Water Tank Reverb Chamber.

[Vic]

Hi All,

So, we took this water tank out today as it is being replaced. It is an old school metal one.

O\In our studio, we have 8 lines run from the control room, to outside, ready for the day that I make some interesting reverb chambers.

So, I am thinking of starting with the water tank as the first one.

So, I am wanting to turn this into a reverb chamber that can be sent to at the touch of a button from the control room.

I can't start this project for one and a half months, but will spend that time researching.

Any advise out there?



Vic

[wez]

This will be awesome.

Oh sorry you wanted advice... umm ok then...

Do it, it will be awesome.

[seancook]

Duane eddy eat your heart out

[Vic]

Wez,

encouragement is good advice too

If this one sounds interesting, next I will use the irrigation piping left over to make a reverb tube.

Vic

[Ben M]

Vic, will swap you my silo IR sweeps for your water tank sweeps?

[Ben M]

The only advise I could give other than "just do it!!" is...if you want to use it 24/7, it may need to be proofed against rain, the sun making it creak through expansion/contraction...and sealing it against vermin..weather..wind..etc.

I've mentioned this before but the only simple way I can think of doing this is burying it...or covering it with mass above ground.

[Vic]

We have a bob cat guy coming out today to quote on some other work.

I can certainly ask him about burying it.

I kind of don't mind environmental noise being part of it.

I would love to just do a recording of rain on it, or the sun making it crackle, with no other sound being fed into it

I think it will be an occasional special thing to play with and so am thinking that any environmental effects will be fun.

I am concerned about critters though.

I can certainly build a cover (like a carport) for it to keep "some" sun and rain off it directly.

Vic

[Thirteen]

You will have to work out whether the background noise from the reverb tank is white noise or the sound of the nest of brown snakes that have taken up residence inside.

[Chinagraf]

I thought you meant you were going to fill it with water. Would sound interesting.
That would keep the snakes out.
Eels may become a problem.

[Text_Edifice]

I'd go for a ribbon or a dynamic mic in the tank, with a 8"-12" speaker (I think the gold star chamber was an 8" speaker and a ribbon).

[Drumstruck]

Looks like a beautiful place - I'd go with the tin awning over it just to keep the sun off. And photos please as it happens

[Analogaudioguy]

I go with burying it up right. Cut a access hatch in top. Two full range speaker drivers, mounted near the tank floor, one downward firing, the second side firing. 2 omni mic, hanging different distances from the tank top, 2 PMZ mics mounted to the side walls. The wall ribbing may help reduce any flutter echo effects that may be deemed not musical. Good luck with the project!

[The Tasmanian]

Hi Vic, nice reverb tank!
I spent a lot of time experimenting with a set of very large aircon ducts, and got some pretty interesting reverbs.
I would not bury it, as its way too much work for a reverb that you may only end up being used once in a while.
Also, by burying it, it will deaden the whole unit - shorten the reverb length considerably.
As suggested above - put a speaker in the hole, hang a ribbon inside - and there you have it.
If you want to mute the reverb length, throw a packing blanket/or 2 over the top.
If you get a few bird sounds - use them! - Or wait until nightime quiet.
My guess is a good snare reverb - maybe guitar too?
Have fun.

[Ben M]

I fully appreciate that you may want to use some of the environmental noise that you hear when it rains or sun creaking etc. You could record these things now while it's sitting out there in the elements and keep these sounds archived for when you need them. I just feel that there will be times when you'll want it to be as silent as possible and for as long as possible...and probably when you most need it to be quiet. Eg. Starting a mix with the tank verb and then it pisses down rain for 5 hours and you can't finish your mix until it stops...which a carport covering won't really help with.

Alternatively, if my suggestion of burying it is a bit too much to contemplate.
What about taking out some scoops of soil with the bobcat so it wedges it partly in the ground...say 1/4 buried...
Then re enforce the tank internally with a PVC crossbar...
Then cover the remainder of the tank in a thick Cob mixture...(keeping a small access door for when needed).
This could insulate it enough and could end up looking like a large ant mound.
Just thoughts...

[Ben M]

Ps. It will need to be weighed down regardless...and with something very heavy....or it will simply blow away.

[Sammas]

You might get some interesting sounds by slapping on of these on it - http://www.vidsonix.com/vidsonixnew/info_vxgh72.htm

[Vic]

I don't think I could cope with a full burial at this point. Far to busy to have to think that through

However, the idea of getting a ditch made for it to sit in in very interesting, as well as potentially a cob structure, which would be fun to do. And the use of blankets would be a great way to get different sounds from it.

So, just a mono ribbon mic?

And yes, I've been dreaming about a snare through there.

Vic

[Vic]

Ok, The Bob Cat is booked in on the weekend to dig a ditch to sit the tank in.

[woodlands]

Any updates on this? I've been wanting to do this exact thing for a while. Hopefully get to it this year...

Are you planing on keeping the mic/speaker in there permanently? Thanks.

Steve Robin

[Wiz]

How did this turn out?

[Vic]

Well, I have it outside the studio (there's a plate on the outside of the studio with 2 in's and 2 outs, so I can run two mic's and send headphones etc.

SO, I use it for various things. Here's is an AEA 440 at one end and a 57 at the other doing some water tank percussion last weekend. Sounds lovely as an aux too on voice/snare etc.

[Wiz]

That's awesome!


Any chance we can hear a vocal ?

[chribble]

also super keen to hear a sample on vocal.