Eric Vloeimans

Unlike what people are used to in a trumpet, I always heard its sound as darker. What I go for is a warm, intimate sound, without losing the intention and core of that sound. Hub really understood what I was looking for, and concentrated in particular on the translation of frequencies from the low-middle range. It feels to me like these middle-low frequencies have been ‘built into’ both the OIRAM and the V-Flow, and that has a great effect on the warmth of the sound.

Surprisingly, this doesn’t adversely affect the projection and radiance of the natural tones. The V-Flow stands out, thanks to its elegant action and slender sound. It is quite light to play, and switches effortlessly from middle, to low, to high register, with little or no difference in colour. The valves work smoothly, and are adjusted in such a way that, when accurately pressed, you immediately hit the core of the tone.

That means I can play the V-Flow at whisper level, and still achieve a nice ‘fat’, resonant sound, while at the same time, the really loud robustness is there too. It blends easily. The sound projects not only forward (as in a trumpet made for efficient lead work), but it kind of envelops you too. This increases the intimacy, and has the added advantage of letting you switch easily between blending with a band or group sound and being versatile in solo work. You could call it a universality of sound. 🙂

No matter whether I’m playing with a chamber music ensemble, such as Holland Baroque, my trio Oliver’s Cinema, in a duo with harpist Remy van Kesteren, performing with my electronic band Gatecrash or as a soloist in a symphony orchestra, the Marine Band or a blazing big band: the V-Flow lets me adapt and blend in every situation.

I asked Hub to leave the look of the V-Flow as natural as possible, so you can see the chequering of all the metals: it’s been treated only with a colourless lacquer. That’s a little smoother than gold or silver, but it handles nicely.

For me, the V-Flow is the perfect translation of soul into tone!