Quantitative comparison of various cajon models

Cajons are percussion instruments originally designed to hide an instrument as a crate.Since cajons have been gaining popularity, novel designs have been developed for different applications, sounds, and styles.In this investigation, three distinctly different designs are quantitatively compared in the frequency domain to investigate their spectral differences.Basic theories were used to calculate expected resonances based on each cajon's internal volume, port size, playing surface dimensions, and wood types.Theoretical values were compared to experimental recordings and showed good agreement with expectations.The theories were especially good at following the expected trends as predicted frequencies decreased with increased cajon size.The cajons were also compared to each other to show how different designs can result in different frequency responses.Overall, this investigation showed that simple theories can be used to determine approximated sounds of novel cajon designs.