Hi all,

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I seem to recall reading an article about one of my gtr heroes (probably Allan Holdsworth, back when he was great ;-) in the studio and that his amps were recorded in specially constructed (wood?) boxes that acted as resonators/baffles to color the sound in some way. Am I crackers or is this really used, and if so how commonly? Is it a sound muffling technique for studio use only? My recollection is that these were constructed out of plywood and were rectangular "tubes" with the amp placed at one open end, the microphones at another.

I know that some of the greats have placed their amps in especially resonant rooms (bathrooms at Atlantic's studio in Nashville come to mind) but do the pros use these "baffles" (sorry if it's the wrong name, couldn't think of a closer one).

Then again, maybe I *am* crackers ;-)

Cheers,

d

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"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

I'm sure I've read of similar techniques myself and actually I am glad you've raised it because I was thinking recently along similar lines. Not so much to get a specific sound as a means of micing a live amp in a domestic situation and being able to get all the juice out of it without starting WW3 with the neighbors! My idea was that it would actually be acoustically fairly dead (and sound proofed) and also double up as a bench or something so Mrs Frisonic got some benefit out of it as well (and wouldn't complain too much). The idea of designing one with alternative sound characteristics hadn't even occurred to me until you mentioned it. Mind you, I have an especially 'live' abode so the deadening aspect is of particular interest in my case.

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Strictly project and just for fun

Morning each,
There are a few commercial "isoboxes" (didn't SoS review on a while ago?)but they are rather expensive and large! I would consider alternatives before embarking on any serious woodwork, smaller amp? Power soaks? Then, incarcerating a whole amplifier is difficult because of ventilation so I would suggest the first step would be to find or build a decent sounding 1x12" cab.
To be soundproof the box must be dense, MDF is the best bet, and airtight. Use XLR connectors not jacks. 3pin for the mic and 4pin for the speaker (or Speakon).

Such a box is a lot of work and not cheap even as a DIY proj' if you are to do a good job and use the right materials. Then, isoboxes are not it seems a complete answer and the alternatives I have mentioned might be at least as good sounding and more practical?

Checkout the "AxeTrak" site.

Dave.

Thanks Dave

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Strictly project and just for fun