DIY "IKEA Hack" Plate Reverb Part 2 (Sounds amazing now!)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 22 лип 2024
- Leo makes major improvements the (now famous) IKEA plate reverb in his last video! Total upgrade cost is about $40 and makes the reverb sound 100x better!
Audio Examples at 12:54
If you haven't seen the earlier video, you might want to see that before watching this. Here's a link: • DIY "IKEA Hack" Plate ...
Here are the upgrade items and their approximate costs:
- Angle grinder (I rented it for $8/day)
- Cutting and sanding discs for angle grinder ($9)
- Box of springs ($8 and you only use a few of them)
- M4 screws, washers and wingnuts ($5)
- MDF board ($9)
I have made IR (impulse responses) of both the original and upgraded versions of the plate. I'll make a video about that soon and will be sharing the files for free. Please stay tuned for that.
If you build one of these or have made your own plate reverb in the past, please feel free to share your valuable wisdom in the comments!
If you enjoy these videos please consider supporting this channel on Patreon! Even a $1 a month goes a long way :)
www.patreon.com/leomakes
I really liked the fact that you talked about failure and encouraged people to drive past through mistakes and hardships!
Thank you! I love watching people build amazing things on UA-cam but I often wonder about what problems they face during a build. Those are sometimes the most interesting/inspiring bits of the project!
@@LeoMakes Agreed, the problems and mistakes are so fascinating and especially so if its a happy accident. :)
Yes! Not only fascinating but important too. The vastness of DIY videos in UA-cam easily leaves an impression that everything is easy by showing only the stages that end up in the final construct and usually even then in a condensed time lapse format. While I think this is mostly a great thing and in fact have learnt to hate videos where the author rambles making an hour long video about stuff that could easily be explained in minutes, it has its downsides that should be addressed in some way. By briefly pointing them out this video does just that without making it long-winded or tedious to watch, but actually more interesting, as stated by the previous commentators.
I've been happily observing my 6 years old daughter's interest in DIY videos, but her being impatient by nature I'm a bit concerned how it affects her ability to concentrate and endure drawbacks and hardships that are an inherent part of learning and every creative project as they are of life itself. The best thing is of course to actually carry out projects with kids, but as they tend to get frustrated easily, I think it is in everyone's interest for creators to point out the time and effort it takes to achieve the stuff they make.
Yes yes yes! A million times yes! Important to love the process rather than worry about quick and successful outcomes. I'm getting better and better at that. :)
Fully agree with this comment.
I was already enjoying the video a lot, and fascinated about hearing Leo's workflow and project breakdown.. but then, after watching the "failure" section, I subscribed straight away! Any makers/coder/creative person out there knows that sometimes it takes quite a number of attempts and improvements to get it right, but this is very rarely shown.
Good on you Leo, very honest on your end... and beyond any of this, your project is very interesting, I particularly like the synth sounds going thru the plate..
I'm so impressed! One of the coolest DIY music projects I've seen.
Wow--coming from you, that really means a lot to me! Thank you! (I love your channel, BTW!)
Being a musician that came up and about in the digital age, it's very cool to see a hands-on homemade analogue representation of one of my favorite effects. I used plate reverb effects on everything I could when I was into recording and writing, so seeing that actually come from the titular plate is very cool.
that reverb sounded huge would love to hear that with a live guitar.
this
"On failure" at 9:34 was gold!
"Hardware is not easy - it's hard" - LeoMakes 2018
btw, the same is true for software.
It ain't easyware
I was reading about the abbey road reverbs and what they used to shorten the reverb was another plate (wood will do for this) the same size as the reverb plate and set parallel to it and quite close. it is arranged so that it can be moved towards and away from the main plate. this causes an air cushion which inhibits the vibration of the main plate, without actually touching it. the closer the dampening plate gets to the reverb plate the shorter the reverb time gets. also they usually EQ'd it quite a bit as well. often on the input as well as the output (or instead of)
I like that. It doesn't touch that plate, just indirectly through air resistance. turns that small gap into a kind of "membrane trap".
It would not surprise me if George Martin came up w that idea as he was pretty brilliant. I like the idea of using that rag to play the reverb like an instrument when recording tho...fun!
could also add extra pickups to the baffle for some more tones to play with :)
Actually if you use high pass and low pass filters for the input(for example drums HP30hz, LP10khz, bass HP40hz LP5khz, etc)you have basically nothing to do with eq.
This concept might work better using a sheet of rigid fiberglass.
Not all heroes wear capes.
But they should all wear trousers !
The first version sounded more "metallic" somehow. It had a metallic ring to it. But now it sounds more like a real room. A very small rectangular concrete room without any furniture, but still like a room.
