My DIY "sub-kick" - finished!

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statzern

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
52
Hey guys, I thought I would post some pics and info on my speaker mic/sub-kick thing I made this weekend! The drum was bought for cheap at a pawn shop. I attached the speaker with bungee cords bought at Lowe's. They didn't have short enough lengths at the store, so I had to cut them up and reattach the hooks (not an easy task!), but they are holding tight! I put in a variable pad with a 4P3T switch that I had laying around. I am only using 2 of the poles.

The speaker inside is a 6 inch, 6 ohm speaker from a three-way Yamaha "hifi" (lol) speaker. It definitely picks up a TON of bass! I have tested it so far with a kick drum (obviously) and a 4x12 speaker cabinet. Though it wouldn't be of much use in a mix, it did make the guitar sound massive when coupled with an MD-421. It might be fun to try it with a condenser to get the low end plus the high-end sparkle that condensers can provide.

Anyway, this was a fun, cheap project. Thanks for looking!
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Cool..

I used a noname 10-cm 4w 8ohm speaker to get "mo' bass" from a double bass - in '82 or so..

Perhaps you could use your "big-bass mic" to mic a bass cab. as well?
 
Yeah I plan on it. Unfortunately my bass cab has something wrong with it right now (something is rattling like mad inside...) so it is out of commission until I get the time (er, energy) to investigate. Now that someone else said something, I feel like I better get on it! It's an early 60's Ampeg B15. It's a total shame to have it sit. It's a freaking awesome amp/cab.
 
Looks great, much nicer that my cheapo speaker suspended in cardboard.  ;D

Perhaps you could use your "big-bass mic" to mic a bass cab. as well?

I tried to take this idea one step further by using a dual voice coil speaker, driving one side with the bass amp and sending the other side to my console. Man, I really though I was clever until I listened to the results.
 
Nice work!

I sometimes use an old, reversed Soundcraft woofer for kick and bass duties. Or even a small PA cab or wedge monitor. Worth a try if the standard mics don't cut it, or if you have a channel free.

I like what you've done with the gain switch etc. I've often found an impedance matching transformer in line can be fun too.

[quote author=statzern] (something is rattling like mad inside...) [/quote]

On bass amps it's often a loose/bent grill or speaker mounting screw. I'm forever tightening these for sessions. The low frequencies shake stuff loose. Or something in the room or floor is rattling.
 
Have any of you guys found that the drum shell really makes a noticeable difference in sound. I imagine that it would if it had a sealed back, as that would mess with compliance and what-not.

I'm just using zip-ties to hold a 10" woofer on a short boom stand. I should really rig up something better this summer.
 
I've never looked closely at the Yamaha subkick, does the speaker float like this one or is it seated on the rim of mic/drum body?
 
I don't think the Yamaha "floats", but I'd like to know the effects of the diameter and depth of the drum in which the speaker is mounted, as well as the placement of the speaker within the shell.
Thanks!
Bruno2000
 
Denyle Guitars said:
Looks great, much nicer that my cheapo speaker suspended in cardboard.  ;D

Perhaps you could use your "big-bass mic" to mic a bass cab. as well?

I tried to take this idea one step further by using a dual voice coil speaker, driving one side with the bass amp and sending the other side to my console. Man, I really though I was clever until I listened to the results.

Dual-coil...

but, as a "pure mike"
Perhaps you tried too big speaker? (a smaller 4-incher would produce more defined bottom-end)
 
I ask b/c after watching the Yamaha vid, they seem to suggest that part of the sub resonance that gives it its 'omfph' is attributed 1) to the shell dim, 2) the 'tuned' dust cover and 3) its baffled state. As you are probably aware, your rear deck 6x9 car speaker can produce decent bass in a infinite baffle but as soon as you remove the speaker and let the bass creep around the sides and you get your cancelled waves. This effect is important when energy is going from the coil to the room, but with the situation reversed, is a baffle necessary?
 
This raises another interesting question...In your typical bass reflex cabinet, you 'tune' a speaker box via a port to get your rolloff characteristics. Adjusting port lengths changes the resonant frequency of the speaker, so in effect if we want our subkick's 'tail' to wag at around 60 instead of 70hz, we make the proper volume box off the speaker spec sheet, then make an adjustable port that can lengthen via a sleeve, to drop or raise the speaker's Fs to a song's taste.

This again is all assuming that speaker physics is the same going out as it is going in!
 
boji said:
This raises another interesting question...In your typical bass reflex cabinet, you 'tune' a speaker box via a port to get your rolloff characteristics. Adjusting port lengths changes the resonant frequency of the speaker, so in effect if we want our subkick's 'tail' to wag at around 60 instead of 70hz, we make the proper volume box off the speaker spec sheet, then make an adjustable port that can lengthen via a sleeve, to drop or raise the speaker's Fs to a song's taste.

This again is all assuming that speaker physics is the same going out as it is going in!

I would assume that it's going to be the same, if not extremely similar.  Hmmm, I wonder if this is something I could simulate/design in bassbox. Don't think It does round enclosures....
 
nickeveslage said:
Have any of you guys found that the drum shell really makes a noticeable difference in sound. I imagine that it would if it had a sealed back, as that would mess with compliance and what-not.

I actually tried this - the "grill cloth" is actually glued to a drum head that I cut a hole in. I had left the back one intact for initial testing - terrible, terrible sound. It was ringing and making all kinds of awful noise. The cloth on there is not going to do anything to the sound really - it's paper thin. I don't know how much effect the drum itself has on things. I actually tested it out without the drum before I put it in there. Basically, it had a lot of bass then - it has a lot of bass now. We're not going to get like an SM58 type quality out of this thing - it's just for the rattle-your-house-to-the-ground-give-yourself-heart-palpitations bass!

Thanks for all the interest guys! I gave this one some real effort.... now back to my Neves...  ;D
 
Whatever the case, I'll have to rig up an enclosure for mine this summer because just hanging it with zip-ties is hit and miss. Sometimes I have to re-attatch it because the zip ties rattle. Ugh.

Thanks for this. Reminded me that I wouldn't half-ass build a compressor or an equalizer, so why should I let me sub-kick be half-assed...
 

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