A large salad bowl is bolted to a 2 metre long steel rod (out of shot). The rod rests in a metal umbrella stand (All items were found in back-alleys near our studio). Two mics (one above and one under) record a stereo image of the experiment. The rod is tapped, plucked, scratched and bowed which resonates the bowl. The sound is clean, clear and quiet. We had to set this up in the studios’ kitchen because the air-con in the main studio was waay too loud (it was working overtime on a hellishly hot day). We had to unplug the fridge because it’s hum was bleeding onto the mics.
…one day we’ll have a sound booth…!!
Reversing the sounds and adding reverb gives an eerie effect. Eq out everything under 250Hz. Compress HEAPS and it will add a great atmosphere in any track in the mid-high range.