I wonder if you'll get a more pleasant sounding reverb if you experimented with different shapes to the plate. I'm thinking that the perfectly rectangular plate sounds like a rectangular room because it has two main directions of reflections just like the room (well it has 3 directions since it's 3d but anyway). A church or concert hall with a nice reverb doesn't usually have all flat wals at 90degree angles, it usually has two parralell wals and two somewhat mismatched or irregular walls and while the floor is mostly flat (but often dampened by benches and audience) the ceiling is usually angeled or domed. I would buy several plates and try out different shapes (keep the one you have now as it is because it does have a really good techno reverb). I'd try cutting the bottom side at a slight angle, and cut it steeper if you don't hear much difference. Maybe try cutting or even rounding the corners of some plates.
Hmmm.. wait, maybe you could first try to add magnets of different sizes onto the plate you allready have (i assume it's magnetic), by changing it's mass in different areas I assume it would effectively be distorting it's shape since adding points of extra mass would slow down the vibration in those areas. Or maybe it would simply act as "furniture" in a room and dampen the reverb.
Anyhow, I'm almost certain you can in some way tune the plate with magnets.
Also moving the input and output locations will also probably change the sound a lot. Dead centre is probably best for maximum reverb, but it probably also causes more ringing than a slightly offset position.
Yeah the ringing is kinda hard on the ears
Don't forget adding additional servos and piezo mics for stereo or more. Also studio pyramid foam vs a towel glued to a flat panel for damping, there could be some unique differences between the two. Linear damping vs offset damping.
Also damping with another metal plate or a tambourine. Kind of like a sitar.
So the IKEA Plate Reverb sounds like a small room without furniture?
Might be easier to tune it by physical damping.....a bit of electrical tape in strategic places would likely do the job
Looking forward to those impulse responses! Thanks for sharing all of this!
sounds glorious... It's an instrument in and of itself. Great job!
Fantastic problem solving involved in improving the initial prototype.
I'm considering following your process to build one myself, I've always wanted to DIY a plate reverb.
Thanks! BTW I really like your channel and your scientific/analytical approach!
@@LeoMakes Thank you. Likewise, really enjoying the quality of your content.
Coliiiiin!! :D
PLEASE do so Colin, I am absolutely dying to hear this thing used for guitar.
@@ScienceofLoud Hey, I'd just like you to know that I read your comments in your accent (although, I admit you might not recognize it!) :-)
Amazing stuff! Just a thought: I was watching a guy who made amplifiers in a similar way and he was saying that you should not input the audio from the transducer into the middle of the plate. Instead, you should off-set it (lower and to the right for example) so that the vibrations travel different distances to each of the edges. I guess this adds more harmonic character.
I just found your channel and it's absolutely fantastic. I have never done any of these kinds of hands on things but you've inspired me to give it a try.
Really inspiring video. I'm mind blown over how great this thing sounds!
Congrats dude! I was super impressed the first time and this is a million times better
Your bit on problem-solving and learning from failures got me to sub! Awesome stuff!
I can't get over how good this sounds, wow man.
me too. it sounds fantastic.
Unique sounding loveliness. Splendid job
The sounds you get at the end are just great, makes the synth so alive. Bravo
WOW, love the sound of the new version. Personally I dont't like it on drums but i find it perfect on synths. Congratulations, really man!
omg I'm super hyped for those impulse responses. Whenever I need reverb on ANYTHING I always first reach for my trusty convolution reverb. I've been making impulse responses of external stuff myself (pedals, modules) and I'd love to have this amazing creation of yours in my collection. It does sound truly incredible
I like your experimental, but down-to-earth and well thought-out approach to this project (I like to learn and get entertainment from anything electronic/audio related.) Keep up the great work! Subscribed :0)
What a great project. Incredible results too. Thanks for sharing this in a way that anyone could understand and follow easily.
I feel very inspired already. Glad that I've found your channel. Subscribed for life.
... also, try mixing a little of the return with the send - should give you longer decay times than that small plate can produce by itself.
this is absolutely brilliant! top job Marra!
Sound brilliant on those synthy and pingy sounds. Well done!
I know very little about plate reverb but as you're talking I'm using the same words as you and I understand exactly where you're going with this. Perfect DIY; thanks for the video!
Absolutely loved your comments on failure and the building process in general. I'm going to show it to our 6 year old. Bravo!
😘
WOW! that sounds so much better now! especially with the synths!
And it sounds fantastic! Well done!
I love how this reverb adds its own character to everything you play through it, and reacts differently to various sounds. Love it!
