Designed & Built by Alex Knappenberger


Features:

 

- 30dB Attenuation (w/o Silencer Shield)

- Standard Dual Microphone Support w/ Goosenecks
- Most Compact Iso Cab w/ Full Size 12" speaker
- Custom Fiitted Easy Access Door w/ gasket seal
- Acoustically Dead for a fundamental sound
- High Quality Mogami Neglex Cable
- Neutrik Connectors w/ Gold Contacts

- Optional Casters & Speaker Grill Available

- Made in the USA


The Audix i5 and Shure SM57 are both excellent microphone choices.


Easy Access Front Door

The innovative upright design of the Dead Room Mark II features a door on the front. This allows amps to be conveniently placed on top of the cabinet and the cabinet opens up for microphone tweaking. Door opening features a rubber gasket to seal the door when closed.

Dual Microphones

The Dead Room Mark II is one of the only isolation cabinets that ships with dual microphone support as a standard feature. This is useful for blending the sound from two different microphones and gives you many more tonal options. Dual 5/8" thread microphone mounts are installed with dual XLR cables/external jacks and a pair of 6" long goosenecks are included for fast and easy microphone placement.

Acoustically Dead

By treating all 5 open surfaces of the isolation chamber with absorption material, the Dead Room Mark II is arguably the most natural and non-boxy sounding isolation cabinet available. 2" wedges are used on the walls, 4" wedges on the top.

Full Size Guitar Speakers

The Dead Room Mark II uses standard 12" guitar speakers. This size woofer has become the standard for guitar amplifiers because of the pleasant high frequency roll off around 5000hz. Smaller speakers have a frequency response much higher then this so sometimes you will see 10" (and sometimes 8") speakers being used for Jazz or Country clean tones. These smaller drivers will generally sound very thin and fizzy if used on distortion tones. There is an isolation cabinet that uses a proprietary 6" driver on the market and it of course, has  a high frequency roll off switch. I'd rather use a digital amp modeler over this particular isolation cabinet since there is no control over microphone choice, placement or speaker. Obviously with the Dead Room Mark II you can use any microphones in any position with any real guitar speaker.

Compact Size

The DRMKII is the most compact isolation cabinet of it's kind. Ironically, the microphone compartment is one of the largest. I managed to achieve this by realizing the actual volume requirements of a standard guitar speaker. This also gives the Dead Room Mark II the frequency response of a 4x12 cabinet, which many of us are used to.

Mogami Cable/Neutrik Connectors

Only the best microphone cable and connectors are used on the Dead Room Mark II.  Mogami Neglex W2549 Microphone Cable and Neutrik XX series connectors with gold contacts. This is a high performance combination designed for sound quality and long term reliability. I solder and insulate all the connections and then check for any intermittence using a cable tester.

Easy Access Side Jack Panel

The jack panel is now on the left side of the cabinet for easy access. This makes plugging in the microphone cables to run from the Dead Room Mark II to your mixer very convenient. Dual speaker jacks are provided for daisy chaining to other cabinets.

Quality Construction

I build these cabinets with only high quality components, tried and true methods and attention to detail. The DRMKII's are built out of 3/4" MDF which is thicker, more dense (better isolation), and void free compared to  Birch Ply. Rabbet joints are used for the cabinet edges and the baffle is set into a dado. Water resistant wood glue is used, clamped and left to dry overnight in a temperature controlled environment.

Carpet Covering

The cabinet is covered in a durable latex backed felt covering. I apply this material with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive so it's never coming off! This felt covering may require grooming from time to time as it likes to collect dirt. It's intended to take a lifetime of beatings so If you do not need the extra protection of the carpet I am able to just paint the cabinet a smooth gloss black finish instead. Just e-mail me!

Top External Handles

Recessed handles should never be used on an isolation cabinet. Reason for this is because you must cut out an opening in the cabinet for them. Now you've removed 3/4" of wood and replaced it with a a thin sheet of steel; major sound leaking areas! Be sure to pay attention to this when shopping for an isolation cabinet. I have gone with a pair of very comfortable Penn-Elcom extra wide strap handles with steel end caps on the top of the DRMKII. This makes picking it up off the floor and carrying it very easy and convenient. Notably, they are also rattle-free. (Note: The pictures do not show these handles as those are prototype photographs with the spring loaded external handles on the sides.)

