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I recently upgraded my Death Star Platform (tactile transducer platform (13 feet wide by 6 feet deep)) from two Carvin 2000 watts bridged mono to each Buttkicker, to two QSC Audio PLX 3002 amplifiers which would supposedly have less fan noise and provide a little more headroom over the Carvin which provide 2000 watts (bridged mono 4 ohm load).
So anyway, I did not get to test them this past Friday night because by the time I made the exchange and ran new XLR interconnect and made some additional upgrades, I was way to tired to stay up. So the next day, this past Saturday, Episode One DVD was sitting unexpectedly in the mail. So I dropped everything and put the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode One DVD into the DVD Drawer, unaware that I had the volume for the Death Star Platform on Maximum, with the Subharmonic controls set to maximum.
Anyway, I'm playing with the menu and picking the DD 5.1 track and started the movie. All of I sudden it turns pitch black and I hear this rainstorm coming out of every loudspeaker, wondering how wild it sounded, but not understanding what it was all about. Then the screen brightened and I saw this Blue sphere coming at me:
http://users.erols.com/healthnutt/Screen%209.jpg
So I'm looking at this blue electrified sphere which is starting to crackle louder and LOUDER.... And the next thing I know I felt the room practically explode! HOLY
It was amazing! This damn EXPLODING Blue sphere just practically knocked me flying! I quickly ran to shut down all the controls as I started to watch the rest of the scene evolve:
http://users.erols.com/healthnutt/Screen%2010.jpg
http://users.erols.com/healthnutt/Screen%2011.jpg
SHEEZE! I don't know if this is a new THX Intro or not. All I can tell you was I never saw this before, and I was not prepared for it. HOLY it was a very powerful moving experience!
So anyway, I went on to further test the new QSC Audio PLX 3002 amplifiers and compare them to the Carvin DCM 2000 amplifiers. To make a long story short, the QSC Audio PLX 3002 amplifiers with the quiet Sanyo fans were approximately the same level of fan noise as the Carvin amplifiers. However, the difference in poweroutput is welcome, even if I did not make the move towards a 'silent' amplifier. I do not want to exaggerate the fan noise. I have a Dwin HD700 CRT projector that is silent, so I am used to absolute silence. Both the Carvin and QSC Audio amps are reasonably quiet and you would never hear these fans while any music or movie is playing.
In any case, If you have not experienced a tactile transducer like the Buttkicker, EPISODE ONE IS A GOOD ENOUGH REASON ALONE! HOLY AMAZING #$^%$#$ WOOO HOOOO! It is simply amazing and puts one into a whole new category of experience. One serious step towards being part of the movie. Every part of EPISODE ONE benefited from tactile transduction. You could feel the BUZZZZ! of the light sabres; feel the pod racers as you were actually on them and a part of the race; feel the characters jump and land from a great height, or starships fly by, and to actually feel the amazing war machines grind by! Every movie can benefit from tactile transduction in the sense of adding the sense of touch to a movie. This brings me to a point which is very important.
One thing we can really use in the short term, since it takes very little bandwidth, is a discrete tactile channel limited to 0-600 Hz. I really do think it is critical that 'Hollywood' does indeed come out with a 0-600 Hz (limited bandwidth), discrete tactile channel. We really need a discrete channel to control what goes to the tactile channels and to independently and correctly determine what level each independent sound effect should be playing at to achieve realism. Certainly, a discrete tactile channel is the only way to achieve the true naturalness and as yet untapped possibilities with tactile transducers.
I'm certainly going to continue trying to help others build platforms and get excited about adding an entire new level of experience to their Movies. As I wrote in the Meridian Forum (I use a Meridian 861) The impact of the Blue Man Group DVD-Audio with Buttkickers is an amazing experience.
If a discrete tactile channel does come to fruition, tactile may also find their way more easily into more areas such as music and DVD-Audio. I'm just relentless on the need for a discrete tactile channel because I see the possibilities such a channel would provide. Again 0-600 Hz is based on my experience with tactile transducers, experience with my neuroscience degree, and as a physician.
I plan on writing an article to be put out by Buttkicker, which explains that 0-600 Hz is needed, but anything higher than approximately 600 Hz is not perceived as tactile information. Subharmonics of vibrations induced may be perceived, but fundamental vibratory information at say 1kHz is not felt. I disagree with Clark Synthesis, although I believe that you can induce subharmonic vibrations if a 1kHz or greater fundamental is generated, but you will only feel the 0-600 Hz subharmonics, not the 1kHz fundamental. I will get around to making a bigger deal about all of this soon.
If you haven't experienced a Buttkicker in a proper, and I stress proper! setup, then you don't know what you are missing. And you have to think about what a huge difference a discrete tactile channel would do for tactile transduction.
It seems that even the processor manufacturers aren't waiting for Hollywood. Several processor manufacturers are working on providing special outputs for tactile transducers, which will make the most out of using the movie soundtrack. This will set the stage for a discrete tactile channel, which is obviously the only way to take tactile transduction out of the stone age.
