Setanta Whistle Review (vs Lir, Killarney, and Humphrey)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 сер 2022
- A friend reached out and asked if I wanted to check out a few Setanta whistles - and as I'd never had the chance to play one before, I was pretty geeked. Setantas are high end whistles for sure, so let's see how it sounds when compared to other professional instruments.
More info: www.setanta-whistles.com/
More content on Patreon: / whistletutor
My Gear
Camera: Panasonic GH5 (amzn.to/33oJiCW)
Wide Lens: Sigma 16mm f/1.4 (amzn.to/33kBh1K)
B-Roll Lens: Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 (amzn.to/31iddtN)
Boom Mic: Rode NTG4 (amzn.to/3gtf59e)
On-camera Mic: Rode Video Micro (amzn.to/3i3n7pJ)
Lavalier Mic: Rode Wireless Go 2 (amzn.to/3ItPY3h)
Handheld Mic: Shure Beta58 (amzn.to/2EEGsiC)
Flute Clip-on Mic: Audio Technica Pro 35 (amzn.to/2Pj9Ywn)
Gimbal: DJI Ronin SC (amzn.to/2Xpeb6b)
Drone: DJI Mavic Air 2 (amzn.to/2ZGhJSp)
XLR Interface: Focusrite Scarlett Solo (amzn.to/31d3GnD)
Action camera: GoPro Hero 7 Black (amzn.to/3i8jxuJ)whistle
DAW: Logic Pro X
NLE: Final Cut Pro X
VFX: Apple Motion
Flutes made by Terry McGee (www.mcgee-flutes.com/) and Windward (www.windwardflutes.com/)
Follow me on Instagram: / whistletutor
And on the TikTok: / whistletutor
My website for info about lessons and tour dates and stuff: whistletutor.com
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: youtube@whistletutor.com
Me, clicking: why is this recommended to me?
Me, at the end of the video: huh, that's interesting.
It would be interesting to test both octaves with the tuner. I have both the Lìr and the Killarney and the behavior is very different: the Lìr is much more powerful (louder) and to have the second octave in tune you have to blow with a lot of pressure; differently, the Killarney is quieter and also requires little air and pressure to have both octaves perfectly in tune. However I love them both; if I don't want to disturb, I use Killarney with its sweet, crystalline and discreet tone, but if I want to be heard then I use Lìr.
Certainly a review I needed, didn't expect it to be heavier than a Lir/Wild. Always wondered if the quality would differ a lot at that price range and now I don't feel bad about my Wild and Killarney.
I've never tried the wild but love my Kilarney
Thanks for the comparison! The delrin head Setanta may be just a few grams lighter than the all metal one and shift the center of gravity back down just a bit (maybe). the Setanta and your Humphrey sound almost identical to my ears. The Lir sounds good but just a little bit different. The problem I'd have with getting LIr is the continued horror stories about the wait time once you order and pay and some have had problems with the quality of the whistle head and then again not hearing back from Lir for quite some time.
I’m holding out until I’ve gotten your beginner series down pat before I invest in a high quality whistle. The roll rhythm is killing me but I’ll get there!
How are you going now?
Liked the Humphrey the most, followed by the Lir, then the Setanta. This makes me excited to get my Humphrey in the mail tomorrow! (though I kinda like the final D on the Lir a little more...it's very close). I didn't care for the Setanta in the 2nd octave.
I've been playing a Setanta whistle with a delrin head for several years now as my go-to whistle. To me, the tone is much sweeter than the generation and Dixon whistles I had been playing up to that point. It is definitely on the heavy side but it was easy to get used to that, and now the others feel flimsy. It is a loud whistle! I got mine from McNeela but they have been out of stock for a while and I've wondered if they're still being made. McNeela seems to have moved over to the Wild, but I'm concerned about the durability of the black finish.
I've had my Wild Irish whistle for six months now, and the black finish is holding up well with frequent use. The only thing I can say is it's a tiny bit shinier where my fingers usually rest, but I don't see that as a problem.
Sounds great. I heard they were good. I own a kilarney so I suppose I'm set for the foreseeable future as there seems to be no tangible upside with this whistle. Or other pro quality whistles for that matter.
Always enjoy your reviews tho
Thx Sean. Seeing you balance the whistles on your finger reminded me of this... I recently watched an online episode of TG4's Síbín (trad show), which included Mary Bergin playing a couple of jigs on a red Generation whistle. She had a thin strip of (hockey type) tape around the body/tube of the whistle, between G and A holes, if memory serves... where her thumb seemed to rest. I assume the tape is for grip? Never seem that before, have you?
I actually think I still prefer the Lir’s sound
Just recently found out that they have ended production.
There are basically three different setanta whistle heads:
- All brass
- Brass with delrin insert
- All delrin
I own a setanta C and D whistle with an all brass and a brass with delrin insert. There is a little puzzle game in terms of which type of head goes the best with which pitch whistle.
For me there is absolutely no question about the sound difference. The all brass head is softer, warmer, more dynamic, less shrill and generally less top-endy. It feels different to play and it sounds different. The delrin insert head has more clarity, more cut and is less dynamic/more naturally compressed. They respond differently to how you blow and how you move your fingers,
Following this logic, the all delrin head should be even more sharply voiced.
Now - the kicker is you have to consider what you like with the vibe of each pitch whistle. The manufacturer says himself that the all brass sounds particularly sweet with the C whistle. I am inclined to agree. Being higher pitch, I can use that head to soften my D whistle, but do I really want to? It seems like what it wants to do is have that pitch with that clarity and definition.
I say that from a solo-playing point of view.
I am sure that what makes sense would change significantly in an ambient live situation. I might be inclined to pick a head for the space and the occasion. The subtleties of the C with all brass might be lost in a noisy pub but perfect for recording.
But do the heads make a difference? I never tried the all delrin but for the other two - very much so.
I love my setantas and yeah the holes feel great. I own a Humphrey D as well - it’s more in the traditional vein soundwise and responds more like some of my old generations - only way better and much more full sounding with a beautiful balance. I lean towards the setanta only because I really like the feel and tone nuances available. There is a certain solid fullness to the tone. But the Humphrey at about two thirds the price is equally great in its own right (and Humprey is a very nice man to boot, and well worth supporting as a craftsman).
Well there you have it :) I couldn't hear one iota of difference hahah
@@whistletutor Nor could I in the video tbh so maybe its more pronounced with the two heads I have or maybe there is a different explanation for the difference in how they sound. Could be a production thing. But I if I remember correctly they do advertize some kinda difference. Anyways thanks for the video - I was silently hoping you’d review it …