Rubber Feet

The DRMKII ships standard with 1" x 1" rubber feet on the bottom. This decouples it from the floor or surface it is resting on and provides a smooth landing if you drop it! Casters are available.

Easy Speaker Swapping

Looking forward to swapping out speakers for different tones? No problem! T-Nuts and bolts are used to secure speakers in the Dead Room. This makes changing speakers very easy. Just remove the 4 bolts, unplug the speaker from the + and - jacks, plug the new one in, put the 4 bolts back in! You're done!


 

 

 

 

Sound Clips


 

Check out this video comparing the Vintage 30 to the G12T75 with a HEAVY METAL demonstration:

(High Quality version has better sound)

 

 

 

 

 

Pricing & Ordering


I only accept orders after e-mail or phone communication.

 

If you would like to place an order send an e-mail to Alex@grendelsound.com, with your speaker choice, options and zip code for a shipping quote. Provide your phone number if you want me to call you to discuss the order. I will respond as soon as possible.

 

Shipping will be calculated with FedEx upon request or when ordering. Typically $25-$40 depending on location and unloaded vs. loaded weight.

 

I accept payment through Google Checkout. You will not be charged until the day the cabinet ships.

 

Pay with any major credit card through a secure Google Checkout e-mail invoice.

 

Return Policy:  Returns must be sent back within 30 days of the original ship date.

 

 

 

2009 Dead Room Mark II Pricing:

 

Dead Room Mark II Unloaded (No Speaker)

$449.00 + Shipping

 

Dead Room Mark II w/ Celestion Speaker

$549.00 + Shipping

 

Choose from the following Celestion Models: Vintage 30, G12T75, G12K100, Classic Lead 80, Greenback, G12H30

 

Speaker Grill Installed

$10.00

 

Casters Installed

$10.00

 

Silencer Shield

$149.00 + Shipping

 


 

Add me on Myspace at www.myspace.com/alexknappenberger

and my studio myspace at www.myspace.com/recordingcompound


 

Little Photo Gallery for you folks to enjoy:

 

 

 

The Dead Room Mark II and a Celestion Vintage 30 is a winning combination...

 

 

...and so is the Greenback for all you early cone breakup loving low watt tube amp fags out there. It's a great speaker.

 

 

Yes, you can even use tank microphones like the Shure SM7B or Electro-Voice RE20 in the cabinet. Nope, the gooseneck isn't sagging it's just positioned that way. It supports the SM7B just fine.

 

 

This is me with a Classic Lead 80 and throwing up some HORNS. How lame!

 

 

Meet your new standard door color, colonial maple!!

 

 

All doors are fitted to be on the tight side.

Couple Dead Rooms almost ready for their new homes.

Picture from 1943 of Dead Room cabinet construction. Just kidding this is 2008.

Too bad I never need to record 20 guitar players at once.

Consumers don't seem to care much about the construction and longevity of the products they buy anymore but incase you care... the number of clamps used here, the quality glue, cure time in a temperature controlled environment and properly machined joints along with generally good practices make these cabinets extremely durable. You will never see this in mass production.

The woodshop on a dirty day. It's always on a dirty day.

Shipping day is my favorite day of all days.

For old time sake here's a shot of a batch of 1st generation Dead Rooms.

 

Specifications

Attenuation ~30dB +/- 3dB at 3 feet

Connectors

2x Neutrik NC3MD-L-1-B XLR "D" Series Panel Mount Male Gold Contacts (External)

2x Neutrik NC3FXX-B XLR Female Black w/Gold Contacts (Internal)

2x Neutrik 1/4" Speaker Jacks (Daisy Chaining)

Cable

Mogami Neglex W2549 #22AWG 2-Conductor Microphone Cable

#16AWG Speaker cable w/ standard disconnect ends

Dimensions

18.5" W x 17.5" D x 25" H

Weight

55lbs Unloaded

~65lbs Loaded depending on speaker

 

Website is under construction!! More to come.