What is the order that you set up your gear at a show?

[Mr. Grill]

Usually when the band before us starts, I go and assemble my stands, clamps and pedals offstage. I also put the legs on my floor tom and stuff.

Once the band onstage finishes, I start hauling my actual drums (bass and toms) onstage. Once these are in position, I put my pedals on the bass drum, and place my snare drum.

Then, I put my stands in their usual positions (although sometimes, I experiment with different placements that I haven't tried at home. Does anyone else do this?). Cymbals go on next, and I do fine adjustments.

This process takes about 15 minutes overall, and I must say, memory locks are a godsend, haha!

Any suggestions to speed it up, make it more fun, blah blah?

Also post your set up stories.

[Seafroggys]

I do all the stands off stage, since I have everything spiked. Then I bring up my rug, put on my bass drum with pedals, then snare, floor tom, and hi-hats. Then two rack toms, then my cymbals.

[Ill Mitch]

Set up offstage, move onstage. However, the last couple of gigs I've done, my group has been the only one, so I just set up in place.

General set up order is as follows; kick, then hi hat and snare, then toms, then the remaining cymbals.

[oliv_da_skinmasher]

Depends.

If i'm playin a show with more than just one band or if i'm playing after the football(oh yes its happened) it tends to all be done off stage, Just me i'll set it all up as if it were practice

[billdrum]

Nice thread. I open up my rack, raise the cymbal arms. Then I put my kick drum in place and attach the pedals, followed by hanging the toms on the rack. Then I set up my HH stand and snare stand, place the snare drum. Then I put up all my cymbals. Next I attach all my mics, and lastly run all the cables. Oh yeah, then I have to set up my vocal mic and run the cable.

[White]

I got from Back to Front,

Throne
Floor Toms/Ride Stand
Snare Drum
Hi hats
Bass Drum
Rack Tom/Crash Cymbal stand.

That easy lol.

[Plan B.]

I get the bassoon on first, set it up nice, then the snare and hats and throne, all at the same time pretty much and adjust all that to my liking.

Then I get the stands with the toms on them, and get them all nice and sturdy, but the toms on, and calculate the angles. then i put all my cymbals on and adjust them so everything is nice and cozy.

Lastly i get the vox mic and hopefully it has a boom but w/e's if it doesn't and then i calibrate that to my liking, then i put my stick bag close by with set list on it and sometimes i put some sticks on my bassoon just incase one goes flying hard times.

[Sponer]

Unpack all the drums from bags, unpack and set up all the stands, mount the drums, mount the cymbals, move onto stage.

I usually unpack the double pedal and get it set up, but don't attach it till on the stage. Usually if I'm setting up off the stage, I'm doing it durning another band's set and have plenty of time so I usually don't rush. Moving everything on the stage and making the fine adjustments is like 5 minutes tops.


Tear down, I usually just get everything right off the stage quickly, and pack up off to the side or somewhere I'm out of the way so I can take my time.

[GooseFilms.net]

Depends on where i'm loading from. If I'm loading from behind the riser, I set it up from front (bass drum) to back (drum throne). If I'm loading from infront of the riser, I set up from back to front. If from the left, then I load from right to left, and vice versa. Idea is to make it as efficient as possible and not to have to manuever around your gear too much.

[The Chemist]

Stands (all), Mounted Tom, bass, Floor Tom, Snare, Hats, Ride, Crashes, Throne, sticks, mics, cables, set-list, stuffed walrus.

[ofDooM]

Preprepare Stands
Rug
Bass
Pedals
Snare
Throne
Hats
Toms
Stands

[Panopticon]

when i used my rack i would prepare it offstage beforehand then lay the carpet down...then put down everything that isn't on the rack...then put the rack...then put on cymbals.

[Mirror.Circuit]

Bass drum,Rack tom on snare stand,Floor tom,Bass pedal,Snare,Hi hat pedal,Cymbals.

