Thursday 8 August 2013

Apology

Hey guys and gals, thanks for lovely comments about what to add, sorry I neglected it for a month, had things to sort out. So whats new? Well Im back in a band! Yes, that's right, I am still doing the session work with the amazing Stuart on the side but I have now also joined a full fledged band, rather nice eh? Got myself a new snare, custom made and designed for my specs using 4 ply beech with re rings. Utterly amazing. One last thing before I go and start working on new posts for tomorrow:

Check out these guys, They are british, which lets face it is awesome! And they seem to be putting out some really rather nice gear. Have only heard a few samples but from those they seem to already be damn good. They don't seem to be falling prey to the "gimmicks" a lot of companies seem to do which is also fresh. From what I can see the quality really is there, and one day I may hold one to be able to test the quality of them in a live situation and check bearing edges and give the usual thorough blog review. But for now, check the drum port out, especially the vintage ludwig barber style acrylic snare!

https://www.facebook.com/northcustomdrums



So yeah, peace out readers!
Oli

Sunday 5 May 2013

Cymbal Review: Istanbul cymbal review

Well, I recently was given, to keep, a full set of Istanbul Samatya cymbals, so I decided to do a review, with a bonus one at the end. So first what do I have to review:
14" Istanbul Samatya Hi-hats
16" Istanbul Samatya crash
18" Istanbul Samatya crash
20" Istanbul Samatya ride

So, lets get started:
Hi-hats. I found these rather fantastic. They are heavy cymbals and mean you get a beautifully crisp sound out from them with a lovely washy sound when opened. They had great stick definition and were quite bouncy. I really enjoyed these, they were very pronounced and quite bright despite their weight. Overall, I really enjoyed these.

16" crash. I loved this, very bright and immediate response. The decay wasn't too long but the overtones were lovely. It's quite a dark sounding cymbal, the hand hammering was because of this.

18" crash. A lot like the previous but with a deeper tone and slightly longer decay. It had an almost gong like property, still much darker than standard crashes of this size.

20" Ride. Amazingly pingy ride. Lots of wash and rather heavy. A very dark sounding cymbal with excellent stick definition. It's a fairly controlled cymbal and the ride doesn't get away from you. Has plenty of overtones and a very bright sounding bell.

Bonus Review:
Istanbul 20" Sultan heavy ride. Now this is an interesting cymbal. It is the darkest ride I have ever played. Hitting the bell produces a gong like sound that cuts through any piece of music, and playing the actual ride results in a washy dark sounding ride. Personally the best sounding ride I have ever tried. It is also totally uncrashable due to its sheer weight. Hitting near the bell creates quite a bright tone, near the centre creates the lovely dark ride sound, and near the bow brings a very washy uncontrollable sound, great as a crash ride.

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Review: DrumPort

Well, I have had this now for a few months so I think now is time for a full blown review. Most people by now realize I am quite an old fashioned drummer. I don't like a kit more than 5 drums, I like vintage gear and I like rounded bearing edges. I also don't like any drum longer than 14". So stuck in my old ways I was very skeptical when I first saw the drumport at the london drum show, but being inquisitive I had to go take a look. It was then that I first heard it and immediately I was hooked. Beyond its very modern look it gave something very vintage. The best way to describe it is a really tight ambassador choked and with a felt strip and a reso the same. The dull thud on vintage bass drums. Except it gives a bonus, it keeps the tone. This way you get the vintage thud and keep a lovely rich deep tone making it sound like a few inches bigger. For instance my 20x14 is genuinely comparable to a 24x14. Just tapping the funnel gives a nice deep tone, but a good old bury the beater produces a much sought after deep thud.
So is it like resonantless bass drum or a ported bass drum? Well.... neither. Its utterly unique. Its something you really have to try. Whether you want the old school vintage sound without having to use loads of dampening, or to just boost the sound of your bass drum, go for it.
10/10

Tuesday 26 February 2013

PICCIES!!!

Yep, I just found the picture icon haha, so you can now enjoy your fav blog posts with new fresh pictures, ENJOY!!!
Oli

