What to put under your drums???

MisterZero

Senior Member
Hi gents and ladies. Ok, I did the search, but didn't like results. Quick question, after a small story: Last gig we had about a week ago was a t a bar where the floor didn't seem level in spots. My rack, Pearl Icon, feet were kinda floating above a dip in the floor. No problem, really, but my bass drum pedal didn't sit quite right and threw off some heel-toe stuff on several tunes. Question: What do you guys use as a "floor" when you play out. Example, I use my " crash pad" mat, you know the thing with the built in bass drum stop at one end? But it's really thin, so any floor problems come thru unabaded. At practice we have a thick rubber mat that i sit on, and I love it. But it's kids big and heavy to haul around.

Do you guys use anything thicker that ensures a quality, level floor under you pedals?

thx
 
I never brought my own floor, just a rug.

But this is the exact reason I stopped using a rack. Too many stages are not even, which just throws off the whole rack. Stands are a bit more forgiving.

Other than that, I just got to know which stages did what. There was a club downtown LA where the wood in the stage was so old it had become rather flexible. So when you hit your snare drum, the entire drum would sink down and then pop back up. Very frustrating!
 
I never brought my own floor, just a rug.

But this is the exact reason I stopped using a rack. Too many stages are not even, which just throws off the whole rack. Stands are a bit more forgiving.

Other than that, I just got to know which stages did what. There was a club downtown LA where the wood in the stage was so old it had become rather flexible. So when you hit your snare drum, the entire drum would sink down and then pop back up. Very frustrating!

that's a good point, i never even considered that. Maybe I will go back to stands. I feel more comfortable knowing my toms are on a solid rack rather than cymbal stands, though. Also, that LA stage story is incredible! Every single snare hit?? That would drive me nuts, I wouldn't last an hour.....
 
I use a simple "outdoor" type of rug / may that I picked up at Home Depot 10+ years ago. Still going strong. It has a backing similar to rubber. Not sure if the backing has dried out or worn out but seems pretty abrasive, but still works.

I don't use a rack and I have a rather small setup (4 piece). The only elements of the set I need on the carpet are the Bass drum, pedal and hi hat. The rest don't creep.
 
You could probably just do thin plywood and make a "mat" like the riser thing i posted, but without the buckets so it doesn't go up. Something like that would be guaranteed to give you a flat playing surface.
 
You could probably just do thin plywood and make a "mat" like the riser thing i posted, but without the buckets so it doesn't go up. Something like that would be guaranteed to give you a flat playing surface.

that's not a bad idea, either. thanks for responses, guys.
 
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