Question for drummers[views:6025][posts:17]____________________________________ [Jul 13,2009 7:00pm - PatMeebles ""] So 26 beers played in CT last night and we backlined this kid's drumset which sounded phenomenal when Alex was on it. He didn't play any harder or differently but the tone from the kick drum and toms cut through very nicely without being mic'd at all. Is this due to the wood? The heads? Anything else? I should mention that he used his own sticks and kick pedal. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 13,2009 7:58pm - handy NLI ""] Most important, tunning and wood quality. |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 2:47am - zenerik NLI ""] The most important things are bearing edges, heads, and tuning. Single ply heads project much more tone without being mic'd. I can't stand thicker/pre-muffled heads. |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 10:25am - ouchdrummer ""] there is no possible way anyone could tell you why he sounded so good without knowing the specs of the set, and how he plays. There are too many factors for anyone who wasn't there to give a credible opinion. |
| ______________________________ [Jul 14,2009 12:57pm - mOe ""] I agree with Erik to an extent. The Evans clear EMAD is what i've used and I'll probably never use another head again. The coated ones however, turn your kick into a giant pillow. |
| _______________________________ [Jul 14,2009 1:13pm - Murph ""] I'm sort of on the opposite spectrum of things. On my toms I use Vintage A Remo heads, which I feel really bring out the warm tones of the wood, and suit the style of music we play perfectly. On my bass drum, I use a coated Ambassador on the kick side, and a Fiberskyn Ambassador on the batter side. I also only have a small handtowel (which I might remove) inside, to soak up a tiny amount of the overtone. For some drummers, this set-up is not ideal because they are looking for brighter sounds, but it totally depends on the music. Cymbal choices are also key, as I play mostly dark wash cymbals (K and Dream) which work well with the warmth of the drums. The main point in the sonic element is to find what type of articulation you're looking for, and matching those heads with the natural sound of your drum (each drum has its own "natural" sound). Then of course, tuning becomes an issue. In my case, I've always tuned my drums as close to Solfege as possible, without taking away from the perfect pitch of the drum. Because I use only two toms, I go for the Do-Do tuning, using D standard (when I'm not lazy as shit). I tend to keep the rack tom a little bright, because of my head and wood choices, but the floor tom stays real low. IDK, I feel it is more of a singular, personal science than anything, but Jim is right...the best idea is to learn as much as you can about a kit you've played on...might want to email the band or something. |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 1:25pm - zenerik NLI ""] Vintage A's are now discontinued, from what I've heard. Time to start looking at another head. :P I use coated Ambassadors on both sides of my toms. Great round tone. |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 1:27pm - ArrowHeadNLI ""] What's a good DEAD head? I have an e-drum kit that uses real heads, but it can get a little loud, especially on the kick. Can I get something really dead sounding in 8" heads? |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 1:32pm - zenerik NLI ""] Why not use mesh heads? |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 1:41pm - ArrowHeadNLI ""] I'm ignorant, what's a mesh head? |
| _______________________________ [Jul 14,2009 1:42pm - Murph ""] As far as the Remo site lists, Vintage A's are still being produced...and I guess are quite popular. |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 1:51pm - ArrowHeadNLI ""] The LEGACY heads were discontinued, maybe he's thinking of those? |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 14,2009 2:19pm - ouchdrummer ""] zenerik NLI Said: "Single ply heads project much more tone without being mic'd. I can't stand thicker/pre-muffled heads." I always thought this was true, until i tried single plys on my kit. Maybe it's because of the density of my drums, or maybe i'm crazy, but the single plys weren't as clear and loud as the 2plys i use now. I know this is counter intuitive, but i tried a number of tunings and couldn't make em sound good. An old drum teacher of mine said that with denser shells you need thicker heads to resonate properly. Was that that bullshit he was feeding me? I might never know, but 2plys def are louder and clearer on my kit. |
| _______________________________________ [Jul 15,2009 12:32am - zenerik NLI ""] My kit has very pretty thick shells as well. My snare is 5/8" thickness. The toms and kick are 3/8". Hand made birch shells from Eames. Any drum has more projection with 1 ply heads. 2 ply heads, by nature, are slightly muffled. But as long as you like the sound you're getting with the 2 ply heads, that's good. |
| __________________________________________ [Jul 15,2009 12:34am - BoarcorpseJimbo ""] well good then. |
| ___________________________________________ [Jul 15,2009 12:54am - madoakdevin nli ""] Yeah this is really hard to say without any specs of the kits. Somewhere in my future plans for Mad Oak, I intend on having Emperor build me "the perfect metal kit." I've talked to so many drummers and still can't figure out what I intend on having built. |
| _________________________________ [Jul 15,2009 9:55am - darkwor ""] my 2-ply heads, the Evans EC2 clears, i couldn't be happier with them. not only do they sound thick and punchy, but i've had them for a few months and they look and feel like new. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 15,2009 10:07am - barbeloh ""] quality wood is quality wood (I play a Tama Superstar 1974 and it sounds great) evans g2 coated heads have maximum punch and wet, throaty decay. Lovely, esp. if your goal is to sound like John Bonham. Snares are really variable. For maximum cut (again, with a low end too...) play with a metal shell or acrylic (I used both on the new Ipsissimus cd). Finally, like the first reply said, tuning is important! Worth adding are acoustics. Any drum sounds better from a riser in a wooden room than on a shag carpet in a concrete basement. |