Slaw, glad the changes yielded good results. You said:
"With regards to the damping trough... if the best results come from the paddle lightly touching the fluid, would there be any sonic difference in trying different weights of fluid or is that going way too far out in left field. Has anyone tried this?"
Yes, I did. And yes it's probably going too far in left field. Eighteen years ago or so, before I had kids and had a lot more time on my hands I actually tried, among other things, vegetable oil and hair conditioner (which dried up and made a mess). Bottom line: same results can be accomplished by controlling how far into the fluid the paddle goes. BTW, you don't need to remove or add fluid. Simply turn the paddle one way or the other with needle-nose pliers to raise or lower it.
"With regards to the damping trough... if the best results come from the paddle lightly touching the fluid, would there be any sonic difference in trying different weights of fluid or is that going way too far out in left field. Has anyone tried this?"
Yes, I did. And yes it's probably going too far in left field. Eighteen years ago or so, before I had kids and had a lot more time on my hands I actually tried, among other things, vegetable oil and hair conditioner (which dried up and made a mess). Bottom line: same results can be accomplished by controlling how far into the fluid the paddle goes. BTW, you don't need to remove or add fluid. Simply turn the paddle one way or the other with needle-nose pliers to raise or lower it.