Just installed my Kelly Shu

So many great options for running the cable...all comes down to preference, ease of doing, and a little bit of cost consideration as well as considerations of modifying the drum (drilling an XLR jack into the shell - which I will do eventually - I know, for shame, but convenience might outweigh current option, plus it's a 35 year old drum with holes drilled in for the tom mount, a .75" hole for an XLR jack isn't going to make a difference in the sound at this point).

I do wrap the XLR is a towel before I play and use a 2' cable so I don't have to worry about too much slack when I move. I used to use a 25' XLR cable, but that's a lot of cable to wrap up and tote around with a bass drum that is already fun to move around on its own!

Also, consider that if you go the quarter-inch cable route, you can use a right-angle plug, so you can hide the pluf on the bottom of the bass drum. It is much less vulnerable to getting struck or bent there and looks more compact.

Keep in mind this is a quarter-inch stereo cable, also called TRS (Tip-ring-sleeve), so it has two black bands on the plug instead of one. It carries signals, and is wired, just like XLR, so you can solder XLR at one end and TRS at the other. The advantage is that it takes up less room and is a bit easier to use than XLR. The disadvantage is that it doesn't typically conduct current, so must only be used with dynamic mics. Fortunately, every bass drum I've ever come across is dynamic.
 
And what the sam hill does this have to do with a Kelly Shu? :)
 
And what the sam hill does this have to do with a Kelly Shu? :)

I think he's just expanding on the mic cable possibilities when using an internally mounted bass drum mic.

I think I'm going to give the Kelly Shu a try. I'll probably just get the plastic one instead of the aluminum. I really like the idea of not having to set up the mic and stand every time and I want to experiment with what it will sound like with the mic set closer to the batter head.
 
I think he's just expanding on the mic cable possibilities when using an internally mounted bass drum mic.

I think I'm going to give the Kelly Shu a try. I'll probably just get the plastic one instead of the aluminum. I really like the idea of not having to set up the mic and stand every time and I want to experiment with what it will sound like with the mic set closer to the batter head.
I know. I am just giving him a hard time. :) He likes to de-rail my threads. :( So far I love my Shu. The store owner talked me out of the aluminum one because he said it was overkill. There really isn't any stresses on it, it installed properly.
 
I know. I am just giving him a hard time. :) He likes to de-rail my threads. :( So far I love my Shu. The store owner talked me out of the aluminum one because he said it was overkill. There really isn't any stresses on it, it installed properly.

HA! Let's just hope Apple doesn't come out with the iShue.

I know aluminum can be pretty resonant unless it's treated correctly. I would think the plastic would be less resonant but it probably doesn't make a lick of difference.
 
Save yourself $50 and get the Composite Shu. I don't think the average person needs the aluminum model, but I'm confident it doesn't resonate and is treated/molded so it doesn't. I don't think Neil Peart would have one in his bass drum if it affected the sound in the slightest.

You're going to be thinking about cable management as soon as you get one, so might as well have that discussion now too.
 
I think he's just expanding on the mic cable possibilities when using an internally mounted bass drum mic.

I think I'm going to give the Kelly Shu a try. I'll probably just get the plastic one instead of the aluminum. I really like the idea of not having to set up the mic and stand every time and I want to experiment with what it will sound like with the mic set closer to the batter head.

I have the aluminum on my kit and put the composite one in a church kit. Much prefer the aluminum one, as the composite one flexes under stress from the bungees. Obviously the looser the bungees, the less stress. But, if you're gigging a lot and need to transport, you definitely want tighter bungees, so the unit doesn't "boing" around in the kick during transport. Nothing worse than your mic setup banging up the inside of your kick!

And, on both kicks I initially thought I had the Shu right where I wanted it, but later ended up working on dialing in the optimal position of the Shue. You typically make some bungees shorter than others when cutting them to size, and during repositioning I found myself wanting to use shorter bungees in different places. The combo of short and long bungees easily tweaks and twists the composite Shu, and I would venture to guess that if you're transporting a kit with a twisted Shu a lot, and all the vibration it gets under use in a twisted position, then the chances of failure increase. Which is presumably why the composite model only has a 1 year warranty and the aluminum one is warrantied for life.

If your kit is stationary, a composite will likely do you fine with looser bungees, but after working with both models I wouldn't use composite again if I can help it. The aluminum Shu is well worth the extra $40, or whatever the difference is, if only for peace of mind. JMHO. ;-)
 
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