Is Vandoren VK1 the Ultimate Synthetic Clarinet Reed?

[@johnfrazier5548]

IMHO, the 60 is too heavy for a more open mouthpiece. Did you need to try several to find one that actually vibrated? I have two and both are too resistant.

[@clarinetninja]

From what I can infer, I would imagine you would think my cane reed is too resistant as well. I have always found in a synthetic reed that I tend to enjoy I touch more resistance because the reed is so balanced and vibrates more evenly than I can get out of a cane reed

[@sherryreid6163]

I agree on the more water with a synthetic reed

[@DocCSE]

Thanks for this test and review. It is the 3rd one I have watched on KZbin and each of you bring something unique to the review. The similarity is that all of you have come to the conclusion that this is the closest to a cane reed. I have not tried this yet but am playing on a Legere EC; I have tried the Venn and the Silverstein, but find the Legere a better match. With those three I find that the feel on my lip is not as comfortable as a cane reed (I have been playing on cane for over 60 years so there is that also). So far the VK has not been around long enough for us to know about the life of the reed. At a price of $49 it would need to last a long time to be of the same value, dollar wise, as cane, considering that a box of 10 cane reeds will cost less than a VK. Again thanks .

[@BorisClarinet]

Good to find your channel quite by accident. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@clarinetninja]

Boris! Thank you! Long time no see. I hope you are well

[@minatsamou]

No2

[@niceguy200107]

My experience with synthetic reeds is dated (think early Legere). I really wish this was around when I was in college marching band. I just dealt with the early Legere weirdness. Looks and sounds like these VK1s are a gift to anyone used to Vandoren reeds! Oh, and spot on with the extra water in the instrument.

[@bobblues1158]

On the Rose etude, the V12 wins. But the synthetic has a place. But the price is high. and the slightest hit on the tip is a hit on my pocket book. When I toured I used synthetic and was a much happier player. Now that I do not tour, I am back to cane. And the Reed Wizard and the Ridenour ATG system. Plus 7 years of oboe playing. And I have the time.

[@Trevor_Stewart]

If you visualize the tone as a sphere, the VK1 sound creates a smooth and rounded exterior shell, but it sounds a bit hollow; whereas, the V12 fills the sphere with a dense core (creating focus) and adds a glowy aura (creating flexibility, sweetness, and color). You could be fooled in the upper clarion, but for me, the VK1 sound spreads in the throat tones and chalumeau, thankfully not in pitch, but in timbre. But there are times when consistency and utility are more important than having the most indulgent sound imaginable lol!

[@clarinetninja]

I think you stated that all very well! Thank for watching and taking the time to articulate your thoughts so clearly:)

[@mdrapkin]

Very thoughtful review.

[@clarinetninja]

I appreciate and am humbled by your kind words. I am a fan of your work. As a matter of fact, I just went to your website and your work is even more far-reaching than I knew. Thanks for watching and contributing to the conversation here

[@robynrox]

So interesting! One of my hobbies is 3D printing, and I once printed a reed. (There's a 3D model of a clarinet reed available out there.) Probably it would have been better if sanded down afterwards, but I was able to generate a tone out of it. I guess the problems with that approach are the type of plastic used (have to make sure it is food grade as a minimum - you wouldn't want to poison yourself) and QC, especially if using one of the cheaper printers. Printing on a glass plate bed would be the best bet to achieve a flat bottom and not all printers have that. It might even need some bespoke G-code to get the best results as opposed to that produced by a slicer (for anyone else who is into this stuff and understands what I mean). Perhaps the level of flow could be a way of controlling the strength of any reed thereby produced. Just thinking that these reeds are expensive!

[@clarinetninja]

indeed, all of the synthetic options are expensive. At the same time, the increased usage time probably makes them less expensive than a traditional cane reed if one can make them work the way they want. I know the research and development time on these was long and expensive to undergo. I certainly don't know much about 3D printing, but I would think it would be difficult to get materiel that would have enough flex in it to make a reed work that way. Everything that I have seen 3D printed (more than most people but not as much as you - I am sure) has a rigidity to it that I can't see how it would work out with reeds.

[@davideichler5105]

I play Vandoren regular and V12 reeds, #3.5 (on Gregory Smith 1+ and Kaspar-style mouthpieces). Do you think the VK1 #60 would be the closest in strength to these, or possibly the #55?

[@clarinetninja]

It’s hard to say for sure. My best guess would be to try a 55

[@allanjmcpherson]

I thought #1 was the synthetic. It sounds just a little thinner than the V12. I bought one at ClarinetFest, but I've since realised I should have gone stronger. Oh well!

[@williamrappaport9203]

I do like the sound of the V12 better. But synthetic isn’t bad.