Readers question 5: Pedals

Well its been a long time but again I have a readers question, yet again stemming from Sophie merely asking questions so here we go: What are the difference between strap, chain and direct drive pedals. On the end of this I will also briefly go into cam and sprockets too (ooohhhh exciting!)
SO lets start with the most basic question, what is a pedal? Well if your a drummer its that funny little thing under your foot you stamp on to make a lot of noise, to everyone else it is a mechanism. When you press down on the pedal this pulls down a chain/strap/mechanism which then turns a bar directly above the pedal holding the beater and projects it towards the head of a drum. An easy way to show this is get an elastic band and loop the band around it. Then pull tight and wrap the other end around our finger. Then turn your finger and you will see it turns the pencil, same principle.
So now we get to the different types of pedal. First up we have the industry standard, the chain pedal.
As a chain pedal it simply means that the mechanism to pull the beater to strike the drum is a chain. Chains are rigid and so any pressure applied to the pedal is applied to the beater almost instantly. They are also flexible (rigid and flexible? HOW?! Well a chain pulled tight becomes rigid, think of it like pulling an elastic band and  pressing down on it, its a lot harder than pushing down on a non-stretched elastic band) so they have a bit of spring in them. This means that when the pedal bounces back and you bring your foot up the pedal bounces a bit higher. A lot of players enjoy this as it gives more power to each beat as it has to travel further.
Next up we have the strap pedal:
The strap pedal, you guessed it, has a strap instead of a chain. In essence it works just like a chain.It pulls down the beater and goes rigid when stretched, however being fabric it has a bit more elasticity in it. This has a very different effect on the pedal. When you stomp on the pedal the strap stretches slightly, then as it regains it rigidity it accelerates to retain its standard size (again, when you stretch an elastic band you can feel it pulling as it wants to revert to its original form) this causes the pedal to accelerate faster and strike much harder against the bass drum. In essence it is just a more powerful version of the basic chain pedal. However being fabric they are much more prone to breaking.
Finally we have the direct drive pedal:
Now as you can tell straight away, such pedals are VERY different. Firstly there is no cam or long bar holding the beater. In fact these pedals are very different. Instead they incorporate what is known as a direct drive mechanism, which is a series of metal bars directly attached to the beater so that all and any pressure on the pedal is directly transferred to the beater. This means the pedal is utterly unforgiving. Everything you play even as an accident will be played. They are super sensitive but lack the power of the other 2 pedals. The actual mechanism is a replica of a knee joint. When you apply pressure to the pedal it acts as a muscle and springs open your leg as if you are kicking. Ball bearings help make the pedal as smooth as possible and create the most sensitive pedal out there. However with so much going on, if something breaks on one of these pedals it can be very hard, and sometimes impossible, to fix.


Part 2: Cams and Sprockets
What is a cam and sprocket? Well these are what the chain/strap is attached to. Now you may think "hey its just a circle that the strap or chain is attached to, how can they be special at all?" Well, its down to the shape of them. Sprocket cams are mostly completely circular and quite thin meaning they can only hold a single chain. However being light and round they offer a more balanced feel.
Most sprocket pedals are for beginner pedals, but some such as this camco pedal, are reserved for professional usage due to there unique feel.
A cam pedal works slightly differently. They have a unique shape which changes the way the pedal feels.
The cam generally has less surface area in contact with the chain than a sprocket pedal and is generally angled forwards so that more power can be taken from each strike.

So there you have it, any questions and feel free to ask :)
Oli

Friday 18 January 2013

Readers question 4: Shell Material

Hey and the 3rd question from Sophie, what does the different shell material do for a sound? Well this is a slightly hard question as most companies use either different types of one material (eg finnish birch compared to Scandinavia birch) which, although on a small level, do sound different, or they treat there material differently. But if we assume these materials are all generic it should help. So what are the most commonly found materials today?
Steel: The cheapest, and in some cases most expensive, shell material. It has a very harsh sound with high attack due to its hard material. They are often found on student snares and some intermediate where they are easy and cost effective to manufacture. However they also have there place in the professional market. The harsh and ringy sound of a steel snare is very good for funk where the sharp attack and long delay help blend into the music better. They also deliver cutting rim shots, however the snare is also very loud. Because of this players such as Chad Smith have found steel snares to be a staple in there own music. They are also finding a place in metal music where the volume and harsh sound cuts its way through the mix. A good way to hear a snare like this is in any red hot chilli peppers song or Limp Bizkit-Take a look around, where you can clearly hear the harsh tone of the steel.
Brass: The "standard" for professional sound. Been around since the 1920s as the luxury material. Back then snares such as the original ludwig black beauty and leedy full dress were made out of them. Even small boutique companies used brass. Some, like Boosey & Hawkes, who made drums purely aimed at the upper class, made their student snares out of seamless brass, the same they use today in the famous supraphonics! Vintage brass snares are highly sought after as brass shells have a better sound the more they age, just like wood, and because the craftsmanship is generally of a superior quality as they were hand made. They are a soft of  "malleable" metal and so give a warm snare sound with medium decay and mellow overtones. All of the properties are considered pleasant and as such are the standard for the professional sound. To hear a brass snare usually you just have to turn on the radio, they are that common. But for a true example listen to anything by led zeppelin, where Bonham puts the fantastic Ludwig LM402 through its paces.

