electric percussion instruments

[Matthias Grob <matthias@grob.org>]

This is not OT, because looping asks for different instruments - but 
we could still consider a separate list just about this?

Back to the feedback and building of electric percussion instruments:

I think its impossible to pick up a percussionist without any 
microphones, because of some instruments like seeds with no spot to 
install a pickup at all.
But those could all be plaid into one or two front microphones that 
need to be pretty flat (because the worst is a colored feedback) and 
at low gain. So such Instruments that are not loud enough stay at 
home.

All bigger instruments should have pickups or built in close microphones.

For the building of the instruments I had a phantastic Idea with Giba 
for a simple way to mount then into solid body instruments like 
caron, clay pot, and hopefully drums.

But the smaller instruments like woodblock, triangle, marimba and 
such would need an external amplifier. Some options:
- for each instrument a little box that can be mounted to the stand. 
Each one could have an aux input, so all the instruments could be 
chained in case there are not enough mixer channels available (you 
easily reach 20, when picking up every instrument!).
- a central mixer. It would be nice also to convince some mixing desk 
manufacturer to provide some piezo preamps instead of some of the 
stereo channels. In the mean time we may find a simple way to modify 
them.

I am not sure whether we should go for battery or phantom. Both seems 
too much. Batteries are terrible
For phantom we need symetric lines
Symetry is great, but maybe not needed in most cases because the 
percussionist does the mix for the looping and thus probably also the 
main mix on stage.
The XLR is somewhat heavy for some instuments, so it could also be a 
symetric 1/4" or even 1/8" phone jack
The boxes should have Pan and the Aux inputs should be stereo, which 
ask for stereo phone jacks. I have never seen a phantom supply over a 
stereo pair of wires, but it should be possible

I dont know who is going to build such a system and how many are 
going to buy it.
I would like to participate on it, but time and space are limiting.
-- 


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