5 gallon bucket stage audio considerations

[dnathan]

I'm building a 5-gallon bucket stage (12 attached buckets with 3/4 plywood on top).

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I've been told that getting my sub off the ground will clean up the low end. This will lift it about 19". I'm curious what factor the buckets will have. Can/should they function as some sort of bass trap? Should they have holes drilled into them (that will also help me pry them apart). I'm thinking of some kind of rubber piece where they meet the ground, so they themselves aren't noisy. Thoughts?

 

[Malabaristo]

What's the load rating of a 5-gallon bucket? How does the load rating change if you drill holes in it? What's the lateral load limit of the connection between the bucket and the lid? If you can't answer all of these questions, then you should probably consider more traditional construction techniques... It's not like the buckets are significantly cheaper than appropriate lumber and hardware, so I'm not sure I see the appeal anyway.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

550 pounds / bucket http://fivegallonideas.com/cinder-block/ Who knew? (lets see - 12 buckets 32 sq ft - over 200 psf)

And you don't need to know the lateral load limit, only that its equal to or greater than what's required - which I'd put at around 320 pounds for the 4 x 8 or 27 pounds per bucket lid. Not hard.

And they could be free, nest, and not heavy.

Why not?

PS - spec sheet for bucket

 

[Amiers]

Is that bottom up or bottom down.
@BillConnerFASTC

 

[josh88]

Is that bottom up or bottom down.
@BillConnerFASTC

It's for top loading with a lid, so bottom down.

 

[dnathan]

Is that bottom up or bottom down.
@BillConnerFASTC

It's bottom down. The buckets stack in transit and click into their lids for a quick setup. The lids are pre-screwed into the plywood.

Great responses guys!!

Do you think the buckets would affect audio? I'm thinking of a Bose L1 Model 2 on top, or at least the sub.

 

[Amiers]

Fill them with sand then that should fill the void and stop the vibrations of the bucket.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Set it up and listen. I doubt 12 empty buckets are going to ruin the acoustics. Set up sound system and test it and listen. Then set up the riser and test again. Easy-peasy.

[ I mean, don't put speakers and such in the buckets - that could crimp things. ]

 

[TimMc]

Aside from my personal disdain for Blose (premium prices to support the fiction of superiority), the answer is yes and no.

Yes, the buckets have a resonant frequency and will act as Helmholtz resonators. No, they are not likely to degrade the subwoofer perception in the use shown in the picture.

 

[microstar]

Of course the 550 pounds/bucket rating applies only if you have the "gasket lid" not the "snap-on" one, per the specifications!

 

[dnathan]

Aside from my personal disdain for Blose (premium prices to support the fiction of superiority), the answer is yes and no.

Yes, the buckets have a resonant frequency and will act as Helmholtz resonators. No, they are not likely to degrade the subwoofer perception in the use shown in the picture.

Very cool about the Helmholtz resonator aspect. If someone beside Bose produced an array like the L1 (with various angled speakers) I would buy based on price. I hear different PA systems every weekend and I've never seen anything with low sound pressure in close proximity that maintains sound pressure at a good distance. I've thought about getting a couple of Turbosound Inspires. Whatever works.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Of course the 550 pounds/bucket rating applies only if you have the "gasket lid" not the "snap-on" one, per the specifications!

Right - and then it would support only 115 psf - like close to three times what a bedroom floor is supposed to be designed for.

(all teed up...rim shot awaits)

 

[FMEng]

It's unlikely that elevating the sub 19" will accomplish anything useful. Consider that most subs are on the floor and they are designed to work in half-space. More important is placement relative to other boundaries, such as walls. Prosoundweb has had some good articles on sub placement.

For the buckets to act as a resonator, they need to be ported. Sealed with lids, I think they would be acoustically inert.

 

[TimMc]

It's unlikely that elevating the sub 19" will accomplish anything useful. Consider that most subs are on the floor and they are designed to work in half-space. More important is placement relative to other boundaries, such as walls. Prosoundweb has had some good articles on sub placement.

For the buckets to act as a resonator, they need to be ported. Sealed with lids, I think they would be acoustically inert.

All enclosed volumes have a resonate frequency; porting allows you some selection of that frequency and more efficient transfer of energy. The classic Helmholtz resonators do, in fact, have a porting scheme so my analogy wasn't exact but I couldn't think of a more appropriate description.

 

[dnathan]

It's unlikely that elevating the sub 19" will accomplish anything useful. Consider that most subs are on the floor and they are designed to work in half-space. More important is placement relative to other boundaries, such as walls. Prosoundweb has had some good articles on sub placement.

For the buckets to act as a resonator, they need to be ported. Sealed with lids, I think they would be acoustically inert.

Would the unit work better on the ground then (if lifting the sub doesn't matter)? I'm thinking I should drill the port on the side of the very bottom of each bucket with the largest bit I can find. Thoughts?

 

[FMEng]

What are you trying to accomplish? Which bass module do you have?

Keep in mind that the B2 module does not have the driver size or cabinet volume to be loud and deep at the same time. Even Bose cannot avoid the laws of physics, although they may claim otherwise. Bose ls famous for their specification trickery and over reliance on active EQ. As the amplitude goes up, they have to reduce the low frequency response to protect the driver from over excursion and keep the harmonic distortion to a livable amount. The claim is -3 dB at 40 Hz, but I'd be willing to bet that the corner frequency is much higher as the SPL goes up. There's a footnote, in fine print, on the spec sheet.

 

[TimMc]

Would the unit work better on the ground then (if lifting the sub doesn't matter)? I'm thinking I should drill the port on the side of the very bottom of each bucket with the largest bit I can find. Thoughts?

Yes. My thought is that you'll compromise the structural integrity of the bucket, for which there is no engineering data. You'll also make this change at a random frequency that is determined by the size of the hole. How many variables (including human safety) do you wish to introduce into this design?

Either one lives with the bucket resonance of unknown impact (at this moment) or use a different stage design, or pick a subwoofer system that has more output.

How is the stage being used and what is the audio program material?

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

compromise the structural integrity of the bucke

How big do you think the largest drill bit he can find is?

In the likely environments this will be used with the sound gear discused, you wont hear the difference if its plywood on plastic buckets with or without holes or a solid block of concrete.

 

[RonHebbard]

How big do you think the largest drill bit he can find is?

In the likely environments this will be used with the sound gear discused, you wont hear the difference if its plywood on plastic buckets with or without holes or a solid block of concrete.

Walmart's got some pretty BIG ( and cheap 'n cheerful ) hole saws; NOT that I'd recommend them to anyone.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Is a hole saw a drill bit? (No according to google, but we do have a fake news problem south of the Donald's wall.)