Birch: A material that has had an interesting development. It hasn't been as heavily promoted as Maple or other metals, but it is finally gaining its reputation. Being slightly more dense than maple it creates more punch and attack and being stronger it can be made thinner without the need for re-enforcement rings. It is also famed for its pre-eq'd sound. Thin birch shells became the staple of Premier drums and is what made them the company they are today. It has a fine grain and relatively light color. Due to its quick decay do to its denseness (a dense material doesn't vibrate as much or as long, try hitting a stick against a thin steel pipe and a thick one and you can see that the sound travels longer on the thin pipe due to it being a lot lighter and able to vibrate for longer), high attack and very low pitch (as it is able to be made thinner) it has become the wood of choice for metal drummers of today. A good example of a birch snare drum is Mikkey Dee from motorhead, and a good example of a birch drum sound is Nicko Mcbrain from Iron Maiden.

Maple: The standard of high quality wood. Quite a soft wood that produces a warm sound with plenty of overtones. In general maple comes in 2 types: single ply or multiple ply. Both produce a very different sound.
Single ply create a very open and resonant sound with plenty of overtones with low attack and very high sensitivity. This is the sound of vintage drums from around the 1930s until around 1960. Nowadays kept for jazz and soft rock where a cutting sound is not needed and a pleasant tone is more important than volume and cutting through a band. A multiple ply snare drum doesn't have the openness of a single ply but is more structurally stronger. It is also a lot cheaper to make ply snare drums compared to single ply. To try compensate some companies either make the maple very thin (premier) or so thin that they use re-enforcement hoops. The reason for the decreased openness is that a single ply snare drum is an uninterrupted  lump of wood that is free to vibrate, whereas ply drums have a layer of glue in between each ply that soaks up vibrations and decreases resonance. For the sound of a single ply snare listen to pretty much any buddy rich song as he almost exclusively uses his single ply radio king. For a ply maple snare listen to dennis chambers with santana.

Acrylic: A material rarely used in snares but mainly found in kits. Famed for its striking visual appearance they took the world by storm in the 1970s. Traditional acrylic drums were very dry with a focused punch due to having a large seam that was simply glued together and then another plastic strip placed inside to strengthen it. This meant that with its non smooth and brittle shell vibrations didn't travel perfectly and resulted in the dry sound. Modern acrylic drums, however, are cast and so vibrate freely and are very open and resonant with added punch due to the speed the vibrations can travel through the shell due to its smoothness. Most drummers nowadays use triggers on these kits and use them primarily for there visual appeal. For the sound of a vintage acrylic listen to John Bohnam live (in studio he used a maple kit) and for a modern sound listen to Celebration day dvd by Led Zeppelin.

Rarer materials:
Mahogany: Low quality mahogany, or luan, is mostly found in student drums for its abundance, however it is a low quality wood that is rarely used. True mahogany, on the other hand, is an almost exotic material. It is renowned for its beautiful grain and dense material. It is also known for its unique property in that it has a remarkably similar sound to aged wood making it a fantastic alternative for a vintage snare. It also absorbs the low frequencies of sound and so is used among other woods to boost the low end of drums. In snares it is mostly used to recreate a vintage sound, or to make a high pitched dry sound due to its high density. A good example of a mahogany snare (and also having mahogany mixed into other materials, this time maple) then listen to Chris Adler playing with lamb of god.

Bubinga: A wood that is now becoming a bit more common. The densest wood currently on the market, it creates a high volume dry tone with high sensitivity. It is finding its place mainly among metal drummers for its great mix of properties. It is also a loud snare with a great sound range, many considering best when hit at high volume. A great example of this snare is in any song by Nightwish.

Aluminium: A word that americans can't say right, a very very soft material that due to this is the driest on the market. It does not conduct sound very well and as such has quick decay with extreme sensitivity and high attack. Again another snare that has found its place among metal drummers for its dryness and focused attack. A great example of this material is with Shawn Drover of Megadeth.

Copper: A material that is rarely seen. Copper sounds a bit like a brass snare, but with extra warmth and dryer. It is a mid way between metal and wood but is often overlooked for brass which also acts as a midway between wood and metal, but has more sought after properties. Mainly found in jazz due to it not having a cutting sound or high attack and thus failing to stand up against heavy music. A good way of hearing this sound is with Roy Haynes.

Bronze: A very expensive material that is often mistaken for wooden snares. Low attack and warm sound and moderate sustain without the common metallic sound. Often used by others as a substitute for wood but with some extra sensitivity and strength.

Titanium: The thinnest and driest shell on the market. Being so thin there is less to vibrate and due to the strength of the shell it creates a very crisp dry sound with perfect articulation. Very expensive shells and very hard to create.

Hope all this helps :)


Thursday 17 January 2013

Readers Question 3: Shell Thickness

So the second of 6 questions from Sophie, what difference does the thickness of the shell make. Well this is actually quite an easy question. As the thickness of a shell increases, the volume, attack and dryness increases. This is due to the fact that a thin shell is more easy to vibrate and so vibrations travel more through the material and so ring out a lot more. The thicker a shell is the less space inside the shell so the pitch goes up, and with a heavier shell to vibrate it dries out the sound as vibrations travel for a shorter period of time. Also because the shell is thicker the shell is more dense and so the volume is raised. So there you go, the reason between the thickness in shells :)


Readers question 2: How do different drum hoops affect sound?