Made me think that plates made of different metals would probably have different sounds due to differences in density and conductiveness
@@wardeni4806they do
Love how snappy the reverb sounds on the synths
Excellent project, thanks for sharing. That reverb sounds so rich:)
it sounds gorgeous and so alive! great project!
Man, I thought it was going to sound bad, but it sounds fantastic to my ears. Really, I find it a desirable sound. I'd use it if I had one. I'm seriously impressed at how yummy it sounds. It has an expensive quality to it if there's such a thing! God bless!
I'm a woodworker, CNC guy and a musician. Your first video was interesting to me but the sound of V1 was kind of meh. I am blown away by the sound of this upgrade! It still has a slight "trash can" type of sound but that sound is FANTASTIC!!!!! Great job! p.s. The way you're "cross cutting" the MDF at 8:35 is a bit dangerous. Probably not with the saw you have but with a full size saw you're asking for kickback or some other catastrophe to happen. When cutting little blocks like that, you should use some sort of crosscut device. The little block can get pinched between the saw blade and the fence and bad things can happen. The riving knife your saw has should alleviate a lot of the risk but still a good idea to use best practices.
Good tips, Andy. Thank you! I’m not an expert when it comes to woodworking so I appreciate the feedback.
Is it possible to crosscut MDF? There is no grain in MDF.
I don't really know if you can crosscut MDF, that's why I wrote "cross cutting" in quotes ;-) The key is that the length of the piece is shorter than the width. On my saw, I can slide the fence fore and aft so when cross cutting a bunch of pieces to length, I slide the fence back so that the end of the fence is in front of the start of the saw blade and use the miter gauge/crosscut thingy. That way when the workpiece is in the saw there's no pinch hazard but you get the consistency/measuring ability of using a fence.
Again, blown away by the sound of this plate reverb!
p.s. I would love to hear how an 0-coast sounds through there - should be wicked.
Subscribed after watching the first diy plate reverb video. Glad you made a second video showing how it can be improved. Lots of great info. Thank you.
Holy shit! Thanks in advance for including the impulse responses. I watched your original vid because I was curious how your plate reverb would sound, but I record from my apartment living room and don't have the space to keep one myself.
Seeing how you worked your way through each problem was also cool.
I know nothing about electronics nor electrics, but never thought of a reverb fx as a physical plate doing the thing. Amazing mate!
Plate reverbs are around since the late 50s. They were the first artificial way of creating reverb ever conceived, other than literally building specially shaped rooms, so called echo chambers.
Nowadays digital reverbs are usually considered superior, and some will even emulate the typical plate sound.
the reverb in my guitar amp uses several springs.
I was highly skeptical of the entire project, but I've got to say you've won me over!
Ha! Me too!
You deserve so many more subscribers. This reverb plate came out a lot better than I had originally expected. Your talk on failure was super inspiring too dude.
This is amazing. Also, really enjoy the min or two you spent talking about failure. So on point.
Man that was truly inspiring.
It would be really cool if you were able to choke the reverb easily with the scarf like you did in the last video. I mean interacting with the plate it opens so many more possibilities, that's a huge power of your work, like maybe making it rattle with everyday objects like some coins, sand, water, leaves or producing some sort of pitch resonance with something else.
Keep going :)
Hell yea, Leo. I love the fact that you talked about failures. I always leave the struggle in my tutorials - and it needs to be part of the conversation. UA-cam, Instagram, social media as a whole are so focused on perfection (imo) - and it's nice to see that dose of reality in your videos.
Keep on!
It was a pleasant surprise seeing you here! I haven't seen any of your videos in a while. I think I'm gonna give your Theory in the DAW series a watch.
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this. Fantastic work Leo, this sounds amazing!
Simply amazing. I am deeply impressed!
9:35 On Failure - The part I enjoyed most
1 Megohm still isn't a high enough impedance to get a proper flat response from the piezo. You need around 10 Megohms for that. That's why piezo guitar preamps normally have a 10 meg input impedance. That's not to say that 1 Megohm won't give a decent response for the plate reverb. You probably don't want too much low-end in the reverb signal as it can make it rather muddy. So you could try feeding the piezo signals into an acoustic guitar preamp designed for direct connection to an undersaddle piezo.
You could probably hang two plates from that rack, with a bright and darker sounding plate. Add a small mixing circuit and you could balance the bright and dark sounds.
Also, whilst you can easily HPF and LPF the reverb return in your DAW, you might consider adding some simple adjustable HP and LP filters as part of the reverb unit itself, for those who like to do as much outside the box as they can.
Great idea though. Sounds very good indeed. I'm impressed.
It's better to match impedance and make the high pass selectively rather than not ever having it if you needed it.
