It's a cool device that really does work, since the mind is tricked into thinking everything sounds bigger than it is because you can feel the vibrations.
I'm not sure if this is a real product or not, but Dave Mathews Band bassist Stefen Lessard is using an interesting twist on the idea called a Fonz Foot Wedge on the current DMB tour. This is the same idea as the bass shaker on the drum seat, but it's connected to a board that you can put your foot on to feel the vibration. In the case of Lessard, he's getting the vibrations from just the kick drum.
In this case, it's not so much to fooling the brain into thinking the kick is louder as it is to stay in the groove with the drummer. A trick of many studio bass players is to put their foot up against the kick drum to feel it, which helps to fall into the groove a little easier. The Foot Wedge seems to be just the ticket for this purpose.
----------------------------------
Follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.
Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating the music business.
2 comments:
Bobby has mixed up some of the facts. The device is not made by Aura, rather by Clark Synthesis. It's not fed only the kick drum but the bass guitar as well. See the original story here...
http://www.prosoundnews.com/blog/30248
Sorry to differ, but I think I got my facts right. The Bass Shaker is made by Aura and that's what we usually use on drum thrones and the like. The Foot Wedge uses the Clark Synthesis Tactile Sound Transducer instead, which I should have pointed out.
Stefen Lessard may be getting some of the bass as well, but he's trying to feel the kick.
Post a Comment