Pictorial installation instructions for supporting The Kelly SHU™ Shock-Mount System and microphone on the front of a kick drum.
Suspending the Kelly SHU™ shock-mount on the front of a kick drum is quick and easy. The support cords simply hook around the drum’s tension rods, using them as attachment points for the hooks. Our patented design suspends the mount in the traditional position instead of using a stand or clamp to position the kick drum microphone.
For this guide, we are supporting a Heil PR 48 microphone using The Kelly SHU Pro™ Series Shock-mount. The drum is a 10 lug, 22 x 16 inch kick drum shell. The resonant head has a 6″ sound port.

This installation requires a minimum of 4 assembled support cords. Two being built using lengths of rubber cord material at 7 inches long. The other two are made using rubber material 3.5 inches in length. Proceed to install the hooks on each end of the rubber cords.

For External Kelly SHU™ Installation, the support cords for The Kelly SHU™ microphone holder will hook around the kick drum’s tension rods as shown here. Note that the slotted adjustment tab on the microphone holder is facing away from the drum. Ports cut larger than 6 inches can accommodate the slotted tab facing inward.

The red arrows indicate the locations where the Kelly SHU™ system support cords will wrap around the kick drum hoop. TIP: Final positioning adjustments of the external drum mic holder can be made later by changing the support cords to run from one side of the hoop claws to the other.

Continue your External Kelly SHU™ Installation by engaging the two shortest support cords into holes in the mounting unit as shown here. These two support cords will hook around the two tension rods which are closest to the resonant drumhead’s sound port. Engage the hooks around the two tension rods and wrap the cords around to the front of the drum.

While holding the Kelly SHU™ in place, we engage the final two support cords into the Kelly SHU™ mounting unit. Maintain a moderate stretch of the first two support cords while connecting the remaining two. It is helpful to manually equalize the stretch on the support cords until they are all securely connected. When all of the Kelly SHU™ support cords are engaged in the mounting unit, the kick drum microphone should be freely floating just over the sound port as in a traditional position.

Final adjustments can be made by choosing which side of the hoop claws to position the support cords. Reference the red dotted lines indicating possible support cord positions in the photo. Changing sides on just one of the support cords will move the microphone considerably.

Once in position, the microphone will stay in place. It will remain completely isolated from the drum and the stage both thanks to The Kelly SHU™ System’s patented shock-mount design. Using the Kelly SHU&trade system as an external drum mic holder allows you access to the microphone without sacrificing the benefits of the shock-mount system. Many Pro Audio Engineers agree that a Kelly SHU&trade kick drum just sounds better.