Are my ears overly sensitive?

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thedude400

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So I have recently started playing the drums alot more and I've just been focusing on getting the best sound I can get out of my drums. And I've done pretty good with that so far But the most peculiar thing has been happening to me. When I am playing the drums with my vic virth isolation headphones, the tonal quality and the resonation of every drums sounds so perfect and great. Even the cymbals sound really great. But when I take the headphones off it all just sounds so grating and raw and well frankly just sort of bad. It's not just when I put the headphones on first either, when I first sit down on the drums they sound just mediocre. But as soon as those headphones go on , they sound like a dream. I keep my drums well tuned and the heads are pretty new. It's a Yamaha set.

When I record drums they sound fine raw, and even better after equalization and effects. It's just sitting behind them live that seems to just not satisfy me sonically.

Am I just too picky? Is the natural sound of a drum just too loud and piercing for my eardrums? Should I work harder at tuning the drums perfectly to my taste?
 
Naturally when you take the phones off after playing for a bit, it will take a some time for your ears to adjust. I notice this especially using isolation headphones.

The other issue might have to do with the rooms acoustics. I say if you're getting good results recording, than stick to it.

I think you're doing fine - keep wearing the phones when you play - if you keep the volume at a decent level it will save hearing.
 
I'll be honest, my drums don't seem to sound that great either until I put the headphones on.. them my room set's in. I believe it's the difference in hearing behind the kit and hearing what it sounds like to listeners (far away enough so their ears arent being thrashed)
 
personally, i think most instruments sound better miced up while listening thru phones. i can't stand my singing voice unless is going thru a mic. :D
 
TravisinFlorida said:
personally, i think most instruments sound better miced up while listening thru phones. i can't stand my singing voice unless is going thru a mic. :D
Click to expand...

I must protest. I sertainly don't think my or anyone's decent acoustic guitar sound anywhere near as good miced as it does "real time". Same goes for acoustic bass, piano, any orchestral instrument and so on and so on. For drums, I don't know. Good miced drums can sound amazing, and I've never been wowed by any acoustic sound coming from drums.
 
You haven't been in the room with a well-tuned set of DW's...
 
I have found this in the past too. I'd think that maybe it's making you not hear some frequencies, but I've even heard it with ear plugs that are supposed to lower all the frequencies equally, and it sounds "better".

For me it's the ride cymbal that really sticks out. When I have something on my head I can hear the stick hitting the cymbals pretty clearly, without much wash.
 
Drums are naturally loud and sometimes too loud for our own hearing so the frequencies which cut through the most are the harshest one's. But when it's played with defenders on or via a desk and mics, it can sound brilliant due to the better levels.
I wouldn't worry about it tbh m8 and wearing those defenders will keep your ears in good enough condition :D
 
I have noticed the same thing with isolation headphones. I have chaulked it up to the isolation phones removing the room acoustics from the overall sound. Another thing I have noticed since I started recording the drums. I used to have a piece of moongel on each tom to quell some of the overtones, which sounds more pleasing live. Now, when I record the drums the toms sound flat. I removed the moongel and let the toms resonate more and voila, the toms sound full when recorded just like they do acousticly with the moongel in place. Mmmm....weird.
 
I've become addicited to Isolation Headphones as well . I use the Vic Firth Stereo Isolation Headphones .

When I'm just jamming to a CD or practicing parts I monotor the set thru the drum mics via the mixer headphone feed . If I'm playing with a band I wear those ear plugs that lower all the frequencies equally if I don't have the kit miced so I can feed a headphone mix for myself .

I can't take the db level anymore and everything does sound like crappolla without some type of control . :eek:
 
Keep wearing your protection boys and dont end up like me. I am 52 and played drums since I was 12. At 42 I needed hearing aids. And 8 of those years in between I didnt play at all. So it didnt take that many years to destroy my hearing.

Protect what you have cause its not fun to deal with and it is very exspensive to buy hearing aids. 2000 for the cheap ones and they will only last about 5 years till you need new ones.
 
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