I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't tried it.

At DJ&C this year, Marko let us test out the effects of the Kickport. We pulled it off his ported kick, played for a bit, then put it back on. I myself will be the first to admit that I did not hear much of a difference...at least not enough to make me run out and buy it as a be all end all bass drum enhancement. So we walked away going..."OK, it's nice and not to expensive, so meh...maybe I'll give it a whirl, maybe not...no biggy.

As you all know, Santa brought me one for Christmas so I could not loose. By now my head was already ported so when I originally did the porting I put the right amount of hole in the reso, just in case some noble soul would buy me one to try. Here's my report for all of you.

The reso head is moderately tight but not much. There's no wrinkle and you can bounce a quarter on it per se. I kept it low in pitch but still sonically pleasant. There is NO MUFFLING on the front, but as you know, I had my granddaughters design imaged onto a piece of sticky thin vinyl and it is stuck on my head permanently. It does not muffle the head per se, but the ring is a little less in length, not strength pitch or volume. It still rings a good bit though, and there is no pillow, blanket or muffling touching the head in any way.

My batter head is about 2 turns on each lug tight. But on this head I have 2 felt strips running up and down on either side about 2 inches from the edge of the drum. I put the strips down, placed the head on them, tightened the rods finger tight, pulled the strips taught, and then 2 complete turns on each as stated before. There is a pillow (the small DW kind) touching the lower third of the head muffling the ring just a bit, but not just a dull lifeless thud or pop...a nice boom.

I also added a Danmar rock pad onto the beating side of the head...not the metal pad, the hard fiber board one. Add to that I have found the beaters of my dreams in the Pearl 2 headed models and I am using the plastic sides hitting the pad. I got a nice tick and a thorough boom which sounded pretty good.

I then, last night, installed the Kickport with my granddaughters help when she came over for Christmas day. (We actually played together...her playing guitar and me at my kit) I got behind the kit, grabbed my Tommy Igoe Vic Firths and proceded to have at it. I kid you not, there was an AMAZING sonic change in my kick. So much so, that the walls and floor began to slightly vibrate. Now my practice room is a small 8 x 12 bedroom with carpeting on the floor, but I tell you, the difference is amazing. Whether it's lower, more punchy or whatever you want to call it, I wanted to just keep playing that kick over and over. It made me feel good and full for the first time in a long time. And even my nephew who was sitting in front of the kit listening said he could hear the thunder. He just smiled and asked me to keep on playing!

I'm not a review person, and I surely don't know everything about drumming and drumming equipment. But I do know what I like. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I musta been wrong about this little piece of plastic and rubber. I figure that maybe where we were playing was so big and boomy that I did not get the full effect of this device, but in this small enclosed area, sitting on carpet, with the right muffling and added attack, this thing makes me smile from ear to ear...no joke! I'm not endorsing nor selling these, but I like it and it will surely be a welcome addition to my total sound.

I just didn't want anyone to think I had a stake in them..(rsrsrssrsrsrsrs (rasberries) I do like that pix though...it looks stately!

wait till you mic it!......you just had your port kicked

I've only heard web demos of this thing and they all show a slight increase in bass energy. Problem I have is the enhanced frequencies sound out of place - and don't necessarily add punch. AKG, Audix and the Yamaha lollipop thing make a far more profound difference - in the pop music zone anyway.

That's why I included the specifics on what I was using to play...the rockpad and the beaters have made the tradtional "tic" I needed for a more pronounced attack. They seem to support the highs and the kickport seems to have increased the low to low mids...

well dang, my reso is an evans eq2 reso (i think) with the port built for this thing, so perhaps i'll give one a shot. see what happens 'n such.

Hmm, very interesting Carm'. My question is, does it sound any different close mic'ed?

I had one. It make my kick have some lows that it didn't before, but it wasn't worth the fact that the port is so small it's hard to get a mic in there. I took it out and the differences are so small, makes no never mind to me. And I like the look without it. YMMV

The problem with me is I never was a big fan of close micing a reso. I like the more one headed sound and in fact used one head for most of my career. My front head was onlt about a 2 in ch strip of mylar all the way around...more to secure the shell from being out of round than for sound purposes. I used to put my D12E about 2 inches from the beater spot about 2 inches off center and that's how I got that heavier thwack. I was a dryer fan rather than boomier I guess. If I were micing this, I think I would go for a back headed mic and then an ambient front head boom about a foot away about 6 inches from the port. Ya gotta remember, bass frequencies take a ways to set up correctly... From behind there is quite a noticeable difference to me, whether it's the new release of air ringing off the port or that the back head seems to boom a bit more...maybe its more sympathetic sound now...I can't be sure...

To me it increases the 'donk' factor. Couple octaves lower but definitely donk.