This is part of no less than SIX questions posted by my gorgeous girl Sophie about drum stuff. So to head it off we have a question, how do different drum hoops affect the sound?
So lets get down to the types of hoops first:
Single Flange: These are often found on vintage drums from around 1920-1940. They are often quite soft and are often seen having been bent by the pressure of the claws on them.They are often a soft brass. They are also found on vintage reproduction drums. They are the rarest type of hoop to find on drums nowadays. They are a very open sound as they restrict the snare head the least by only resting on the top of the head rim. They are also quite fragile as the brass claws that attach to the hoop are quite thin and over tension will cause them to snap. They create a very ringy sound and are the least focused type of drum hoop on the market. However they are also known as stick chopper hoops as the thin brass rim cuts into sticks and breaks them alarmingly quick. These are quite specialist hoops for the player who needs his drum to sing at the maximum level.
Triple Flange: The standard drum hoop. By far the easiest to make and available in large quantities. Arrived around the 1940s and quickly took the market by storm. They kept the drum with an open sound but with a bit more focus. They also were rolled outwards at the tip to stop them from breaking sticks so fast. They also negated the brittle claws on single flange hoops. These are the standard go to hoops for drums, they let a drum sing but offer some control.
Die Cast Hoops: These restrict and focus the sound of drums. These originated from the 1970s where they were designed to cut down the amount of ring of a drum. They dry out the sound of the drum and add more punch too. They also hold tuning better as they are so rigid and disperse the tension more evenly around the head. They are mainly used in snares for metal drummers for the increased attack and focus of the snare and the decreased chance of detuning during a heavy concert.
Wood Hoops: These are the most expensive types of hoops on the market. They are usually very thick and dramatically dry out the sound of a drum by adding extra weight and thickness to the drum heads. This creates a very dry sounding snare, but without creating too  much focus leading to a very sensitive and dry snare but with the side effect of reduced volume. This is usually used for jazz snares when articulation at low volumes are needed.

So there you go, any more questions and then please ask!

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Readers Question 1: Drum Racks, useful or not?

Hello everyone and welcome to our first Readers Question where I answer questions posted by readers. Our first comes from Josh Middleton who asked if drum racks or useful or not.
Well the answer really is dependent on the player, so first I will do the lovely pros and cons list.

Advantages:
Compact. The drum rack allows you to use less hardware therefore reducing the space your kit would take up.
Weight. Often enough a drum rack is fairly light. When compared to a large set of heavy braced stands the drum rack becomes a much lighter option.
Portability: Drum racks also pack up really small and take up a lot less room for transport.
Looks: To some people a rack looks really cool , but this is a matter of personal preference.
Adjust-ability. Most drum racks nowadays have a very large amount of freedom on where to play things. Round tubing racks allow for any angle of drum and cymbal placement and with a choice of curved of straight bars you can adjust how close or far away you want drums and cymbals to be. Also with the addition of extra pipes you can expand its side upwards and outwards to have better placement.
Sturdy. A rack in general is a very sturdy piece of hardware and great for mounting expensive drums you dont want to fall, a major advantage over traditional stand mounted toms.

Disadvantages.
Cost. Drum racks, especially the higher end ones, often cost a lot of money, more so than a set of stands.
Obtrusive. Sometimes the pipes can become obtrusive causing some drums like floor toms and bass drums to have limited placement, and other things like hi hats to have to fit in where possible. Of course there are ways around this such as floating floor toms and mounted hi hats, but this adds to the already great expenditure of a rack system.
Looks. Some people don't like the look of a drum rack, but this is down to personal preference.
Flexibility. Whilst the best has been done to make placement of drums and cymbals as varied as possible, the rack is still static and can mean that whilst some drums are in a prime position some wont be, and can cause problems for some drummers.


In conclusion.
Racks in general have there places. On small jazz kits they are rarely seen for the reason that light braced hardware does the job easier and better. On standard 5 piece kits and a little bigger they have there uses. Some drummers use it primarily for its looks at this point or because they want a sturdier and more flexible mounting system if they are using suspended toms. On large double bass kits and larger they become much more useful with more space for mounting the large amount of toms and cymbals that would otherwise create a large clutter of hardware that would weigh a tonne and cost a fortune. So in general yes, racks are a good thing. If you want to be a little less obtrusive try a stealth rack, but if you want to compact your size and have a sturdy mount for your drums and cymbals, you cant go wrong with a rack.

Oli

Drummers tips 1: Endorsements

Hey, this is part 1 on my Drummers Tips section. Now I am going to delve into something VERY risky. The realm of endorsements. Now, more than ever, the idea of an endorsement is becoming a marketing gimmick by many companies, so how do you know if your being taken advantage of or if you are getting a real deal?

