If you ever played a violin you know that every violin sounds different. Some have warm tones others sound more high and nervous. Make no mistake about it. A decent violin will cost well over 1000, – but just to discover if violin playing is something to get into some people settle on buying a cheaper violin.
In general, you should steer away from the sub 100 range as most likely they are a “violin shaped object” but have nothing to do with an actual violin. In the 100 to 500 range you could get lucky buying second hand but they will sound pretty harsh. The reason for the harsh sound is the poor build quality and the materials being used. I wanted to make violin playing more accessible for a larger audience and for that reason I have devised a method to make cheap violins sound softer and rounder without making alterations to the actual violin. My invention requires an extra step during the manufacturing process that can be setup relatively easy without any tooling or new materials. It’s like a “conditioner” for the violin that will take away the hard edges from the violin’s sound.
Below are two recordings of the same instrument, before and after the treatment. The audio wasn’t altered in any way, straight into the mic and that’s it. Also, the violin wasn’t altered in any way. The same strings, the same bow, the same bridge. Nothing was moved or adjusted.
(Disclaimer: The violin in the audio is played an amateur violinist, the second recording is louder, so lower the volume on the second bar to match the 1st bar.)
