Coated or Clear...what's your preference?

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getuhgrip

getuhgrip

Bring Back Transfat!
First full set of clear heads I've ever had. Stock, cheapie remo/mapex stuff. Don't know that I really care for them so far. Seem to lack a pronounced attack, especially on the snare.

I play rock exclusively, and hit pretty hard. I like tuning batters on the loose side, and these heads just seem a bit lifeless.

I like a pretty sharp "thud" on toms. Anybody tried any of the "hydraulics"?
 
I Am Not A Drummer !

My 2¢

Two Words:...for toms?

Remo Pinstripes

I use to like the darker sound of Evans Hydraulics, but the black ones were too dark/thick and smaller drums sound dead. The Blue Hydraulics are better, but still...Pinstripes!
They're cheaper, too (I think) :D
 
Clark Grizwald said:
My 2¢
The Blue Hydraulics are better...
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I like the Blue Hydraulics on my studio kit...though for the snares, I have coated Evans heads.
My drummer likes them a lot...though we both agree they wouldn't be the best choice for live, but for recording they have a nice sound on the Toms.
Yeah...it's a darker sound, but there is also a fuller THUMP and richer resonance.


With the Black/Blue Hydraulics...I always thought it was just a color difference...?
Are you saying the Black Hydraulics are actually thicker than the Blue and that they are different sounding?
 
I have the black evans hyraulics on the batter sides of my PDP 805.
remo pinstripes on the resonant sides.

INCREDIBLY fat tone.
love it.
 
Hydraulics suck. You might as well use cardboard.

You have to consider what the drums will sound like in a full mix with bass and guitars - live or recorded. Dead heads sound even deader in a mix. I like coated heads, but clear heads provide a lot of overtones and ring that may turn you off when played by themselves, but in a mix I find that clear heads give the drums a more musical feel to them as opposed to just being dead sounds of percussion. You can always use a moongel or dampening ring on a clear head to fatten it up. Conversely you can't do jack shit to make coated or hydraulic heads sound more open.

Coated head on the snare - clears everywhere else.
 
When I used plastic I preferred coated Remo Ambassadors. I tried oil filled heads and found them too dead. The thing about Ambassadors is that you can tweak them with duct tape and pieces of felt, which looks like shit but at least you can take some off if it's too dead - you can't do that with Evans heads. This last few years I've gone to calf heads tops and bottoms, which I agree isn't for everyone but after using them I can tell you it's the difference between a plastic jacket and a leather one.
 
dintymoore said:
I tried oil filled heads and found them too dead.
Click to expand...

Yes...they can "go" dead on you much easier than single layer heads, though for recording, the choice of heads can also be dictated by the room, the kit, the style of playing, the style of music...etc.

I find it's easier to add some ambience than to remove any excess...and you can get a fatter tone with the hydraulics, but they need to be tuned just right to maintain a good resonance.
I find they give you a beefier drum sound but without sticking out in the mix with too much of the *CRACK*, which can mask other mix elements ...though like I said, there are many variables to consider...and then there's personal taste, as drummers like other musicians will have their likes/dislikes.

The drummer that does most of my tracking really likes the Evans Blue Hydraulics in the studio environment, but for his two personal kits that he uses for live playing, we both agree they sound much better with single-layer heads.
 
I thought about getting a puppy...you know, one that follows you around...
...but I got Greg instead. ;)


Hey Greg....I listened to my tracks again on the big studio monitors...and man, they sound so FAT with lots of low-end THUMP.
Must be them hydraulics! :)

But like you...I sometimes might use the thinner TWACK-sounding drums. They just weren't my choice for this project as I wanted beef instead of panackes. :D

You coming over for tea and crumpets later...or should I tell kcearl to just set a table for two...?
 
I listened to your drum tracks again. They still sound bad and lifeless, but it is what it is. If you like them like that, I support you. You're obviously very proud of them, so I'm down with that. But I found another problem....your timing is terrible! :(
 
Greg_L said:
I listened to your drum tracks again. They still sound bad and lifeless, but it is what it is. If you like them like that, I support you. You're obviously very proud of them, so I'm down with that. But I found another problem....your timing is terrible! :(
Click to expand...


Mmmmm...they're the same tracks you're listening to...again. :D

Maybe you just like the music. ;)


Oh...I'll check the click tracks...they musta gone out of sync at some point. :rolleyes:
 
miroslav said:
Mmmmm...they're the same tracks you're listening to...again. :D

Maybe you just like the music. ;)


Oh...I'll check the click tracks...they musta gone out of sync at some point. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Damn, sorry, I forgot we're not allowed to say anything bad about your "music". Nevermind. The bad timing and floppy drums sound awesome!
 
You can say anything you like... :)

Stay tuned...I'll soon be posting clips from the entire album when it's officially released in a couple of weeks.
Feel free pick away to your heart's content...any way you choose.
icon14.gif
 
miroslav said:
You can say anything you like... :)

Stay tuned...I'll soon be posting clips from the entire album when it's officially released in a couple of weeks.
Feel free pick away to your heart's content...any way you choose.
icon14.gif
Click to expand...

I expect it will be fine, because you can do no wrong!
 
Greg_L said:
I expect it will be fine, because you can do no wrong!
Click to expand...

Finally!!!
All my life I've been waiting for someone to come along who understands me! :D


Hey...if negative comments really bothered me, I wouldn't have anything posted up on my website. ;)
 
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