I recommend using a quality permanent marker to do the following while the kit is set up and positioned the way you like it (that is, while it's still set up right now):
For the pipes of a stand (any stand), draw a ring around the pipe so that it acts like a visual memory lock. But also draw a vertical line on both the pipe and the receiver so that you know that it's also in the right 360° position. It'll act as another type of visual memory lock.
For boom stands, draw a line on the tilter assembly so that your line is "broken" when the tilter is not at the correct tilt position (so draw it across the two sections so that your line is broken until the tilter is in the correct position).
Do the same thing for the little cymbal tilter at the top of the stand just in case one of them loosens during travel. I actually had one of those little tilters come loose during travel, and so it consumed a little bit of extra time because I had to try to remember which angle I had it at. I mean, I never touch them so I figured I didn't need to make a mark. But now I tighten every single one of them after every single set up, but I also have a mark on each one just in case.
For the boom arm, make two marks on the boom arm itself: one on either side of the tilter assembly of the stand. But also draw a straight line on both the boom arm and the tilter assembly so that when the boom arm is at the right angle, these lines line up. So I'm talking about when you are turning the boom arm while it is inside of the tilter.
I also recommend drawing a ring around the bottom part of every stand (including the snare stand) so that you know exactly how far out to extend the legs (again, like a visual memory lock).
And you can make marks for the toms too: put a mark on the tom arms so that you know exactly how far up or down the tom arm you want the tom to be. But also mark all other parts that could be changed just in case something loosens during travel, or in case someone else decides to loosen something in an effort to help you.
You can also mark one of the three legs on each stand so that you know which one points towards you the most.
And then if you have a rug, use some tape like gaffer's tape (or duct tape) to make squared U-shapes for the foot of each leg of each stand. Not only does this tell you where to put the foot, but it also gives you the exact angle. In this manner, you should be able to "see" every tripod when absolutely nothing is on the rug. And if you think you'll forget which placeholders are for which stands, then mark every placeholder by writing something on each one.
But it doesn't have to end there: I also recommend placing tape markers on your rug for both feet of your bass drum. What I mean is, place the tape under the spur so that the spur makes a hole. This way not only will you instantly be able to see where the leg goes, but you'll have the
exact placement thanks to the little hole made by the spur!
And for the bass drum pedal, all you will need here is a single strip of tape to mark where the end of your pedal's heel-plate is (the part closest to you). It should serve as both a marker and an
angle marker to confirm that the bass drum is in the correct position. But of course, you can also use 2 more strips of tape to put on either side of the pedal (on the rug) so that you know the pedal is in the right spot before tightening it down on the hoop.
And if you have a double pedal, then I recommend leaving like a "platform" of tape underneath the part of the slave pedal where the spurs are so they can dig into it and leave a nice mark.
But of course, leave a strip to mark where the end of the heel-plate is as well as to confirm its angle. This "platform" also helps prevent the slave pedal from sliding away from you if the spurs are extended all the way into the tape!
So, just mark every part possible that can be adjusted - even accidentally. The idea is to leave a "visual memory lock" for everything.
Oh, and finally: leave letters or numbers on your stands to tell you which stand is for which cymbal or instrument. I mean, here's a silly example: I have one Paiste cymbal while the rest are Zildjians. So, I put the letter "P' on my Paiste stand.
And so then for the rest, all I did was leave a number to tell me which size cymbal goes where. Except, I just realized that I put "R" on my ride stand when I could have just put "20" down. However, I do have a china, so that stand has a "C" on it. I also left a "J" on the cymbal stand that I use exclusively for my Jam Blocks.
So, I have a 5pc kit with a double pedal, one double tom stand, one cymbal stand attachment for my third tom, 6 cymbals, and LP's red and blue Jam Blocks. 5 of my cymbals are on boom arms, the Jam Blocks are on a cymbal stand that doesn't have a cymbal on it, and the double-tom stand has a built-in cymbal holder that has the top of a boom stand in it. All three of my toms are suspended (no floor toms to set up). So, while this could take me over an hour to set up and get my positions correct, it only takes me 25-30 minutes to be 100% ready to play my first note - and everything is in exactly the same spot as it was last time.
And actually, it used to take me about an hour and 15 minutes to set all this up because I didn't have a single mark on
anything. But then I saw close-up pics of Mike Portnoy's Purple Monster where you can also see purple gaffer's tape on the rug to mark where everything goes (click
here and scroll down a bit to see the pics I'm talking about) . It blew my mind and so I did the same thing. Except, I took it to the extreme with a permanent marker.
