Innovation in music comes in many forms. A new structure, a genre or piece of equipment. It could be driven by cultural chance, experimentation or technological advancement. Innovation in music is a form of expression.
On April 30, International Jazz Day, we highlight jazz and its role of uniting people around the world. It’s the culmination of Jazz Appreciation Month, which celebrates a genre characterized by improvisation and spreading its roots into local music cultures. Jazz is a major form of musical expression.
We also take this opportunity to celebrate Syos, an emerging musical company that helps musicians express themselves and their unique sounds by 3D-printing custom, personalized mouthpieces for saxophones and clarinets. Like jazz, Syos crosses geographical and stylistic borders. The French startup is well known by jazz musicians around the world for its mouthpieces’ flexible tone and effortless projection.
Sound and data
Speaking of expression: Syos’s secret sauce is an algorithm that translates a musicians own words for describing their dream sound into a unique instrument geometry that will deliver the musician’s desired sound. The data is used to 3D print custom, personalized mouthpieces designed specifically for the individual musicians.
“Syos has shaken up the aging musical instrument manufacturing industry with colorful products, innovative distribution channels and customer-oriented communication,” writes Raphaël Bouvot, head of communications at Syos. “We will soon provide solutions for all musicians, regardless of their instrument.”
Syos was founded by acoustic researchers who studied the physics of wind instruments and auditory perception. The project was originally launched in 2014 and the company was created in 2016, with the team winning multiple prizes and grants. The disruptive design and manufacturing process is able to provide at a reasonable price the type of highly personalized equipment that was previously only available through costly, bespoke hand-made production.
“The scientific method and production techniques that allow Pauline Eveno and Maxime Carron, co-founders of Syos and doctors in acoustics, to offer musicians around the world made-to-order mouthpieces with the sound properties and the look that resemble them, has been called nothing short of game-changing,” Bouvot wrote. “Whether they play saxophone for Pink Floyd, Gregory Porter or Lady Gaga, more than a hundred distinguished ambassadors already swear by these four letters: SYOS, for “Shape Your Own Sound.” 
Ramping up
As Syos looked to scale its business, the team turned to the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab at Dassault Systèmes for support. The Lab has helped advance Syos’s vision by providing them with access to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and Dassault Systèmes mentors.
Today, Syos is excited about its future. Bouvot describes doubling production capacity, state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of Paris, an overhaul of its production catalog, and “the technological leap of the last few years in 3D printing, spear-headed by industry leaders like Dassault Systèmes, whose softwares are an incredible asset.”
Syos has teamed with a new manufacturer to develop an ABS plastic that meets all health criteria and can be produced locally. Now, the mouthpieces can be 100% made in France, while 85% are sold to customers abroad. The team also has plans to introduce a new “Classical” line that promises a sound suited to saxophone and classical clarinet players. Talk about hitting a high note!
Learn more about Syos’s roster of artists. Check out how 3D printing enables Syos to make custom mouthpieces with predictable output quality. And watch the video below to hear the product in action.