1) Who contacted who?
This one is fairly basic. If you contacted them and then they offer, its more than likely being used as a form of marketing gimmick to secure you as a customer. However if they contact you first then its going to be a genuine endorsement. It also helps if you know the company for a long time. For example if you have been in regular contact with said company this can also help.

2) What do you/they get out of it?
Well this is the main reason for an endorsement. You should get discount and publicity, these are the 2 main reasons for an endorsement. Not only that but they would also want publicity on your behalf such as being a figurehead, writing reviews and generally promoting the product, Afterall it's give and take. Many companies have adopted the recent tactic of ramping RRP prices up and then selling the product to you at the normal store price under the false pretense it is an "endorsement". This in reality is not a true endorsement, but a gimmick.

I have been on the receiving end of both of these, so here is my personal experience.

Experience 1:
Drum company will go unnamed.
I spoke to drum company about getting a custom drum kit made. Immediately they came back to me stating the RRP price but because I came to them they would have me as an endorsee. Now immediately alarm bells rang, I was not well known nor was I a good drummer. Eventually however I pulled out, the price was too much.

Experience 2:
Drum Port.
Known the company since its inception. The guy was great and we talked for a long time. Then eventually after a year and I had built up a profile for myself I finally entered talks and long story short I got a massive discount and personal meeting with Kirk the owner. I thoroughly reccomend the product (though in this blog i wont be biased) and have enjoyed regular contact with him.


These are how they shouldn't (1) and should (2) go. Hope this helps and everyone PLEASE be careful for these market scams. And remember, if you do get offered an endorsement then be absaloutely POSITIVE it is with a company you are prepared to spend the rest of your career with.
Oli

For Sale

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2601

Post 399

Selling off my old premier modern classic for £185. The usual price for these is £280 and the rrp is a lot more. Used rarely, live was used mostly for my metal period. Selling only because I want a 14x4 maple snare now :) Thanks for looking!
Oli

Saturday 5 January 2013

Some competitions :D

Some competitions that people can enter, these close by midnight tonight!

An awesome snare and a full set of heads courtesy of aquarian!

http://drummersdatabase.com/comp/contest/win-a-firchie-snare-drum-for-your-drum-kit-worth-over-1000/?ref=50c5468b09dd8

http://drummersdatabase.com/comp/contest/win-a-full-set-of-aquarian-heads-for-your-drum-set-top-and-bottom/?ref=50c545756ca81

Good luck!

Friday 4 January 2013

Gear Sluts 6: Best Snares

So you have an amazing kit, now its time to bring the voice of your kit up to speed, it's time for the perfect snare. So here we go, again the best of the best.

3rd Place, George Way "The Advance" Snare drum. A vintage style snare of steam bent maple and re-enforcement hoops. Based off the perfect shell construction, it gives a warm open sound that mimics the vintage sound everybody wants.


2nd Place, Ludwig LM400 series. The industry standard of professional snare drums. Not exactly thrilling, but all around greatness. Its the sound you heard on the radio from the 70s until now, the most recorded drum in history for a reason.


1st Place, Ludwig Black Beauty (or any spun brass snare for that matter). Spun brass shells give off a tone like a bell, beautiful overtones and perfect articulation. The all round perfect snare sound that just cant be beat. Pricey, but worth it.


Good luck on buying your new snare drum. Oli.

Gear Sluts 5: Best Pedals

Here is a little hardware feature. Drum pedals, something we all find important and yet some of us just forget as we watch our beautiful drumkit grow. So here is the lowdown on the best pedals on the market today.

Third place is the Tama Speed Cobra. A development on the Iron Cobra and boy is it an improvement. Smooth action and fast speed. Not much in the way of power but allows plenty of freedom for playing. Large footboard allows for excellent heel toe method.


Second Place is the Ludwig Speed King. The fastest pedal on the planet, used by Bonham and Nicko McBrain. Small footboard and lack of adjust-ability limits this pedal but with the unbelievable speed this pedal allows it doesn't matter at that point. Takes some practice to use but by gods it's worth it.


First place is the Pearl Eliminator Demon Drive. Infinite changeability. Single bass or double bass, chain or direct drive, longboard or shortboard, cam position or beater position. EVERYTHING is changeable to make the perfect pedal for you.


Enjoy buying yourself your new pedal, Oli.

Gear Sluts 4: Best Pro kits

So, you want premium, you want the best. You want something that stands out from the crowd and want just that little bit extra. You want the best. So here we are, the best kits currently on the market.

Third place goes to Ludwig Classic Maple. That famous ludwig sound, and the Bonham Sound. An amazing kit with the best quality maple and utmost care into its construction. Booming bass drums and defined toms. A sound that makes the ground shudder.


Second place goes to Kumu Drums. Thinnest shells in the world give a vintage open sound with enhanced definition and sound that just denies belief. Beautiful construction hand made in Finland.


