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I'm planning on a short indoor recording session of shattering long fluorescent tubes. Who has done this and has sage advice to share? Mic choices? Best way to contain debris while not coloring the sound too much? Surfaces? Thanks in advance, all -
ADDITIONAL: No one has yet commented on the potential perils of shattering light bulbs that may or may not contain harmful gases or chemicals. I believe this was a concern with CRT monitors as well. Thoughts?
One of my first field recordings was shattering glass. These are some things I remembered:
Good luck and be safe.
I've not done too many recording sessions of shattered glass, but I've done a few. If I were to do a big session, this is how I would design it:
Find a nice clean cement floor, with a decent area to work with.
If the room that contains this nice area adds a lot of character to sound (like reverb, annoying modes, flutter, etc...), make some time to treat some of these problems
Outline the area you are going to be breaking the glass in with some kind of boarder. It might be 2x6 pieces of wood, metal, etc... that create a boundary to stop most of the broken glass. In my opinion, the best way to do this would be to surround the area almost completely with hanging furny pads (from the ceiling or on mic stands), with maybe a foot or so on the ground to prevent glass from sliding under them. You can secure the sides together too so that nothing gets between them. The furny pads will not only keep the glass contained and leave the sound uncolored, but they will also provide you a makeshift "booth", sheltered from room reverb.
Set up your mics (probably good to put foam or a furry on them to prevent the glass that hits the mics from making pinging in your recordings).
As for mics, I'd try a few LDCs, maybe a shotgun to add some sweetness in post, a stereo mic, etc... I'd probably try to stay away from brighter mics, such as a 416, a C414, and such. A ribbon mic would probably sound cool. But be sure to protect it!
Hope I explained myself well enough. If I need to clarify anything, let me know!
~Colin
Health-wise, the scarier flavor seems to be compact fluorescent bulbs - tubes seem to be better. I've read that vacuuming debris is bad - keep stuff from getting too airborne in a small space. Ventilate well and just be careful and for longer tubes it doesn't sound like the risks are that high. Avoid contact and breathing particles directly and most sources I found seem to suggest you'll be fine. Ventilate the area afterwards, use a wet paper towel for clean up and - most importantly - dispose of the shards as hazardous waste (drop it off at the appropriate place), don't just put it in the trash.
Birdhousesound, you should comment or post an answer to share how things go and anything you learn from the session!
I like to use old bed sheets for this type of job. They catch all of the bits, are silent and can be easily wrapped up with all of the shards and disposed of in one go.
With regards to the mic choice I would use a inexpensive large diaphragm condenser like a Rode NT1-A, with a windshield, positioned nice and close. Afterwards I would use some compressed air to clean the windshield.
Remember to wear goggles, a protective mask and heavy gloves, and have lots of fun. If you are brave, squeezing them prior to snapping them can sound great, as well as smashing them on top of the existing debris. You'll need lots though.
Before you start, check out You Tube as there are some excellent examples of all the different sounds you can make. Obviously all of the self-exhibitionists had another purpose in mind, but it is still a great resource for planning what sounds you want to capture.
All the above, plus wear safety glasses.
