Does the process of cryogenically treating musical instruments work? The evidence is growing that it does indeed.

For at least 15 years, manufacturers in a number of industries have discovered something startling. Their products have been improved through the controlled cooling, then warming of them in a cryogenic machine using liquid nitrogen. Tool manufacturers were among the first to sing the praises of the process, with drill bits staying sharper and steel punches lasting longer. Motorcycle manufacturers noticed an improvement in the performance of engines that had been treated with the process. Audiophiles even claim that there is a pronounced effect on compact discs that have been treated, in that the bass lines are more distinct, tighter, deeper, and strangely enough, louder. Piano tuners and piano string manufacturers have noticed that pianos with treated strings stay in tune much longer than those without.

The process also works very well on brasswinds and woodwinds (excluding wooden and plastic instruments). For instruments made out of brass, the consensus of those having had the treatment done is as follows:

• Virtually all the instruments treated have an increased capacity to play softer and louder by as much as 30%. (This is based on substantial anecdotal evidence, not a decibel meter.)
• The pitch is more stable during crescendos. Pianissimo tones are more controlled, and pianissimo attacks are clearer and easier.
• The instrument itself is more predictable, open and doesn't have as much resistance.
• The tone is remarkably even from the top to the bottom with added "warmth."
• There is a smoother flow between registers.

We have conducted our own research and have formed our conclusions about the results of cryogenically freezing sterling silver and 14 karat gold tubes. The process does not have a discernible effect on 14 karat gold tubes. Perhaps the density of gold does not allow free movement of molecules during the process.

In our tests with sterling silver, the results were obvious and consistent. Overall, the flutes and headjoints that we tested played with more volume and seemed more open and free blowing. This was particularly true of the middle and lower registers. Sometimes the difference was more difficult to tell in the upper register.

Why does this procedure cause such an improvement in instruments? The answer is tension and release. When an instrument is manufactured, an enormous amount of tension is built in. This is caused when the tubes are being drawn and shaped, as well as during the actual assembly procedure when certain parts are made to line up with the use of jigs and wire. The heat caused by soldering the instrument also distorts the metal and introduces additional tensions or "stresses."

What happens during this cryogenic process that relieves all these accumulated tensions? The purpose of the procedure is to realign the molecular structure of most metals. The liquid nitrogen used is cold enough to make whatever goes into the freezer more dense. Molecules are in a state of constant motion. Imagine people in a crowded shopping center. People move around at random, and there are gaps between them. The gaps in the crowd would be weaknesses in a metal structure. When frozen as far down as 300 degrees below 0 Fahrenheit, molecular motion slows down to a crawl, almost to a standstill, and the "people" (molecules) would be huddled into one mass. The very gradual thawing of an object allows the molecules of the object to uniformly disperse. It is as if the crowd in the shopping center took one step apart, one step at a time. The end result is a molecular structure that is evenly spaced and therefore considerably stronger. This explains why one of the most consistent comments made by owners of treated instruments is that their instruments seem to play more evenly and with more volume. It would make sense that an instrument that had its molecules equally distributed would respond and resonate much more evenly and efficiently than an instrument that had "clusters" of molecules throughout the instrument.

The process must be carried out in an inert and dry atmosphere for best results. Dropping something into 300 degrees below 0 F would stress-shock it. The instruments being treated should be lowered about one degree per minute. The floor temperature should be held for ten hours, then an even slower return to room temperature is executed. The entire procedure takes around 50 hours.