Stomp box made from a Musician’s Friend shipping box, cardboard tubing (using inside for support), and packing tape.
A contact pickup from Radio Shack was placed on the box with double-sided tape. Wire was soldered to the pickup and routed to a pill bottle fitted with a 1/4″ jack. This was my dad’s idea from a previous pickup experiment. In this incarnation, the signal was processed with a tube compressor (could also use a preamp), then into my pathbay for other routing.
Technique: The box above is played with the right foot. I used the box almost as a footrest with both feet on the top. This helped with my posture while also allowing me to play without the box sliding across the room.
At the time, I was using the Roland VS-1680 as my recording medium. EQ was applied there. One problem with the cardboard prototype was caused by the plastic tape that I used. I got a “sticky” tape sound along with the more thud-like stomp. This could be avoided with paper-based tape, or glue. Using my left foot to dampen the box helped keep the stickiness to a minimum. My next prototype will be wood, eliminating the stickiness completely.
To hear an example of this technique, check out “I’m Goin’ Down” from Cadillacs & Tarantulas. A new version of the stomp box is in the works using wood and a second pickup.
“Chaos Factory”, one of the songs on Immaculate Misconceptions required a clanky type of rhythm track. The sound in my head was much more processed, but I thought I would start simple with whatever metallic stuff I could get my hands on. Some wrenches from my toolbox and a couple trips to Lowe’s later I had a working concept for a gamelan of sorts.
Assorted Melody Bolts
The Drum Tree is definitely a work in progress. This picture was taken 2/28/09 and shows the current configuration. This “instrument” was a product if the rather crammed quarters of my studio space over the years. There’s never been enough space for a drum kit, so I’ve just accumulated a collection of various percussion items. There’s not exactly room for a percussion table, so I’ve devised a way to maximize my space while providing access to a good selection of sounds nonetheless.
Inspired from a gig at Brews N Bytes… I liked theirs so much that I made a mental note of its construction and began shopping for parts that night when I got home.
The one at Brews N Bytes had a removable tambourine inside, but for now I just wanted the thump – so I used an old throw pillow to deaden the drum. Otherwise, the drum actually sounds pretty bad! (though I did purchase a tuning key to help tweak the sound a bit). I’m happy with the results, though it almost looks too good. My original idea was to go as cheesy and cheap as possible on this little project. So maybe I need to distress it or something. Still, this thing ROCKS on tape! Just slap an SM57 in back of this thing with some compression and you’ve got a THUD that doesn’t take up the whole room, but does give you something to work with in the mix. (Just beware that your neighbors may think you are insane stomping away at this thing too much.) Along with my brother’s old snare drum, this makes a partial kit that is nice for jamming. Future enhancements will be something non-stick for the bottom because this thing will slide if you get too vigorous with it. It also doubles as a cardiovascular workout if you are a wimpy guitarist like me.
