A quick overview of inexpensive voice amps for costuming. Commonly used for helmet wearing costumers and cosplayers for Star Wars characters etc. Amplifiers used: Aker 1506 10watt, Aker 1505 12 watt, Arsillee amp.
I could totally see a 'what if' scenario where it's some schlubby dude in a cheap outfit and is clumsy as Fuck. oh and the relationship between him and his baby yoda being awkward and different lol. and the plot is lost entirely
That was by FAR the best, the simplest, and easy to understand and follow along demonstration video I've ever seen. It helped me a lot with my mandalorian suit. Thank you!
The issue with having the mic and speakers in close proximity is the risk of feedback is very high. You also have the issue of fitting a speaker big enough for sound yet small enough to not take up much room. A few people have done it with small speakers such as those used in lightsabers, but the volume and depth of the sound is no where near where one of these amps placed in the chest or on a belt are. It can be done, people have done it. But its not going to be as loud as an all in one wired solution. Hope that helps!
Thanks, that’s all this video was meant to be. Not to impersonate or show off acting, it was meant to show what and how voice amps are used. That’s all my channel is about. Was this video linked somewhere? I have no idea where all these harsh comments are coming from!
@@pandapropsncostumes no idea my friend, they mustn't have known what the video was for. Probably where looking for mandolorian stuff who knows. Keep up the good work regardless and don't pay to much attention the comments. Some are helpful but most are just spam or misinformed 😊
You're welcome! Yes, absolutely. You lose a bit of bigger sound compared to the 1505 12watt, but the 1506 is 10watt, lower profile and there's a bit of crackle and tinny / static ness to it that gives it that "trooper" sound, like you hear int he movies or via short wave / 2 way radios etc. The lower profile allows you to stick it under chest armor etc more easily as well.
Its amazing how effective it gets once you put the helmet on which is like an amplifier itself, completely transforms your voice and makes you sound like a machine, wish you went more into the voice effects.
I have the TRamp, the Trooper Amp. It has the static burst. You can switch it off or on depending on your character. It also has the Vader breathe in a loop if you are Vader. Great Vid by the way.
THANK YOU for this video! This was SUPER helpful. I'm almost done putting together a Mando cosplay, and finding a good enough amp without breaking the bank was on my list. The 1506 sounds perfect! especially with the slight distortion. It adds character.
This is the coolest star wars video I've seen since 2016. I really hope this could make an idea for normal costume designers in the future. Just think about all the parents children talking in mandalorian costumes!
Speaking from experience as TK/TI 11435 (retired), i used to use the 10amp model aker with an icomm unit for the static bust. Now i mostly use it in conjunction with a wireless mic i have tucket in my x-wing bucket and a sound glove connected to the aux port to give me some on demand special effecfs like the wilhelm scream, the star wars theme, etc. since im working on a jawa i’ll be using that set up eithout the mic
Greetings from TK-2886 :) I will often use the Aker amp input line in for MP3 triggers as well. My T-21 blaster, Speeder bike and upcoming Camtono all use the Aker 1506 repurposed as a sound effects amp
Hi sir! First off, thank you so much for demonstrating the amplifiers! I was thinking about cosplaying as Second Sister from Jedi Fallen Order and I feel that her voice is deepened a tad and has this crispy electronic sound more like Kylo Ren's voice rather than staticky like the Storm Trooper variant. I feel that the effect could best be heard when she was about to fight Cal and said "Outstanding". I'd link the clip, but I feel that RU-vid would hold my comment for review. (Aka banish it to the shadowzone.) I've had a look at the Mandalorian Mercs forum where they too discussed how the Aker brand seems to be the amp of choice. My worry is that the ones I've observed do not seem to have the droi- I mean, effects I'm looking for. I was wondering which amplifier you would recommend?
Very Helpful! Looking forward to halloween at work gonna get one of these for my Mando Costume! Haven't logged into my 501 account in several years and I'm gonna get help from a friend! There's HOPE yet.
Awesome! With like the one con I was planning on going to this year having been cancelled, I wanna make a really cool cyberpunk bounty hunter/mercenary costume for next year. It doesn't have a helmet per se, but I might see about throwing one of these on under the lower skull mask. Maybe even get something to repitch it so that I can have a spooky 6 foot deep voice.
Nice! I'm trying to get my Mandalorian costume ready for Halloween. I'm also trying to make a small set of Mando armor for my daughter lol I've been curious about the voice Amp for my costume
I was trying to work out how to engineer a system like this, and now all I have to do is work out where on the costume the speaker goes?? And for a bonus, the cheaper the setup I buy, the more Star Wars Helmet Voice I get! This is an excellent video, worth using the Like button that I never touch.
Glad it helped! Yes, totally. It's a simple as a $30 purchase on Amazon that can solve your problems. Most amps have a neck strap that you can wrap around your neck and have the amp facing forward on your chest and most of the smaller amps are only about an inch thick so they don't take up that much room
Correct. The 10 amp models aren't quite as loud, but they have that sort of hollow. Tinny CB radio kind of sound that we think a lot of troopers and character sound like, so sometimes that's actually a better model to go with. Depending on how thick your costume is, or maybe how many layers of soft parts are on top of the speaker and amplifier that can muffle some of the sound. In those cases the 12 watt amp is a better choice but it depends on your costume
Sorry for the very late reply. I would look into voice effects cards from Hyperdyne Labs, RomFX. These are great standalone units but they can be expensive and you normally choose one specific effect / voice and purchase that one to use. You can't use it for multiple voices, you would need to purchase different chips etc. The Rom FX has some models that let you tune the pitch etc. There are even phone apps like Voice Synth Pro. That app is very versatile in that you can use preset effects or customize them as you like. The only issue is that wiring your phone to the amp may require some hacks (eg: Current model iphones don't use standard headphone jacks, so you need different adapters etc.)
