| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |
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| Q: I don't really make throat sounds when I do vocal percussion. Why do I need a Thumper? |
| A: Of course you make throat sounds! You may think that you make your kick sounds with your lips but you're probably also voicing (vibrating your vocal chords) your kicks as well. If for some reason you really don't voice your kicks, The Thumper can still greatly improve your sound. Any low frequency sound you produce will get picked up, like pops and lip buzz (picks up really well). |
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| Q: How does The Thumper differ from those Sound Spots that I've seen a couple of people using? |
| A: Sound Spots are small acoustical pickups (usually used to amplify acoustical instruments like guitars, violins, cellos, etc). Some people have found that attaching these to your throat can pick up throat sounds. Using this method of taping pickups to your throat is not always an easy one. Sweat can cause problems in keeping the Sound Spots in place. Facial hair and head movement can cause a great deal of excess noise. You also do not get any sort of filtering capability with Sound Spots. Mostly, this means that all sounds you make are going to get picked up, including snares, hihats, and speech. The filter built into The Thumper cuts out the hi frequencies, virtually eliminating those higher pitched sounds. This makes your sound much brighter and much less muddy. There is also a lot less pre-show preparation needed since you can simply strap on a Thumper and go! |
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| Q: What colors are available for the collar on The Thumper? |
| A: Due to production limitations, we can only offer black Thumper collars at this time. You are welcome to, of course, decorate your collar in any way. I have heard suggestions ranging from adding spikey studs to adding a remote control electric shocker for those times when the VP or Bass gets out of control :-). |
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| Q: After a long show the collar on my Thumper can get pretty sweaty. Can I buy additional collars so that I can rotate through a couple different ones? |
| A: You sure can! The collars are made out of a sweat-resistant elastic and plastic, but if you happen to require additional backup collars, they available for purchase to existing Thumper system customers. |
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| Q: What's inside the belt-pack anyway and do I really need one to use The Thumper? |
| A: You definitely do need to use the belt-pack in order to use The Thumper. The circuitry inside includes some very advanced filtering capability as well as a power supply needed to operate the microphone. |
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| Q: I have an older TH60 (Thumper) and I've banged up my belt-pack and bent my mute switch. Can I send you my mic to be repaired? |
| A: The older model Thumper's had a mute switch, and sometimes it could snap (if bumped hard enough). Contact VOCOMOTION for all repairs. Costs vary depending on the damage and are for parts & labor. |
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| Q: Can you tell me more about the filter in the belt-pack? |
| A: This is a technical answer, but we'll try to explain it as simply as possible: The filter inside the belt-pack is a low-pass filter. This means that it cuts off all frequencies above a certain "cutoff frequency" (almost). The cutoff frequency in the belt-pack is switchable from 100Hz, 130Hz, or 170Hz. Filters have something called a "rolloff." This is used to described how much much sound above the cutoff frequency will make it through. Common filters used in PA crossovers have a rolloff of -12dB/oct. This means that the volume of the frequencies above the cutoff drops 12 decibels everytime you double the cutoff frequency. The highly-sophisticated filter in the belt-pack has a rolloff of -48dB/oct (TECHIE: 8th-order Butterworth Filter). This rolloff is quite steep and should provide enough filtering for your purposes. |
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| Q: Does The Thumper require a power supply? |
| A: The Thumper requires the circuitry inside the belt-pack to power the microphone. The circuit has been optimized to extend the life of your battery as long as possible. We highly recommend investing in some Nickel-Metal-Hydride rechargeable batteries and a quick charger, they work really well and the NimH batteries have no memory effect (which was a big problem with older NiCd rechargeables). |
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| Q: Do I need any other equipment in order to use The Thumper? |
| A: The only other thing you will really NEED is a PA or sound system in order to amplify the sounds coming out of The Thumper. You may also need a direct box, which will allow you to connect he 1/4" connector on the belt-pack to your mixer. |
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| Q: I'm in a large college group (11-16 people) and we don't use a sound system, am I just out of luck? |
| A: The Thumper can be used to amplify the percussion/bass sounds that are normally covered up by the sound of a large group. Just because the whole group is not using a PA doesn't mean that the percussionist can't be amplified. You can experiment with a small bass amp and use it to raise your volume just enough to be equal to sound of the rest of the group. Be careful not to overpower the unamplified voices though. |
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| Q: The rest of my group is using wireless mics, am I doomed to be wired up forever? |
| A: Don't fret, you too can go wireless! If you would like to use you're own wireless system with The Thumper, you will need to purchase a wireless system for a guitar. You simply plug the wireless guitar belt-pack into The Thumper belt-pack and you're all set. |
