Why Would You Want to Feel Low end on Your Butt?

Bruce M. Thomson

Gold Member
I just need to ask, I have seen these thrones advertised with these electronics built in that produce a shake or rumble to your seat. I have actually never read or heard what the stated purpose of this is. Any one care to comment.
I could imagine if one were to rather like the message qualities that there would be quite a bit of bass drum work (i believe that the frequencies are generated by triggers). I have 0 interest in something like this, except maybe a message device built in to the back rest of throne; now that could be cool provided it was quiet.
 
It seems to me that if anything, those devices might give me a false sense of increased volume/power, which in turn would cause me to unintendedly play more softly. But what do I know? I just hit stuff ......
 
You talking about the Buttkicker sonic shaker? I hear it's supposed to let you feel the bass. I guess it makes everything tighter on stage ( ?). I've never tried one, but I asm curious. there are gigs that I play and sometimes I can't hear my bass drum at all for brief periods. I just have to assume it's making a sound.....anyone here have experience with these things?
 
Lol this thread is right up Watso's alley. Must...not...go there.....

I never tried them so I can't comment. I would think that for a huge stage with bad monitors it couldn't hurt. But I can live without it. I wouldn't want to get used to it for the situations where I couldn't have it. I think Bermuda has made favorable comments about it.
 
Kenny Aronoff uses one. (And he's a badass ;) )

I've never used one but I've heard only good things about them. It allows for less volume from your monitors.
 
The theory is:

If you have a large monitor set up behind you (as one would when playing very large stages) you feel the air of the speakers, and you feel the low end rumble of the sub woofers.

But when eliminating the giant monitors in favor of in-ear monitors, you lose that feel. So, in theory, the butt shaker give that back to you.

But I can't speak from experience.
 
I remember playing on a floor kit at a music store with one of those. I thought it was kind of cool if maybe a little gimmicky. Still, I thought it was fun.

I know drummers who mic their bass drums in their practice rooms and run it through the PA so they don't have to work so hard. I can see how it might be useful for getting some of that kick drum feedback without having to add more volume to a small room.
 
Gavin Harrison uses it too if I recall correctly? And he uses in ear monitors, so I guess you're onto something there, DrumEatDrum.

But I wonder... Doesn't it feel like you're constantly farting?
 
Gavin Harrison uses it too if I recall correctly? And he uses in ear monitors, so I guess you're onto something there, DrumEatDrum.

But I wonder... Doesn't it feel like you're constantly farting?

Sold!

Bermuda is an avid user isn't he?
 
Gavin Harrison uses it too if I recall correctly? And he uses in ear monitors, so I guess you're onto something there, DrumEatDrum.

But I wonder... Doesn't it feel like you're constantly farting?
What do you mean, "feel like"?
:)
 
Been using a ButtKicker for 10 years, and a custom thumper seat prior to that for about 10 years. The effect is that you become "one" with the kick, considered by most to be the heartbeat of the kit. For most drummers, it's crucial to hear that in the mix, perhaps more than any other drum or instrument on stage. Monitors alone can be very inefficient if you're not hip to how waveforms work. That means, a 15 or 18" speaker seems like a good idea for a kick monitor, except that the waveform doesn't develope for several feet. And that means the bass or guitar player standing 15 feet away will be knocked over, while the drummer hears & feels almost nothing. Some of the best physical monitors I ever had were a pair of 12s, which moved the air perfectly for where I sat, and didn't kill the other guys or interfere with FOH.

Anyway, the abiilty to detect what our drums are doing is crucial to playing them properly, in the same way that a good mix typically determines how well we play.

The ButtKicker - and please do not call it a shaker - is a piston housed in liquid, and operates from 5-200 cycles only. Perfect for feeling, and becoming kick. It's a very intimate sensation, you know excatly what your kick is doing.

Most users of such a device also have some kick in their monitor, just to get a more aural sensation, and not rely completely on the thump itself. The feeling is like the kick is shaking the riser... like it's really loud and punchy... but it's very internalized, just as our 'time' is.

