I have an old vibraphone that i have taken the resonators off of. I removed the section with the bars from the frame, so it is now kind of a cross between vibes and glockenspiel.
I am looking for a way to install pickups on it to amplify it and run it through effects. I know pretty much nothing about technical stuff like this but want to learn! The instrument has 24 bars (2 octaves)...I'm assuming i need a piezo disc under each bar? How do i wire them together and run a single line out from the whole system?
Thanks so much for the help! I'd appreciate very simple instructions---i'm not yet familiar with all the technical talk and such.
I am looking for a way to install pickups on it to amplify it and run it through effects. I know pretty much nothing about technical stuff like this but want to learn! The instrument has 24 bars (2 octaves)...I'm assuming i need a piezo disc under each bar? How do i wire them together and run a single line out from the whole system?
Thanks so much for the help! I'd appreciate very simple instructions---i'm not yet familiar with all the technical talk and such.
On its face this sounds simple, but thinking a bit further, this is challenging, at least to me.
I don't think you want to mount anything on the bars, pickup or otherwise. Not only would the extra weight probably detune them, drilling into them or just glueing something on I'd think would tend to dampen the resonance, ie. turn the sound into a dull thunk rather than a nice tone.
That part would be easy enough to test. You could glue or tape a coin, maybe a nickel, to the underside of a bar and strike it. SOund different or not? And center of bar versus end of bar probably makes a difference.
Anything connected to each bar would have to withstand hopping around - they bounce as you play them. I forsee wires breaking off.
Have you tried the effects yet? Stick a microphone by the thing and plug that into an amp, but listen only through headphones. That would eliminate feedback for this test. Now you ought to be able to route your signal through various effects to see if they sound good. Just my opinion, but the quick percussive nature of the instrument sound doesn't seem like it would lend itself to effects. Well, I guess I am thinking of guitar stuff like overdrive and distortion. I imagine chorus/flange would work. And certainly echo/reverb. And of course vibrato/tremolo.
That brings up a question, is this intended for live play, or for studio? In studio, you can lay down a clean track of it, then feed it through any processing you like. Live you need to amplify it in real time, with all the feedback and crosstalk in the world.
It is conceivable we could mount some sort of pickup off the end of each bar. Something remotely like the Fender Rhodes piano pickups. or maybe do something with hall sensors.
I don't think you want to mount anything on the bars, pickup or otherwise. Not only would the extra weight probably detune them, drilling into them or just glueing something on I'd think would tend to dampen the resonance, ie. turn the sound into a dull thunk rather than a nice tone.
That part would be easy enough to test. You could glue or tape a coin, maybe a nickel, to the underside of a bar and strike it. SOund different or not? And center of bar versus end of bar probably makes a difference.
Anything connected to each bar would have to withstand hopping around - they bounce as you play them. I forsee wires breaking off.
Have you tried the effects yet? Stick a microphone by the thing and plug that into an amp, but listen only through headphones. That would eliminate feedback for this test. Now you ought to be able to route your signal through various effects to see if they sound good. Just my opinion, but the quick percussive nature of the instrument sound doesn't seem like it would lend itself to effects. Well, I guess I am thinking of guitar stuff like overdrive and distortion. I imagine chorus/flange would work. And certainly echo/reverb. And of course vibrato/tremolo.
That brings up a question, is this intended for live play, or for studio? In studio, you can lay down a clean track of it, then feed it through any processing you like. Live you need to amplify it in real time, with all the feedback and crosstalk in the world.
It is conceivable we could mount some sort of pickup off the end of each bar. Something remotely like the Fender Rhodes piano pickups. or maybe do something with hall sensors.
Thanks for your response!
I'm actually fine with the dampening. Since i took it off of its frame the damper bar is gone, so i need something to dampen it anyways.
The effects im thinking of (loop, delay, maybe overdrive, reverb) would work well with the instrument, i think.
I'd like to be able to play it live (which is why im inquiring)
I'm thinking something like this Vibraphone & Marimba | K&K Sound
Just a DIY, much cheaper version
I'm actually fine with the dampening. Since i took it off of its frame the damper bar is gone, so i need something to dampen it anyways.
The effects im thinking of (loop, delay, maybe overdrive, reverb) would work well with the instrument, i think.
I'd like to be able to play it live (which is why im inquiring)
I'm thinking something like this Vibraphone & Marimba | K&K Sound
Just a DIY, much cheaper version
Thanks for the reply!
I dont mind mounting anything on the bars--because i took it off of the frame i lost the use of the damper bar, so i want to dampen the bars anyway so they dont just sustain forever.
I'm thinking effects like overdrive (maybe), delay, loop, reverb, would work. I'd like to use it live if possible, though it may just prove too difficult and/or costly.
I'm thinking something like this Vibraphone & Marimba | K&K Sound
Just a much cheaper, more DIY version
I dont mind mounting anything on the bars--because i took it off of the frame i lost the use of the damper bar, so i want to dampen the bars anyway so they dont just sustain forever.
I'm thinking effects like overdrive (maybe), delay, loop, reverb, would work. I'd like to use it live if possible, though it may just prove too difficult and/or costly.
I'm thinking something like this Vibraphone & Marimba | K&K Sound
Just a much cheaper, more DIY version
OK, now that we know we can stick something on the bar, go ahead and try a piezo sensor. If it works on one bar, it would work on all of them. Then you'd have to mix 24 of them together.
Might be possible to mount an array of small electret mic capsules off the ends of each bar or maybe pairs of bars, then mix those into a small preamp.
I imagine the frame of the unit doesn't offer any pickup opportunities?
Might be possible to mount an array of small electret mic capsules off the ends of each bar or maybe pairs of bars, then mix those into a small preamp.
I imagine the frame of the unit doesn't offer any pickup opportunities?
We are getting well out of my area. Someone with better knowledge of piezos can probably help. Unless you can manage pickups on the frame, it seems like you'd need one on each bar. Can they be wired straight parallel? Don't know. Won't hurt them to try, it'll sound crappy or it will work. If we have to wind up buffering them or even just adding mixing resistors, it might be tedious, but no big deal.
Probably also ought to make some basic little preamp for them.
Probably also ought to make some basic little preamp for them.
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