An actual *stomp* box....for stomping

[Earthscum]

you mention "stomping" and "wood" and this is the first thing I think of... note the activity at 1:00.

I admit, I only know that song from the Hanson Brothers' cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6jwyMiilgE

It sounds to me like they actually mic the board? First listen I had to look at his mic base. I've been chewed out for even showing up with solid base spare stands to shows. It sounds too refined to me, though, not the boomy floor noise through the stand.

[pinkjimiphoton]

mark,
don't use piezos...

use a cheap contact mic. that's the way to get 'em to work bro.

[Mark Hammer]

What kind of mic IS a "cheap contact mic"?  I'm only familiar with the cheap black plastic things with a suction cup that would be advertised for recording phone conversations by sticking it on the receiver handset.  And I have no idea whatsoever what sort of transducer sat under that black plastic.  

[pinkjimiphoton]

gimme a little bit bro, i'll find ya a link.

i used to buy them from the musicpeople to install in accoustic guitars...they're little stick on contact mics about the size of a quarter.

ya take one, rout a channel in a piece of wood and a hole for the mic, and install it, then cover it up again. turns the plank into the stompbox you're talking about.

piezos need pressure..these don't, they just need vibration...

gimme a minute, brb

[pinkjimiphoton]

http://contactmics.com/

these are the ones i used to get from themusicpeople.com

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCHALLER-OYSTER-723-TRANSDUCER-CONTACT-MIC-PIEZO-PICKUP-/170701657066

looks like they are piezos...my bad. encased in metal will give ya the loudest signal tho, i do remember that from the experiments of yore...

[pinkjimiphoton]

http://www.musicpeopleinc.com/

ask for ed corvo, tell him jimi photon sent ya.

i don't know if they still stock them tho...been a few years!!

[artifus]

I'm only familiar with the cheap black plastic things with a suction cup that would be advertised for recording phone conversations by sticking it on the receiver handset.  And I have no idea whatsoever what sort of transducer sat under that black plastic.

electromagnetic coil - some folk have used them in diy ebows as pick ups.

*edit* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T7qkYY7LZM - forgot about these vids. nice little series.

[Mark Hammer]

My confusion is alleviated.  They ARE piezo discs, just adapted to suit the application better.  I have several discs just like that.  I just need to coat or otherwise cover them so they hold up better and can be put in better contact with the stomping board.

I'm off to the dollar store!

[pinkjimiphoton]

them things are really nothing more than magnetic pickups. the silver things are contact microphones...they pick up whatever they're in contact with.

[pinkjimiphoton]

there ya go bro!

[alparent]

One thing about piezo is that they are super sensitive!
I used on in my Ukulele and the thing picked up everything rubbing on the Uk!
My shirt, my harm....don't know if anything can be done to tame it down?
Mine was just straight in the amp.

[wavley]

I can't remember who the blues guy was a few years ago that had 1 new 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood on his rider so that he could stomp on it on stage.  Then at the end of the night he would load it in the trailer.  On the next tour he told my boss (who was the sound guy) that he built a big a$$ shed when he got home from the tour.

If I remember correctly, this guy also had 2x4's on his rider also and he made a little platform under which he shoved an sm58

[DocAmplify]

One thing about piezo is that they are super sensitive!
I used on in my Ukulele and the thing picked up everything rubbing on the Uk!
My shirt, my harm....don't know if anything can be done to tame it down?
Mine was just straight in the amp.

If you look at the piezos in electronic drums you'll notice that they are not placed directly on the surface.  There's a piece of foam between the drum head and the piezo. 

Since you're making a trip to the dollar store, pick up some of those foam triangles for applying make up.  I believe that's what the DIY electronic drum makers use.  They're so cheap; try it with and without and see what you like better. 

[artifus]

I have several discs just like that.  I just need to coat or otherwise cover them so they hold up better and can be put in better contact with the stomping board.

i've encapsulated them in hot glue if you have a gun - works quite well. apply layer of glue slightly larger than disc, lay disc on glue, cover with more glue and leave to set. the glue doesn't stick to shiny grease proof paper and can be peeled off when set if required. just be wary when applying hot glue around those weak solder joints, let it cool a little before applying disc and then cover disc from a height of a few inches so it's not so hot. can make quite a rugged little water proof pick up.

also: http://www.openmusiclabs.com/learning/sensors/piezos/

and: Getting a Bigger Sound: Pickups and Microphones for Your Musical Instrument book preview page 49

[frank_p]

Contact microphones are piezos.  The best price you can get on them is when they are sold as surplus 'buzzers' that were used in digital clocks.

[Mark Hammer]

I'll be in Toronto in a few weeks, and hope to stop by my usual spots where I'll score a bunch of plain bare discs in various sizes.

[Paul Marossy]

When I hear "literal stomp box", I immediately think of Seasick Steve!

[DavenPaget]

them things are really nothing more than magnetic pickups. the silver things are contact microphones...they pick up whatever they're in contact with.

Contact microphones are just piezo's underneath , they are coated in something so they look better and are protected .
Try making a raw pickup from a piezo , they do not need pressure .

[DocAmplify]

them things are really nothing more than magnetic pickups. the silver things are contact microphones...they pick up whatever they're in contact with.

Contact microphones are just piezo's underneath , they are coated in something so they look better and are protected .
Try making a raw pickup from a piezo , they do not need pressure .

There's probably some terminology confusion - vibrations are pressure waves, and when the pressure wave reaches the ear it is sound.  The very amplitude of a sound wave is a pressure.  That doesn't mean the piezo needs to be physically stomped on or squeezed between your fingers. 

[frank_p]

In the air it's called pressure, in the material it's called stress.  In the case of piezos shear stress in the material generate electricity.