Drummerworld inventors

I may have solved a problem that only I have, but here goes …


When playing double bass or multiple pedals, I got frustrated with “putting my hi-hat to sleep” with a traditional drop clutch and then losing so much of the hi-hat’s various sounds. Setting up an x-hat (auxiliary hi-hat) wasn’t scratching my itch either. So I made (and patented) a device that regains some lost hi-hat when playing double bass etc.

I’m calling it the Hi-hat Rockervalve, it’s maybe a little outside the box but I know we drummers are known to reinvent our drum sets occasionally!


I made a video that explains it .

https://youtu.be/nxdHhGfZM0g


I’ll soon have a few prototypes/demo’s ready if anyone is interested (ping me here or [email protected]


PS. I don’t have anything for sale yet - at this stage I’m just a guy with a gadget, looking for feedback on an idea that’s been bugging me for years!


Chris

ChrisNYC said:

I may have solved a problem that only I have, but here goes …


When playing double bass or multiple pedals, I got frustrated with “putting my hi-hat to sleep” with a traditional drop clutch and then losing so much of the hi-hat’s various sounds. Setting up an x-hat (auxiliary hi-hat) wasn’t scratching my itch either. So I made (and patented) a device that regains some lost hi-hat when playing double bass etc.

I’m calling it the Hi-hat Rockervalve, it’s maybe a little outside the box but I know we drummers are known to reinvent our drum sets occasionally!


I made a video that explains it .

https://youtu.be/nxdHhGfZM0g


I’ll soon have a few prototypes/demo’s ready if anyone is interested (ping me here or [email protected]


PS. I don’t have anything for sale yet - at this stage I’m just a guy with a gadget, looking for feedback on an idea that’s been bugging me for years!


Chris

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That is really cool. I've been modding drop clutches with springs for a while because I always have a problem with them sloshing and catching on the lever, and reverting back to open. I never thought about changing elevation from the bottom.

Tama's cobra clutch is just too much for me to want to gig with, and the coady clutch is too much over the top hat for me.

Frankly, I wouldn't ever see myself using the leg control, but I still think it's a fantastic concept, and I can imagine the possibilities for some of the extreme double bass players in the world.

Electro-mechanical bass drum pedal. A core-coil actuator driven by an impedance head (force and acceleration) connected to a foot pedal. The impedance head would sense the force applied to and the acceleration of the foot pedal, electronics would amplify the signals and send them to the core coil actuator. Set gain and offset to deliver the minimum/maximum speed and force applied to the drum head via the beater (thumper?)

I'd think you could get faster response than direct or chain/belt drive pedals, and you could position your bass pedal anywhere in relation to the actuator/bass drum. You could split the signal and send it to a second actuator - adjustable delays would control when the second thumper impacts the second bass head (double bass with one pedal?). Bayonet attachment of the thumper head means you could change beaters in the same time it would take to pick up a dropped stick.

On the downside, you'd need to be connected to 110/220 VAC mains.

If not practical on the drum set, you could use it to shut off the lead guitarists amp when he plays out of time. ;-)

Duck Tape said:

How about this; a pedal operated cymbal choker.

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I was going to make one 15 years ago with a remote hi hat stand and some mountain bike brakes.

How about a bass drum pedal that operates by way of compressing an air cylinder instead of stretching a spring.

I LOVE playing with a remote HH on the right side but I still like one one the left side.

I can do it easily on my converted E kit by using pads but on the A kit, the extra HH pedal ends up uncomfortably far away.

I want to build a HH stand/pedal that will operate both the right hand remote as well as the traditional left hand HH at the same time.

I also want to build a kit with easily removable bottom heads so the drums nest nicely inside each other. The rim and head would come off together so the head would stay in tune. It would have to be held in place with a tightening latch/clamp like a gopro case.

Also, a less cumbersome double bass "offset" stlye pedal. The thing is great but too hard to set up and it takes up a bit too much premium floor space.

A buzzless snare?

I need a handless way to drop and raise the snare wires for those times in my concert band where they don't even give you one beat to switch. I doubt there'd be enough demand to make it marketable. If there's already a good easy way to do this let me know.

Hollywood Jim said:

(If there is no patent, then the wrong people will read it.) LOL

OK here is one I came up with in response to those who were complaining about sound technicians and studio engineers, regarding ported and non-ported bass drum heads.

A removable bass drum port cover. It worked pretty good. But I did no official scientific sound tests.

Pictures speak louder than words.

.

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Oh my god. I had the EXACT same idea. Glad to see someone's actually done something with it.

PlayTheSong said:

I need a handless way to drop and raise the snare wires for those times in my concert band where they don't even give you one beat to switch. I doubt there'd be enough demand to make it marketable. If there's already a good easy way to do this let me know.

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I think I remember seeing a snare stand with a pedal at the bottom of it to flip the wires off. Possibly developed with Mike Portnoy years ago? I'll have a hunt around.

calan said:

Tama's cobra clutch is just too much for me to want to gig with, and the coady clutch is too much over the top hat for me.

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I also had a Cobra Clutch, and I loved it *as a piece of machinery*, but it was too much for me too

calan said:

Frankly, I wouldn't ever see myself using the leg control, but I still think it's a fantastic concept, and I can imagine the possibilities for some of the extreme double bass players in the world.

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Thanks, yes the leg lever is a new body motion for drummers (not for pedal steel guitars players though!) ... There are times when I just want a little sloshy going into a chorus etc, and the leg lever works well for that. I suppose with enough practice it would be possible to add hi-hat "hits" etc while playing double, I haven't quite gotten there yet ...

Chris