Piezo Frap mic advice Sounddesign

[tilman]

they look realy nice! and expensive.
the question is how good are these for field recording?

[PoxyMusic]

Here are some examples of SFX I've made using contact mics. Actually, these are mixes using C-ducers and a Neumann RSM 191s. For the sample "Cinefoil" I've split it out, so you can hear the discreet parts. Keep in mind these have a bit of dynamics processing in them!

For me, using a mix of contact mics with "air" mics has been the key for getting really good results. This means that you need to record to four channels however.

As noted above, adhesion to whatever your recording is really important. I think I'm going to bring some steel wool and a rag with me next time.

Happy hunting!

-p

[tilman]

hey that is very cool! I´d love to listen to more examples like this.

Damn it I only got a SD 702.

I allready own a Shoeps MS. Now I want those two Transducers but will need
a new Recorder for getting such nice recordings....

[PoxyMusic]

Originally Posted by tilman

I allready own a Shoeps MS. Now I want those two Transducers but will need
a new Recorder for getting such nice recordings....

The Cinefoil stuff I recorded on an Mbox Pro 2
which reminded me that I want to record something at my optometrist
which reminded me that I have an appointment there in 15 minutes!!!

thanks!

gotta go!

[aeroc]

Originally Posted by subbasshead

FWIW I i now tend to use my trance inducer contact mic with the BB preamp

its what works for me - I definitely like the BB preamp having XLR balanced output
but I am less impressed with the BB contact mic element
I am sure it is fine if all you want to do is stick it to a piano
(& a zither isnt too much different to a piano)
but I want to stick it to all sorts of random stuff
some clean & easy... some messy & difficult.
& the trance inducer mic seems to translate cleaner bottom end,
so I use it (with a Neumann KMR81 short shotgun on the other channel)

i have 2 BB's and was not at all happy with piano recordings (employing placement methods advised in the manual). sounded like a clav, honestly. i dig them for other uses. fortunately i like strange noises bc i'd be upset if i bought them for piano only!

i just got a couple dozen $1 piezos and am excited to make some reverb devices. i'm planning on soldering to 1/4" balanced (because i have spares on hand). any tips? should i be going unbalanced?

btw.. great info. thanks!

[subbasshead]

Matching impedances is the most important aspect of making your own contact mic, read this article:

Get Better Sound from Piezo Mics & Pickups: Get proper Bass with Piezo Contact Mics and Piezo Guitar Pickups

or

Get Better Sound from Piezo Mics & Pickups: Get proper Bass with Piezo Contact Mics and Piezo Guitar Pickups

[iluvatar]

Originally Posted by aeroc

i have 2 BB's and was not at all happy with piano recordings (employing placement methods advised in the manual). sounded like a clav, honestly. i dig them for other uses. fortunately i like strange noises bc i'd be upset if i bought them for piano only!

i just got a couple dozen $1 piezos and am excited to make some reverb devices. i'm planning on soldering to 1/4" balanced (because i have spares on hand). any tips? should i be going unbalanced?

btw.. great info. thanks!

It won't actually be balanced because because there is no transformer or other balancing circuitry on the piezo element.

Our shop tech built a plate reverb out of a couple piezo elements, a Butt Kicker and some aluminum flashing - actually sounds pretty cool if you're looking for a lo-fi kind of thing.

-Dan.

[tilman]

Just ordered a stereo pair of tranceaudio tranceducers!
It will take 3 weeks or so....
They said the frequency range would go up to 60 kHz

After years of waiting....Finally!

[Denis Goekdag]

Congratulations! Those are still on my wish-list. The 60khz info is wicked --- perfect for 192k recording. Let us know how they perform plz

[Pedantic Sound]

Originally Posted by tilman

They said the frequency range would go up to 60 kHz

In before never ending debate of 44.1 v 192 recording.

[Denis Goekdag]

Originally Posted by Pedantic Sound

In before never ending debate of 44.1 v 192 recording.

There's really no debate when we're talking sound design --- 2 more octaves of downward transposition to play with when recording at 192k. When creating space-ships, giant weaponry, aliens, impacts, drones, generally sounds for larger-than-life objects...192k 's the way to go. No debate there.

For recording acoustic music it may be a different story. But then again, this is the *post production forum*...

[tilman]

Hey Denis, I will report for sure! I am pretty excited...

@Pedantic Sound
Yes when reducing Playback speed it´s more than obvious it´s like zooming into a picture that has a higher pixel resolution. (that´s how explain it very often)

And why shouldn´t this be interesting for music as well :-)

__________________
tonsturm.com sound effect packs
tilman-hahn.com
imdb

[waterox]

Would that be the Acoustic Lens listed on the site?

[tilman]

You can ask for this via email. If you tell them it´s for sound design
they will tell you about there modification:

They wrote me this:
We generally recommend the Inducer mono system for sound effects recording use as it is simpler
and easier due to the preamp being a single box. We have done a modification
on our Amulet stereo system for sfx recording, but it is a bit more awkward as it is designed to
be installed inside a guitar. You can see a photo of all the components of the system here:
Trance Audio Products "AMULET" Page You also might wat to see our
Amulet product manual here: Trance Audio - Product Manuals
The system consists of 2 Acoustic Lens transducers which them plug into
a small black preamp box (meant to be installed insuide a guitar), which then normally
attaches to an endpin jack, and a cable to and external controller/power supply
(blue box).

When we mod the Amulet for sound design, we extend the frequency response down to about
10hz (normally cuts off at about 30-40hz).
We can make the Acoustic Lens transducers up to 10 feet long. Since the Amulet has a small
preamp (black box), an endpin jack and a controller (blue box), to make that less awkward
for non-guitar use,we modified the system to eliminate the endpin jack and have a single short
cable permanently attached to the preamp with a connector that would
plug directly into the controller. The customer who requested the
modification wanted to velcro the preamp to the controller and we made
the cable length about 18 inches; it can be shorter or longer as you need it.

and this:

you're using the same pickup in either case so the sound quality is the same.
The output of the Inducer is balanced; the output of the Amulet is unbalanced.
The Amulet can produce a louder signal - about 4 times louder. If you really need
stereo, the Amulet is probably the way to go though it is a bit ungainly versus the simplicity of using a
single box (the Inducer) powered by 9v batteries. The Amulet can run on batteries or AC.
If you would like to use the Amulet, think about how long you would like the
pickup cables to be (they can be up to 10 feet; meaning they can be up to 20 feet apart),
an d how long you'd like the cable
between the preamp (small balck box) and the controller (blue box) to be.
As i mentioned, we had a sound designer velcro on to the other and that seemed to
work for him!


that´s what I ordered:

the amulet series mod for sound fx recording (Stereo). The "velcro the preamp to the controller" thing. 8 feet cable length...