a few answers
First of all, thanks to you members who have given their honest opinions to my design. I am looking for unbiased opinions and I'm not one who is afraid of a little constructive critisizm. I'm anticipating there will be those who are sceptical and as well they should be - no problem at all with that.
Just to clear up a couple of questions that a few of you had...
The Kelly SHU utilizes existing hardware that is already present on the drum. There is NO DRILLING required. The interior mounting configuration uses the tuning hardware screws that already pass through the drum shell as the attachment point for the interior loops. When mounted externally, the hooks on the support cords attach to the tuning lugs behind the drum hoop. The support cords are natural rubber which poses no threat to the finish of the drums.
One reason why I developed this product is that I have been a drummer in working bands for 20 plus years. Often we would get a mechanical noise problem from vibration which would transfer from the stage and in turn travel through the desktop stand used to hold the kick drum microphone and on to the microphone itself, causing an erroneous signal. The Kelly SHU totally isolates the microphone from the stage and the drum both so that problem is totally solved through use of the system.
Use of the system also eliminates the telescope boom which gets the microphone into the kick when using the shorty desktop stands. The boom is a trip hazard for other musicians as well as it takes up plenty of stage space due to the large base needed to support the weight of the kick drum microphone on the end of the boom. As far as casing up the drum, the external mounting method keeps everything out of the way and behind the plane of the drum hoop/tuning lugs as the tab and microphone protrude backward, into the sound port. The drum can be placed flat on it's front without any contact by the mount or microphone touching the floor or road case.
The system is also ideal for bands traveling with their own sound system and engineers. The mic stays with the drum, saving time at set up. It is always in the right spot, the mount will not shift position during play or transport. At set up, one just plugs in the microphone cable and the kick is ready to rock.
As with anything else, it's just a matter of getting used to your equipment. I think many people would be very suprised at how quickly the mount can be removed from one drum and used on another, especially when you have an assortment of various length support cords on hand to easily make the switch... that is if the external front mounting method is used, as in the case of the sound man running various bands in a night.
Given the price of some shock mounts these days, I feel the 154 retail is not too bad a deal. Some of the higher end shock mounts can run upwards of 2 to 350 bucks and those usually only accommodate a few models of the same brand of microphone. My system will handle most any microphone for less coinage.
As for making one of my systems out of a horeshoe and angle iron, I suppose it could be done, however the weight of such a knock-off would totally invalidate the whole purpose. My mounts weight a mere 9 ounces without the microphone. Everything has limitations and I don't suppose that a very large vintage tube mic would work the best with my system, but for most kick drum mics used today, the system holds its own quite well.
I would not be opposed to sending a couple of these to people to try them out, as long as they might let others know how they performed and an explanation of the application they were used on. I had live sound situations in mind when I developed the system, but a few engineers who do recording around here seem to think that these would do quite well in a studio, especially if you were using your own studio drum set for most bands or groups that come through. One would surely save some valuable drum booth area if my mounting system were used due to the absence of the kick drum mic stand.
If any of you are interested in trying one, please send an e-mail to
info@kellyshu.com stating who you are and how you will be testing the Kelly SHU and I will consider any serious offer to have one of these systems sent to you for a trial run. I have 110% confidence in the system so I'm not afraid to have you give it a chance if you would promise to approach the test with an open mind. If you like the system, you can pay me for it. If you do not, just send it back. I might even pay return shipping for ya if you do not like it. Not everyone likes everything and ya can't please them all, but I think many of you would be very impressed with the quality and features of The Kelly SHU.
Bill's story about the tape reel/microphone mount is very interesting! I guess it's the same type concept I am using. Thanks bill for the link to the article, I read it all and there is some real history there! Good stuff!
To close the reply, I'll tell you that I occasionally work with the local IATSE whenever I get the call. I see pretty much every band come through, from U2 to Toby Kieth, using the same old school method of a shorty stand, boom arm and counterweight to mic the kick. It is a reliable method but I simply think its time to expand the horizons a bit. The price of my system is not that bad, when compared to other gear. The system offers a 30 day refund guarantee and lifetime warranty on the primary mounting unit. I feel the system is worth looking into. I run a reputable company with honest values. I'm not out to make a million, I just have a product that I think many can benefit from. If anyone has any other questions about my product, you are welcome to contact me through the forum or the website,
www.kellyshu.com .
Again, thanks for allowing me the opportunity to hear some of your feedback. I value your opinions and views. Any other questions or comments would be very much welcomed.
All the best,
J. Kelly
Kelly Concepts, LLC
www.kellyshu.com
