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Lantzer
For those of you with a love of the old concepts like Rocker-runners...

At one point in an old book an instrument was mentioned as played by someone in a troll thrash band.

A Throbber.

Now I know that the old Shadowbeat doesnt actually say what it is anywhere, so I'm looking for guesses, estimates, and wild speculation.

There's a character in my game who wants to play one.

I was going to send him here to post, but I decided to do it myself.
Ancient History
Synthlinked equivalent of an electric bass guitar with variable tempo, built in drum machine and a couple low-pass filters - generally pumps out polyrhythmic noise at 60 Hz and below at 100 dB or higher.

The kind of sound that'll rattle your skull and you feel in your chest as much as hear in your ears.
eidolon
Couldn't have said it any better. Keep in mind that a true throbber player doesn't fiddle with buttons, he plays it DNI. biggrin.gif
lorechaser
I always assumed it was a Throbber to a bass guitar as a bass guitar is to a six-string (standard?).

So it's several octaves lower, and yeah, probably has subsonic notes that just vibrate you to hell and back.

RunnerPaul
QUOTE (lorechaser)
I always assumed it was a Throbber to a bass guitar as a bass guitar is to a six-string (standard?).

So it's several octaves lower, and yeah, probably has subsonic notes that just vibrate you to hell and back.

Wouldn't you have to worry about hitting the brown note on an instrument like that?
eidolon
If such a thing existed you might. wink.gif
hyzmarca
While there is no brown note, certain frequencies have been known to cause nausea in some individuals and there have been experiments in using such a device for crowd control. While a brown note is pretty much unpossible, a vomit note is quite plausible.
Fortune
QUOTE (hyzmarca @ Dec 6 2006, 05:28 AM)
While a brown note is pretty much unpossible, a vomit note is quite plausible.

Oh definitely. I've heard far too much music that made me sick.
Pthgar
Hahaha!

I have a question and I am too lazy to look it up in ShadowBeat at the moment. Did the throbber come about because Troll's (maybe Ork's too) hearing extends slightly into infra-sound?

[Scottish accent]
If so, doez the sieze of their gigantic heeds have anathin' ta do with it?
[/Scottish accent]
Dog
Did someone say "wild speculation?"

Perhaps the term "Throbber" refers to the manner in which the instrument is played. I've heard an instrument that was essentially a sheet of somewhat rigid plastic that was waved back and forth to make a "wubba-wubba" noise. Imagine a base tamborine, is the best description I can think of. Very low-tech.

It could also be a nickname of a troll-configured instrument: Say a guitar with extra wide spacing between the strings and frets for trollish fingers.

Or for that matter, Throbber could be the name of software used for the guy's synthlink, maybe only named that after the technician/DJ who wrote it.

I don't know the context, but maybe "plays the throbber" is a euphemism for some sort of... personal activity that one particular troll rocker is known to frequently indulge in.
Snow_Fox
considering his encylopedic knowledge I'd say AH got it right. Though my first thought was something obscene about my husband. love.gif
Backgammon
Seriously, I can't believe you guys went a dozen posts without saying the obvious wink.gif
Fortune
QUOTE (Backgammon)
Seriously, I can't believe you guys went a dozen posts without saying the obvious

We were trying to be good ...


... for a change. biggrin.gif
Snow_Fox
Mais oui, mais,
plus ca change, plus ca la meme chose, n'est pas?
Ancient History
Morticia, that's French!
Lazerface
Dammit, I have to go watch Overdrawn at the Memory Bank now that you've reminded me of Raul Julia.
hyzmarca
My troll had a throbber once but he was arrested for playing with in it public. His exceptional skill, while mesmerizing, caused more than a little nausea in some onlookers.
Lindt
And banter like what just occurred between Snow Fox and AH is exactly why, even with the shitstorm that is sr4, I still love being around DS.
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