A few days ago I went to see Metallica’s concert at my local movie theater and I saw something I didn’t notice before.
Lars’ throne is not an ordinary throne, there's something underneath it.
Lars Ulrich, 'Hardwired to self destruct Tour'
What is that?!
The buttkicker
That is the Buttkicker. The Buttkicker is a ‘bass shaker”, or Tactile Transducer Processor. The TTP is there to make you feel the bass frequencies, avoiding the sound pressure of a subwoofer.
Buttkicker
A TTP takes audio signals and converts them into vibrations. These vibrations are then felt through your throne, adding a physical dimension to the sound.
To put it simply: It shakes your butt with low frequencies, so it’s easier to hear them.
Buttkicker
It’s also a cost-saver and makes life easier
Given that the size and power of a stage monitor required to adequately reproduce low frequency drum sounds is expensive and hard to transport, a TTP is rather small and require much less power to get the job done.
Also, it makes the life of sound engineers easier. It requires a lot less power, and since they produce little or no noise, it doesn’t interfere with the sound frequencies that might get picked up by a stage microphone.
Aviom's diagram for their BOOM-1 Tactile Transducer Processor
TTPs are not new
Tactile transducers have been around since the 1960s, usually falling under the "shaker" category. A simple example of this is the vibration available on a common cellphone.
But, not until the 2010s tactile sound transducers evolved to include higher frequencies and produce higher fidelity. Modern TTP devices have a higher resolution than previous "shakers". Most humans have a tactile resolution of about 2Hz, which is the smallest change in frequency that can be perceived. The Buttkicker has a frequency response range of approximately 5Hz to 200Hz. So, in case needed, you can really shake up your butt!
An installed Buttkicker
It’s not only Lars
Elijah Wood, Shania Twain's 2019 Tour
Elijah Wood's Buttkicker setup
There are many drummers in a wide range of genres, playing in different types of venues (or even studios) who use TTP’s to assist their monitoring needs. Also, you can get TTP’s at different price points. Very simple TTPs sell for less than $20 on Amazon in the US, while the Buttkicker is around $300 in the US, and Aviom’s BOOM-1 TTP is around $700 in the US.
Different price points for different needs, so if you want to explore how a TTP would feel underneath you while playing, you can start low and see how that works for you.
Do you use one? How does it feel?
