Muting the Sound

[Waldo]

This may sound like a dumb idea, but....
I have been fooling around with reducing (a lot) the volume from my accordion. Why? you may ask. I want to use a WahWah pedal for effect and I can barely discern said effect (when using an amp, obviously) because the acoustic signature overwhelms the amplified sound so much. I made a solid aluminum grille replacement that hardly reduced the volume at all. This was quite a surprise as I expected/hoped for, something around a 50% reduction in volume. Any ideas (No Roland suggestions, please) on how to achieve a significant acoustic volume reduction?

Press on...
Waldo

 

[Dingo40]

Some accordionists use a bellows technique to produce a wah-wah effect.
Reducing sound volume from an accordion would be welcomed also by spouses and neighbors of apartment dwellers .
In view of the fact that accordions in general are designed to produce the practical maximum volume of sound, there seems to be no simple way this could be achieved with an acoustic accordion (the mute option, using earphones, being a major plus with electronic instruments like the Roland).
You could sound proof your entire practice space, but that's a major reconstruction of your home and still not provide the desired effect. ?

 

[Ben-jammin]

This may sound like a dumb idea, but....
I have been fooling around with reducing (a lot) the volume from my accordion. Why? you may ask. I want to use a WahWah pedal for effect and I can barely discern said effect (when using an amp, obviously) because the acoustic signature overwhelms the amplified sound so much. I made a solid aluminum grille replacement that hardly reduced the volume at all. This was quite a surprise as I expected/hoped for, something around a 50% reduction in volume. Any ideas (No Roland suggestions, please) on how to achieve a significant acoustic volume reduction?

Press on...
Waldo

Perceived sound volume has a logarithmic relationship to actual amplitude. So for half volume you have to make the amplitude something like 1/9th. This is easier said then done. I would try something that is soft but kind of dense like wrapping a bundled up wool blanket over the grill. But keep in mind anything that blocks sound will block air, which can put extra strain on the seals of a compression system.

 

[Dingo40]

"Play" it with both bellows straps fastened???

 

[losthobos]

Just squeeze softer...

 

[Ffingers]

Just squeeze softer...

...said the choirgirl to the Bishop.

 

[Chrisrayner]

I think some sort of fibrous wadding is the way to go. Speaker manufacturers use various such materials. Foam rubber/plastic might be useful too.

Isn’t it usually an ”actress” duetting with the bishop?

 

[debra]

Easy solution since you are capturing the sound of the accordion already with a microphone (with signal going to the wah-wah unit: use headphones. The headphones dampen the acoustic sound of the accordion enough so that the amplified wah-wah sound fed to the headphones should be clear enough.

 

[Waldo]

Good idea Paul. Never considered it, but I'll give it a try.
Squeezing softer with amplification turned up could also be the solution.
Thanks all!

 

[Monty [IIIII]]

"Play" it with both bellows straps fastened???

The two most important straps on any accordion !

 

[debra]

The two most important straps on any accordion !

And to prevent this many new accordions are now delivered without bellow straps.

 

[Waldo]

Yeah, like the Killer Accordion. Thank goodness it was so.