Thread: Crazy Idea

What size/type of subs are you using? 12"? 15"? I'd suggest something smaller than you have now, but more of them. This should make each one respond quicker, and since there are more you shouldn't see too much difference in power.

Just a thought

i'm not sure i understand how this could help, could you please explain your idea a little better?

wouldnt a decent software eq solve this problem?

Originally Posted by isphius

So, what if i made a board/controller thing, like the digikey ones that you can get for like 10$. And then I could just code it...

Based on that, it doesn't sound like you know that much about the electronics that would be involved in this. Building this kind of strange active crossover-esque thing you are talking about is not going to be as simple as buying a $10 magic black box from digikey, writing a bit of code, and plugging it in. It would involve knowledge of analog electronics and microcontrollers, neither of which is something you can just dive in and figure out as you go along. Alternatively, and a little closer to your black box idea, it could probably be done very well with DSP, but that's just as bad, if not worse, to try and learn as you go along.

On top of all that, I still have absolutely no idea what you are talking about doing with the signal.... what do you mean "sending to the left and then right channel"?

Originally Posted by evandude

what do you mean "sending to the left and then right channel"?

i think he might mean like... send every other bass hit to alternating speakers so that instead of coming out of both subs @ the same time & sounding muddy and blurred, one hit comes from the left sub, the next to the right sub & continues doing that back & forth so that each sub has time to recover for the next hit...? i think thats what he means anyways.....

Originally Posted by isphius

I was thinking of something. For people who listen to metal/fast paced double bass drum stuff, it generally sounds like crap with the subs turned up. Too fast for them to respond. So, what if i made a board/controller thing, like the digikey ones that you can get for like 10$. And then I could just code it to send any signal within a certain frequncey/signal to left and then right channel, instead of both channels at once. And i would also include a remote switch so you can just run it in regular 1:1 sub mode. Anyone think this is possible? well anythings possible...but has anyone done it before?

That wouldn't help... Not for metal at least. The bass drum has a fixed resonance frequency. No matter how you split the bands, the bass drum will have to play just as fast. For example, if the Bass drum is at 100-120Hz and you split it at 110Hz, then you still have just as much repetition -- even if you split the bandwidth down the middle.

Now, you could split the signal piecewise on time. I.e: alternate subwoofers after each 'big hit'. This has problems too, most notably the decay from the hits will be cutoff. This might also lead to weird artifacts from other sounds in that range (guitar, bass guitar, voice?)

Neat idea though, there may be a way to do this correctly but it will require alot of research and more than $10.

And I wonder how weird it might sound to have bass alternating between two subs in different spots, arbitrarily switched from one to the other?

If the subs can't handle the music continuously without distortion, then I'm not sure how much it would help to alternate between them... when a given sub was actually "on" it would still be playing the same music that it would normally, and most likely STILL couldn't play it without distortion.

Not to mention, if you have two subs, you probably expect a certain volume level. If the bass is only going to one sub at a time, then it would have to play twice as loud to compensate, and distortion would be even worse.

Originally Posted by evandude

And I wonder how weird it might sound to have bass alternating between two subs in different spots, arbitrarily switched from one to the other?

If the subs can't handle the music continuously without distortion, then I'm not sure how much it would help to alternate between them... when a given sub was actually "on" it would still be playing the same music that it would normally, and most likely STILL couldn't play it without distortion.

Not to mention, if you have two subs, you probably expect a certain volume level. If the bass is only going to one sub at a time, then it would have to play twice as loud to compensate, and distortion would be even worse.

That is sort of where I was going with my last post. Not only would you be able to notice a difference between the hits, but you may be able to spot the transition between subs. To top this off, as you mentioned, having the subs separated and playing different things could lead to some strange phase problems and the subs may phase each other out at times.

the best way to deal with this type of situation is to build the subbox with this in mind... a lightweight cone & a tight sealed box will give you a faster response, while sacrificing the really low extentions....

music is designed to be played through loudspeakers... you don't have to re-invent the wheel to reproduce music, just have the speakers be well suited to the task...