AUGUST 2010 - Gliding Studio Trap Stand
Form and Function
After years of backbreaking studio work, carrying StudioTraps from place to place in the live room, somebody finally had a bright idea. Martin Kantola of Finland asked if we could put glides on the bottom, so he could herd a bunch of them at one time across the wood floor of the live room. Putting a tripod on wheels is not as easy as it seems, but finally we got a great setup and now you can order glide bases, just unbolt the old base and replace it with our now glide base.
ASC was asked to create a optional gliding stand for its line of StudioTraps. The customer specified he wanted to be
able to roll the traps in any direction, yet have them retain their stability and aesthetic. ASC has provided a stand that sits on three ball-bearing rollers, allowing for maximum agility with an attractive, modern look.
Carefully Developed
To achieve the "gliding effect" requested by the customer, ASC examined a number of possible solutions, from simple office chair wheels to an array of ball bearing rollers.
Initial prototypes used simple wheel rollers, but they lacked
the smoothness and freedom of movement desired. They tended to "hesitate" for moment when changing directions. That is to say, a person attempting to move a StudioTrap mounted on this stand met some initial resistance as the wheels turned to face the direction desired.
Ultimately, metallic ball-bearing rollers were selected for their elegant design and ease of movement. The stand allows the trap the ability to effortlessly "glide" in any direction and provides an attractive upgrade from the
standard StudioTrap Stand.