Isolation Box

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Jana
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Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:40 pm
Location: Minnesota

Isolation Box

Post by Jana »

Has anyone made an isolation box? What I mean is a box with a speaker in it and a microphone inside. Something that one could use in a very noise sensitive environment (paper thin walled apartment, roommate that gets up at 5 in the morning for work, etc.) I envision something to plug an amp into, be able to get a cranked tone out of it, mic it and send the miked signal to a mixer to either record or drive headphones. All the while the ambient noise level is barely discernible even when in the same room. Is this possible to do without resorting to super expensive granular aligned titanium harmonic buffer plates? lol. Also, small and easy to carry.
Andy Le Blanc
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Re: Isolation Box

Post by Andy Le Blanc »

Ive seen a couple set ups for that....... looked practicle..... I guess you have
to EQ the hell out of it...... sounded at first like a drawback..... but its a
measure of control that, if you have the gear, works great....
lazymaryamps
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selloutrr
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Location: Southern California

Re: Isolation Box

Post by selloutrr »

Yeah Demeter makes one you can pick up used for under $400 with speaker. or i have a blue print to make your own i can scan and post. I use them live and in the studio with a pretty awesome result. If you match the speaker to your taste in music you shouldn't have to EQ very much at all.

PM me so i don't forget
Last edited by selloutrr on Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jana
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Location: Minnesota

Re: Isolation Box

Post by Jana »

Yes, I would like a drawing of it, I would prefer to build my own since I usually end up taking apart everything I buy to somehow "make it better." lol

I am pretty good at woodworking, I still have ten fingers and nine toes left. :)
FunkyE9th
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Re: Isolation Box

Post by FunkyE9th »

This one might be worth looking into... http://www.jlhproducts.com/axetrak/
drz400
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Re: Isolation Box

Post by drz400 »

Never heard one that actually sounded good
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selloutrr
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Re: Isolation Box

Post by selloutrr »

the reason you might not like the sound... Try microphone placement before reaching for the EQ!!!
1.) Your not using the best match of speakers for your sound. Sorry but no matter what box it's in a shitty speaker is shitty and a great speaker is Amazing!!! and a good head only seems to make it more noticeable trust me it took me a long time to figure that one out, I'd probably have 30 less heads if i would have just bought a different speaker cabinet.
2.) the microphone / cable / or preamp/console. Since this is bridge a between the isolated speaker and your recording device. it's cructial to know the tone will only be as good as front end that is capturing it.
3.) if you want to experiment try listening to the Isocab open and match the speaker to your head once you like the tone then close it and fine tune your mic placement as you find the sweet spot on your preamp and you will be surprised how little EQ you need. I've had good results with a hi-pass around 90hz a small cut at 500-800hz and a low pass filter around 9Khz and thats really just to clean up the rumble, give clairity in the mids and clean up the air so the cymbals can breathe.
Really the less you EQ and add phase shifts the better you will sound.

Best of luck i hope you can find the tone your after!
My Daughter Build Stone Henge
chromaticdeth87
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Re: Isolation Box

Post by chromaticdeth87 »

the axetrak is bullshit through and through, had one sold it. It really doesn't control the sound level either. they are vute, protable, and really I did the eqing and mic placement, blah, blah blah, blah. The demeter is a better box, one friend had one and they sound better, even the randall iso cabs sound better, because they breathe, the axetrak is just not there, it just compresses and loses too much low end.
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