SUB KICK DIY layout

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Sayer
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SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by Sayer » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:50 pm

I posted a topic on here a few months ago about the yamaha sub kick which spurred a whole conversation about diy sub kick mics.

Some of you use transformers in your projects and I was wondering what transformers seem to work the best and exactly what parts layout are you using them in...



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leigh
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by leigh » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:59 pm

Not to dissuade you if a transformer design is really what you want, but remember that it's tough to manufacture transformers that handle low frequencies well (remember, no transformer passes DC, and the closer you get to that, the trickier it is to pass the low freqs). So for this application, where passing low freqs well is the whole point, you're looking at using an expensive transformer from Jensen or the like. And even then it will certainly be affecting the sound.

For what it's worth, I rigged up an 8 ohm speaker directly to an XLR jack, and it works awesomely for a kick sub mic. It's not passing much over 200 Hz, but who cares?

Here it is in its raging glory (mounted on a snare stand):

Image

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psychicoctopus
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by psychicoctopus » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:04 pm

what mic preamps do you use with the speaker mic? Do some preamps respond better than others?
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wedge
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by wedge » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:09 pm

leigh wrote:Here it is in its raging glory (mounted on a snare stand):
Do you point the backend at the sound source?!?

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T-rex
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by T-rex » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:24 pm

Front or back shouldn't matter. In most high end car audio installations they intentionally mount the subs with the backside out of the box to show off the massive baskets etc. But even some of the sound quality competitors do this and it doesn't seem to have a negative effect.
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by MichaelAlan » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:31 pm

I tried this and mine didn't sound good at all. I am thinking of doing it with a 300 watt car sub. Either way though, my D112 get down there pretty low, I don't see why we need THAT much low end...


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wedge
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by wedge » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:39 pm

MichaelAlan wrote: I don't see why we need THAT much low end...
...would be my question

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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by MichaelAlan » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:55 pm

When I got a few subs for my car, I played with the crossover and stuff with some music i like and got it all sounding good. When I put some of my mixes in there I couldn't believe how much low end was in there. it was overpowering. Hope the people that are buying these bands' CD's are listening on a boombox.

I think the sub kick mic is just another toy to make and say you did...which is why I did it. I would love to hear a recording someone has used one of these on...please post.


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T-rex
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by T-rex » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:21 pm

Sometimes I use an old kenwood 12" speaker, in the cabinet still, with the mid and tweet disconnected. Honestly, it's mainly for when I want to use something as an effect more than general tracking, but sometimes it's pretty handy. Usually about 2.5 feet in front of the drum puts it right in phase with my D112. If you roll off the sub bass and just add a bit of it to the mix, it can be great. Especially if the drummer has a bass drum that is less than stellar or very clicky. But you have to be careful, too much and it just sounds like a boomy mess. I haven;t used it on my own band so I don't think I have anything I can post. . .
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psychicoctopus
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by psychicoctopus » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:46 pm

If you aren't getting a good sound out of your speaker mic, try a different preamp. I found that Tascam preamps sounded better than high-end preamps that I tried (AMEK, Daking)... although this was a while ago and my memory is fuzzy.
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by ctmsound » Fri Feb 11, 2005 5:23 pm

What diamater speaker would you recommend? I have a few 12" lying around, but that seems a bit much.

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nipsy
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by nipsy » Fri Feb 11, 2005 5:30 pm

ctmsound wrote:What diamater speaker would you recommend? I have a few 12" lying around, but that seems a bit much.


15" would be sweet.....

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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by junior » Fri Feb 11, 2005 6:27 pm

fwiw, the yamaha subkick has a 6" driver...

after a lot of reading, there seems to be a concensus among a lot of people:

1) the best results seem to be with 6" - 8" woofers.
2) frequency response should be between 60Hz up to 2kHz.
3) speakers with a soft rubber ring work well.
4) a pad is usually necessary to deal with the hot output.
5) some people simply plug into the speaker input of a di box.
6) some people use a transformer to bring it up to 75-1.2k ohm.

anyone care to add anything else?
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psychicoctopus
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by psychicoctopus » Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:16 pm

anyone care to add anything else?
I tried it with a 4 - 5" woofer from a set of computer speakers, and the built-in preamps on a Tascam MX-2524. With the bare speaker inside a kick drum, resting on the bottom, I heard the most bizzare sound. It was very compressed, looong sustain, and the pitch seemed to change as the sound died out. Kind of like an 808 kick drum. It sounded radically different than the drum's acoustic tone.
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Re: SUB KICK DIY layout

Post by fremitus » Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:55 pm

mine is a 10" car sub, (some cheap no name junker i had in my winnebago) but it's a polywer cone and responds well, so with that in mind the 10" diam. is still cool. it's huge. too huge and i haven't taken it out in a while. but now i'm going to tomorrow. because i can...

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