Also, an amp with better fidelity would improve this a fair bit, as would hanging it from something non-resonant like cotton cording. I would bet a fair amount of the 'ring' we're hearing in this is simply the springs 'singing' a little. You could also wrap the springs in neoprene or heat shrink tubing to cut down on this problem, if he's really into the springs idea.
AWESOME!!!
~ looking forward to those impulse responses, very generous, thank you in advance ~
I really like and appreciate very much that you add a great column in between to add your takes on how we used to enjoy things through making! I can definitely relate to that sense of achievement after working so hard!
I'm gonna try the IR and gonna try build up one on my own too! Thanks for inspiring!
I think the reverb sounds the best with those clicky sounds.
Can't wait to see a half'd ass version of this at the next noise show.
Ha! I can assure you that nobody wants to see that more than me!
This is cool as hell, what an awesome little project.
Thanks man! It sounds really good. I love the problem solving attitude you have and that you show that it takes lots of mistakes to get something you're happy with. It's really refreshing to see this, in a world where we're only shown 'perfection'.
I got inspired from your last video and also built a plate reverb for our studio. An awesome time with our studio team. Anyways we used moongel to dampen the sound. Its what drummers use to control their drumskin resonenses. If you are intrested we can send you soundsamples and pictures of our project :D we tuned it to sound like our emt140. We would also really like to see you build an spring reverb :D
Awesome! Several people have said they'll do it, but this is the first time I've heard of someone with a finished unit. I would *LOVE* to see photos and sound samples of your plate! If you use Facebook, maybe you can post it on the LeoMakes page? Here's a link:
facebook.com/leomakesstuff/
Yeah you should share your results - really interested how you got it to sound like the EMT-140.
Can we have a short demo video too? :)
Already working on the video. I'll post it on yous facebook page once its finished. :D
Im happy i came here
Good thing that you talk about failures !
I like the way you explain things and the project. Keep going and cheers from France
Sounds amazing! Wonderful job!
The only thing I wished you'd included is a full song where you'd leveraged your plate reverb individually on each track, mixing it in at various levels. Bet that would have sounded amazing.
ThisOldLeoMakes
This Old Tony is one of my favorite people on UA-cam!
Exactly my thought :)
The synths sound great, even through the iphone speakers. They have a this oldskool techno character to them
Keep it up, awesome video 🤘🏻
This is unbelievably cool! Thanks for the in depth tutorial.
You bet! Thanks for watching!
Do you have any schematics of the amp circuit, it looks very small and compact and I've been trying to find such a circuit for quite a while now. Thanks in advance
Thanks a lot for the inspiration!!
Do you think it's also possible to build the framework with wood and then have the steel plate hanging in there or do I need to build it with a steel frame? Any suggestions are welcome :)
I think a wood frame would be fine as long as it’s rigid and doesn’t flex too much. Try it and make a video of it if you can!
That sounds awesome, Leo! Thanks for sharing your cool project! It is very inspiring!
I’ve built my own spring reverb in the past, but this sounds better! I’m definitely building one of these!! Thanks for producing this video!
'Damping' :)
What if you use TWO transducers, one for left and one for right inputs?
Could use some drumhear dampeners. The little stick on ones
It sounds awesome Leo. Great great work. Your generosity in making free IR files is very kind, and I would love to use them. But indeed this second try at the PLATE reverb sounds waayyyyy better. Noticeable even on my little laptop speakers.
I’m loving the progress on the reverb
Thanks for watching!
You get a like and comment because you talked about how many tries it took you to get the end product for the hardware. Most people just have one time laps and make it look easier then it really is.
If it rusts, go to a steel merchant and by polished stainless steel cut to size, a LOT cheaper than Ikea shelf.
Awesome project, man. Subscribed!
would grinding the surface in some sort of mathematical pattern affect the sounds?
negligible. only differences in thickness(strength) of the material, or density would really change sound
I think you need to invert the polarity of the reverb return.
charlie scourbys I thought it sounded awesome! But you’re right, checking polarity is never a bad idea. I’ve been surprised a few times. Just when you think it can’t get better...boop!
Wow, this is a great project. It sounds fantastic, particularly on those synth sounds! Really well put together video
Man synths sound awesome through that plate!! Also, great message about probllem solving, growth and the rewards of hard work. Keep it up!
id also love to see what a guitar pickup sounded like instead of the pezios
I will personally track down and scold every disliker
right??? why dislike this?
@@strstudio8625 Read again :)
What about people with multi-facetted opinions?
....that typical idiotic, attention-grabbing statement...there's always someone, isn't it...
I can commit to the Europe dislikers if you can get the Americas 👍
These people deserve to know they're wrong..!