[@vasileiospetropoulos2046]

Hey ​​⁠rico blue tape number 1 For traditional Greek clarinet Albert system Have you done a comparison about Greek traditional clarinet vs western or classic please Do you know the Greek traditional clarinet community ??

[@clarinetninja]

Sorry I didn’t reply to this sooner! I am out of my expertise with the Greek clarinet tradition. I have heard it and loved it, but am far from having an ability to speak about it

[@lukeserrano62]

1 is synthetic to my ears. Good clear sound, but lacking the presence around the core sound which adds so much beauty to a clarinet tone.

[@clarinetninja]

Agreed. Still, it’s pretty darn good

[@niceguy200107]

I was trying to figure out what I was hearing, and this nails it. The VK1 lacks the "soul" but is still good enough for certain applications that many laypeople won't hear a difference.

[@jamesdanderfer1299]

Jay! Thanks for this. Any idea how consistent they are from one VK1 to the next? ie. Do two vk1 reeds of the same strength play the same?

[@clarinetninja]

James! I don’t have a huge sample size to judge, they were very similar between the two reeds that I tried. Finding two similar synthetic reeds is what made me stop using the the last time I tried using synthetic (other brand) full time. It’s expensive to get enough reeds to find out how consistent they are:) hope you are well!

[@joachimakerlind4453]

How did it go with exploring the world of Pieterson and Brymer etc? Did you listen more? By the way- what mouthpiece do you play? American or Vandoren? And the clarinets are standard R13?

[@musokid89]

I thought the first example was the VK1 synthetic, the second example sounded a bit fuller when articulated to me

[@magnichu8304]

My go to is D'Addario/Rico Plasticovers. They're cheap and seem to be the best of both worlds.

[@charlescaliff8696]

I think #2 is synthetic.

[@whoitisnot]

So which was was the synthetic?? Why ask if we don't get to know the answer? I'm with team #1 - it sounded a bit thinner. Thanks for the interesting review. I bought one at ClarinetFest. I tried every synthetic reed there. This was the best for me and Legere was the only other one that did anything at all for me. I'm still sticking cane 98% of the time but look forward to VK-9 - that one will finally be as good or better than cane (I'm hoping!)

[@clarinetninja]

#1 is the synthetic. The answer is in the video. I promise - you know the ol’ strategy to keep people watching:)

[@whoitisnot]

@@clarinetninja So while the video was going I got naturally got my VK-1 out and started noodling with it. Highly possible I missed you giving the answer - although I was (mostly) paying attention. The consensus seems to be, yes - we can tell the difference!

[@clarinetninja]

@@whoitisnot that is the totally correct way to watch clarinet videos:)

[@donross5352]

Thanks for confirming my prejudice! Plastic reeds are getting more and more lifelike the same way plastic fruit is getting more and more life like. But for playing outside on a windy day, ya, they’re good…

[@johnkotches8320]

I am apparently late to the party by a few months. And new to the channel 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to put together this comparison. The two are really close, and honestly if I sounded this good the very small differences might be worth investigating. Since there's been some time after this do you have any thoughts on VK1s longevity? As someone who is not a professional, not having to spend time balancing reeds across multiple instruments is worth the small difference in sound quality. Are you planning on looking at the new Legere French Cut? I am certainly going to look at them.

[@clarinetninja]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I don't have any real insight into the VK1 longevity. I anticipate it would last a few months or more depending on how much one plays it. I have the French cut Legers on my desk ready to try! I am hoping to play them today and see whats going on with them! Video should be up soon. I totally agree on the benefits of a lifestyle of a synthetic reed. It allows for a lot more time to practice the clarinet. At the same time, I like the frustrating optimism that I will be able to get a perfect cane reed happening lol

[@clarinetninja]

John! just checked out you on tenor - Beautiful playing!

[@johnkotches8320]

@@clarinetninja I appreciate your taking the time to listen and the compliment. As a late in life re-learner I'll never be playing bebop at 'Trane tempos. But if I can play with a warm inviting sound and generate interesting ideas I am a happy player.

[@johnkotches8320]

@@clarinetninja I tend to rotate across 2-4 Legere's depending on which voice. I've found that after about an hour to hour and a half of hard playing they need a break so I usually flip on breaks at rehearsals and on bandstands. I get somewhere around 9 months to a year on the rotated reeds as opposed to 4 weeks or so on cane reeds in rotation. Living in a relatively dry climate (Colorado) makes reed anxiety worse. If I lived in a more humid climate I might be using cane reeds still. I'm interested in what you think of the French Cut. I'm ordering some later this week for clarinet and tenor.

[@vapsman88]

I think the first one is synthetic, the second sounded a little warmer.

[@joachimakerlind4453]

Interesting! I tryed Legere no success.

[@anneliesklein3469]

Two!