micro drum rack prototype 1
July 20, 2026
I have an ambition to travel with a really small drum set. It should fit the bill for (nearly) acoustic shows, handle fully electronic situations, and be easy to travel with. This wish list (spec?) is the result of a colorful array of various solo / accompaniment experiences with many configurations of drums heavily augmented by Sensory Percussion:
- All cables are pre-wired on a rack. There are numerous sensor cables that need to be run, which is very clunky at a gig where you need to move the kit before/after soundcheck. Even if it does not need to be moved, it's simply time consuming.
- I can move the rack by myself when everything is mounted.
- Acoustic Kick - even if the acoustic sound isn't used, I find that the sensitivity / dynamics of a real head are irreplaceable for a kick. I have circled back to this conclusion after years of promoting the antithetical solution in favor of portability.
- Acoustic Snare - same as the kick, but more so for the sound. While possible to recreate quite effectively, it's hard to be nimble with electronic snares. With a snare I know well, I'm constantly fiddling with the tension, using different sticks, mallets, brushes, etc. It seems to put MDs / bandmates at ease to have this staple in the physical realm more than any other piece of the kit.
- One mesh drum - a blank canvas. Could be a tom, multiple toms, "the SPD" (because you almost never need all of those pads), or literally anything else.
- Acoustic hi-hat / cymbal or e-cymbals, now viable thanks to Sunhouse's new cymbal sensors.
- Packs into two airline-checkable Pelicans. Not oversize or overweight.
- Theoretically possible to haul with my cargo bike for my (dream) solo tour via bicycle.
I made an initial prototype out of scrap wood. I had 1.5x1.5" boards that I realized would pair perfectly with Pearl Icon drum rack clamps.
I'm using a Reverie 14" "Little Drum" as the kick. When dampened and mic'd, it is sufficient for the role (with some EQ love). The mount was fairly hacky with an assortment of hardware I had.
I didn't include the hi-hat in the rack. I envision not needing a hi-hat sensor sometimes, so it's no big deal to set the hi-hat stand separately.
I've used this rig for two shows out in the real world, and was really happy with it! Particularly in a load-out through the crowd venue, it was amazing to get the majority of my kit out of the way in one go within a minute of finishing the set.
For the next iteration I'm going to try:
- Not including the snare in the rack - the snare drum adds a lot of weight and dimension to the rack. I think the extra step to plug in one more sensor will be a worthwhile tradeoff to make the rack even easier to carry.
- Having the interface upright on its side, so I can strap in DIs beside it (instead of on top of it, blocking some of the knobs).
- Securing the bass drum with a little more wood and a lot less metal.
- (reach goal) Adding a laptop stand above the interface, more or less tucked down where a floor tom is traditionally.