I have no idea if this is the same as the one at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra but for anyone else who was curious about the specs on this beast:
HEIGHT: 3.6 m (11.10 ft.)
LENGTH OF THE SOUNDBOARD (uppermost board): 2.06 m (6.76 ft.)
WIDTH OF THE SOUNDBOARD: 1.11 m (3.64 ft.)
LENGTH OF STRINGS: 2.18 m (6.56 ft.)
NUMBER OF STRINGS 3: (A-E-B)
DIAMETER OF STRINGS: 5/16 in. (7.94 mm). 1/4 in. (6.35 mm) et 3/16 in. (4.76 mm)
WEIGHT: 131,54 kg (290 lbs.)
NUMBER OF PARTS: There are hundreds of parts, of which 237 make up the complex mechanism of this precision instrument.
SPECIAL FEATURES: The octobass is the lowest-pitched and largest-sized instrument of the entire string family. The performer must climb up on a small stool in order to access the neck of the instrument, and it is only by means of levers and pedals - not with the hands that the strings can be reached and sounded. The octobass bow is longer and heavier than the bow of an ordinary string bass.
Apparently it can do as low as 25Hz. That would be badass to experience in person.
Man, that's deep ;-)
I've seen a youtube video on that Octobass once, and it was amazing. Having to climb some stairs to play this absolute beast was something that shocked me. And the levers to play it.
It still can be, roll a bard that only plays it. Your party and dm will probably hate you but it's a funny one-off, or if they're fun you can try to work around the limitations together like making str/dex checks to get it through a narrow cave. Even better, make it a halfling that needs a step stool to play it.
The YouTube said 16 Hz, infrasound. You can see the vibration mode.of the string, super cool.
These are all well and good but what does it take to get all these in the same room, playing at the same time?
Is this the instrument that does the dramatic horn sound that Christopher Nolan forced to use every 20 seconds in his movies?
Here's another that's slightly less terrifying than the above sample https://youtu.be/jCEYPyUBDAU?si=4rhnEk6ZZhZrQgtq
Probably. I doubt there's a lot of skilled octobass players out there. Shit, I doubt there's a lot of octobasses out there period.
Davie503 and rob scallion fucking about with one.
I don't think you can actually hear the fundamental of the lowest note. It's lowest note has a 16hz fundamental, and people can usually only hear down to around 60hz.
Overtones. Bowed string instruments have a lot of harmonics. I can't imagine it sounds very good, but I bet it's interesting.
Yeah exactly. I thought it sounded pretty cool from the recording, but you'd probably need to be there in person to get the full low frequency effect.
Near where I grew up there are these caves on a cliff side on the ocean. At the right time of day, the tide is such that the water rushes in and creates these amazing subsonic booms. You can't hear them, but if you go down one of the walkways into the side of a cave, you can feel it. It's crazy. Probably a similar thing.
And yet only three strings....
Seems strange they didn't make the key levers more ergonomic.
Nah, would make it look even larger, which would be good!
Tall as he is, the musician does look almost as if he has to stand on a platform to play. And that twist in his back doesn't look sustainable.