WMute

The WMute is relatively new compared to the other mutes; this brand, located in Barcelona, has been developing mutes since 2010. They have two types, concert and practice, which are mostly constructed in the same way, but differ in size.

Both mutes use bronze for the main body, and are plated with gold (1mc 24k), ruthenium, or silver depending on the choice of colour. The contact surface of the mute to bridge is covered with different materials: for the concert mute, a thin layer of velvet, and rubber-cork for the practice mute.

Both mutes are a clip-type mute, and the concert mute can be clipped on to the string behind the bridge when not in use.

Although I have excluded the comparison of volume due to the difficulty of controlling different parameters, the WMute (practice) provides the best silencing effect compared to the other mutes, from their strong grip on to the bridge and the rubber-cork inner surface. As the gripping power is strong and stable, it is very unlikely that this mute will move with the vibration, allowing it to produce a very stable tone.

The concert mute provides a tone which could be described as a square wave with roundness in its tone, and with richer depth. Unlike some of the mutes, it achieves a tone that is even throughout the whole pitch range, maintaining a constant tone difference throughout.

On the other hand, a practice mute turns all pitches evenly to the same colour. The best way to describe this is that we only experience the core of the violin sound. Therefore, it does give a slightly forlorn or a distant texture to the sound. However, considering that it was built for practice, it seems to be very successful as it sounds like listening to a violin outside a soundproof room.