grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
Back in August of last year, Moresound posed a question asking if anyone had tried using a suitcase as a kick drum. It elicited a lively response and alot of ‘anti’ sentiment ~ which came from the drummers mainly. It was understandable ~ in a way the last person that would need to try something like that in the studio is a drummer, especially some of the drummers on HR, who are not only multi instrumentalists, but are also excellent and seasoned writers, recorders and mixers. Generally speaking, they know what they want and how to get it.
I took a somewhat different approach because within the home recording sphere, there’s still an element of the “home made”. I’ve often said it, I came up in an era when to be or do things differently {sometimes, just for experimentation or novelty’s sake} was a good thing. Much of the technology we have now came about through the home made approach initially. I’m not a pro and when I did some research into people using suitcase bass drums, I actually liked the sound of the suitcase. So I got one {£15 on ebay !}, figuring that if it didn’t work, £15 would be the price of an education.
The first time I recorded with the suitcase, I really quite liked the sound but one thing I found was that the case moved about alot as my friend was playing. Fortunately, it didn’t spoil either of the two recordings we did that day but it did leave me determined to make some kind of holder for it. So here it is ! It’s based on a model that this woman who plays in a C&W duo came up with but I added my own little modifications {such as they are}.
Usually, I’d lay all the materials out to give the viewer an idea of what was used and the sizes. But some of the pictures I initially had disappeared. {I'm still at a loss as to what happened to them !}. However, it’s mainly made of MDF. There are 4 long pieces
and 4 short pieces, 4 metal right angled brackets, 
screws and wood glue and a piece of plywood for the pedal to attach to. The plywood I got out of a skip, the MDF I had premeasured and got cut at a hardware store {B&Q} that does cutting. From what I remember {this was a year ago}, I got them from the off cuts bin so they were really cheap.
I used the four MDF pieces as the base, two stuck to two.
I did this because I wanted the base to be really strong. One of my drumming cohorts can be quite an aggressive player and I didn’t want the case to be moving about at all. Once the pieces were screwed and glued, then I attached the smaller pieces against which the suitcase would actually rest. Once one side had been attached, the suitcase had to be pressed up against it to get the measurements for the other side.
You could estimate but it was better to just put the case there.
Once the two ends were complete, the next stage was to get the piece of plywood on which the kick pedal would be attached. I found it a bit fiddly
getting the exact spot where the kick clamp would go. A couple of centimetres either side of centre wouldn’t hurt but centre was my aim. I didn’t quite make it !
I had to chisel out some of the ply
so that the clamp fitted and I wanted to get a really good tight grip for the kick.
The ply for the kick is what actually braces the two sides of this device together.
I didn’t want to have to keep unscrewing both sides every time I was going to use it {like the original} so I left one side screwed in and when not in use, it just folds to itself. 
And then you just screw in one side when it’s to be used. 
And remove the screw when finished.
Very straightforward.
Painted it black then varnished it with this dark brown stain varnish that I’d been trying to get rid of for ages and it turned it brown !
The good thing about it is that it’s very easy to store away. You just put it in the case !
It’s very playable, the case doesn’t move at all.
You can adjust the pedal to determine what kind of hit you get. 
It doesn’t sound that good live, but it does recorded, which is my raison d’etre. I’m always pleasantly surprised how clear it is recorded. 
It’s yet more scope for sounds. I use this, the original bass drum, an electronic kick { a Session pro through an OSP DD502 drum brain} or very rarely, bass drum hits from the kits in Sampletank. I like them all for different applications.
So if there’s anyone out there that might be contemplating a suitcase bass drum, hopefully this gives you a starting place in constructing the holder.
Have a look out there on the net too though because there are some useful {and maybe better} alternatives. Mine is really basic.
I took a somewhat different approach because within the home recording sphere, there’s still an element of the “home made”. I’ve often said it, I came up in an era when to be or do things differently {sometimes, just for experimentation or novelty’s sake} was a good thing. Much of the technology we have now came about through the home made approach initially. I’m not a pro and when I did some research into people using suitcase bass drums, I actually liked the sound of the suitcase. So I got one {£15 on ebay !}, figuring that if it didn’t work, £15 would be the price of an education.
The first time I recorded with the suitcase, I really quite liked the sound but one thing I found was that the case moved about alot as my friend was playing. Fortunately, it didn’t spoil either of the two recordings we did that day but it did leave me determined to make some kind of holder for it. So here it is ! It’s based on a model that this woman who plays in a C&W duo came up with but I added my own little modifications {such as they are}.
Usually, I’d lay all the materials out to give the viewer an idea of what was used and the sizes. But some of the pictures I initially had disappeared. {I'm still at a loss as to what happened to them !}. However, it’s mainly made of MDF. There are 4 long pieces
and 4 short pieces, 4 metal right angled brackets, screws and wood glue and a piece of plywood for the pedal to attach to. The plywood I got out of a skip, the MDF I had premeasured and got cut at a hardware store {B&Q} that does cutting. From what I remember {this was a year ago}, I got them from the off cuts bin so they were really cheap.I used the four MDF pieces as the base, two stuck to two.
I did this because I wanted the base to be really strong. One of my drumming cohorts can be quite an aggressive player and I didn’t want the case to be moving about at all. Once the pieces were screwed and glued, then I attached the smaller pieces against which the suitcase would actually rest. Once one side had been attached, the suitcase had to be pressed up against it to get the measurements for the other side. You could estimate but it was better to just put the case there.Once the two ends were complete, the next stage was to get the piece of plywood on which the kick pedal would be attached. I found it a bit fiddly
getting the exact spot where the kick clamp would go. A couple of centimetres either side of centre wouldn’t hurt but centre was my aim. I didn’t quite make it !I had to chisel out some of the ply
so that the clamp fitted and I wanted to get a really good tight grip for the kick.The ply for the kick is what actually braces the two sides of this device together.
I didn’t want to have to keep unscrewing both sides every time I was going to use it {like the original} so I left one side screwed in and when not in use, it just folds to itself. And then you just screw in one side when it’s to be used. And remove the screw when finished.Very straightforward.
Painted it black then varnished it with this dark brown stain varnish that I’d been trying to get rid of for ages and it turned it brown !The good thing about it is that it’s very easy to store away. You just put it in the case !
It’s very playable, the case doesn’t move at all.
You can adjust the pedal to determine what kind of hit you get. It doesn’t sound that good live, but it does recorded, which is my raison d’etre. I’m always pleasantly surprised how clear it is recorded. It’s yet more scope for sounds. I use this, the original bass drum, an electronic kick { a Session pro through an OSP DD502 drum brain} or very rarely, bass drum hits from the kits in Sampletank. I like them all for different applications.So if there’s anyone out there that might be contemplating a suitcase bass drum, hopefully this gives you a starting place in constructing the holder.
Have a look out there on the net too though because there are some useful {and maybe better} alternatives. Mine is really basic.
