scream

[WeAreAs1 at aol.com]

Jorg Schmitz wrote:

>Is there someone who has built a "filter" (well, i call it
>filter but to be really correct it isn't) which simulates
>the screaming of a saxophone or soemthing like that. I 
>don't want to simulate a saxophone, just make a saw wave (or
>something else) scream.

I think this depends on what kind of saxophone "scream" you are talking 
about.  Two of the most common sax techniques (especially among R&B and rock 
players) are overblowing and singing into the horn, and these two techniques 
achieve very different results.  Overblowing adds extra "bite" and harmonics, 
and gives the sound a slightly distorted edge.  Sometimes this is combined 
with a teeth-clenching "mouthpiece-biting" technique, which most "legitimate" 
sax players would abhor.

Singing (or humming) into the horn is a much more dramatic effect, and it 
very well may be the thing you're talking about.  It's done by simply humming 
a note into the horn while blowing it.  The note you hum can be the same (or 
close to) note you're playing, or any other note you wish.  Very often the 
sax player will blow and hold one pitch on the sax, while modulating his sung 
note up or down (like a pitch envelope or LFO mod).  The combination and 
cross-modulation of the saxophone's note and the sung note gives a sound that 
is very much like ring modulation (with your sung note as the modulator and 
the sax note as the carrier).  The effect is quite stunning (especially when 
combined with the aforementioned overblowing technique) - very soulful and 
emotional sounding.

If you want to hear examples of this sax technique, you should listen to 
anything recorded by alto saxophonist David Sanborn.  He uses it all the 
time, and really knows how to make it work.  The overblowing technique was 
used very often by Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen's sax player (great 
rock tone, I sure wish he would play in tune...), and on the great 1960's 
recordings by Junior Walker (and the All Stars).

BTW, there is an old 1970's album by Todd Rundgren, called "Initiation", on 
which David Sanborn plays a great great alto solo, using the singing 
technique *through a ring modulator*.  Sanborn's solo (and the ring-mod sax 
sound) kicks ass!

Oh yes, and Martin Czech's WASP filter mod ideas sound very interesting.

Michael Bacich