Measurement and modeling of an electromechanical spring reverb device

Abstract

A spring reverb is an electromechanical device used to artificially reverberate an audio signal, i.e. to impart a sense of spaciousness to the audio signal, as if the sound were being emitted into a reverberant acoustic space. The device consists of a number of helical springs set into motion by electrically driven magnetized beads, with the elastic wave motion along the springs being analogous to acoustic waves propagating along the various dimensions of a room. While originally invented by the Hammond organ company to add a sense of spaciousness to the sound of their electric organs, spring reverbs have been used in a number of electronic instruments and audio devices over the years, with probably the most iconic and enduring use being in classic electric guitar amplifiers. In this talk, a general overview of the history and technical aspects of spring reverb devices will be given, with particular emphasis placed on the highly dispersive nature of elastic wave propagation along helical springs, which it will be argued is primarily responsible for the distinctive sound of the device. Finally, a simplified computation model will be presented that captures the salient features of a spring reverb device.