I'm gonna record the destruction of a piano. Suggestions?

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

Moderators: drumsound, tomb

mrpicholas
alignin' 24-trk
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 10:39 pm
Location: Sunny California
Contact:

Post by mrpicholas » Thu Nov 28, 2013 10:37 pm

I used to deliver pianos. Once, sitting in the passenger seat checking the map for directions, the driver took off abruptly, and the piano that I was supposed to be holding onto flew back and fell from vertical onto its keys.

In the small space of the cargo van, the noise was deafening but incredible. I wish we had recorded it.

ashcat_lt
tinnitus
Posts: 1094
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:54 pm
Location: Duluth, MN
Contact:

Post by ashcat_lt » Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:47 pm

Scodiddly wrote:
wren wrote:And I was planning on bringing some speakers and headphones to play sound at the harp to use it as a reverb unit of some sort (a pair of headphones or two would offer more wet vs dry signal but might not be powerful enough to really get the harp vibrating enough).
Just thinking out loud here... maybe take a small speaker, no box just the driver. Make the cone heavier by loading it up with caulk or something, then stick the magnet to the piano harp. Every reaction == equal and opposite reaction, so if the cone is heavy then the magnet will start moving a lot more.

Maybe hang the whole thing from the ceiling somehow, to let it vibrate more freely.
Or one of those surface transducer things. Consumer versions with 1/8" inputs are pretty cheap.

stylus flanger
alignin' 24-trk
Posts: 58
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 9:08 pm

Post by stylus flanger » Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:42 am

this would make a great opening act for a punk show. the audience participation possibilities are endless. hell, you could sell t-shirts. don't forget to mic the crowd.

User avatar
ott0bot
dead but not forgotten
Posts: 2023
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:54 pm
Location: Downtown Phoenix

Post by ott0bot » Sun Dec 08, 2013 7:43 am

When I was much younger I had this terrible little car...it was an 1987 Buick Park Avenue. the windows didnt work, the AC/heat didn't work, it smelled like spilled beer, and the paint was peeling off. I only paid $800 for it, and it ran. Near the end of it's life I planned to have friends pay $20 for a chance to destroy the car to raise funds for a trip. I got a lot of takers, but couldn't find a proper place to abandon it in the woods. I figured they probably trace it back to me, and whatever fine & towing they made me pay would far exceed the funds I raised.

sorry for the non-sequator

User avatar
A.David.MacKinnon
ears didn't survive the freeze
Posts: 3819
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 5:57 am
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Sun Dec 08, 2013 8:40 am

Anyone with an old clunker piano at home might think about this before getting out the sledge hammer.

http://www.wavelengthtoronto.com/show/2 ... dman-more-

I'm home with a new baby but really kicking myself that I missed the show.

User avatar
The Real MC
steve albini likes it
Posts: 399
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 6:50 am
Location: Tranquil secluded country
Contact:

Post by The Real MC » Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:57 pm

mrpicholas wrote:I used to deliver pianos. Once, sitting in the passenger seat checking the map for directions, the driver took off abruptly, and the piano that I was supposed to be holding onto flew back and fell from vertical onto its keys.

In the small space of the cargo van, the noise was deafening but incredible. I wish we had recorded it.
One of the stories from my hometown involved the sale of a piano. The buyer was transporting the piano to its new home when the piano fell out of the bed of the pickup. The piano was completely obliterated with pieces all over the road.

Shortly afterwards, the seller drove up to the scene. He laughed so hard that he gave the money back to the seller.

wren
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 464
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:50 pm
Location: Central VA
Contact:

Post by wren » Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:24 pm

It's done! It was actually done last week. I'll talk about it in detail when I have a little more time, but for now: a few pictures!

Image

Image

Image

Image
"I don't need time, I need a deadline." -Duke Ellington

"I liked the holes in it as much as I liked what was in them." -Tom Waits

User avatar
JGriffin
zen recordist
Posts: 6739
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 1:44 pm
Location: criticizing globally, offending locally
Contact:

Post by JGriffin » Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:04 pm

I was expecting something like this.
"Jeweller, you've failed. Jeweller."

"Lots of people are nostalgic for analog. I suspect they're people who never had to work with it." ? Brian Eno

All the DWLB music is at http://dwlb.bandcamp.com/

User avatar
Zeppelin Design Labs
audio school graduate
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:45 am
Location: Chicago, Illinois USA
Contact:

Post by Zeppelin Design Labs » Wed Nov 04, 2015 12:16 pm

Several contact mics on the sound board to separate channels for sure. We make a low-cost balanced output contact mic. Here's some info:
http://zeppelindesignlabs.com/product/c ... ntact-mic/
The mic needs phantom power but can then drive a super-clean signal down a long run of cable, with excellent frequency response not often seen in a piezo. Stereo / quad contact recordings can be amazing. Here's a guy in New Zealand doing terrific stuff, with examples and tips:
http://www.musicofsound.co.nz/blog/the- ... t-mic-club

And I would suit up and take a sledgehammer to it.
Glen van Alkemade
Zeppelin Design Labs LLC, Chicago
www.zeppelindesignlabs.com

MoreSpaceEcho
zen recordist
Posts: 6671
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 11:15 am

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Wed Nov 04, 2015 1:48 pm

he says 2 years later.

User avatar
Zeppelin Design Labs
audio school graduate
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:45 am
Location: Chicago, Illinois USA
Contact:

Post by Zeppelin Design Labs » Wed Nov 04, 2015 8:25 pm

Aw shucks; does that say "2013"? I'm a bit dyslexic and thought it said "2018" and I was actually posting three years early!
But seriously, what I feel really stupid about is that I managed to scroll past the pictures of the done deal. Doh! It looks like the project turned out fine, and I wish there was some audio!
Glen van Alkemade
Zeppelin Design Labs LLC, Chicago
www.zeppelindesignlabs.com

wren
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 464
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:50 pm
Location: Central VA
Contact:

Post by wren » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:56 am

Zeppelin Design Labs wrote:Aw shucks; does that say "2013"? I'm a bit dyslexic and thought it said "2018" and I was actually posting three years early!
But seriously, what I feel really stupid about is that I managed to scroll past the pictures of the done deal. Doh! It looks like the project turned out fine, and I wish there was some audio!
There is some audio! More pictures too!

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=84630
"I don't need time, I need a deadline." -Duke Ellington

"I liked the holes in it as much as I liked what was in them." -Tom Waits

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 57 guests