Beatit Test: Booty Shakers

Somehow, we never could find the time to take this very interesting product, offered by the American TNR company, under our microscope. We would come across these things in recording studios on numerous occasions, and there was always the thought of getting round to familiarize you, Drummers and Drummerettes, with this idea for enhancing the sonic potential of the drum kit. Finally, we asked our colleagues from across the pond to send us some of their products for testing.

Little Booty Shakers – for an enhanced tom tom and snare drum sound

Booty Shakers – for an enhanced floor tom sound

1.Product

Little Booty Shakers – made from special L-shaped foam with velcro strips, which help the Little Booty Shakers sit tightly on snare drum or tom stand basket arms. The velcro strips are very tough and seem durable. Combined with the foam, they look very professional. The grapples come in two color versions: red and black. We like the red ones better and the reason is very practical, i. e. better visibility in the “combat zone” (dimmed lights on stage, lack of time, etc.).

Basic product specs:

Snare drum or tom tom isolation and drag elimination for a deeper, richer, more natural tone
Compatible with any hardware brand
Easy to mount and use (no tools or modifications to the drums needed)
Durable, lightweight and portable
Affordable (approx. €15)
3 pcs per set

Booty Shakers – foam “booties” for floor tom legs. The devices are designed to suspend the drum, detach it from the floor, and at the same time maintain its stability. The result is a soft base for floor tom legs which eliminates unnecessary compression. The producer offers two stripe colors: red and black. Again, just as it was in the case of snare drum and tom tom isolators, we think red stripes are more practical and make product identification easier.

Basic product specs:

Floor tom isolation and drag elimination for a deeper, richer, more natural tone
Compatible with any hardware brand
Easy to mount and use (no tools or modifications to the drums needed)
Durable, lightweight and portable
Affordable (approx. €20)
3 pcs per set

2. Test and sound

We tested Booty shakers in our own recording facility. We have to say the difference in sound was immediately audible. The sound produced by drums isolated by Booty Shakers foams is more clear, and the frequency band is broader. It was the least apparent when testing them on a snare drum, but they made a world of a difference when slipped onto floor tom legs. Take a look at the frequency spectrum charts for each of the instruments we used during the test:

a. Tom tom

Before

After

a. Snare drum

Before

After

c. Floor tom

Before

After

As can be seen from the figures above, the differences are tangible. When applying the devices, the user gets a broader and more balanced sound wave frequency.

3. Summary

It is evident to us that the product works from the sonic point of view. As much as we would love to award our top mark (5Top), we have to leave it at 5 (second highest on our scale) due to lesser isolating effectiveness on the snare drum. It must be stated that these devices are made from good materials, are well-crafted and user-friendly. They are an ideal solution for drummers, sound engineers, recording engineers and all those who care about sound quality.