[Vintage-Audio] What Did They Really Do?

[Sheldon Daitch]

That coil is actually a spring.  At the input end of the spring is the input
coil,
which converts the electrical analog audio to mechanical.  The other end of
the spring has a similar coil that converts the mechanical motion on the
spring back into an electronic signal.

Do a Google search on spring reverbs and there is a fair amount of
material out there.

Inexpensive spring reverb units usually used one set of two springs,
while higher end units may have used three sets of dual springs, each
set a different length, for adding fullness to the reverbs.

Another method of achieving reverb, for recording studios and other
high end sound systems was to use a plate reverb, which used a large
sheet of metal instead of the spring units.

Sheldon

Barrie Smith wrote:

> I've still got a unit that I never used very much that is called a "reverb".
> I opened it up once and it has a giant coil inside that looks as if it would
> resonate below VLF.
>
> Audio frequency, I suppose.
>
> Anyway, one can adjust the reverb, or echo from very short to very long, and
> the level of the echo, as well.
>
> If you set the reverb to very long, and the volume to very high, you could
> make music sound very, very bad.
>
> I think it's been sitting on the shelf for over thirty years because I don't
> much care for it.
>
> BTW, and off-topic, I went to a convention this last week where the closing
> night's entertainment was what's left of "Creedence Clearwater".  Actually,
> pretty darn good for old guys such as I.
>
> My wife and I did dance, but not as long as we once did.
>
> Barrie
>
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