Porchboard Bass available in smaller package
(Dave Molter | Posted 2010-03-09)
No doubt about it -- feeling the beat is something every dancer needs. If you're a solo performer -- guitar or keyboards, for example -- and would like to add a little thump to your performance and get people clapping along and dancing without using a drum machine, the PorchBoard Bass (PB) could be for you.
First introduced in 1995 by EnRoute Music, the PB concept is so simple, it appears almost laughable. Basically, the PB resembles a piece of wood, although it's a composite material, with XLR and 1/4" jacks on one side. To use the PB, simply plug it into a bass amp or PA system and ... tap your foot. It's that simple. So why not just put a microphone near your foot, you ask? Inventor Bill Stevens explains.
"PorchBoard's patented passive proximity sensor system creates an analog, clean bass beat without the common low-end amplification problems of noise, feedback or delay. It is designed to produce a tone in the 33-100 Hz range. The 33 Hz (with a strong 99 Hz harmonic) was selected because it offers a strong supportive bass "thump" in any key -- similar to a marching band bass drum. Often the nature of the sound tends to resemble a note when another instrument (such as a guitar) suggests a note.
"By eliminating the common problems associated with the resonant surfaces used with microphone and piezo pickups and by eliminating the wide range frequencies that are used with guitar style pickups, the PorchBoard can consistently produce a specific, rich, low-end thump without noise or feedback."
The original PB was so successful that, for 2010, Stevens has introduced the the RP PorchBoard Bass, which offers the same big sound in a smaller package. Stevens tweaked the design to lesson the weight, shorten the length and lower the profile to better accommodate seated and standing performers.
The RP PorchBoard features a 3-way frequency response switch to accommodate system limitations: the Low setting allows for the very low bass (the original Porch Board sound) and is perfect for full range amplifiers, subwoofers or quality bass amp usage. The Mix setting filters in a mix of low and high frequencies, and the High setting provides for high end, stompbox slap.
Other features include:
* constructed using durable recycled composites
* steady and stable on stage
* XLR and 1/4" inch outputs
* no batteries or additional power sources required
* disassembles for compact travel.
*
Includes carry bag
The RB PorchBoard carries an MSRP of $299.95. For more information and video s of the PorchBoard in use, visit www.porchboard.com.
Compiled from information in a press release and from the PorchBoard website.