Hi this was great!, just guessing to ask if you can provide us an example of how to use/add effects for example I would like to add two different pitch effects ( -15 and +15) to the voice amplifier in real time, many thanks in advance
Ive done that with several amps, where I separate the circuit board, the battery and the speaker to get a lower profile layout. You can extend the wires for the battery or speaker if you need to relocate parts. You may need to fabricate a speaker housing so that you can get some resonance out of it. Good luck!
i've been doing star wars characters for a couple years now, and one issue i've always had is actually hearing in my helmet. is there anything that works kinda the opposite of this? where you have a speaker on the outside of the helmet, maybe hooked up to headphones inside? and could that be used simultaneously with an amp like this without causing massive feedback?
Thanks, this is a lot helpful for the other helmets I have planned in the future for, but, how t Fo you change the voice on it? Also, if its on the belt....how does it sound like its coming from the helmets vocabulator then? I have so many questions now
I have a question I’m currently dressing up as sponge I and I’m trying to find one of those mic so I can sound like the character , do you know which I should get?
Where did you get the printfile for the Mando helmet? Is it printed in one piece or multiple? Still looking for an original-looking one. Thanks for your help.
I think he means when wearing it where does the amp go. You can hide the amp in a pouch in the belt on the costume. Run wires under armor. For trooper just anywhere under the armor.
You talked a little bit about putting a voice effect add on to the voice amp, I would like to learn more about that. For instance for Darth Vader, since he does have a deeper voice how would I do the add on for him?? I really don’t know how that part works
Look into a voice effects sound card. These are connected between the mic and the amp and can change your pitch. Hyperdyne labs etc. You can also use an older iphone with the headphone / mic jack and use the Voice Synth pro app on itunes
I'm wondering if these systems are compatible with those omnidirectional mics that are very slim and low profile. That would definitely cut back, if not totally eliminate the feedback I would assume. I am also wondering how to put the speaker itself in the helmet so it projects from where one would expect the sound to actually come from. I may even try to make a custom helmet to hold everything in a more space-saving manner while beeing completely original in my character design.
many people have tried the all in the helmet approach. The issue is using speakers that are small enough and give a good full volume. Its loud enough to hear in your living room but at an event or convention, it's not loud enough. Depending on the helmet design, there might not be enough room to contain larger speakers. The other issue is the proximity of the mic and the speakers which can cause massive feedback.
@@pandapropsncostumes I wonder if going with pro-audio speakers that could be wired up differently would work. Like get some good Polk Audio, JBL, or other speakers that would work size-wise, put out good volume, and not have feedback.
You could add a voice changer or pitch modifier such as Hyperdyne Labs Vortex or RomFX etc. You can also use an iPhone using an app like Voice Synth pro. You need to wire these in and plug them into the amp. With the iPhone, some older models are easier to plug and play since they have the old stereo headphone jack. The more recent iPhones over the last 3 years or so no longer have this jack. It can still be done but you need more adapters and splitters
I'm working on a cosplay that'll have a soundboard (as opposed to a microphone) for input and the Aker 10W was recommended to me. I'm a little uncertain as to which would have the clearest quality (and would love your feedback (pun not intended..) on that), but this video alone has put me at ease - so thank you so much!! (❁´◡`❁)
The Aker 1505 12W is going to sound fuller due to a bigger and more powerful amp and speaker. It has a 1/8" audio input jack on the side for soundboard inputs. I've done the same on thing on a few builds and it works great. Good luck!
@@pandapropsncostumes Thank you so much for replying!! :D That's awesome to know. It seems like the australia tax hits this one pretty hard unfortunately, but I think it'll be my best bet u_u/
That is all nice and dandy, as long as you have pockets where you can store such items...I might just end up having to figure something out with a jetpack.
@@pandapropsncostumes I am by now done with the costume and just got approved (Mandalorian Mercs). As there is no belt pouch (weathered version), I cannot store anything in belt pouches really. I made a small, sneaky pouch to go under the leg scarfs. Maybe I can sneak the Aker in there, besides my glasses and asthma spray (I may just leave the glasses, but I will not go without my emergency medicine).
The issue with a push to talk system is that you always have to run the push to talk buttons and wire through your sleeve and to a glove. For some people, this is an inconvenience as you have to run the wires without tangling them. Having switches in gloves can have issues such as sweating / moisture in the glove etc. I personally like the VOX / live mic as it tends to react well and if positioned correctly, it sounds loud and clear. If you don't want it live all the time, you can simply turn the amp off if you are not using it.
I've been trying to figure this out but is there any way to program it so you get a specific voice output. I'm working on an abyss mage cosplay and wanted to try and sound like one
You can get an MP3 trigger or MP3 sounds card that allows you to copy MP3 files to the board. Then you connect the output of the board via the 1/8" jack to the input of the amp. When you press individual buttons on the board, it will play those voice samples. :)
lightslayer1111 The ears on the Mando helmet are hollow and have vents. The Stormtrooper helmet is thin vacuum formed plastic. As long as people speak up you can hear fine. You get used to it :)
There;s a strap that you can wear around your neck. Conversely, I have used velcro on the front four corners of the amp, and have the corresponding locations with the opposite velcro inside the costume or armor. Keep in mind that these do have some weight, so on a fabric costume, they may weight it down which might stretch the fabric. It might look better to sew a small vest or chest carrier for the amp if weight is an issue. Good luck!
Out of curiosity what type of microphone are you using with the amplifier? I’ve been trying to research mics for cosplay but don’t know what those types are.
The mic is a head mounted boom mic that loops around your head and goes over the ears. It simply plugs into the amp. It usually comes with the voice amp and doesn't need to be purchased separately.