A ButtKicker or thumper device might be overkill and more coordination than is worth it on small gigs. I don't use mine in town, and have never wished I had it on one of those gigs. But in a concert setting, I'd never want to be without it. I even carry a spare.

Bermuda

PS - ever been in an Imax theater? That low end is probably coming from ButtKickers.
 
Lol this thread is right up Watso's alley. Must...not...go there.....
You know me too well. I'll make a point to be less predictable.

I never tried them so I can't comment. I would think that for a huge stage with bad monitors it couldn't hurt. But I can live without it. I wouldn't want to get used to it for the situations where I couldn't have it. I think Bermuda has made favorable comments about it.
Yea, something like this. I've actually been in places where it's really hard to hear specifically your bass drum in the mix or in the "room". It comes across fine to the listeners in the house, it's just that you yourself can't hear it very well; or maybe there's a bass amp behind you drowning out other low frequencies.
 
The effect is that you become "one" with the kick,
it's very internalized, just as our 'time' is.
Jon sums it up perfectly here. I use this very advanced unit http://www.porteranddavies.co.uk/BC2OverviewPage.html Same one that gavin uses.

Like Jon, I only use it on bigger gigs, but I use it without any audible monitoring. It's a very sensitive device. You don't feel any vibration as such, you "hear" your bass drum. We hear the majority of sounds through our ears, but we also hear with our body, & it's that ability that's tapped into here. The unit runs from the bass drum mic, & it replicates every aspect of dynamics & sustain. This allows you to place the bass drum precisely in context with the rest of your kit, in the same way you can when playing on your own. Even on the loudest stages, it works wonderfully.

Also, as Jon points out, it makes life very easy for the live sound engineer.
 
Been using a ButtKicker for 10 years, and a custom thumper seat prior to that for about 10 years. The effect is that you become "one" with the kick, considered by most to be the heartbeat of the kit. For most drummers, it's crucial to hear that in the mix, perhaps more than any other drum or instrument on stage. Monitors alone can be very inefficient if you're not hip to how waveforms work. That means, a 15 or 18" speaker seems like a good idea for a kick monitor, except that the waveform doesn't develope for several feet. And that means the bass or guitar player standing 15 feet away will be knocked over, while the drummer hears & feels almost nothing. Some of the best physical monitors I ever had were a pair of 12s, which moved the air perfectly for where I sat, and didn't kill the other guys or interfere with FOH.

Anyway, the abiilty to detect what our drums are doing is crucial to playing them properly, in the same way that a good mix typically determines how well we play.

The ButtKicker - and please do not call it a shaker - is a piston housed in liquid, and operates from 5-200 cycles only. Perfect for feeling, and becoming kick. It's a very intimate sensation, you know excatly what your kick is doing.

Most users of such a device also have some kick in their monitor, just to get a more aural sensation, and not rely completely on the thump itself. The feeling is like the kick is shaking the riser... like it's really loud and punchy... but it's very internalized, just as our 'time' is.

A ButtKicker or thumper device might be overkill and more coordination than is worth it on small gigs. I don't use mine in town, and have never wished I had it on one of those gigs. But in a concert setting, I'd never want to be without it. I even carry a spare.

Bermuda

PS - ever been in an Imax theater? That low end is probably coming from ButtKickers.

Well that explains it; letting you feel what you might not be able to hear. It sounds like it could serve as a practice device as well.
 
If I had a girlfriend I would have her sit on the butt kicker while I knock out 300 bpm double bass grooves.
 
If I had a girlfriend I would have her sit on the butt kicker while I knock out 300 bpm double bass grooves.

Back in the day when I had the ButtKicker turned way up, the occasional gal on the local crew loved it. :)
 
It sounds like it could serve as a practice device as well.

Not sure you'd practice with it, as long as you can hear/feel your kick, you're already good. It's designed for higher volume gigs where monitors are necessary but tend to fall short in the 'punch' department.

Bermuda
 
Back
Top