strat0124 Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Out of space constraints and a limited budget, I built these little insulated boxes big enough to put a Twin Reverb in, mic'd up for recording. They sit out in my garage and are barely audible inside the "live" room...hahahaha....it's the only room. It's a garage studio I built last summer. It takes up 3/4 of a two car garage, just enough room left for bikes, surfboards, and one car. But for roughly twenty bucks each, I built two boxes, complete with hinges and latches, foam and remnant insulation. I can crank a little combo and get such a sweet tone without having massive bleed, it really is a inexpensive alternative. Anybody else do this? It was a common sense solution to my particular situation......might be a huge help to others without cash to burn. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippie Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 I have been doing this for a while, I used to use a washing machine (or warshing machine, for you southern folk!) box, stuffed with packing material. Now, I've recently made one out of plywood, using the "Randall Isolator" design as my blueprint. This is working out great! Guitar Center just had a sale on Celestion Vintage-30 speakers for 30.00, so I dropped one in the box I made. Also, I saw a road rack case made by Middle-Atlantic that looks like it can be easily converted to an isolation box. I'm going to make one for bass guitar, next. -Hippie In two days, it won't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 22, 2001 Author Share Posted May 22, 2001 I haven't had good luck with bass, almost always end up moving the combo or speaker cab into another room in my house, just to keep the thud manageable during recording. I prefer mic'ing the cab, just sounds best to me, but have some ok experiences using my Bellari tube mic pre for bass.....not bad. I bought a Tech21 Bass Compactor but it pumps way too much, really audible. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Hey Strat: I'll second the Bellari on bass... I use one of their single channel pres and a single channel Bellari comp on bass rather frequently and it sounds pretty darn good. I'd think an iso box for bass wouldn't work out as well as one for gtr. Bass waves are rather long, and I like getting the mic back away from the cabinet a bit... plus the resonant frequency of the box comes into play so a rather large box would be required for this application. Phil O'Keefe Sound Sanctuary Recording Riverside CA http://members.aol.com/ssanctuary/index.html pokeefe777@msn.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 22, 2001 Author Share Posted May 22, 2001 Yeah I have two of the single channel Bellari's as well, I find that I don't use compression as much with them, it really opens up whatever you use them for. But as you well know, the musician's control of dynamics is the key to whether I have to or not. Makes even my least expensive mic sound better. I'm still analog so hot signals are paramount. It's my personal swiss army knife. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippie Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 I know what yer saying about bass waves taking a long time to cycle, but if you put an 8" speaker in the box, it may work out ok. I would still be using my Countryman DI with the box. -Hippie In two days, it won't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rold Posted May 26, 2001 Share Posted May 26, 2001 Originally posted by Hippie: Now, I've recently made one out of plywood, using the "Randall Isolator" design as my blueprint. -Hippie Hi Hippy, Can you describe (or point me to a link) the construction of this box? I need to build a few iso boxes myself, though would like to do a good job. Thanks! Peace, Harold meh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 26, 2001 Author Share Posted May 26, 2001 I know there are designs out there, but I just measured my biggest combo (A Super) and added some on either side in width, and put about three feet in length in front. Insulated and made it easy to access, and that was it!!! It is so cool being able to go in the studio at 3 a.m. and just crank away, with real tubes glowing. I use a POD but it ain't the same, not even. I'm sure there are precise measurements with respect to standing waves, and phasing, but I just gave it the "country shed builder" technique. And it works, well. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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