Recording Childrens Toys

[jckinnick]

I had an idea to record a toy. Preferably something like a toy ray gun. Something that makes a lot of weird space age sounds. Anybody got any suggestions, im sure this has been done before.

[joeysimms]

Do it playfully.

[jckinnick]

Ha I mean like a certain toy I could use

[effector]

i dunno, dig around in the toy sections at all of your local thrift stores until you find something neat. you might want to bring some AA batteries with you.

[tommy]

There are TONS of cool sounding toys to record. Toy pianos come to mind. They sound glorious through a dark ribbon mic. That plastic green and orange tube that has a spring in it that you talk into. ACOUSTIC SPRING REVERB! That plastic tube thingy that you spin over your head. It makes a whiring spooky sound that pitches up the faster you spin it.
Do a bong hit and go to toys are us and the toy sounds will find you.

[bplr]

spend an afternoon at your local salvation army and goodwill stores. you can give yourself 5 new instruments for 25 bucks.

one thing i'd recommend: if you can solder, you can mount a 1/4" out on any toy with a speaker. just connect the speaker wires to the tip and sleeve of the jack. then run whatever toy you're using through efffects, eq and/or compression. i don't know if you're interested in modifying them or not, but giving toys a pitch bend will provide you with some really unique sounds. half of them have it in the circuitry, and it just takes some precision thumb-smeared-on-circuit-board to find them.

not to plug myself, but as an example of what toys can do: i have a little duo that plays nothing but toys. here's a few of the toys. they're all bent circuits (and some are pretty wacky, i admit):

http://www.bplr.com/circuits_master_china.htm

and here's the electric chinese orchestra page:

http://www.bplr.com/ECO.htm

[nystrec]

Where are you from? My 1 year old has tons of little noise makers. By the way guitar amps and baby monitors is a better combo than peanut butter and chocolate.

[Landon]

In addition the good advice everyone else has given, I suggest wal-mart if you dont mind feeding the man. Whenever my friends and I are bored at 2am we always end up in the kids department that has a bunch of crazy keyboards and stuff. It's going to be a bit more expensive that second hand, but if you find something you like, it's worth it. I reccomend the barbie upright piano, it sounds pretty cool (kinda like a music box). I also have a CASIO SK-1, they are awesome, it's probably the most versitle out of all your kids toys options.

Landon

[covert]

And if they are electronic little toys, hold them near guitar pickups.

[PeterSawatzky]

Regarding the SK-1...

I got an SK-1 at a yardsale one day. I couldn't find a 7.5 V adapter to run it on, so used a 9 V. Worked fine for a while, then made some weird/cool circuit-bent type sounds, and now doesn't work. Do you think it's permanently fried, or can it be fixed? I can solder if it's just a blown cap or something.

[jckinnick]

There are TONS of cool sounding toys to record. Toy pianos come to mind. They sound glorious through a dark ribbon mic. That plastic green and orange tube that has a spring in it that you talk into. ACOUSTIC SPRING REVERB! That plastic tube thingy that you spin over your head. It makes a whiring spooky sound that pitches up the faster you spin it.
Do a bong hit and go to toys are us and the toy sounds will find you.

Ive already got a Schoehut Piano that sounds neat im looking for something to make neat weird space age sounds with

[jckinnick]

Where are you from? My 1 year old has tons of little noise makers. By the way guitar amps and baby monitors is a better combo than peanut butter and chocolate.

Im in Tn

[bplr]

Do you think it's permanently fried, or can it be fixed? I can solder if it's just a blown cap or something.

my guess is fried. you applied the wrong amount of power. finding the dead link might be worth it, but a pain in the arse.

[BeepBeep]

I had an idea to record a toy. Preferably something like a toy ray gun. Something that makes a lot of weird space age sounds. Anybody got any suggestions, im sure this has been done before.

Don't worry if it's been done before (of course it has), just do it.

Way back when I recorded a Godzilla monster toy for a band. It was great, it made these silly yelling noises and you could hear the little motor inside running. I think I used a Neumann. Ahh, college...

[floid]

off-topic, but anyone remember remember those boxing robots, whatever the name brand was, that did all those arm and leg kicks? yeah. local band did this great video, with about ten of those doing a line dance. it was rulz