Doepfer

Hello guys,

 I had a question for those A-199 Spring Reverb unit owners out there. I own a guitar spring reverb unit built into a solid-state guitar amp, and have tried various other spring reverbs for guitar. 

 I recently bought an A-199 and although I'm very happy with it, I did notice that it seems to respond very differently from other spring reverb units I have encountered in the past in one particular regard.

 There is an effect obtained from guitar spring reverb units which is very famous in that surf-rock sound, and that is the production of a kind of percussive "drip," "splash," or "ping" sound when some percussive/transient signal is passed through the unit. This is usually produces by muting one or more strings on the guitar with the palm of the right hand and then plucking with a pick. The drip is produced in response to the pick-noise generated this way, and doesn't change in pitch according to changes in string length or fretting. In my unit at least, the sound can also be generated by genetly touching the reverb tank.

 I have not been successful in producing this sound with the A-199. I am not, however, complaining, since production of this sound in response to all relatively hot signals (i.e. line level as used for synthesizers) is not really desirable, as it would be for a guitar. I don't want the attack on my synth to 'ping' every time, and if anything I'm happier without it! I'm just curious if this has been everyone else's experience; and if anyone has found any way to produce this sound, e.g. by running a very hot signal through.  (I have noticed that the noise is not produced even when the tank is shook. It'll clang and clash like other tanks when jostled, but gentle touching doesn't make it 'drip.)

It almost sounds like the effect is being achieved in the following A-199 demo (not mine) around the 1:19 mark , but it's hard to tell as the author is clearly using a complex patch with FM, which might be responsible for the spring-like sound:

http://soundcloud.com/user9029126/doepfer-a-199-demo

Any insight would be appreciated!

I have an A-199, and this is the little I've worked out about it so far:

* It seems to be very quiet.  if I plug my VCA's output directly into my breakout box, the signal's very loud.  If I plug the A-199 in between them, I'll have to crank up the VCA to compensate.  This isn't a problem, mind.

* The spring reverb tank picks up the mains power conversion hum very easily.  I've got mine sitting on a box next to the Doepfer case, rather than leaving it *in* the case, and it sounds fine, although it looks a little awkward.  One day I'll probably get a custom case and install the DIY bus board which uses an external power brick, which I'm guessing should fix this issue.

* Remember you can pluck the spring itself to get those kinds of effects you're after.  It looks like a very subtle and sensitive device, as you can never see any physical movement even when it's making quite loud reverb (at least, I can't), so plucking one of the springs manually may not be good for your ears, but it does make interesting sounds.  This is the other reason to keep it outside of your case.

I could be misremembering any of this, or getting superstitious, so anyone feel free to correct me. :)

Better information about the A-199 is available at http://navsmodularlab.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/doepfer-199-spring-reverb.html courtesy of Navs.

Anyway, it gives an interesting metallic sheen to things, so I'll certainly keep it and continue to experiment with it. :)

All the best,
Zoë.