It sounds really good!!! I wasn't expecting a miracle, but it sounds great.
Bro! That is rad, sounds awesome!
Sounds awesome! Is that an original song at 1:25? Pretty sick, reminds me of NIN Ghosts/Trent Reznor's soundtrack work.
Thanks. That's original (unreleased) music I wrote years ago for a project that didn't go anywhere. I was happy to find a home for it.
@@LeoMakes Hey, would love to be able to listen to it on Soundcloud or even UA-cam, really love the vibes of that tune. Sorry the project didn´t go anywhere but perhaps you can make us a little happier by just sharing it with us somehow :) Keep up the good work!
@@Indrecius soundcloud.com/corl-franco/leomakes-diy-hack-unreleased
soundcloud.com/corl-franco/leomakes-diy-hack-unreleased
May I ask you one simple question?
Why didn't buy a piece of blank sheet metal instead of cutting off the folded edges and scraping of the black coating, wouldn't that be easier at almost the same price compared to the rent for the angle grinder?
By the way, I am one of the new subscribers and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of your excellent videos!
Greetings from Germany!
To be honest, it was easier/cheaper/faster for me to just go IKEA. However, if you know a good metal shop, that is probably a better way to do it. The sanding takes forever.
Thanks for watching and the nice words!
@@LeoMakes I'm pretty sure you can find similar unpainted sheets at your local hardware store. Most will have a sheet metal section.
Generally they do, but many times they can be much more expensive. Plus the table had a cage premade so he didn't have to spend the time making that.
A piece of sheet metal is going to be cheaper than this, but then he wouldn't get the "ikea hacks" youtube views bump, which is important for a creator.
it's cheaper the way he did it, cut piece of sheet metal at Lowe's 4×2 foot is $35
Wow!! It sounds great!! Very inspirational especially the part about failure! Thanks for this!
Thanks for sharing the IRs! What a cool and exciting custom project.
What about a STEREO plate reverb with 2 piezzo mic placed in different spots of the board ?
You get a sort of flanger effect from that.
Stereo plate reverb just uses two separate plates that are matched together. When you're talking recording gear, having matched stereo equipment means significantly more cost because they have to tune every unit in order to match.
Ummm... That's what this IS! Could you not hear it? It's also pretty visible in the end photos. There is a pickup transducer at the top of the plate and one at the bottom. Basically that's the same way they do that in the EMT140. ua-cam.com/video/HEmJpxCvp9M/v-deo.html
I think it would be great to make a spring reverb with this small transducer..
You know, I've been thinking the same thing. And I have big box of springs that I don't know what to do with. :)
@@LeoMakes Ooohh yes please!
cool, looking forward to it!
That's super cool!
@@LeoMakes if you do a spring one (you will wont you? please!) can you see how many 'springs' are able to have signal go through until signal to noise ratio becomes to heavy on the noise of the make up gain. ALSO!? How about several different jump off places along the collection of springs? say; if you're getting signal through 12 springs, how about an output jack at the end of every third spring group? I don't really know if that's a realistic. idea? How about thicker to thinner springs? or thinner to thicker? argh! Exciting! Thanks for the inspiring video! NO ONE TELL IKEA ABOUT THIS. THE PRICE FOR THIS PRODUCT WILL GO UP FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY "SOLD OUT"!! Good luck!
Great video - really enjoyed the fact you explained it didnt take 5 minutes and that it was tricky - Much respect man - ALSO epic reverb!!!!!
super dope project bro, looking forward to future ideas from you. stay true to you my dude
What’s the cpu usage like (:
I modeled a plate reverb plugin using hardware. The plate is doing a lot of processing.
Someone better turn this into a vst quick
What’s a vst buddy?
@@CatFishKick the most popular form of audio plugin. Can be a virtual instrument or virtual audio effect.
No need, he's already provided the impulse response for you to load into a IR reverb plugin, be that vst or whatever else.
@CatFishKick not much. What's vst with you, pal?
Wow, this plate sounds great!
nothing sounds better then a real reverb.
Great video!
"And it just sounds good" you should rub oil on it so it don't rust. Rust bad
might add a cool effect~
lol i didnt know 100k people knew what plate reverb was. made me laugh
Heck, what an interesting sound signature out of your contraption! Awesome way to approach the challenge.
Great video, might make this my next project on my upcoming vacation days. Glad I found this
It would have been so much easier to just buy a small sheet of steel from Lowes 🤣
IKEA gets more views
Yeah the nearest Lowe's is 5000 miles away that ain't gonna cut it..
@@mikohenriksson450 Any decently stocked Hardware store would have sheet metal.