#97

Actually I think I misunderstood and they are wired in phase… There are manufactured double-sided piezo disks for some reason that I can’t remember right now and this is a DIY version :slight_smile:

Will just have to try some of these things

1 Like
#98

Id like build some of these diy ‘spring acoustic’ instruments… ( using contact mics, so I think on topic :slight_smile: )

something like the MICROPHONIC SOUNDBOX, which id have bought, except I have the Koma Field Kit and contacts, so I don’t need the amps etc.0

so wanted to build, but Im in rural Spain, cannot find ‘springs and things’ locally, and most ‘packs’ of springs I find online, are all really quite small… I think i want springs that are about 10-15cm long and not too thick.

does anyone know of a good online source to get reasonable size springs/other parts (kalimba parts?) in europe.

thoughts? suggestions?

2 Likes
#99

Hi All!

I made this prototype for the physical interaction design for music class at CCRMA.

Here I am just running the contact mic into an Ableton resonator and cycling through chords thanks to a button connected to a Teensy, sending serial MIDI to Ableton.

Just wanted to put this out to hear where would you like to see this go.

Also, just wanted to start a thread for contact mic instruments if you are working on anything similar.
I am very interested in this space but don’t know how to make something like this standalone and more playable.

Happy weekend!

11 Likes
#100

Bit of a late reply but EvilBay has loads of stuff from China for pretty cheap. Hardware stores may have a few bits too!

#101

There’s also Aliexpress. It depends on the item and quantity but their prices are often better than ebay for me.

#102

Those of you who have made your own piezo contact mics, have you been able to eliminate the 50/60 cycle hum?

I made pretty good strides by using shielded cable and soldering that directly to the piezo (noise went down a good amount). I haven’t tried using protective copper foil around the element itself and soldering that to ground, but I’m wondering if that will make a big difference.

Also, have any of you used hum eliminators (Behringer has one, for example)? I’m also curious about using 2 piezos as a sort of ‘humbucker’ if anyone has tried that too.

#103

The hum can be bad. Just using shielded cable, I have found, is not enough. You need to shield the piezo itself, which can be tricky.

I’ve used some copper tape on some piezo film I have, and… that didn’t work too well either.

I think hum eliminators will only do so much since lack of grounding tends to also add buzz and other artifacts, so it’s probably best to try to solve the problem.

I’ve not tried any phase/humbucker tricks though.

#104

I’ll need to experiment with shielding the jack and the piezo.

The premade piezos I’ve bought are just as noisy or noisier than the one I made with shielded cable.

#105

I recently bought a Marshmallow contact microphone from a guy on Etsy (he also has a website with more information). It comes with a built-in preamp, chargeable via USB, and impervious to hum because it’s constructed in a shielded aluminum housing. It costs around $75, so it’s not exactly a steal and the aluminum shielding makes it a little clunky (imagine a marshmallow), but it’s the most sensitive, expressive contact mic, I’ve ever owned.

3 Likes
#106

Oh, do tell me more.

I’ve not come across these before and they look interesting.

It is a bit weird that there’s no on/off switch, but it sounds good in the video.

2 Likes
#107

This little device looks excellent, thank you! Now I just need to decide which one(s) to get. Can’t decide if I want variety or stereo.

1 Like
#108

Yes, no on/off. I always charge it before use even though the guy who makes them claims they’ll keep a charge of 10 hours for a week. They’re a bit clunky to work with, the whole double tape and mounting putty routine, but the sound is extraordinary. The tape and putty combo afterward is rather sticky. I might substitute a soft cloth as a dampening agent.

So superior, but not for every application. I still have my arsenal of Jez Riley French contact mics, as well as some from Crank Sturgeon. I also found a nifty magnetic contact mic called an EKG on Etsy. Perfect, Rodrigo, for amplifying the underside of a cymbal.

#109

Michael, who manufactures them, is only making the red shrink wrap version. Too bad because I really loved that sensitive black shrink wrap model. He wasn’t sure when he’d be producing more of those. Perhaps if others are interested that might change his mind. That thing he does in the video with the black shrink wrapped mic where he’s taped cotton to the microphone–the sound of him shredding the cotton ball is rather astounding.

1 Like
#110

I thought that part was amazing as well and ordered a pair of red ones just moments ago! I left a note asking when the black/white will be available again… hopefully that stirred things up for us. :smiley:

1 Like
#111

Maybe of interest to some but the first use of Contact Mics which inspired me to pursue them was legendary sound designer Alan Splet (RIP) and his field recordist/partner Anne Krober who used a FRAP contact mic, especially for some of the sound effects in the film DUNE. I read about it in an old issue of American Cinematographer about their work on David Lynch films, from around 1984… and scanned it (there is a link to higher rez scans near the end) - page 5 describes how Anne bonded the FRAP contact mic to a piece of plexiglass, and then performed movement in sand, and scrapes etc on it, for the sand worms movement… love Alan Splets work, true genius

http://www.musicofsound.co.nz/blog/alan-splets-sound-design-for-dune

4 Likes
#112

Oh nice, thanks for sharing. I love their work.

On a similar note I’ve had this clip of a Splet / Krober radio doc for a while, but don’t know the source (which I’d like to credit). Any ideas?:

1 Like
#113

Ann’s website is:
http://soundmountain.com/

You could always ask her

1 Like
#114

Cool thanks for the info.

I’ll probably order one with the next batch of stuff I order as a care package in the US. The battery thing seems a bit weird, but I guess I can just charge it up whenever it dies.

Although I’ve not used or heard them in person, I was never interested with the JRF/CS contact mics as they look like generic DIY ones I’ve made, with commercial piezo elements. These, in my experience, tend to sound like shit. Then again, they could be using different elements etc…, but just the look of them didn’t impress me I guess.

The magnetic thing is interesting, and actually something I’m working on.

I’ve designed a 3d print for holding my Leafcutter John contact mic down on a surface with just weight:

I’ve made a couple of variations for other mic types, for example I have a k&k hotspot variant which works well too. I’ve also ordered a bunch of those tiny magnets which I want to embed into the 3d print too, so it can attach to surfaces as well.

As soon as I get the. magnets and tweak the design a couple more times, I’ll share it freely on Thingiverse if anyone wants to tweak them.

(as I type this, I’m also printing out the final iteration of a mounting system for holding a (k&k) contact mic underneath a hihat, and after doing some microphone correction using @tremblap’s HIRT impulse response tools it actually sounds pretty usable!)

Here is a test audio file with the direct audio for a few hits, then an AKG C214 around 8" from the hihat as a reference mic, and then the contact mic being run through an IR which “corrects” the contact mic so it sounds like the reference mic.

3 Likes
#115

this is a-ma-zing! But I would say that, init? :wink:

1 Like
#116

For me, the JRF mics are okay. I like the rubber housing because piezos seem rather finicky. The hydrophone is similarly dependable as well. My Crank Sturgeon contact mics have proven to be kind of low end and janky.

Your design looks pretty cool. Maybe you should market some of your designs. I’d probably buy one.