most
of this is probably self explanatory. you can jump
down to the pictures to get the idea.
_______________________________________________________
for ones who still don't get it, try
to follow along. the ugly pink things below are called "echo
mic’s" you can find them for $1 each at
just about any dollar store right now. just keep
looking in the toy isle until you find them. ( if
not i have links to some places below - but none
of them are that cheap ). choose your color ( you
simply can't beat hot pink - this thing isn't going
to make you any friends so why not be as obnoxious
as possible). so when you get these back home you
need to do a few things to get this all to work.
first you will notice from looking at your own, that
i cut the very bottom cups off of mine (not in photo
sorry). this is so the spring or springs can connect
between the 2 inside cups and be completely unobstructed.
my cups pried right off, then i was left with a little
flat section that had a little finger to hold the
end of the spring. unhook the spring from the bottom,
then take an exact-o or box cutter or whatever and
cut them both off. be neat about it, it will make
it a tiny bit more stable after taping ( i can't
believe i just said that - who gives a shit, just
cut them off). maybe save them for something else.
you never know. now you have two mic’s with
not bottoms at all and the springs are just hanging
from the inside cups. right?
now go ahead and pop one of the mic’s
open, mine are taped up by the head ( the silver
band ). i just cut the tape and it opened up. you
will see how the cup is set inside the little rings/ridge
so that it floats there when closed. you will also
notice that the cup is very, very delicate. like
light parchment or something but mine is actually
very thin plastic. you can very easily destroy it
so be careful. this is probably the most important
part of the whole apparatus. look at how the spring
is attached, just for future reference. then reach
into the bottom of the other one with a needle nose
or something and get the other spring to stick out
far enough to grab and hook the two springs together.
do a good job of it. then put the other case back
together ( you know you didn't have to take either
one apart actually but i did this so you would have
a better understanding of how it works) and let them
come together ass to ass. run some tape around it
to hold it really quick while you do the rest and
test it. you might be changing it so don't over do
it.
this part is open to whatever you have
on hand. i just happen to keep all sorts of random
stuff around for shit like this ( a room full of
stuff - since i was a child ). if i remember correctly
i scavenged the speaker i’m using out of an
old computer chassis. its about 2 1/4" and it
fits perfectly just inside of that top ring. when
the green "grill" is on, it snug’s
it right up against the inside ring and it doesn’t
move at all. i got lucky. but it really doesn't matter
what you use. you can get a little speaker and just
lay it in there ( or as many as will fit to really
drive it ) or use an extra pair of headphones held
over the end or just hold it up to your monitors
to track the part. it really don't matter. now with
the other end i just stick a mic in the other cup
to taste. you can even tape one in there permanently
and then hide it in a box behind your rack or where
ever and use it on a send. no one will ever have
to know it is what it is. the box itself will import
some character so try a couple until it works. oh
and i guess i should mention that you should attach
a 1/4" to the speaker if its not already there.
here is where you should give it a
listen. you can drive it with a headphone amp or
a send or whatever you might have. what do you think?
is it perfect, or a little sloppy? to muffled? too
bouncy? mine needed a little bit of eq in the high
mids depending on the source. just have a parametric
in line and try compression too. with a certain frequency
boosted from the eq it will just sound right it depends
on the source material of course.
now for the decision making part. take
it all apart and then remove one of the springs completely.
then take the one thats left and attach it to the
other cup so there is only one spring ( not two )
between both cups. this can be tuff to get the other
cup to lay in its groove while you assemble the rest.
be careful not to fold or crumble it. once its all
assembled give the new shorter version a listen.
is it better or too short? no decay?
i prefer mine shorter, or tighter i
should say. but in between the two would sound the
best so i'm still looking for something to extend
the two handles. maybe the next empty paper towel
roll will work? then i will add the second spring
back and stretch the two out. it might even be possible
to make it adjustable by just un-taping it and pulling
it apart farther to shorten the time. an adjustable
spring reverb has been something i've been contemplating
for a long time. i'll figure something out. |
