Why a Drum Riser?

getuhgrip

getuhgrip

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Saw construction of these being dicussed elsewhere, but no mention of what the mechanical advantage would be in a recording enviroment.

Any thoughts?
 
Hey GripDude! :D

I've wondered this same thing? What's the sonic advantage? Are they so you can actually see the drummer behind the band? If so...why the hell wouldja wanna do that?
:p
 
Because we're inscure people. We need to sit higher than everyone else. :eek:
 
While I can't give the reason behind why it does it. I just know that getting the drums off the ground helps with the tone of the drums. And I believe that most professional studios have what is called a suspended floor for this purpose.
 
The kick causes a lot of vibration, which you want to prevent from getting to mic stands and other things.

While maybe not the technical purpose, I would think it'd be a good way to use it.
 
Okay, fine..I'm smarter than everybody else, so I'm gonna aproach this the smart easy way. I'm gonna save time and money and not build a riser.

I'll hammer out all the conctete under my kit, and run 2X10s and 3/4 OSB sheeting on top. Throw a pretty rug over it all, and walaah! No ungly riser, no runaway transient resonance! ;)
 
Despite my excessive respect for those who choose to build and use drum risers in the studio, it seems to me that creating what is essentially a large vibrating membrane and setting your drums on top of it would be contraindicated. I'd like to hear what Winer and Fitzpatrick have to say about it.
 
Supercreep said:
Despite my excessive respect for those who choose to build and use drum risers in the studio, it seems to me that creating what is essentially a large vibrating membrane and setting your drums on top of it would be contraindicated. I'd like to hear what Winer and Fitzpatrick have to say about it.
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Go to A&A and ask voxxy about his. He showed me some links at gearslutz (I think it was) that go into the math and reasoning behind drum risers. Some people swear by it and I'm sure it works for some people. They say getting the kick off the floor let's it resonate better and the riser can actually act like an "amp" enhancing the low end. I guess that would be beneficial if you don't use many close mics. I say if your kick's shell is actually on the floor, you need to learn how to set that shit up better. That's what the spurs are for.

Me personally, I have no problem getting thunderous tom sounds and a deep kick. For one, I use the right drums/heads for the job. Secondly I know how to tune my drums. Thirdly, I don't choke my shit down with pillows, blankets, tape, and and muffling. I think a lot of people would be surprised with how big their kick could sound if they'd just take the king-sized sleeping bag out of there.
 
Greg_L said:
Go to A&A and ask voxxy about his. He showed me some links at gearslutz (I think it was) that go into the math and reasoning behind drum risers. Some people swear by it and I'm sure it works for some people. They say getting the kick off the floor let's it resonate better and the riser can actually act like an "amp" enhancing the low end. I guess that would be beneficial if you don't use many close mics. I say if your kick's shell is actually on the floor, you need to learn how to set that shit up better. That's what the spurs are for.

Me personally, I have no problem getting thunderous tom sounds and a deep kick. For one, I use the right drums/heads for the job. Secondly I know how to tune my drums. Thirdly, I don't choke my shit down with pillows, blankets, tape, and and muffling. I think a lot of people would be surprised with how big their kick could sound if they'd just take the king-sized sleeping bag out of there.
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Everything I know about structural transmission says that doing that simply creates another resonant structure. If you're going to float your riser on neoprene pucks to isolate structurally, why not just put your kick drum rim/spurs on neoprene pucks?

Gearsluts says a lot of dumb things. But I'm curious to know. I'll check it out.
 
Greg_L said:
Secondly I know how to tune my drums.
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I've actually been meaning to drop you a line about this for a bit, Greg. I'm not really a drummer, but my roommate has a kit and I dabble a bit. I had it over in my room the other night to record something (a royal PITA, it basically involves taking my bed apart, leaning the boxspring on one wall and the mattress on the other just so I have space to set it up. :p I'm hoping this helps with acoustics somewhat, too. :p), and I suspect it hasn't been tuned in rather a long time. Any suggested reading?
 
DrewPeterson7 said:
I've actually been meaning to drop you a line about this for a bit, Greg. I'm not really a drummer, but my roommate has a kit and I dabble a bit. I had it over in my room the other night to record something (a royal PITA, it basically involves taking my bed apart, leaning the boxspring on one wall and the mattress on the other just so I have space to set it up. :p I'm hoping this helps with acoustics somewhat, too. :p), and I suspect it hasn't been tuned in rather a long time. Any suggested reading?
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Drum tuning bible.

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html
 
DrewPeterson7 said:
I've actually been meaning to drop you a line about this for a bit, Greg. I'm not really a drummer, but my roommate has a kit and I dabble a bit. I had it over in my room the other night to record something (a royal PITA, it basically involves taking my bed apart, leaning the boxspring on one wall and the mattress on the other just so I have space to set it up. :p I'm hoping this helps with acoustics somewhat, too. :p), and I suspect it hasn't been tuned in rather a long time. Any suggested reading?
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The Drum Tuning Bible is okay, but unnecessarily long and complicated.

Just do a google search. You'll find bunches of info.
 
Supercreep said:
Everything I know about structural transmission says that doing that simply creates another resonant structure. If you're going to float your riser on neoprene pucks to isolate structurally, why not just put your kick drum rim/spurs on neoprene pucks?

Gearsluts says a lot of dumb things. But I'm curious to know. I'll check it out.
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I agree. It seems stupid to me.
 
I know in live situations (think festivals) A drum riser is more about convenience. When one band finishes their set the riser is just wheeled off stage left while the next band's is wheeled on with the drums already set up on it cutting down the turn around times. The the one being wheeled off is stripped for the next

In big studios with large live rooms it's easier to wheel about a riser to get the desired sound than it is to dismantle and set up a kit in half a dozen different places around a room.

I even have my V-drums set up on a makeshift riser so I can conveniently push it tight to the wall in one go when not in use.....I'd leave it there, but most drummers like the safety net of eye contact with the rest of the band.

That was of no help at all, eh? :D
 
Greg_L said:
Not me. I like seeing their asses.
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Look, man... your personal life is your own business. :eek: :D

Supercreep said:
Everything I know about structural transmission says that doing that simply creates another resonant structure. If you're going to float your riser on neoprene pucks to isolate structurally, why not just put your kick drum rim/spurs on neoprene pucks?

Gearsluts says a lot of dumb things. But I'm curious to know. I'll check it out.
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I think you're right on. From what I've heard first-hand, using a riser or "floating floor" for the drums isn't much different from what you can accomplish with a drumframe - which is one of those rack jobs that suspends the bass drum up and off the floor.

I tinkered with this in my last house... built a 4x6' carpeted slab and used 6" sections of 1" steel pipe fitted into flange mounts on the bottom to raise the drum kit up about 8" off the floor. The floor toms and kick drum sounded much more resonant - no impact on the rest of the kit. Left the mic stands on the concrete floor. It was certainly cheaper than buying a drumframe, but my guess is that one could use rubber pucks and a sheet of 1/2" rubber under the kick pedal to get a similar result.
 
RAMI said:
Unless I'm misunderstanding...How do you play a bass drum that's 8" off the floor?
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built a 4x6' carpeted slab and used 6" sections of 1" steel pipe fitted into flange mounts on the bottom to raise the drum kit up about 8" off the floor.
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I think he raised up the whole platform. (small kit though, I'd need a lot more than a 4' x 6' slab to fit me, my kit and the drum throne)
 
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