I'm currently in an apartment and I don't want to disturb the neighbors. I'm looking for a mute, but one that will either enhance the tone and timbre of the instrument or not change at all. I'm a recording artist so I plan to record the trombone into my computer with the mute, therefore I need good tonal, timbre and sound quality. Besides Yamaha's Silent Brass, is there any other affordable mute than can reduce the volume without reducing the quality of the timbre, tone or sound?
There is a Best Brass Silent Mute. Very similar to teh Yamaha, but if you already own the Yamaha I don't think it's better. If you don't own the Yamaha yet, you might try the Best Brass and the Yamaha an dsee which you like better.
No matter what you stick in the bell, it's going to change the sound of the instrument. That's just how it works.
What you might think about doing is talking to your neighbors and attempting to work out a time frame where you can just play out. That's your best bet if you're going to be doing recording.