The Micro Kit

An entire jam-capable drum set, on your back. To go wherever, whenever. Introducing the concept of the ultra-portable drum set, designed with commercially available parts.

17958775322373511_edited_edited_edited.j

I've never quite gotten over the fact that it takes a team of people (and considerable effort) to move my instrument just a few blocks down the road, especially as someone who loves to travel.

In an effort to make our art as portable as an average guitarist's setup and as heavy as a tenor sax, I've designed a nearly fully featured drum set that fits in just an average school backpack of 30L.

Necessary Parts:

LP Stanton Moore Pandiero, or similar
Pearl M80 Snare, or similar (with a tom-style mount)
One ride boom arm
Two snare stands (Three, for a setup with a floor tom)
Bass pedal with a solid base (Folding is more compact, but less stable)
- Soft bass beater (alternatively - a standard beater with a kitchen sponge or folded sock taped over the head)
10" Splash - I use a Zildjian A Flash Splash
12-13" cymbal - I use a cheap Agazarian cymbal I have. Anything works if it sounds good stacked with the splash, but it helps to be thin.
16" Crash - I use a 16" K Sweet Crash
One mountable splash stand - the kind with a dogbone mount that connects to a zig-zag shaped splash arm. (see image x)
One strap with a D ring style buckle. A belt works too.
Optional - one 8" tom (requires a third snare stand for this setup). Really fun to have though.

The Set up

"Bass" Drum

Mount the Pandiero vertically with a medium weight snare stand tiled 90˚ , and with the legs set wide for stability. Tune the pandiero low and you can get a great thump out of these, especially with some gaff tape. I like to have some roundness left in the tuning so it's not totally flat. Wrap the strap or belt around the base of the snare stand and around the front bits of your solid plate kick pedal, and tighten so it's taught at a comfortable distance. Your bass pedal is what will be keeping the bass drum from sliding away, so it helps to be solid with a rubber bottom.

Hi Hat

The hi hat is a stack made of a 10" splash on a 12 or 13" cymbal. Tighten them to be just a bit slushy. Mount with Z. cymbal arm and dog bone to kick drum's snare stand. To bark the hats, simply hit on the edge of the stack with the shaft of your stick.

Tom(?)

Mounted with a lightweight snare stand. I used an 8" tom and tuned it really low. This part is totally optional if you want to carry less, but so damn fun to have.

Snare

Mounted with a lightweight or medium weight snare stand. Place the top mount on the drum to be facing away from you.Tune to however you like it, but make sure it sounds good.

"Ride"

Mounted with the removed boom arm of a ride stand. Insert vertically into the tom mount on the snare drum and attach the cymbal facing nearly vertical.