First place.... the best kit in the world.... Ludwig Legacy. The sound that defined a generation, the sound you heard from 1930 until 1970. The sound of the Beatles and Buddy Rich. The last true vintage kit still on the market and the most sought after kit in the world, however your wallet will hate you forever.


Special Mention:
Make your own. Best shells on the market belong to Carrera Drums. Making your own kit to your own specifications is a great way to make the best of the best. You can choose exactly what you want, even cutting them down to the perfect sizes if you want some more specialized ones. It's also a LOT cheaper. It's what I did, and have never looked back since.

So there you go, the best of the best in the world. Good luck buying the best, any questions and please ask. Oli.


Gear sluts 3: Semi Pro kits

Now this is the sore area. You want a professional kit, but without the thrills and spills of a premium kit. You want a kit that's great in the studio and live but don't really care about how it looks. For some this is enough, you can have this as your last ever kit if you want, but for some the lure of the premium is too much. For now, here is the best of the best.

Third place is the Ludwig Epic. Set in the intermediate price point, but sadly for a reason. Heads. By far and large the worst heads ever placed on a drum kit. Once fitted with appropriate heads it hits into the high price point. Used by Ludwig artists in the studio and live it has proven its worth many times over. If you can catch a downbeat kit, then you are a very lucky person. Thin shells, vintage sound and one of the very few kits to stand out with a unique sound. If it had standard great heads, it would win this hands down.


Second place is the Mapex Saturn. Great sound and the industry standard as professional kits now. Come with great heads and pre tuned means great right out of the box. Great price point too.


First place is the Gretsch Renown. Amazing all maple kits by a fantastic company. Very punchy, great heads and again great out of the box. Not much else to say, at this level all the kits sound great and have there own things to offer.


Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your new kit. Oli.

Gear Sluts 2: Best Intermediate Kits

So you have had your entry level kit for some time, and maybe by now are in a band with friends or at school, and now you want to have some actual sound, something you aren't embarrassed to use live. So without any more typing, here are the lowdown on my top 3 intermediate level kits:

In third place: Gretsch Catalina (£429+). Amazing drums for the price, punch WAY above the price point, and the jazz series have even been known to be used by professionals. Comes in many different configurations including a large double bass set up for those metal heads among you.


In second place: Mapex Meridian Maple (£449+). Another great series of drums. Plenty of different configurations and its maple! Can't go wrong with that at this price point. Also come with hardware, solid mounting options and even virgin tom mounting. Fantastic kit for the price.


In first place: Ludwig element. (£699). Professional quality at bargain prices. Virgin tom mounts. Low mass lugs. Marbled Birch. Lacquered finish. Powder coated hardware. 10 lug bass drum. Ludwig snare. Need I say more? If I were I would have to say that this is by far and large the best intermediate kit on the market at the moment. Perfection in its price bracket.


Thank you for reading, hope you enjoy your next kit! Oli.

Gear Sluts 1: Best starter kits

So, you are ready to take your first step into drumming? Don't fall into the trap of going with your favorite drummers brand, your paying a premium price for a drum where quality wont matter. So without further ado, here is my personal list of the three best kits for beginners.

In third place, Pearl Rhythm Traveler (£329). This small and nice little kit is small and perfect for practice and can be tucked away for storage. It also comes free with mesh heads which are silent so you can practice without making your neighbors upset! If you want to upgrade, you can just add some triggers with the mesh heads and have an electronic kit!


In second place, CB. Famous for being perhaps the MOST common starter set out there, and for a good reason. In all fairness given some good heads it doesn't sound too bad. With mahogany (luan) shells and bloss black wrap accompanied by a full set of hardware it's hard to go wrong with this set up. Only beaten due to a lack of cymbals or silencers. £229


In first place, Canon Adder. At such a cheap price (£229 is cheap for a kit) you wouldn't expect much from a kit, but this package certainly punches above its weight. A metal snare and standard 5 piece kit is pretty good, but add to that premium features such as off set lugs and black hardware on a beginners kit?! This is unknown anywhere else! Also to add to it is a full set of hardware and cymbals, drum bags AND rubber silencers, this kit really is the best package around


Thanks for reading, an good luck purchasing your first kit! Oli.

Studio 3: Cheap Recording

So you are branching out to the web, or just want to show off your skills and put them on facebook or youtube. So what is the easiest ways? Well this short little section will tell you 3 cheap and easy ways to do it.
1) Phone. Seriously no joke, the band Dead Rat Orchestra did a whole album recorded on a phone inside a boat. So yeah, a cheap and easy way to do it is this. Burying the phone under some clothes can help reduce the reverb of the drums as well. Try sticking the phone in different areas of your house when recording for best effects of this.
2) Triggers. Many purists hate this method but for many more musicians it is the easy alternative. Buy some cheap triggers for your drum kit and then add a cheap drum  module and run it through your computer and bazinga, a direct recording with pre-set sounds so you can more closely emulate the sound of the drums you want for each particular track.
3) Home recording software and microphone. Some companies such as Prodipe make cheap studio software with USB interface to add a microphone. Treat it as an overhead then blast away. I have seen some very good results using Prodipe Sutdio 12 with a standard SM58. Again quite a cheap option and the best quality you can get on a budget.

