Timbral Effects of 3D Printing Brass Wind Musical Instruments: A Comparison Between Traditional and 3D Printed Construction
type: CreativeWork
description: This study explores the timbral effects that manufacturing wind instruments from thermoplastics (via 3D printing) has in comparison to traditionally made instruments. The project mainly focuses on the individual properties of different thermoplastics in comparison to traditional materials like brass. The instrument tested is a C bugle for a simple example of a brass wind instrument and is compared directly against the traditional brass construction. Results employ spectral centroid, spectrograms, and professional subjective analysis to compare the different thermoplastic test samples to the control brass bugle.
abstract: This study explores the timbral effects that manufacturing wind instruments from thermoplastics (via 3D printing) has in comparison to traditionally made instruments. The project mainly focuses on the individual properties of different thermoplastics in comparison to traditional materials like brass. The instrument tested is a C bugle for a simple example of a brass wind instrument and is compared directly against the traditional brass construction. Results employ spectral centroid, spectrograms, and professional subjective analysis to compare the different thermoplastic test samples to the control brass bugle.
author: Zelman, Cole K.
language: English
keywords: 3D Printing, Music, Instrument, Timbre, Thermoplastic, Other Music
date published: 2026-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:45:29Z
provider: Columbus State University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Columbus State University