RTOM Black Holes

91
WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM DECEMBER 2017 |
N
o ise is the second biggest
problem we encounter as
drummers, the fi rst being the
anger of everyone around us
who has to deal with it. It can make playing on
an acoustic kit at home very diffi cult, or even
impossible. Of course, there are a number of
products to help with this on the market, and
progression from simple rubber mutes has
increased over the last couple of years with
the introduction of products such as Remo’s
Silentstroke mesh heads and Zildjian’s L80
Low Volume cymbals. Now, MoonGel
manufacturer RTOM wants to help you to
keep the peace with the introduction of its
new Black Hole system.
Build
The concept is quite simple: you get the sound
of your acoustic kit, but quiet, and it does the
job in a different way to what we’ve seen
before. Each ‘pad’ comprises a tension-able
mesh head, which sits within a rubber collar.
The collar of the pad is placed over the rim of
your drum (if you have die-cast rims, you’ll
need to purchase an additional elastic
attachment), taking just a few seconds to get it
in situ, and once you do, it sits proudly above
the batter head by 1-2 inches. The bass drum
attaches slightly differently, butting up against
the hoop and held in place with bungee cords.
A metal pedal attachment plate is also included
with the bass drum pad.
Hands On
So does it work? Simply, yes it does! The sound
doesn’t feel like a compromise as you are still
hearing your tuning and tone. Because there’s
nothing in contact with your drum heads, the
sound is completely sympathetic: very round,
pure and forgiving, making it easy to play for
long periods without fatigue.
PRICE
10", £77; 12", £81; 13",
£84; 14", £88; 16", £85;
18", £115; 20", £125;
22", £130; 24", £137
AVAILABLE SIZES
10"-24" (18"-24"
bass drums)
MATERIAL
Mesh heads
ATTACHMENT
METHOD
Rubber collar,
snaps to drum rim
CONTACT
Br Distribution
01207 282806
brdistribution.co.uk
Essential spec
BASS DRUM
The bass drum pad sits fl ush
against the hoop of your kick drum,
held in place by elastic/metal-
clawed fasteners
CENTRE DOTS
Each pad is fi tted with an additional
centre dot. As well as providing durability,
the dots add a little extra attack and a
realistic feel to the mesh surface
MOUNTING
The pads are placed
on the rim of your drum,
meaning you hit the mesh,
which isn’t in contact with
your regular batter head
MESH
The tension of each pad can be
changed by using the included tool
to make sure the feel of each drum is
as close as possible to your real heads
VERDICT: The Black Hole system does
exactly what it sets out to do. If you
have a dedicated kit for practising, a
more permanent option like Remo’s
Silentstroke heads will save you a lot of
money. But for speed, sound and feel,
RTOM has done a great job.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
From £77 Neighbours and loved ones on your back
about noise? These Black Holes could be a revelation
RTOM
BLACK HOLES
WORDS: STUART WILLIAMS
We were able to play along with music on
hi-fi speakers at only slightly higher than
normal listening levels. You might fi nd you’ll
need to adjust your stool or stand heights to
recalibrate your comfort zone, but the height
difference is uniform across each drum. The
key benefi t over other systems is the speed at
which the pads can be taken on and off.
RHY275.gear_rotm.indd 91 03/11/2017 14:47