach a “natural” sound.

Impulse Response files, or impulse response files, are audio computer files containing a sound capture based on the environmental characteristics of a space, a device (amplifier, microphone, etc.), or a musical instrument. To learn more about Impulse Response and how these files are created, we recommend reading this article: How to create the sound of an acoustic instrument with an electric instrument using Impulse Response?

These files must be loaded into a dedicated pedal, a multi-effects processor, or audio software. The environmental sound characteristics contained in the file will be applied to any audio signal.

With Impulse Response, you can capture the representation of the “natural” sound of any acoustic violin and then use it with an electric violin or your amplified acoustic violin with a pickup.

Reverb

Reverb, or reverberation, is an effect designed to simulate the sound reverberation of a sound in a space.

When a sound is emitted by a source, it bounces off the elements composing its environment, such as a wall or a mountain. The reflection of the sound against these randomly arranged elements around the source is called reverberation.

Our hearing constantly perceives sound reverberation because every place we are in has its own reverberation. This perception of sound feels natural to us. Most software offers reverbs linked to common place names like cathedral, small or large room, hall, etc. Without sound reverberation, the sound seems direct, dry, lifeless. This is exactly what we feel when listening to an electric instrument without effects or the raw sound of an acoustic instrument captured by a pickup. Without added reverb, their sound is raw and does not seem “natural” at all.

What reverb strength to adopt?

There are several possibilities. You can target the natural strength of your instrument. Generally, it is preferable to push it beyond this natural strength to give more presence. You can also simulate the reverberation of a space you are not in by emulating a space. This type of emulation is offered, for example, by a multi-effects processor, software, or an effects pedal.

Delay

The delay or delay is a lag applied to the audio signal. It represents the echo heard when you shout between two mountains. The delay inserts distance between the sound source and the listener’s ear. This distance can be large, creating the sensation of a sound echo, or short, making it almost undetectable. In the natural context of your musical instrument, the delay is rather short.

The compressor

Compressors affect the dynamics of musical instruments. They reduce the difference between the loudest and quietest volumes of an audio signal. If the musical instrument exceeds a certain defined volume threshold, the compressor instantly manages it by reducing it by a certain value. It also boosts the volume of the weakest notes. This parameter is often highlighted by guitarists, as boosting the weakest notes adds sustain by bringing out sound details.

The benefit of the compressor is to maintain a continuous presence whether you apply strong or light pressure with the bow. Be careful not to overdo it! If too present, the compressor generates a nasal and distorted sound.

The compressor is based on 4 factors:

• • the threshold or threshold

It defines the level at which the audio signal will be compressed.

• • the ratio

It defines the level of compression in dB applied when the threshold is exceeded.

• • the attack or attack

The attack refers to the time it takes for the compression to kick in.

• • the release

The release, sometimes called sustain on certain models, corresponds to the time it takes for the compression to fade.

Some musicians replace the compressor with a slight saturation effect. This is entirely possible, as the role of a compressor essentially involves slight saturation, like distortion or overdrive. As long as these saturation effects are not pushed too far into saturation, the application pattern, and thus the result, are identical.

With these 5 tools, you can aim to achieve a so-called “natural” sound for your instrument.

Images and sources: Yoann Boyer, Sebbi Strauch – Unsplash, 3Dvarius, Daniela Padrón, Amanda Smith