[MeaninglessPhoto]

Front rack bar
Bass
snare
hihat
left bar
right bar

[Sunshine]

I lucked out like hardcore, the 3 shows I've done were with a really small scene, where everybody helps out everybody, plus I'm a chick, so I always had at least 5 other people helping me out, and at least 2 of them knew explicitly how things went [the others would do things that were obvious, like place pieces about where they'd need to go].
So everything gets set up at the same time, but we were always the opening band so everything got set up on the stage, no pre-setting up...but lets see if I can get how things went:

I set up the bass drum where it should go, and I'd pick up one tom, and someone else would pick up the other and watch how I put it in place [yay memory locks] and do the same.
Then I'd move on to find my floor tom and legs, and my guitarists and/or people who knew about drum sets would work on my cymbal stands and cymbals.
Then the throne, which is generally already put together, and I tell everyone to leave the snare to me [they all ask me about it], and then I sit down and tweak all the angles and voila.

Ok, so I'm sorry if that sounded really pretentious or something, 'cause I didn't mean it that way...like, I'm always super greatful, and I never ask or expect everyone to pitch in like that, plus, I always help out the other bands...its just how we did it in Sierra Vista. Visiting bands would be a little freaked out at first, but a lot of the time they'd be super helpful helping everyone else pack up once they saw it was standard.

[the fat llama]

seat
bass drum
pedals(incluing HH)
snare
rack toms
floor tom
stands
cymbals
stick bag

my band doesnt really know how to set the kit up, but they can do some stuff. it does make it that slight bit quicker.

[CasB]

Seat
Kick
Pedals
Toms
Hihat
Snare
Cymbalstands
Cymbals

[maniac0796]

Throne
Bass drum
Toms

And then I'll put my stands up etc offstage, and my cymbals, and wait till i play.

[socialanxiety]

Pre-stage:
Stool.
Fix up bass drum legs, put on floor tom legs, set up stands/general hardware
Put the cymbals/snare/rack tom on the stands

On-stage:
Set up my stool, kick and snare around the same time and usually in that order. Next, I fit in the hats. Then the floor tom. Then the ride and crashes (if I use them)

After that comes the joyous passtime of convincing the sound guys that having the kick mic on the batter side provides more attack, which is pretty much all the audience needs to hear more of (This depends on where I'm playing).

[Aaron]

Snare
Bass and pedals
Hi-Hat
Tom and Floor Tom
Cymbals [on three stands, pre-setup offstage]

Total time; 3 Minutes.

[dairyairman]

i like to put the throne down first to make sure i have enough room for myself, then the bass drum and pedal goes down in relation to that. after that, the rest of the drums go on. finally the cymbals go on.

[slim_jim147]

I only go on stage. I always play on other people set up.
The only time (2 times) I play with mine, we were the only band

[Retarded Chipple]

I set up the same at a show as I do at home.


I normally get all hardware (throne, stands, pedal etc) up and ready then work around that.

[Futuro]

surge protections
laptop
External hd

[-Obscurity-]

First I study the blueprints to make sure they are legitimate. Then I get my blowtorch, lock bypass switch, crowbar, and wirecutters. Next I disable the nightime security guard with the crowbar, knock out the video signal with the wirecutters and open the doors with the lock bypass. Then I head to the vault with the blowtorch and....waitaminute... I think I misread the thread title. Whoops!

[Sammy_L_D]

Depends what I'm bringing.

If I have all my full collection:

- Put cajon on floor
- Put quinto in front
- Put conga up/right to quinto
- Put djembe to right of me

No cajon:
- Throne
- Quinto/conga/djembe as above

No djembe;
- Throne
- Quinto/conga

No congas:
- Throne
- Djembe

No throne:
- Cajon or djembe, + shaker--or no shaker

No drums:
- Shaker, tambourine?!

[TTTSNB]

I put the pedals down first, so kick drum, bass drum pedal, and hihat, followed by the snare drum. Then I put the floor tom down, followed by the rack toms. Then I put all the cymbals up.

[Josiah]

Rack it up in the off stage area, everything cept the hats, snare and throne can be attached to the rack. Only takes a few guys to lift the whole thing up and put it where ever. attach pedals, put hi-hat stand, snare, throne and done.

[The Mites]

I think everyone should start from the ground up.

Assuming there is already a rug, I would set down the bass drum, pedals, hi hat, and throne. Then put the snare drum smack in the middle.

That - I believe - is the foundation of the kit. It's where you balance your entire body so getting that right is essential.

Following that, go with the toms starting from either end; doesn't really matter.

Finally, the stands and cymbals.

[Mr Pink]

stands
put cymbals on stands
when stands on stage put drums on stands
hit with small pieces of wood
reverse order
drink copius amounts of adult beverage