S-Mute Information on our Expanding Product Line

[Nathan.Sobieralski]

Hi all! Trumpet Herald is where I first announced my mutes back in February of 2022, so I thought I might provide an update on the mutes (some unconventional) that I have developed. As usual, I welcome questions etc and will monitor here to provide answers/info to you all.

These products are available through me directly at www.s-mute.com and also through the great people at Austin Custom Brass.

Removable cork system-
The idea for the removable cork system (patent pending!) is what started me on this journey. This system allows you to quickly and easily detach corks from your mute and install thicker or thinner corks, providing for both intonation adjustment and bell size accommodation of a mute. This negates the need to file, sand, or glue cork material to the existing corks. If a cork becomes worn or fails, replacement is simple and straightforward. If you like a particular mute you can use it on a number of bell sizes without having to buy multiples, simply install corks to suit the horn you are using. All of our mute offerings feature the removable cork system.




Multifunction Mute-
This was our first offering. Designed to be versatile it can be used as a straight mute, cup mute, and plunger.




Dedicated Adjustable Cup Mute-
This mute, in contrast to the Multifunction Mute, was designed as a cup mute only. It features a sliding adjustable cup section and a carefully designed "straight" section to provide the sound I was after as well as precise intonation. It also features a detachable cork system.




Wixie 3 in 1-
This mute is a one-of-a-kind offering. It can be configured into a pixie mute, a "salt shaker" mute, and a wawa mute. Each configuration has its own unique sound. This is our most labor-intensive product to produce!




Pixie Mute-
This is a stand-alone pixie configuration of the Wixie mute. It does feature some tweaks to improve its singular role as a pixie mute. It works great tight in the bell and is perfect for use with a plunger.



Pixie Cup-
This is a spinoff of the pixie mute and is basically a pixie mute with a cup at the end (with some minor tweaks). It is VERY lightweight and produces a nice compact cup sound to my ears, especially when placed tight into the bell.



Salt Shaker/Salt Shaker Deluxe-
This is a stand-alone Salt Shaker configuration of the Wixie Mute. This mute produces a unique quasi-cup/bucket sound. The deluxe model features a removable end cap and felt pad that further softens the sound. With the Deluxe version, you can remove the felt and it sounds similar to the standard Salt Shaker. The Salt Shaker has been one of our most popular offerings.




Removable cork adapters for other mutes-

We currently produce adapters for a number of mutes by other makers, allowing the player to use the removable cork system on other common mutes. I use a Trumcor aluminum straight with the adapter very frequently in my orchestral performance schedule.



Practice Mute Attachment-
This is a fun little device I developed that works in tandem with the removable cork system. It is installed in place of the individual corks and provides a seal to turn your S-Mute Straight or Cup mute into a practice mute. A small vent through the attachment provides air release. It works quite well with the multifunction mute and adjustable cup mute to play some soft sounds before the concert without needing to lug around another mute. It will also fit the pixie, pixie cup, wixie, as well as the adapters for the trumcor and suolo straight mutes.



Salt Shaker for Trombone-
Currently taking the trombone world by storm, this mute features a sound profile that is very close to a bucket mute without all the trombone bucket mute drama. Its lightweight, and features our removable cork system to fine-tune the mute to various bell sizes (small/large bore tenor and bass).


_________________
Dr. Nathan Sobieralski
www.s-mute.com
Principal Trumpet, Sequoia Symphony
Department of Music (Trumpet)
California State University, Fresno

[Nathan.Sobieralski]

The S-Mute removable cork system is now patented!


_________________
Dr. Nathan Sobieralski
www.s-mute.com
Principal Trumpet, Sequoia Symphony
Department of Music (Trumpet)
California State University, Fresno

[jharris2]

[Nathan.Sobieralski]

[Nathan.Sobieralski]

This is a great time to grab a section set of salt shaker mutes from the clearance bin. Email sales (at) s-mute.com for bulk pricing on a section set.

https://s-mute.com/products/bargain-bin?variant=45686984769773
_________________
Dr. Nathan Sobieralski
www.s-mute.com
Principal Trumpet, Sequoia Symphony
Department of Music (Trumpet)
California State University, Fresno