mounting homebrew contact mic

[Grant Richter]

This is like the "Slinky" reverb mentioned in what book
originally, I don't know.

Get a metal slinky spring toy, a big one.
Take two high back chairs, duck tape (of course), an awl,
a small speaker that will fit in the coffee can
and a contact mike or other microphone that will fit in the coffee can

Punch two small holes about a quarter inch (5mm) apart
in the center of the metal end face of each coffee can.
Bend each end of the slinky and loop it through
the holes in the ends. Duck tape the coffee cans
to the high back chairs and spread them apart
about 10 feet (3 meters).

You have created a gigantic spring reverb.
The idea is to use the metal end plates
to acoustically couple to the spring which serves as
a delay line. Mounting the speaker and mike
is an "excersise for the student", don't get
any duck tape on the metal ends or it will damp
the high frequencies.

Grant

Brain: Pinky, are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Pinky: Yea Brain, but where can we get some duck tape and a real duck?

----------
> From: Christian Oncken <oncken at umr.edu>
> To: synth-diy at mailhost.bpa.nl
> Subject: Re: mounting homebrew contact mic
> Date: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 1:42 AM
> 
> All this talk about contact mics got me thinking... would it be possible
to
> create a strange reverb/delay system using 2 contact mics?  These things
are
> transducers, capable of making noise as well, no?  If so, use one as a
> "driver" and the other as a "pickup", with appropriate circuitry to drive
> the input signal and amplify the result.  With this arrangement you could
> connect them both to opposite ends of a suspended spring, send a signal
to
> be effected to the driver, receive it at the pickup and have the
equivalent
> of a spring reverb, right?  How about sticking them to the pipes in your
> house, or to a huge concrete floor?  Could you turn anything into a
reverb
> this way?  It would work better on some things than others I suppose...
how
> about a tree, or an antenna tower?
> 
> Sorry if this is a little bit out there... its late and I'm tired, but am
I
> crazy?  What do you all think?  I thinking miking a tree would be cool.
> 
> Christian Oncken.
> 
> BTW,  what exactly is a wadcutter pellet?  Some kind of air rifle
> projectile?  Please elaborate in private email.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >Thanks to Harry Bissell & his idea (gluing a .177 wadcutter pellet to a
> >RadShack piezo--#273-064, $1.79), I now have a piezo contact mic.  But I
> >don't plan to attach this unit to a big metal/nylon disk for use as a
drum
> >trigger. I wish to use some kind of non-destructive removeable reusable
> >adhesive to place the face of the piezo/pellet gadget securely in
contact
> >with, say, the soundboard of guitar or for other such temporary
> >installations.  Any suggestions/sources for such an adhesive or other
means
> >of temp. attachment?
> >
> >Thanks for your help,
> >Kevin
> >