lo-fi adventures

ntimkovich · 5th December 2006

what's the most creative lo-fi engineering you have ever done? think, "paper in the guitar strings", megaphone vocals, suitcase kick drum...

i love hearing all the different techniques people use for getting the non-standard sounds, so let's hear em!

the best i've done in my meager recording career is using a string of beads and a pencil for a shaker/clicking sound, or using a pen against my teeth like a pre-schooler to get that crazy blooping sound...

any good stories out there?

lynyrd · 6th December 2006

Tried to imitate a didgeridoo (sorry about the spelling) by making noises into the finger holes of a guiro and a mic in the open end of it. I thought it was cool but my band just kinda cracked up when they heard it and the track did not make the album. I guess you could say it kinda bombed.

ClaySchmitt · 6th December 2006

I put a shotgun microphone up to snare on an upside down snare drum. I placed ice cubes on the snare and let them melt/crackle/pop and dropped pop rocks on them.

It sounds pretty neat when put through the sound toy's crystalizer.

ntimkovich · 6th December 2006

nice! any more out there?

Methlab · 6th December 2006

I made drums once by taking an empty cheap acoustic guitar case and using my palm on it for the kick. I micd with a shitty condensor and then low passed it and boosted around 60 or so for extra thump.

For the "snare" i used the same mic and hit an empty glass with a pencil.

Bassace · 6th December 2006

Recorded the acoustic guitarist in his underpants as the squeaking form his leather pants was bleeding onto the track....does that count as creative?.........cracked everyone up anyway.....

scrubs · 6th December 2006

Put a big trash can on its side with a mic down at the bottom and put a guitar amp at the mouth.

Put an omni mic in the corner of the room while tracking vocals. Blend with closer mic.

Plug headphones into a mic pre and sing into the earpiece.

tigeba · 6th December 2006

Around 2000, I worked for a small advertising company as a programmer, and the creative department needed something that sounded like the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. At the time I was still in the process of building my recording studio, so I did about 30 seconds of it in a spare closet using a large plastic bucket, a plastic recorder and the ol' wax paper/comb kazoo trick.

Good, bad and ugly

The conversion is pretty low quality since bandwidth was such an issue back then.

This was the same company that made the very popular Voodoo Boss greeting card.

Bassace · 6th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigeba

Around 2000, I worked for a small advertising company as a programmer, and the creative department needed something that sounded like the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. At the time I was still in the process of building my recording studio, so I did about 30 seconds of it in a spare closet using a large plastic bucket, a plastic recorder and the ol' wax paper/comb kazoo trick.

Good, bad and ugly

im not even going to go there .....i cant sound as bad as i imagine it lOL

Chrisc_o · 7th December 2006

I've used a coiled band saw blade as a shaker/tambourine - we were trying to keep within the theme of a song about the clear cutting of the Canadian Boreal forest. We also used different hard and soft woods from my work shop as wood blocks. Sounded very good.

I tried using a canoe as a bass drum but it didn't fit the song so we didn't keep the recording.

Un-strung guitar neck and a pack of wooden shish kebab skewers as a makeshift guiro.

Wire brushes on a 50 gallon glass jug.

Simulated a group of hand-clappers by slapping my bare thighs and overdubbing 2-3 times. It got me there twice as fast as regular clapping, but hurt like HELL!

5th December 2006	#1
ntimkovich Gear nut Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 88 Thread Starter	lo-fi adventures what's the most creative lo-fi engineering you have ever done? think, "paper in the guitar strings", megaphone vocals, suitcase kick drum... i love hearing all the different techniques people use for getting the non-standard sounds, so let's hear em! the best i've done in my meager recording career is using a string of beads and a pencil for a shaker/clicking sound, or using a pen against my teeth like a pre-schooler to get that crazy blooping sound... any good stories out there? __________________ "Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest form of cowardice." -- Holbrook Jackson --

6th December 2006	#5
Methlab Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Orlando Posts: 3,686	I made drums once by taking an empty cheap acoustic guitar case and using my palm on it for the kick. I micd with a shitty condensor and then low passed it and boosted around 60 or so for extra thump. For the "snare" i used the same mic and hit an empty glass with a pencil. __________________ Professionally played Basslines for $35 a Track. www.professionalbassguitar.com

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6th December 2006	#2
lynyrd Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Location: calgary canada Posts: 963	Tried to imitate a didgeridoo (sorry about the spelling) by making noises into the finger holes of a guiro and a mic in the open end of it. I thought it was cool but my band just kinda cracked up when they heard it and the track did not make the album. I guess you could say it kinda bombed.

6th December 2006	#3
ClaySchmitt Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 213	I put a shotgun microphone up to snare on an upside down snare drum. I placed ice cubes on the snare and let them melt/crackle/pop and dropped pop rocks on them. It sounds pretty neat when put through the sound toy's crystalizer.

6th December 2006	#6
Bassace Gear maniac Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 181	Recorded the acoustic guitarist in his underpants as the squeaking form his leather pants was bleeding onto the track....does that count as creative?.........cracked everyone up anyway.....

6th December 2006	#7
scrubs Gear addict Joined: Feb 2005 Location: NC Posts: 414	Put a big trash can on its side with a mic down at the bottom and put a guitar amp at the mouth. Put an omni mic in the corner of the room while tracking vocals. Blend with closer mic. Plug headphones into a mic pre and sing into the earpiece.

6th December 2006	#8
tigeba Gear nut Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 137	Around 2000, I worked for a small advertising company as a programmer, and the creative department needed something that sounded like the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. At the time I was still in the process of building my recording studio, so I did about 30 seconds of it in a spare closet using a large plastic bucket, a plastic recorder and the ol' wax paper/comb kazoo trick. Good, bad and ugly The conversion is pretty low quality since bandwidth was such an issue back then. This was the same company that made the very popular Voodoo Boss greeting card.

7th December 2006	#10
Chrisc_o Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,853	I've used a coiled band saw blade as a shaker/tambourine - we were trying to keep within the theme of a song about the clear cutting of the Canadian Boreal forest. We also used different hard and soft woods from my work shop as wood blocks. Sounded very good. I tried using a canoe as a bass drum but it didn't fit the song so we didn't keep the recording. Un-strung guitar neck and a pack of wooden shish kebab skewers as a makeshift guiro. Wire brushes on a 50 gallon glass jug. Simulated a group of hand-clappers by slapping my bare thighs and overdubbing 2-3 times. It got me there twice as fast as regular clapping, but hurt like HELL!