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The violin’s soundpost is a small cut and fitted approximately 1/4” spruce dowel that sits inside the violin strategically placed for optimal sound. Its function is to carry vibrations from the top plate to the bottom plate. Optimal fitting and placement of the soundpost will make your instrument sound much better.
When cutting a new soundpost, bare in mind that the end grain should run perpendicular to the violin’s top grain. A perfect fit on both surfaces is essential to a great result. It’s better to cut a slightly too long soundpost to allow for mistakes and tone adjustment which can easily be shortened, than to make the post too short. Longer posts will locate closer to the center of the instrument whereas shorter posts will locate closer to the E string f-hole side. Longer posts tend to favor darker deeper tones, whereas shorter posts favor brighter higher tones.
Moving the post closer to the bridge usually produces more power, whereas moving the post away from the bridge will give less power and a form of richness.
The tightness of the post also has an effect on the violin. A post that is set too tightly will choke the…
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Great vid Fiddlerman
I always want to move my soundpost around to see the difference i hear the old time great players would adjust there sound posts regularly..
Blaze
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I wouldn't recommend that you move it regularly. Some people make that mistake and wear the wood inside the fiddle. 
I didn't really show how to move it but make sure you tap 3D. IOW, when you tap the post on the bottom then the top it can also move towards the middle of the violin so you need to maintain the angle and pressure in that direction as well. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Nice vid, Pierre, very helpful! Especially i liked how You moved the SP from the far f-hole!
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I suppose it's only helpful if you have the right tools right?
Anyway, I wouldn't have dared moving a sound-post when all I was was a player/performer. I've been trained and have moved and even cut so many now that I can almost do it in my sleep though it was very awkward the first times.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Fiddlerman said
I suppose it's only helpful if you have the right tools right?
Anyway, I wouldn't have dared moving a sound-post when all I was was a player/performer. I've been trained and have moved and even cut so many now that I can almost do it in my sleep though it was very awkward the first times.
I HAD to do it. i dropped sound posts on both of my violins. one - when changed the tail-piece and in the other when it felt from the chair =) And, yes, i have a right tool - a regular one =)
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Cool. I'm glad you are able to pull this off. Not many people are able to.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Thanks Kevin. Means a lot coming from you.
Previously I used the one end of the adjuster to place the post but it fell off the end quite frequently. This just seems to go so much quicker.
The tough part is fitting a soundpost perfectly. When we feel that a post needs to be inspected, 9 times out of 10 I'm surprised that the maker or final setup luthier would actually have used the post the way it was cut. Even though the Chinese make fantastic violins they must be letting the beginners cut the post or something to that effect. I don't think they realize the importance of a perfectly cut sound-post.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
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Just a pic of my sound post tools
The first two from the right are the ones that Pierre showed in the video.
The third is a sound post retriever. Its used to retrieve that sound post that is rattling around inside your fiddle. Very handy
The forth is to measure how long that your sound post needs to be when making a new one. Its inserted into the body and expanded in the position that the sound post will be giving you the proper length... about
Pierre @Fiddlerman
Am looking forward to a video on cutting / making a new post
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying???? 
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