Hit the damn things......

[slidey]

yep

I've been experimenting in the world of drum now for approx 23 years on a dailly basis & pride myself in a good recorded drum sound. I've just had a band in & the drummer had been playing for just under a year......

the point of the story is to get the "ideal" drum sound it more or less all comes down to how you play the kit in the 1st place.......

If the boxes are being relatively well hit then it more or less becomes a sound on it's own. I had a player who smacked the snare toms & cymbals but was inconsistant as hell on the bass drum. I got round & produced a drum sound I was happy with BUT how much easier it would have been to have had it played right in the 1st place

by the time I had the kick mic up loud enough in terms of gain, the snare was coming right through making it impossible to gate......

it all ultimately adds to my experience as a producer

[mikeh]

You are so right - hitting the drums correctly and as important, consistantly is a large part of the drum sound.

A couple of weeks ago, I did some sessions (as the drummer) in a studio I had never worked in before. The engineer actually commented how pleased and surprised he was that the drum sounds (in particular the snare and kick) where so consistant. He even acted surprised that it appeared that I hit the backbeat on the snare in the same place and at the same volume (thus a consistant sound). He indicated that was the first time in seveal years a drummer had played so consistantly - and it made his job as an engineer so much easier.

While I was pleased that I had done my job well - I was embarassed (as a member of the drum community) to know that it would appear few drummers (at least based on that particular engineer) understand or execute such a basic percusion function.

Fortunately for me - that engineer now plans to hand out my card whenever he can.

[Dogman]

First thing I was told, was smack the suckers....

[RezN8]

Agreed. I got a lot of work just for being consistent. I really like to take full advantage of every drum and cymbal. For snare- slam that backbeat in the center, ghost a bit off to the side. There are literally thousands of sounds I can get out of my ride. The bass drum can be ghost pulse or super loud - rebound or bury the beater. But a drummer should be able play it like he meant it.

I think every drummer needs to really LISTEN and focus on what they're playing BEFORE going to a studio. MAKE EVERY NOTE COUNT.

Anyone who calls themselves a drummer should know there's a thousand ways to hit it. The trick is to know how, when, and where to hit it.

Too many "drummers" are in it to feed their feeble egos rather than play for the love of it.

[RAMI]

My drums only sound good when I wack 'em.

[Dogman]

Originally Posted by RAMI

My drums only sound good when I wack 'em.

Hahahahahaha.....you said whack....

[slidey]

whacking is good, especially when there is no danger of being whacked back

[hoops]

I have had the experience of recording drummers that hit to hard. They end up choking the skin when hit.

[ez_willis]

Originally Posted by slidey

yep

I've been experimenting in the world of drum now for approx 23 years on a dailly basis & pride myself in a good recorded drum sound. I've just had a band in & the drummer had been playing for just under a year......

the point of the story is to get the "ideal" drum sound it more or less all comes down to how you play the kit in the 1st place.......

If the boxes are being relatively well hit then it more or less becomes a sound on it's own. I had a player who smacked the snare toms & cymbals but was inconsistant as hell on the bass drum. I got round & produced a drum sound I was happy with BUT how much easier it would have been to have had it played right in the 1st place

by the time I had the kick mic up loud enough in terms of gain, the snare was coming right through making it impossible to gate......

it all ultimately adds to my experience as a producer

I worked with Kenny Aranoff for a short time. He hits harder than I thought possible, and it proves your point.

[slidey]

Originally Posted by ez_willis

I worked with Kenny Aranoff for a short time. He hits harder than I thought possible, and it proves your point.

yes aye.....

Graham Walker (Gary Moore Band) hit's them as well

you worked with Aranoff ez, is there anything one can hear??? the man's a monster

[MadAudio]

I was smacking my skins yesterday. My toms love to be whacked!

[ez_willis]

Originally Posted by slidey

yes aye.....

Graham Walker (Gary Moore Band) hit's them as well

you worked with Aranoff ez, is there anything one can hear??? the man's a monster

He actually produced a few songs of a band I was in when we were searching for a producer for our record. We went with someone else, ultimately, but our drummer was the weakest member and Kenny coached him into a consistant, hard hitting monster.

[MadAudio]

Damn. I was gonna post a clip, but Gunnar's site is acting funky.

[slidey]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

I was smacking my skins yesterday. My toms love to be whacked!

you got single headed babies huh??? yeah they like to be completely totalled

[slidey]

Originally Posted by ez_willis

He actually produced a few songs of a band I was in when we were searching for a producer for our record. We went with someone else, ultimately, but our drummer was the weakest member and Kenny coached him into a consistant, hard hitting monster.

cool as fuck, was he a cool guy???

he's a damn cool player

[MadAudio]

Originally Posted by slidey

you got single headed babies huh??? yeah they like to be completely totalled

Yes, sir! Good memory!!

[ez_willis]

Originally Posted by slidey

cool as fuck, was he a cool guy???

he's a damn cool player

Very cool and down to earth. One of the better rock drummers alive today, IMO.

[HangDawg]

Originally Posted by hoops

I have had the experience of recording drummers that hit to hard. They end up choking the skin when hit.

Yep, damn right. These fuckers that hit them as hard as they can should really learn how to do it right. It's not just the drums either, cymbals have a point that when hit too hard they sound like ass.

Whack em my ass. The guys that can really play don't hit them hard. They hit em right.

[slidey]

Originally Posted by HangDawg

Yep, damn right. These fuckers that hit them as hard as they can should really learn how to do it right. It's not just the drums either, cymbals have a point that when hit too hard they sound like ass.

Whack em my ass. The guys that can really play don't hit them hard. They hit em right.

Yes hit them right, you're talking about drummers that physically put everything they've got into every hit which is to much & indeed chokes all the life out of the box. You get the drummer who puts everything into it & ends up with an inconsistant pile of almost un-mixable mess which is equally down to lack of knowledge

& hitting them right leaves the volume about 1/2 way between quiet & loud, leaving a reasonable dynamic range either way for quieter or louder sections

[slidey]

Originally Posted by HangDawg

The guys that can really play don't hit them hard. They hit em right.

you don't say........& the difference between hitting them hard as opposed to barely touching the things is worthy of a title like hit the damn things

& you're also stating the obvious to those that know how to hit them right. After 24 years I'd burn my sticks if I hadn't learned to hit them right

[MadAudio]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

Damn. I was gonna post a clip, but Gunnar's site is acting funky.

OK, lightningmp3 is back up, so here's a clip of me pounding them (properly).

[slidey]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

OK, lightningmp3 is back up, so here's a clip of me pounding them (properly).

good sounding drum machine

[MadAudio]

Originally Posted by slidey

good sounding drum machine

The joke's on you. We didn't even use so much as a click track!

[hoops]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

OK, lightningmp3 is back up, so here's a clip of me pounding them (properly).

Nice sounding clip. Sounds like you have good control. Well done.

[KaveKong]

Good drums are a true joy. I know you drummers take a beating when it comes to rockstar status, but the drums are my favorite thing to hear on an album. Nothing gets into my head like drums.

My favorite all time drum album is System of a Down's album called...uh...crap! I forget. It'll come to me.

The drums are so clear and so nice, especially the toms.


I record a lot (just at home on the computer), and drums are my weakness. I have to program them, of course, and I can't even come close to the creativity of what I hear most guys play (not to mention the sound is crap).

But I just record for fun, nothing serious.

The only negative of drumming is all that dang equipment. I'd hate to be a drum tech or roadie.