JSA S2 – Better Video Demonstrations – Audio Clarity with Less Noise
Understandably, this is not technically a “building” suggestion, but presentation quality is just as important as build quality. You can build the most awesome sounding guitar ever, no one will ever know if you can’t properly represent the audio.
Currently, I’m using the iRig Recorder app along with the iRig Guitar Interface from IK Multimedia. The cost comes in under $20 for both items and each is readily available at the App Store and on eBay respectively.
Here’s a video that I recorded using iRig Recorder. Please excuse the sloppy playing, but notice the clean signal to noise ratio. It’s not a bad audio recording for being recorded with an app on an iPhone. Enjoy!
Click on this link for a full tutorial on how to set up and use this iRig app and interface:
So…this is the newest addition to my Yard Dog collection—super low rent manifestations of repurpose and modification. This project is based upon the mechanism present in the Strobe Light Tremolo; however, instead of utilizing an internal light source, the light comes from a free and ordinary cell phone app. This allows for many variations, as flashlight apps with strobe light features can vary in speed and brightness, thus allowing for a bit of customization from user to user.
I started with an ordinary sardine can—cleaned it out and drilled the holes for two ¼” jacks and a single pole, double throw switch.
It’s wired simply—audio in to switch with one side as a bypass and the other side controlled by the photocell. The photocell was extracted from an ordinary nightlight that comes on automatically when a room becomes dark.
I originally had just the piece of painter’s tape over the top, but found that the phone created noticeable interference. Therefore, I lined the inside with aluminum foil and then carefully insolated the bottom with part of a sticky note and the top with more painter’s tape, just in case the foil shakes loose. Since the phone creates so much interference and it sits on top of the unit, I cut about an 1/8” of aluminum foil to keep my signal quiet; it is barely audible when the light turns on and off. I cut a small, strategic hole exactly where the phone’s LED light exits the phone.
Duct tape was the lowest rent covering that I could thinking of, so I placed two pieces over the top and ran my thumb around the edge a few times. Then, I used a razor blade to cut the excess tape close to the outer edge. I found the hole and cut the duct tape and then wrote the name in red Sharpe.
That’s it—a simple, effective analog effect driven by digital technology.
Junk Shop Audio 