Again thank you for reading, any questions then please ask away and I will do my best to answer. Keep drumming, Oli.

Studio 2: That Vintage Sound

Ok well this is going to be put into 2 different sections. Firstly how to make a drum kit sound vintage and 2 how to make a vintage sound in the studio.


The Vintage Sound
Ok well the easiest way is.... to buy a vintage kit! Honestly this is not as scary as it may seem. They are often a lot cheaper than a new kit, heck you can buy a 1920s Wutlitzer for £400! But to some the risk is too much. An old drum requires tender care and attention and more often than not doesn't want to be gigged and requires a lot of upkeep and also hardware was often quite disastrous during this time. So a lot of the time people spend the premium on a replica vintage kit. So after spending the premium on a kit that in all fairness is just visually a vintage kit (unless you use a company very knowledgeable in vintage drums) you want it to sound vintage. The first thing is that most vintage drums were out of round (which means the shells aren't a perfect circle). This tended to dry the sound out so dry heads are the best.
Bass drum: The bass drum traditionally was ambassador over ambassador. Thin heads but on an out of round drum which dried it out, and to aid the dry sound would be a wood beater, muffler on the reso head and a felt strip. Now to get a similar sound on a modern drum firstly you need the correct sizes. 20", 22", 24" or 26" are the normal sizes, with 14" depth being the deepest you would find. Any longer and you wont get that proper attack sharp sound. Now there are 2 main ways to get this sound. The first is heads. The easiest is an emad with standard stock and a wooden beater. This prevents the need for exterior muffling and keeps the attack and punch. The second is a fiberskyn ambassador beater with fibreskyn ambassador reso with wooden beater and felt strip over reso. For extra measure use a clear beater patch to help the batter head last longer. This will give the closest feel to the vintage sound as it will give plenty of rebound on the batter.
The second way is the Drum Port, this replaces the reso head and although it doesn't give the rebound and feel a resonant head has, it gives the sheer attack whilst retaining tone (the cone itself still vibrates).
As far as tuning is concerned both beater and reso should be tuned quite tight to help with the high attack and give some overtones.
Toms: This one is quite easy. Standard single ply drum heads tuned nice and high for a tight high pitched tone.
Now another thing to add is that vintage drums were in general VERY thin shells. So if you want that open vintage sound you want around 6mm as your thickest and you want re-rings to help give strength to the drums. Straight sided shells thicker than 8mm will mean you will lose out on the vintage sound.

So that's the easiest way to get the vintage sound live. Now for studio.

Studio
So you have this lovely vintage kit, or a vintage sounding kit, and you want to make it sound just like you heard on your lovely vinyls. The only question is... how? With all the new recording techniques an super microphones everything sounds so... clinical, clean. So you want that nice old sound but don't know how to get it? Well here is 2 studio techniques on how to get it.
1) Dustbin. Ok I understand just saying dustbin doesn't really garner many ideas... This is a really simple technique that actually really works. Only use one microphone, stick it in a metal dustbin in its side with the open side of the bin pointed away from the kit but the microphone aimed at the kit. The natural reverb and tinny sound creates a vintage styled sound.
2) Sky High. Again just a name, this is the other way that people get that famous sound. Only use one or 2 overhead microphones, not much need for anything more back then, so why should there be now. The toms being low in the mix compared to the harshness of cymbals and the natural blend of all the sounds creates complex dynamics on all those vinyls. If you want more reveb then stick a metal pole in the room, this is how they did it in abbey roads, and how you can get that sound today.

So thanks for reading, any questions and please post below. Keep on playing.
Oli

Studio 1: Why so many snares?

