Alright, so I've gotten further with my plate reverb. My dad was able to get pipe and right angle joints from his work, and we purchased the 28 gauge sheet metal. It needs to be cut to the same size as the pipe-joint structure. It also    needs to be reinforced on the corners so that when I stretch it out to be held in the structure, the corners don't rip.

I ordered the piezo pickup, but it's coming from China so it'll still be like a week.

Still to buy:
-efficient speaker
-pre amp (might have old one sitting around)
-recovery amp (")
-heavier metal for corner reinforcing
-hooks to fasten plate to structure
-some way to stand the structure up


Cheers,
Landon

Welp

Welp, I've realized a fairly large design flaw. My idea for the reverb unit would be that it's fairly stationary at my guitar rig in my basement, and that it would be used as a pedal. However, I've realised that that will just create oodles of feedback, considering I play loud and the plate would be very close to my amp (small playing space). This is really my only choice, if I were to go this route. So, instead, I won't make it in pedal form. I will make the reverb unit only for recording. So, using the primary driver as a sort of set of headphones for whatever recorded track, I'll record the output from the plate to receive a wet-only signal (only reverb, no original sound) that will then be mixed with the original sound in recording software. For playing with reverb, I'll just go and buy a pedal, they aren't too expensive.

All this being said, I have made a bit of progress. I've found the material I'll use for the plate structure. We're going through some renovations in our back yard and my dad has way more than enough fence pipe (the stuff that runs along the top of the fence) to use to make the roughly 2"x3" enclosure. The only problem I face is joining these pieces together, as apparently they don't weld. Whatever, I'll figure something out. My next step is finding an old speaker to use for the plate driver, removing the magnet and using the plate as a resonator. This picture may explain this better.

Cheers,
Landon

Post 3

I have decided to change the direction of my Passion Project a bit. Instead of making a solo album (which I'm really not too equiped to do at the moment), I've decided to switch to making a reverb pedal. I will not be going off of any pre-determined schematic or plan, I'm pretty much going off of what I already know from youtube and internet blogs. So far, all I have for the project is the copper wire. I need 2 500k ohm potentiometers, 2 splitters, a piezo pickup, wood and metal for the plate unit itself, and the 9v amp that plays into the plate. The reverb works by that amp playing into the plate, thus vibrating it. These vibrations last longer than the actual sound itself, because the metal vibrates. These vibrations are then picked up by the piezo pickup. This new signal is mixed with the original guitar signal with the 2 500k ohm pots, one on the dry signal, and one on the reverb signal. My dad will be my mentor throughout this project, as he is an electrician. This reverb unit, and playing guitar in general is tied into communication in that I am trying to make new sounds for myself to hear. It's impossible to explain a tone that I want to someone without something to hear. So, using this DIY plate reverb, and whatever other pedals I'll pick up in the future, I will be able to make some cool sounds that I'll hopefully be able to use in recordings. Reverb itself is a universally used effect; I doubt that there is a single record that you've heard that didn't have either room, plate, spring, or digital reverb in it.

Cheers,
Landon

Eh
So, I've started to wright a bit in the app Bamboo, on my ipad. It's a decent app, but I only really use it for notes on certain tracks. It's good for when I have an idea in my head that I can't really put in words, as it's pretty much just a drawing app that looks fancy. Nonetheless, it works pretty well. Anyway. I have roughly 6 tracks started; literally only started. I have a few notes written down for each, and they all have a corresponding voice memo or two. It's not much of a start, but it's something.

Recently, I have dabled with the idea of making song demos on the iPad Garageband app. It's pretty bad, but hey, it's a demo. This was moreso just to test the scructure and whether or not it would even be possible. With the little that I have for one of the songs it worked. The drum samples sound good enough, and putting effects on the crappy iPad mic recorded acoustic guitar didn't sound as bad as I had expected.

Lastly, I did find a house that echoes and reverberates really well. That will be far prefered to buying a digital reverb pedal or using some program on the computer

So, things are going, not too quick, but they are going.

Cheers,
Landon

Hello! My name is Landon Cormack. For my Bible Passion Project, I am composing, and eventually, recording an album. I have always been a fan of music, since as early as I can remember. I took piano lessons from grade 1 until grade 7. Two summers ago, I borrowed (and to this day haven't returned) my grandpa's cheap acoustic guitar and started playing. In the first few weeks after I started, I played around 4 hours per day. It was summertime, and I was bored of it at that point. Currently, I am in a rock band with some friends from school. We jam often, and all have a good time. The other members are like me, in that we all have a reasonable grasp on music that we want to play, but have never really had others to play with. This band is pretty great for fulfilling that internal desire. 

I've decided to create an album for a couple reasons. Firstly, I have never really done anything musically. I've played piano at a school concert or two and one wedding, but never anything that I've created or really been too overly passionate about. 40 minutes to get this sort of itch to create should be enough, and I'll see what's what after that. Secondly, I've been fairly influenced by listening to records. In that same summer that I started playing guitar in, I started not only expanding the music I listen to, but listening to records. My dad has always been an influence on my music taste, and most of the records I have listened to are his, though I have a small collection of my own. Something about a 40-45 minute album, with a pause halfway through just seems to be perfect. It is not too short, nor is it long enough to be boring. 

I'm not completely sure what my album will sound like, at this time. Most recently I've listened to progressive rock, psychedelic rock, blues, and punk. These styles all intrigue me but I know that a mixture of a bunch of genres just get noisy and half hearted. I'm assuming that it will lean towards progressive metal/rock, but at this point, I'm not sure.

I've asked the assistance of Noah Cormack, in the areas of recording, drumming, and being an all around mentor for the project. He knows a lot more than me about using recording equipment, and he will be useful in keeping me in check throughout the semester.

This project both excites me and kind of frightens me, as it is something completely new to me. I prefer to think in regards to the former, and want to continue to be influenced to create, even after this album, whatever happens of it. 

Cheers,

Landon