What words do you use to describe timbre?

[lz4005]

Someone once told me he liked that there was "so much bass in your bass", and that "it really sounds like bass".

Not kidding.

I had just soundchecked a P with rounds, vol and tone all the way up, plugged directly into a 200w 2x10 rig with all knobs at noon, no PA support.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Any words that are not pitch or loudness synonyms.

 

[jamro217]

Any form of onomatopoeia.

 

[Gaolee]

Yep, I'm with your wife on this one. View attachment 3033256

As are plenty of other people. I got some odd mental wiring from the factory. But I prefer to think of it as a unique perspective. My wife still laughs at me. It is her job.

 

[bluesblaster]

I would yell "TIMBRE" as loud as possible so as to avoid any nasty forest mishaps.

 

[JRA]

on guitarist's tone:

i'm usually asked by them, but even when i'm not, i like to tell guitar players that their tones are "unusual" just so i can watch them scramble back to their controls/pedals to make more adjustments...they're gone and out of my way = priceless!

 

[Passinwind]

As are plenty of other people. I got some odd mental wiring from the factory. But I prefer to think of it as a unique perspective. My wife still laughs at me. It is her job.

I think it's cool, and I've dealt with quite a few other people over the years who've used all sorts of interesting "shorthand" descriptors. Doing live mixing, especially. There's always the producer's knob, at least.

 

[rendevouz]

I use every possible word, but mostly colors

 

[skwee]

If you think classifying bass tone is fun and amorphous, y'all should try it with voices!

Woody, Silvery, Golden, Edgy, Dusky, Open-throated, leggiero, lyric coloratura with some steel, Heroic, lilting, pushed, Verdi voice, Wagner voice, Dramatic, "early music", rich, flutey, reedy, strident, oaky, the list goes on and on.

 

[Passinwind]

If you think classifying bass tone is fun and amorphous, y'all should try it with voices!

Woody, Silvery, Golden, Edgy, Dusky, Open-throated, leggiero, lyric coloratura with some steel, Heroic, lilting, pushed, Verdi voice, Wagner voice, Dramatic, "early music", rich, flutey, reedy, strident, oaky, the list goes on and on.

You left out Lemmy...or was that phlegmy?

 

[Gaolee]

I think it's cool, and I've dealt with quite a few other people over the years who've used all sorts of interesting "shorthand" descriptors. Doing live mixing, especially. There's always the producer's knob, at least. View attachment 3033565

Oddly enough, I really do "see" colors in sounds in a minor way. I'm not a full on synaesthete, or however you spell it, but sounds do have colors, textures, and sometimes smells. Very rarely, a taste. It doesn't work the other way at all. Colors don't have a sound.

 

[Passinwind]

Oddly enough, I really do "see" colors in sounds in a minor way. I'm not a full on synaesthete, or however you spell it, but sounds do have colors, textures, and sometimes smells. Very rarely, a taste. It doesn't work the other way at all. Colors don't have a sound.

I know plenty other people who hear things that way too. I often tend to relate to sounds in terms of vocal and breathing techniques. So I sometimes think in terms of harmony stacking, head vs chest voice, and so on. That has seemed to serve me pretty well for design and modding work, and I have talked to other builders who use a similar approach.