Moving your drums and re-setup

[Trip McNealy]

I will be moving into a new apartment soon and taking my enitre kit with me. Currently, the kit is setup just the way I love it and I'd like to replicate the stand positions, etc the same way in my new place. I have a 4'x6' utility/industrial rug under my drums and I was wondering if any of you have a drum rug and tote your kit around to different places and what you do to ensure everything gets setup relatively the same way.

Can I use something on the rug to "mark" where the stand feet will go, etc? Sharpie? Permanent marker? or something else? The rug will obivously be rolled up when I move so I'd like the markings to stay on the rug when i roll it back out.

thanks!

[Ironcobra]

i would take some tape, and go around the borders of everything and make little circles, like around your pedals, bass drum spurs, and like you said, the stands, that should work perfectly

[Leadfoot]

Same here, I have a rug I use, tape marks where the pedals go, & stand feet. Works great, saves lots of fidgiting every time I set up. Use duct tape, & slit the strip of tape down the middle so it's not so wide.

[stasz]

http://www.set-fast.com/

I saw it in modern drummer, it grips to carpet/drum rugs and holds tripod/floor tom legs and bass drum spurs in place.

The alternative, frugal method is as Ironcobra said use duct tape to mark the exact outlines of legs on the rug.

[Trip McNealy]

cool! i will try the duct tape method.

my rug isn't "cushy" like a berber carpet but isn't flat like a piece of linoleum. will the duct tape hold to the rug fibers when i roll the carpet up?

[drumminjohn]

http://www.set-fast.com/

I saw it in modern drummer, it grips to carpet/drum rugs and holds tripod/floor tom legs and bass drum spurs in place.

The alternative, frugal method is as Ironcobra said use duct tape to mark the exact outlines of legs on the rug.

I've seen that Set Fast stuff before, but still $17 per stand? I have 9 stands, and I don't have $153... $.75 tape looks like a good alternative to me..

[stasz]

I've seen that Set Fast stuff before, but still $17 per stand? I have 9 stands, and I don't have $153... $.75 tape looks like a good alternative to me..

Yeah, it's more directed at the gigging drummer demographic so your stuff doesn't move while you're playing. Maybe I should have mentioned that... :P

[fijjibo]

The tape method works fine.

Dont use Duct tape though, use gaffers - it sticks better :-)

[Leadfoot]

The tape method works fine.

Dont use Duct tape though, use gaffers - it sticks better :-)
That depends on the rug, I've had some tape pieces stuck to my rug for about 5 years with no problem, plus that gaff tape isn't cheap either!

[GRUNTERSDAD]

After you put down the tape, take some photos also. This may help re-create the crime scene

[ledzepjb]

Why dont you just draw the outline with a marker, it will save you so much time and you wont have to get pist off at always having to tear a piece of tape off of the roll.

[Trip McNealy]

Why dont you just draw the outline with a marker, it will save you so much time and you wont have to get pist off at always having to tear a piece of tape off of the roll.

haha! tearing can be a PITA.. i'll see what works best for the carpet i have.

[Deathmetalconga]

While I have a six-piece set with eight cymbals, four foot pedals and two percussion items, I only have four stands, counting the snare and hi-hat. One stand alone has two toms and four cymbals. I have made a conscious decision to pack as much as I can on to each stand, the better to show off my drums, reduce setup time and avoid the clutter of a forest of stands. If you're having trouble remembering where everything goes, that could be an indication you have too many points of contact with the ground and you should look at consolidating things onto stands.

With so few stands, setup is pretty easy and I have no need for tape. Plus, in some gigs, I don't use a carpet as it's already provided.

As for the Set-Fast system, that seems like it would make it harder to roll your rug up. Also, you could go to the speciality parts drawers at a local hardware store and find large plastic grommets and spacers that would do the same thing for much less cost.

[burnthehero]

I know my kit setup well enough now to not have to use any sort of marking anymore. But before that I used duct tape to mark the locations of everything on my gig rug. Worked very well.

[millerdakiller]

Lots and lots of tape on your rug. Make tape outlines of all the legs for everything, like at a murderscene. Everything on the ground should be circled. As for the cymbal stands, light marks with a sharpie Marker will help you mark the height and angles of the arms.

[Trip McNealy]

welp, I actually used blue Painter's masking tape. and it held pretty darn good! i didn't have any come off. it was also easy to peel off the carpet after I put my stands down.

thanks guys!