Sound f/x clock tower bell

[Infinidean]

I'm directing A Christmas Carol, and have all the sound effects being done live. However, I can't find a bell for the "deep, dull, hollow melancholy" church bell. Nothing I've hung up and hit sounds right. I've gotten closest with an 8 foot piece of steel pipe, but it's still not hollow enough sounding, nor in anyway scary, which it needs to be for the ghost of Christmas future's entrance.
Any suggestions?

 

[Cashwalker]

Of all the sound effects in Christmas Carol, the clock tower (Big Ben) is not supposed to be "in frame". It's supposed to be slightly distant.

In my productions, there were only a few sound effects other than music.
One is when all the bells in Scrooge's house ring for Marley's entrance, which we did live, because I couldn't get a good enough sound effect together in time. I and three cast members rang an assortment of hand bells.
Another being Marley's chains, but he did those himself.
Lastly the clock, which I used an actual Big Ben sample, and copy/pasted the "hour bell" portion for each different time we needed. (7 - Cratchit leaves the office, 1 - Past, 2 - Present, 3 - Future, 9 - Scrooge waiting for Cratchit) Then I used my sound editor to speed the whole thing up a bit, because waiting for the 9:00 bell to finish chiming (while the actors are trying to get out their lines) just wasn't working for us.

SO, that's my recommendation, if all other sound effects are done live, and make sense to be done live because they're related directly to objects or action on stage, then the one effect that doesn't need to be would be the clock. Unless you don't have the means for the sound effects to go out over a sound system....
In which case... maybe get the closest church in the area to play their bells on cue?

 

[MarshallPope]

Do you have any local band/orchestra connections? If so, see if you can borrow a set of tubular bells.
These things:

 

[goodguy]

AC/DC's "Hells Bells" from Back In Black. best recorded bell ever!

 

[Van]

I recently read a story about a theatre company doing a production of 'Carrol. They were having a similarly hard time finding just the right sound for the bell. Apparently someone in the community heard about thier problem and said they could help. Th next night at rehearsal this community volunteer shows up with a really weird looking kid and a large Iron pot. The volunteer hangs the pot upside down backstage right and say, "ok Kid." The kid backs off 5 - 10 feet takes a running start and slams headfirst into the pot. The Perfect sound rings out, it's exactly what the SD and Director had wanted the entire time. The sound designer walks over to the guy who brought the kid and says, " He's Hired! What's his name?" The volunteer responds, " I don't know but his face sure rings a bell."

 

[Footer]

I am doing this show right now as well....

If you are placing the show as written (1801-1840), Big Ben did not exist yet (it was built in 1859, 16 years after the publishing of the story). I had a large debate about this exact thing in a production meeting. So... if you want the bells, don't go with Big Ben.

 

[hsaunier]

If you have enough PA place a monitor speaker somewhere backstage and experiment with distance and samples to get what you are looking for.

 

[Cashwalker]

I am doing this show right now as well....

If you are placing the show as written (1801-1840), Big Ben did not exist yet (it was built in 1859, 16 years after the publishing of the story). I had a large debate about this exact thing in a production meeting. So... if you want the bells, don't go with Big Ben.

Good to know.

We never specified an exact time period other than mid-1800's, for our own adaptation. I wouldn't think most people would a) recognize the bells precisely as Big Ben and b) know exactly how old Big Ben is.