First Impressions of the Freqbox

Lux_Seeker · Post by **Lux_Seeker** » Thu May 14, 2009 6:33 pm

Voltor07 wrote:Yes, indeed it was Stockhausen. Thanks for jogging my memory. The megaphone idea is really cool! I live near a store that sells old megaphones. Standard size up to air raid/tornado sirens. 25 watt up to 500 watts. Of course, the bigger they get, the more expensive. A 200 watt model goes for $1350. Never asked what the biggest goes for. I think it would be awesome to do a show with a 200 watt, 140 dB megaphone as the synth amp. Perhaps someday, if I decide to tour...

Well, I actually was referring to the megaphone only in the reverse direction. What I need is a way to capture the sound of an amp and get it into a resonating chamber. Edison I believe did this with what you might call reverse victrolas.

http://www.climaxgoldentwins.com/victro ... about.html

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Thu May 14, 2009 9:43 pm

Lux_Seeker wrote: Well, I actually was referring to the megaphone only in the reverse direction. What I need is a way to capture the sound of an amp and get it into a resonating chamber. Edison I believe did this with what you might call reverse victrolas.

http://www.climaxgoldentwins.com/victro ... about.html

That's cool too! I know that the victrola was used to record the wax rolls as well as playback. A megaphone as a microphone will probably sound like a wax roll from back in the day. Cool!

c7sus · Post by **c7sus** » Thu May 14, 2009 11:21 pm

Interesting thread.

Take a look into Sonotube. Circular cardboard concrete form material available in different diameters and lengths. I've seen photos of folks using these to mic kick drums.

For information about resonating "devices" search for Helmholtz resonators. Tons of info out there as well as how to apply the formulas and build your own resonators with predictable resonant frequencies.

Lux_Seeker · Post by **Lux_Seeker** » Fri May 15, 2009 8:56 am

c7sus wrote:Interesting thread.

Take a look into Sonotube. Circular cardboard concrete form material available in different diameters and lengths. I've seen photos of folks using these to mic kick drums.

For information about resonating "devices" search for Helmholtz resonators. Tons of info out there as well as how to apply the formulas and build your own resonators with predictable resonant frequencies.

Thanks for the info. I looked at the sonotube products. Good for cylinders but no cones which is what I am looking for to get guide the sound into a resonator.

I also fouund this site from the University of New South Wales on Helmholtz resonance.

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/Helmholtz.html

By the way, this site is well worth exploring. It has a lot of great stuff on the acoustics of various musical instruments.

Helmholtz is also the one to whom we owe the foundation of additive synthesis today. I personally don't agree with what Helmholtz said. I think the harmonic model of sound is a lmiited conception which needs to be balanced with the understand of sound as grains.

c7sus · Post by **c7sus** » Fri May 15, 2009 11:17 am

You could make them conical by cutting it lengthwise and using straps to cinch one end smaller than the other. You might need some kind of bracketing to hold the straps in place, but the Sonotube itself is thick enough to take screws and hold them fairly well.

By drilling holes or cutting slots into Sonotube you could also create Helmholtz resonators from them.

Lux_Seeker · Post by **Lux_Seeker** » Fri May 15, 2009 5:09 pm

c7sus wrote:You could make them conical by cutting it lengthwise and using straps to cinch one end smaller than the other. You might need some kind of bracketing to hold the straps in place, but the Sonotube itself is thick enough to take screws and hold them fairly well.

By drilling holes or cutting slots into Sonotube you could also create Helmholtz resonators from them.

OK, I'll try that. Thanks.