I am not positive why I am doing this subject first but it is the one most fresh in  my mind. Most professional players only have one kit, but they will have a multitude of snares. Why is this you ask? Well a professional kit will generally be able to cope with most genres, and with the help of studio engineering can make it perfect too. For those first stepping into the studio a basic kit and a snare is usually fine. Changing the tension of the snare and snare wires can greatly change the sound. However there comes a time when you want to make professional quality recordings and have lovely expensive microphones. At this point you want a sound that can only be appreciated when recorded through expensive microphones as they can pick up all the complex tones of such a drum. Usually most people would be very protective of such drums and as such keep them for the studio and instead keep a separate snare for live purposes. By this point you will have 2 snares, one really complex for the studio and one that is sturdy for constant live use. In the studio a ringy snare is best. You can dry it out with moongel, gaffa and towels but you cant add those complex overtones. For this usually you will want a metal snare, the best for this would be a seamless brass snare, but a standard brass snare is just as good. Some people value definition and crisp sound over ringy and such go for wooden snares. There is no issue with either, but it is down to personal preference of the player. However with such different sounds its good to have both, so at this point we are talking about owning 3 snares. Now for the average player this is enough, but for many other players or session drummers there are many other sounds to acquire. Take me for example, I do session work and it is not limited to Jazz. I have done rock, metal, folk, pop and hip/hop and as such have different snares for different scenarios.
12" Traps snare for hip/hop and pop. This snare is tight and crisp an gives off the standard dry crisp attack sound used in most popular songs today. A good example is Good Feeling-Flo Rida. This snare is good for both live and studio applications.
10" Wurlitzer snare. This snare is very old and due to its size very specialist. This snare very rarely gets any kind of use outside of an effects perspective and even then mostly on folk style songs.
13" Premier hammered brass. This is one of my go to snares for live. A bit too ringy for my personal taste in a studio and so mostly used live in hard rock and metal scenarios. A good example of its type of sound is Limp Bizkit-Take a look around.
14" Pearl Masters Birch. This is my go to studio snare. Often used with calfskin heads too. Very sensitive and great at any volume. For rock, some pop, blues and metal this is my go to studio snare. This standard wooden snare sound is heard on Quantum Factor-Planet X
14" PDP 20 ply Bubinga/maple snare. This is my other go to live snare. This is used in most of my gigs for its very dry sound and sensitivity. Used during anything that isn't heavy rock or metal. A good example of this type of snare is Nightwish-Last ride of the day
14" Boosey & Hawkes spun brass snare. This is an interesting snare. It is my favorite studio snare for jazz and live for jazz and brushes. It has very complex tones and plenty of ring. A good example of this sound of snare is Sing sing sing-Benny Goodman.

This way I can cover a multitude of sounds, however a  lot of people add marching snares, 10" popcorn snares and so forth as ways of augmenting a kit live or in studio. A famous use of this is mike mangini. Hope this helps answer as to why you would want more than one snare. Honest answer? Its always good to be prepared, and always good to have an arsenal of different sounds to best compliment different sounds and genres.



EDIT: Recently the brass hand hammered has been traded in for an even better maple 14x4 (yep, the buddy rich size) and is now a part of the family. Pictures will come soon, until then enjoy this photo of my other snares :D
Oli

Hello and welcome

Hello and welcome to my new blog! I am new to all this but have been asked by a fair few people to go ahead and create one of these to answer some of the many questions I get asked. I plan to answer questions from you too! I plan to answer the common questions such as drum purchasing, why to have multiple snares, vintage gear, gear acquisition, heads, listening material and so forth. So for now I shall talk a little about me.
Firstly I am 21, I live both in the UK and the Netherlands. I have done band work but currently do session work. I have been to university, I am doing my Trinity and Guildhall grades. I have an endorsement with Drum Port. I have G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), I have played for Dog Salad, Medicine, The Outtakes and Heathens, and have played alongside Jimmy Davies (The Prodigy) and Jack Monk (Syd Barrett). My favorite drum store is Sound Attak.

My gear list:
Kit:
Carrera shells 8x6, 12x8, 16x14, 20x14 (4" Increment sizes)
Ludwig lugs on all drums except on 8x6 where I use premier as they fit better
Gibraltar legs on bass drum and Gibraltar mounting system on floor tom
2.3mm hoops on all drums
Wood hoops on bass drum with natural inlay
Matte black hardware and drums




Heads
8x6 - Ambassador over Ambassador
12x8 - Evans g2 coated over g1 clear
16x14 - Evans Hydraulic Black over Aquarian performance 2
20x14 - Evans Emad2 with Drum Port

Hardware
Millennium drum rack
Dixon tom mount
CB Snare stand
CB Hi Hat stand
Pearl Eliminator Demon Drive pedal

Cymbals
Istanbul Sultan Hi hats 14"
Dream vintage bliss 17" Ride
Stagg Black Metal 14" Crash

Snares
1920s Wurlitzer snare drum 10x3 steam bent maple with mahogany hoops and calfskin heads.
1930s Boosey & Hawkes spun brass 14x5 with solid brass tube lugs and brass single flange hoops. Calfskin batter over unbranded vintage plastic reso.
First edition Premier Modern Classic hand hammered brass, made in England 13x5.5 black nickel finish. Aquarain triple threat batter with evans G2 coated reso.
Traps 12" flat snare with stock heads.
Pearl Masters 14x6.5 birch with Artisan 2 finish feathered walnut.
PDP Limited Edition 20 ply bubinga/maple 14x6.5


Well there you go, that's me. Who I am, what I have done and my gear. I mainly do session work now in Netherlands and can be caught playing at the Corner Pub sometimes or as the house drummer in O'Malleys Groningen when I am around with Ofer. Thanks for reading, and now I am to start writing about the questions I get. First off, part 1 of my Studio Help Guide: Why so many snares?

Oli