I would think that the steel rails aren't moving enough for that
to really work well (guitar strings move through the magnetic
field, causing the signal... I don't know what the displacement of
rails when they are making noise are but it can't be much, at
least in the audible frequency range; I'm sure they deflect
significantly when train goes over them) and I would expect a
contact mic to work better.
That said, rail companies certainly wouldn't look kindly upon
discovering some electronics wired up to their rails (at least in
the US/Canada.)
If using a contact mic, I would think you could attach it to a
sleeper or something driven into the grade a further distance away
and probably pick up a solid signal there, too, and possibly incur
a shorter jail sentence. :-) That said, there might be
weird/interesting sounds coming through the steel (including from
long before the train arrives.)
-c
On 10/30/24 18:50, JAMES B wrote:
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Show quoted text
But seriously, cool idea, I'm
guessing you would not directly attach the pickup as you would
with a piezo. I think the pickup needs a slight gap from the
vibrating "steel".
I actually experimented using
various guitar pickups as the transducer for my plate reverb
project.
On Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 09:42:30 PM EDT, JAMES
B
<guardtech@...> wrote:
On Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 07:43:29 PM
EDT, Mark Day
<neowalla@...> wrote:
Ever since I built a few pairs of Jules'
hydrophones, I have been interested in new
ways to make recordings with things other than
traditional diaphragm microphones. I have been
thinking about building a set of contact mics
using Jules' circuit and a flat piezo disk.
One of the things I want to record is a
passing train.
Then I got to thinking...I also having been
tinkering with electric guitar builds and I
have a few cheap pickups from kit guitars
where I replaced them with better ones. Rails
are steel. Like guitar strings.
What about putting a pickup on each rail.
Run them through direct boxes and into my
Mixpre and record a passing train?
