Audix mics on Suspension mounted drums?

gretsch292

Junior Member
Hey guys,

This is my first post on the site.

I own a Gretsch Renown kit. This is my first kit with suspension mounted rack toms. I was trying to mount my Audix D-2's on the rack toms and couldn't find a way to mount the mics to the actual rim (the diecast counter hoop) of the drum. I was only able to get them on the suspension mount. They fit on there, but slide off with just a slight bump. I'm concerned that the vibrations from a normal show may jar them loose.

Anyone else run into a similar problem or have any input or suggestions for the best way to mount these mics?

Thanks,

Chris
 
Yeah, they would only really grip the actual hoops...that's what they're designed to do. How do you mount your toms? The only way I could see it NOT working would be if the mounting bracket part of the suspension system were facing the audience, or slightly off to the side. If you fly the toms in from the side, like from a cymbal stand next to the bass drum, you should have no problem...
 
Thanks for the reply

I currently have them mounted from a gibraltar rack. The mounts are located at approximately 10:00 (Left tom) and 2:00 (Right tom) (12 being dead center). The gretsch mounts (made by gibraltar I think) surround nearly 50% of the rim circumference, so it's tough to get them mounted in a manner that gives free rim space in a location that won't interfere with playing.

There was a similar thread about Sennheiser 604 mics on the forum here:
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50028

Never seemed that there was much consensus short of perhaps mounting the toms "upside down" on the GTS mounts or using a separate boom arm. hmmm.

Ideally (to me that is), the mics would be mounted between 11:00 and 1:00 on each drum, but the size of the mounts means that in order to accomplish that, you'd have to place the mounting arms at about 8:00 (L) and 4:00 (R), and that's pretty darn near impossible (so it seems to me). With the popularity of Gretsch renown drums and Audix mics, I have to believe that others have encountered this problem!

Nothing can be easy I guess
 
Bummer. The other option would be to mount some arms to attach the mics onto your rack. You can get a clamp to mount a cymbal post to your rack, but put the top half of a mic stand in it instead. I dunno. Just trying to think of options.

Is it a "Gretsch" mount or a RIMS mount? I've had no problems getting the clamp-style mic clips onto a RIMS mount and not sliding, but the Gretsch mounts have that annoying flange to work around. If they slide back and forth, why not put something on either side of where the clip goes? The cheapest option would be a couple of pieces of tape to provide friction. Or, perhaps it may work to clamp directly onto a piece of tape so it doesn't slide at all...??? (Also, that would be like a "memory marker" for where to put the mic for a quick setup.)
 
Bummer. The other option would be to mount some arms to attach the mics onto your rack. You can get a clamp to mount a cymbal post to your rack, but put the top half of a mic stand in it instead. I dunno. Just trying to think of options.

Is it a "Gretsch" mount or a RIMS mount? I've had no problems getting the clamp-style mic clips onto a RIMS mount and not sliding, but the Gretsch mounts have that annoying flange to work around. If they slide back and forth, why not put something on either side of where the clip goes? The cheapest option would be a couple of pieces of tape to provide friction. Or, perhaps it may work to clamp directly onto a piece of tape so it doesn't slide at all...??? (Also, that would be like a "memory marker" for where to put the mic for a quick setup.)

Thanks for the constructive advice!

I'm going to try the tape idea with the Audix Dvices and see how it works with them on the suspension mounts. They are the Gretsch/gibraltar suspension mounts that come stock on the renown rack toms. I may also experiment with the LP or gibraltar mic clamps. They seem to lock in place via a wingnut, which would be ideal when mounting on the suspension mounts.

If all else fails, I'll probably mount mic boom arms to the rack, but I'd like to avoid that if possible.

Whatever I do needs to be durable and road worthy, as my kit will be miced 85% of the time and torn down after each use (gig to gig).

Thanks again!
 
I've got some Sennheiser e604's and ran into the same problem. So, I bought some Mic-Eze clamps, which you can clamp directly onto the RIMS mounts. They have a spring-loaded clamp with a bolt and a wing nut. You just pinch the clamp to put it on the RIMS mount, then tighten the wing nut until it's snug. The nice thing about these clamps is that you can use them with just about any microphone (SM57's, e604's, etc.). But I was kind of bummed that I couldn't use the clamps that were included with the e604's.
 
Thanks for the tip. Those look pretty good and reasonably priced.

I have a gig this weekend that doesn't require mics on the kit, but I'm going to try the audix mounts and play the gig with them on. We'll see if they stand up to the test!

If not......plan B
 
Those look good! And they're cheap, too! Nice find! I'll have to keep those in mind the next time somebody asks a question like yours.

When you get it all configured, would you mind throwing up some pics so we can see? :D

For sure! I'm waiting for a replacement bracket for my SPD-S so that I can mount that off the rack too. Once I get everything together, I'll definitely get pics up.

I was always opposed to racks thinking that they were too "clunky" but all I have to do is take off the boom arms and fold in the side wings, snare and HH and I can pick that thing up and walk it in and out of gigs. Loads easy in my Astro van too!


Thanks again!
 
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