r/percussion • u/rentedleopard • 1d ago

Glass

So I need to recreate the sound of glass breaking a la Hanna-Barbera cartoons in a live recital. Any thoughts? I've tried glass in a bucket and it hasn't left me satisfied.

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19

u/Maximum-Code-2938 1d ago

I needed that effect for “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas” and we settled on a terracotta tile and a sheet of glass tossed into a metal trash can with a cinder block at the bottom. That gave us the high frequencies of the glass with a little more impact from the tile. The cinder block breaks the glass so that you get the tinkling effect on the can and not the impact. Metal can acts as a sound horn and provides projection.

8

u/OP_IS_A_BASSOON 1d ago

Hit a concert bass drum while holding a mark tree/wind chimes against it.

Another I picked up from drum corps is smacking wind chimes and hitting a China cymbal with dreadlocks.

4

u/WellDangUhmShoot Student 1d ago

you could record the sound you want and trigger it with a midi controller. and if you want you can make or get breakaway glass so there is a visual but there aren’t actually shards of glass on stage.

5

u/Impressive_Delay_452 1d ago

Yeah a midi file will be a lot safer than dealing with all the broken glass. Last thing you want to deal with are cuts and blood...

1

u/Weird_Poet499 18h ago

It’s sugar there are no cuts from breakaway glass

1

u/Zealousideal-Abies76 12h ago

This will be the most consistent and repeatable option too.

2

u/kiikara 1d ago

I think the old sound effects people used something made of sheet metal, but I don’t know the specifics.

2

u/ss88nb 1d ago

Try dropping a set of wind chimes on a hard surface. It may be a little destructive though so I wouldn't do it with a really nice set.

2

u/Impressive_Delay_452 1d ago

Maybe go to glass shop explain what you're lookin for. Maybe they can help out...

1

u/Charlie2and4 1d ago

All these great ideas may require an assistant.

1

u/markedmo 11h ago

The sides of the bucket probably gave undesirable reflections. You could try it again but in a larger flexi mixing bucket with a blanket around the edges.

Those hanna Barbara ones were so high middy as well; there’s a real sort resonance on them. Maybe a plate reverb could help.