When the search feature is available I will add more info here. Please add your comments! I upgraded the pictures of the Worm Hole Theater and Death Star Platform which you can see below. I will gladly help share my experiences and help anyone build a tactile transducer platform. You will be so glad you did.
So anyway, I did not get to test them this past Friday night because by the time I made the exchange and ran new XLR interconnect and made some additional upgrades, I was way to tired to stay up. So the next day, this past Saturday, Episode One DVD was sitting unexpectedly in the mail. So I dropped everything and put the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode One DVD into the DVD Drawer, unaware that I had the volume for the Death Star Platform on Maximum, with the Subharmonic controls set to maximum.
Anyway, I'm playing with the menu and picking the DD 5.1 track and started the movie. All of I sudden it turns pitch black and I hear this rainstorm coming out of every loudspeaker, wondering how wild it sounded, but not understanding what it was all about. Then the screen brightened and I saw this Blue sphere coming at me:
http://users.erols.com/healthnutt/Screen%209.jpg
So I'm looking at this blue electrified sphere which is starting to crackle louder and LOUDER.... And the next thing I know I felt the room practically explode! HOLY
It was amazing! This damn EXPLODING Blue sphere just practically knocked me flying! I quickly ran to shut down all the controls as I started to watch the rest of the scene evolve:http://users.erols.com/healthnutt/Screen%2010.jpg
http://users.erols.com/healthnutt/Screen%2011.jpg
SHEEZE! I don't know if this is a new THX Intro or not. All I can tell you was I never saw this before, and I was not prepared for it. HOLY
it was a very powerful moving experience!So anyway, I went on to further test the new QSC Audio PLX 3002 amplifiers and compare them to the Carvin DCM 2000 amplifiers. To make a long story short, the QSC Audio PLX 3002 amplifiers with the quiet Sanyo fans were approximately the same level of fan noise as the Carvin amplifiers. However, the difference in poweroutput is welcome, even if I did not make the move towards a 'silent' amplifier. I do not want to exaggerate the fan noise. I have a Dwin HD700 CRT projector that is silent, so I am used to absolute silence. Both the Carvin and QSC Audio amps are reasonably quiet and you would never hear these fans while any music or movie is playing.
In any case, If you have not experienced a tactile transducer like the Buttkicker, EPISODE ONE IS A GOOD ENOUGH REASON ALONE! HOLY AMAZING #$^%$#$ WOOO HOOOO! It is simply amazing and puts one into a whole new category of experience. One serious step towards being part of the movie. Every part of EPISODE ONE benefited from tactile transduction. You could feel the BUZZZZ! of the light sabres; feel the pod racers as you were actually on them and a part of the race; feel the characters jump and land from a great height, or starships fly by, and to actually feel the amazing war machines grind by! Every movie can benefit from tactile transduction in the sense of adding the sense of touch to a movie. This brings me to a point which is very important.
One thing we can really use in the short term, since it takes very little bandwidth, is a discrete tactile channel limited to 0-600 Hz. I really do think it is critical that 'Hollywood' does indeed come out with a 0-600 Hz (limited bandwidth), discrete tactile channel. We really need a discrete channel to control what goes to the tactile channels and to independently and correctly determine what level each independent sound effect should be playing at to achieve realism. Certainly, a discrete tactile channel is the only way to achieve the true naturalness and as yet untapped possibilities with tactile transducers.
I'm certainly going to continue trying to help others build platforms and get excited about adding an entire new level of experience to their Movies. As I wrote in the Meridian Forum (I use a Meridian 861) The impact of the Blue Man Group DVD-Audio with Buttkickers is an amazing experience.
If a discrete tactile channel does come to fruition, tactile may also find their way more easily into more areas such as music and DVD-Audio. I'm just relentless on the need for a discrete tactile channel because I see the possibilities such a channel would provide. Again 0-600 Hz is based on my experience with tactile transducers, experience with my neuroscience degree, and as a physician.
I plan on writing an article to be put out by Buttkicker, which explains that 0-600 Hz is needed, but anything higher than approximately 600 Hz is not perceived as tactile information. Subharmonics of vibrations induced may be perceived, but fundamental vibratory information at say 1kHz is not felt. I disagree with Clark Synthesis, although I believe that you can induce subharmonic vibrations if a 1kHz or greater fundamental is generated, but you will only feel the 0-600 Hz subharmonics, not the 1kHz fundamental. I will get around to making a bigger deal about all of this soon.
If you haven't experienced a Buttkicker in a proper, and I stress proper! setup, then you don't know what you are missing. And you have to think about what a huge difference a discrete tactile channel would do for tactile transduction.
It seems that even the processor manufacturers aren't waiting for Hollywood. Several processor manufacturers are working on providing special outputs for tactile transducers, which will make the most out of using the movie soundtrack. This will set the stage for a discrete tactile channel, which is obviously the only way to take tactile transduction out of the stone age.
When the search feature is available I will add more info here. Please add your comments! I upgraded the pictures of the Worm Hole Theater and Death Star Platform which you can see below. I will gladly help share my experiences and help anyone build a tactile transducer platform. You will be so glad you did.
