PercussioNeuron

Motivation:

The PercussioNeuron is (presently) an ATA road-case-stye pedalboard by RoadCase USA, containing

• Trigger IO / Dddrum DTI drum-trigger to MIDI interface
• Akai MPC1000 sampler, acting as sound module
• Korg KP-2 Kaoss pad: touch-controlled FX processor that allow me to control effects and sampling on e-drum sound(s) of my choice using the big touch pad, so I don’t have to change my grip on a stick to grab a knob. The routing
• a mess of cables (see elsewhere)

 

So far, it’s been a very tidy setup. I’ve used it to rehearse, and to teach.

The only problem is mounting it just right. In the past, I’ve set it up on the upturned lid of a hardware case (leaving it too low to play), or tired a standard X-style keyboard stand (too high). The best I could come up with was balancing it on a derelict 12U rack box, but it proved awkwardly flat.

An Angle on Wiring and Shoe-ing

As described in another article, the PercussioNeuron had evolved to have a mess of cables and a plexi-glass shoe to let me access the MPC’s headphone jack and footswitch jacks on the front panel over the ATA case’s lip.

Over months of sporadic use, I found this shoe really needed to be tilted forward to work right. Thus, knowing a level stand of any size would not cut it, I started looking WAY outside the box.

 

Progress: taking (the right) stand…

The solution came to me when I saw a stand for lifting small amplifiers up to blast-in-your-face heights. They elevate and tilt.

So, I got an RS7705 tilt-back amp stand.

 

The simple, sturdy squat construction of the RS stand is great… it’s doesn’t require the width of a keyboard stand, and it’s got a tilting head. The only problem is the big tilt-back arms get in the way when I use them to hold the PercussioNeuron tilted forward toward me.

 

 

 

As you can see, they not only keep me from reaching to play the MPC and KP2, they intrude into elbow space, so…

Let’s CUT IT UP 

New guitar player (and construction/shop wizard) Adam Riggar was kind enough to bring his cutter to rehearsal.

 

 

 

Turn the beat around:

 

Having pulled out the wires and triggers, I realized it was a good time to strike the whole drum set to turn it away from the wall, do I can better face the rest of the band during rehearsal.