MOTM

At 12:48 PM +0000 2004/11/09, Sikorsky wrote:
>now the question - i decided to go for a pair of type 9 tanks with medium
>decay, does anyone here have an alternate set of short decay tanks..? (i'm
>wondering about getting an alternate pair)

I normally use a Lexicon or Yamaha digital box for adding reverb to 
my synths. The "hall" settings on these boxes typically have reverb 
times of 2.3 to 2.7 seconds in length. So the accutronics "medium" 
decay time gives that same kind of sound. I imagine the "long" decay 
will sound more like the "cavern" setting on a digital reverb. I 
don't know if the "short" decay will be short enough (accutronics 
gives decay times of 1.2 to 2.0 seconds which is in the "medium hall" 
range):

  DIGIT #4 - DECAY TIME
  1 = Short (1.2 to 2.0 sec)
  2 = Medium (1.75 to 3.0 sec)
  3 = Long (2.75 to 4.0 sec)

But here are some tricks you can try to shorten the reverb times 
using your existing tank.

1. Gate the reverb output by patching it into a VCA. Use a EG to 
control the VCA with <1 second Decay time.

2. Gate the input to the reverb by patching it into a VCA. Use a 
really short Decay time (works best for percussive sounds).

3. Stuff some soft foam into the reverb assembly to provide an 
acoustic damping effect (not voltage controllable, unfortunately). Or 
cut some rubber bands and embed them between the spring coils 
(running between one spring and the other).

You can also stick scrap resistor leads and other short bits of metal 
into the springs to get even nastier noises. Just be careful you 
don't stretch the springs out of shape.