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A Recipe For Sound

Edits abound. Deadlines loom.

And I want to know if I’m the only person who’s used a pot to magnify the sound of a musical device?

When outdoor speakers broke at a party, we threw a phone into a Teflon pot and pressed Play. The non-stick surface yielded a tinny sound. We swapped Teflon for metal.

And McGyvered a new speaker.

We tapped our feet to the results for a couple of hours.

Has anyone else tried this listening technique? Or maybe you’ve found a new use for an everyday thing?

Please share your brilliance in a comment today.

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45 Comments

  1. This is a great idea for reverberating the sound. Can you post a video of this??

    I have rested my guitar against the wall and found the sound travels around the room.

  2. i recently used a ceramic bowl for the same purpose, but the pot would take it to a whole new level, i think –

    1. We didn’t think to try a bowl. I now wish we had, just to hear the difference.

  3. Well, at the moment there is a sim card in a bag of crackers that he-who-will-not-be-named is trying to revive . . .

  4. That’s really interesting, Andra. I would have never thought of it.

  5. I just love that you turned the name McGyver into a verb. Please conjugate.
    I remember seeing something on Etsy once where it was essentially this, only with a wood cabinet.
    Oh, and yes, I know you’ve missed me, darling. Sorry — as you know, I was sick for a week, but also, I poured myself into finishing CHUK. Now that I’m done… well… I know I have some catching up to do, but also, I don’t know what to do with myself! What did you do when you finished To Live Forever and sent it off to editors? How did you not lose your mind? Help, Andra! I’m crashing post-novel!

    1. I cried for days when I finished TLF. With Not Without My Father, I’ve learned it’s better to just have the next thing ready to go. Give myself a day or two and pour into the new thing. I hope that helps. And I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better and done with CHUK. I can’t wait to read it.

      1. Going to take a week or so writing miscellaneous stuff and then launch into the next novel, I think. And NO, I’m not writing it in public, like CHUK. Your comment about it being too good to give away for free might just have been the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about my writing.

        1. Well, I can’t wait to read CHUK as a whole piece. The installments were great, but it will be awesome to be able to read it in one go.

          1. I’ve got Katie doing the heavy lifting with the editorial work, but when it’s partially polished, if you’re interested in doing beta reading I’d be happy to have you (months from now, I’m sure.)

  6. I never thought of that! Brilliant! I’ll have to pass that one on.
    No innovations here, I’m afraid. I’m still propping up uneven table legs with magazines or phone books.

  7. Hmmm…I’ve used pot to enhance the sound of a working speaker, but using A pot as A speaker…that’s a great idea.

  8. One time I had to do a conference call from a hotel room. Had a coworker with me and the room phone had no speaker function so I dialed in from my iPhone. I got tired of holding it so I stood it up in a tall glass (speaker hole facing up) and then squealed when I heard how much louder the output got from being inside the glass. 🙂

    Since then though, Ed bought a funky gadget on Etsy. It’s basically a block of wood that acts as a stand for an actual French Horn piece. Carved into the wood is a small groove, big enough for the iPhone to stand in, and the sound travels through the wood and up through the French Horn. Useful AND beautiful/funky. Love it!

    1. Hope you’re making good time on the final move items, Nancy. I’ve been thinking about you tons and sending lots of energy your way.

      1. The photographer did his magic on Friday (first cut of the video and photos looks amazing!) – but today the dirty little secrets (garage, utility room and pantry) need to start getting dealt with. The photographer didn’t go in those areas, but prospective buyers will. 🙂

        Thanks for your positive thoughts!

  9. I’m going to date myself here…Stage Managing a low rent convention and the follow spot blew up. No backup available. Grabbed a slide projector (remember them?) pulled out the shutter and used it as the spot for the rest of the morning. No audio problems though.

  10. All Clad is the best speaker material. You have to have finished the soup though.

  11. I’ve never put my phone in a pot, but I’ve put my iPad in a large stainless steel mixing bowl to make the audio of a movie more understandable. I then held the bowl at an angle on my lap so that I could see the movie and hear the words. It worked. [I think this was Lifehacker hint.]

  12. Alas, I do not have any brilliant suggestions. I would listen to the sounds of silence or the people mumbling. When at the cabin, no music, when at a party, no music – remember what I said about not being a very good hostess? Yeah, that’s me.

  13. As they said in Jurrasic Park…”Clevah gairl…” I never heard of that. But sounds (pun intended) like it worked!

  14. When there’s a will there’s a way, especially when it comes to music and dancing! I don’t let anything get in the way of my dancing :). I don’t have any brilliant inventions to share, none that I remember, that is.

  15. You are brilliant! I see a “life hacks” bestseller in your future!

  16. That’s brilliant! Definitely trying that.

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