Disposable
New member
So can anyone tell me what good it would be
To have only roto-toms on a drum kit?
They should be used in conjuntion with real toms shouldn't they?
Not just by themselves?
My drummer is looking at a kit (he hasn't seen it yet)
But the ad says roto-toms (leading me to believe there are no real toms.)
Any good use for this?
To have only roto-toms on a drum kit?
They should be used in conjuntion with real toms shouldn't they?
Not just by themselves?
My drummer is looking at a kit (he hasn't seen it yet)
But the ad says roto-toms (leading me to believe there are no real toms.)
Any good use for this?
Terry Bozzio and Alex Van Halen had impressive Roto periods. Listen to Missing Persons' "Spring Session M" CD for a Bozzio thrill ride (breaks on "Windows" and "Here and Now" still make me pee my pants with joy after nearly 20 years). John Farris of INXS also used a frontal array of them atop a kick/snare/floor foundation that punctuated their grooves with style and character. That's really what Rotos are about – character. They punch through the mix in a way that standard toms can't. Close miking above or below the head produces a hot, in your face attack. More ambient room miking gets you a sound reminiscent of early Peter Gabriel recordings, or Collins-esque bombast. I like the bigger ones, myself - the 14" through 18" sizes, and have used them on many occasions with a standard kick/snare/floor with great results. They, like any drum, sound best when you tighten them up a bit, and not let them get too floppy. That's why the big ones sound best. Bill Bruford and Louie Bellson both used the larger ones in their setups this way, and, more recently, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters has a couple big ones on the floortom side of his standard kit. They do have a pretty unique sound. Call it one-dimensional? I don't think so. Do they sound like nothing else? Definitely. It's all about style, though. The great GO-GO drummers of D.C. could make 5 gallon buckets sound kickass, and have their place, sonically, in the seminal recordings of the pre-Hip Hop era. So, like any other drum, Roto Toms sound shitty when played by a shitty drummer, but stylish percussive voices in the hands of a thoughtful drummer. Most kids who stay up nights dreaming about the 6" thru gong bass drum flurry at the closing of Rush's "Limelight" will likely start with the 6-8-10 Rotos, and for that, I variably cheer and suffer the torture shared, no doubt, by the Guitar Center salesperson who has been forced to endure innumerable earnest dismantlings of "Enter Sandman" or "Crazy Train." Clever and experienced players, however, should check them out for their ability to add flavor and texture to their sound.
