The more boisterous sounds of drums, electric guitars, or even powerful vocals in contemporary music can easily overpower violins, which are notoriously quiet instruments. Choosing a good violin pickup is necessary to compensate for this. When choosing a violin pickup, the way it attaches to the instrument and the type of transducer it uses are the most important factors to consider.
Violin pickups can be attached to the bridge or clamped to the body of the instrument. The contact with the violin body may dampen the resonance quality slightly, but this is the easiest type to install. They can be placed in different places on the instrument to change the tone, such as under the lower strings to amplify the tone of lower notes or under the higher strings to amplify the tone of higher notes. A standard acoustic violin can be used with many of these models.
Other types of pickups can actually take the place of the violin’s bridge. Individual transducers for each string or a single transducer for all strings are possible. Bridge-replacement pickups produce the tone quality that is most similar to an unamplified acoustic violin because they measure the vibration of the strings directly at the bridge, which is where the sound is produced in the instrument. They’re also the least likely to get feedback, which is a squealing or screeching sound caused by the microphone picking up backup sounds from the speaker. A bridge-replacement violin pickup tends to produce the most consistent tone quality due to the lack of variation in placement.
Bridge units, despite their many advantages, have some limitations. Certain models are only compatible with electric violins and cannot be used with a traditional acoustic violin. A different type of violin pickup might be a better option for you if you want to switch between amplified and natural sound.
The type of transducer used by the violin pickup is the next consideration. Simply put, a transducer is a device that converts one form of energy into another. A transducer converts the mechanical or electromagnetic vibrations of the strings into electrical impulses, which are then converted to an amplified sound in the case of a violin pickup.
The piezoelectric transducer, which measures the mechanical vibration of the string, is a popular type of acoustic violin transducer. Lower strings tend to have the best sound quality, while higher strings may sound thin or weak. A piezoelectric transducer produces the purest sound when used with a high-quality preamplifier.
The electromagnetic transducer, which is similar to an electric guitar pickup, is another common type of transducer. Electromagnetic pickups are highly sensitive and capable of producing a wide dynamic range by measuring the electromagnetic impulses emitted by the vibration of steel strings. The tone produced by an electromagnetic transducer may sound tinny or mechanical when compared to the sound of an acoustic violin. Whether this is preferable to an acoustic instrument’s more open sound depends on the type of music you want to play as well as your personal taste. Due to their sensitivity, these transducers may inadvertently transmit other electromagnetic signals, such as cell phone transmissions.