First Time Drum Purchase for Studio

[darnold]

Guess its time to invest in a nice drumset for studio purposes only. I really do not know much about drumsets which is why i bring my questions here.

Of course i need it versatile but i do mainly alternative rock with a little country and punk here and there. Obviously i want it pretty punchy and big sounding. Pretty much standard procedure . My Budget on it will be around $1500 to $2000 including cymbals and hardware. I am also considering into paying some extra money for a great sounding snare for the purpose.

What ive looked at mainly is Pearls just because i have friends who have them and they are nice in my opinion. But they use them mainly live and i never find the sound to be that great in the studio. Premier and Sonar i guess are good options? Im guessing i want to go maple?

Heh, i know im really newbie here with these drum questions but im not a drummer.

Its just time to stop putting up with crappy kits and crappy heads that people bring in the studio and time to make an upgrade to my drum sound. I will pay a little more if it will make a huge difference.

Thanks,

danny

 

[darnold]

i just wanted to add that the rock sound is more important than the country sound. But i would like it to be alittle versatile in that area.

danny

 

[framos]

First of all, don't let anyone put any of that crappy duct tape on the heads. Some drummers go so far as to put a ball of cotton and then tape it down with duct tape, thinking that will improve the sound of the heads. We call those "Drummer's Tampons." JUST DON'T DO IT!!!! It makes the heads sound like wet cardboard.
Invest in quality heads, (Evans, Remo) Each maker has a version that will muffle overtones. Personally, I like a bit of overtones, so no duct tape for me.

Two--learn how to tune drums. There are plenty of places on the Net that offer advice. The amount of information concerning the tuning of drums is too numerous to list here. But learning to tune drums is a must.

Now that you've researched these topics, talk to experienced producers and drummers that have spent a lot of time in the studio. Once again, they are all over the Net (such as this forum). Each one of them, I'd bet would be willing to email you their thoughts. Musicians love to talk about themselves. (As the length of this reply will attest).
One thing that I think you're going to learn from them is that a good quality basic drum set can be used to play multiple musical styles. Go to drumset.com and just ask their forum about drummer, Anysley Dunbar (There was a thread about him about a week ago. If it's not there now on the first page of the forum, do a search for his name). He has played with Zappa, David Bowie, Herbie Mann and others. In all of these various styles, he played one basic set. Just a bass, snare, hi-hat, one ride tom, two floors, two crashes and one ride cymbal. (Granted, at other times he would use a monster set too, but you get my point). Choose wisely, don't go for heavy crashes or rides. Mediums will do just fine. Some studio drummers like cymbals with "quick attacks." That means that there isn't a lot of sustain or "wash" when you hit the cymbal and therefore, the sound of the crashing cymbal is not heard long after it's hit. They don't want the sound of the cymbal crash reverberating after they've already gone into a different passage.

I prefer higher end Ludwig models, because I believe they've recaptured that vintage rock sound. But I'm sure there are many here that would disagree with me. That's what this forum is for -- to get various opinons. Then you have to come to your own conclusion.

Good Luck

P.S. And remember. Always take good care of your drums. You wouldn't believe how good a clean instrument sounds. I even wipe down my heads with a mild soapy dish rag every so often.

 

[Rimshot]

Also,

check out the other posts identicle to your's further down on this forum page. They are full of useful information that you might find helpful.

 

[Enrique]

Staying within your price range and being a quality kit, here are the few drums I would recommend:
- Mapex Pro M Series (cheapest)
- Mapex Saturn Series
- Pearl Birch Masters Studio 4-piece (most expensive)
- Pearl SRX 5-piece

Those all would be nice selections, the rest is basically personal preference. I personally am a fan of Mapex. Their hardware isn't all that great but the drums themselves sound fantastic.

 

[darnold]

Thanks for everyones response.

I learned alot from everyones posts.

framos - Thanks for you very informative thread. There are things i will definately remember. I was definately planning on making sure i tuned them right and i understand it is one of the most important things to the sound of the kit, which is why i wasnt going to put the heads on until i knew how to do it right. I have actually done alot of studying over the years on how to tune drums because every drummer that comes into the studio does not know how to do it. So i took the responsibility to learn and to do it for them, although i still probably have alot to learn about it.

Rimshot - i normally dont post a thread like this because they are normally questions that have already been answered. But i did check around and i didnt find any. There are only 2 pages on this forum and i couldnt find anything on the search. The few that i did look at definately did help me but i didnt feel it was enough for my situation.

Enrique - Thank you for giving me some options here. I like finding brands like Mapex that sound great at a low price. But i have some questions about them. First of all, you say that the Mapex hardware isnt very great. What specific hardware and what are their problems? I just want to know so i can buy better hardware to fix these problems. I was planning on getting an Iron Cobra kick (maybe double) but if the hi-hat stand isnt good enough i will try and upgrade that also. I also wanted to know if you could describe the difference in sound between the Mapex Pro-M series and the Mapex Saturn. The pearls would be nice but they are a bit more money, and ive decided now to keep this at around a max of $1500 instead of $2000.

What i thought about doing is getting one of the Mapex Pro-M's sets that are around the $1000 range, then paying for a very nice snare. It seems to me its a little easier to get away with the tom sound but the snare is crucial. However this is just a thought of mine, if it isnt a good idea let me know.

One of my problems is ive never had a nice enough set in the studio to compare to. I dont know what sound i need to make it sound great on the recording because ive never had a set that could do that. This is a bad thing i know. But thats why i have to rely on the nice people in this forum to help me out.

thanks,
danny

 

[Analytical Man]

Check out my drumset for sale in the ads section. All sorts of hardware, cymbals, drum module, triggers!!

 

[Enrique]

The difference between Mapex's Pro-M and Saturn series is quite different. The Pro-M is maple/basswood/maple with different yet sleek appearances. The Saturn is walnut/maple. Between the two, the Saturn series is the best for both live and studio use. The Pro-M is a very nice kit, being very affordable. It is not as punchy and vocal as the Saturn, but it gets the job done, seriously. Regarding Mapex's hardware, I own a Mapex kit and their hardware, whether it be their cheapest or higher end brand, I find it fairly stable. I would strongly suggest investing in either Tama's RoadPro hardware or DW's 900 series. Between the two, Tama has some REALLY good hardware for a very moderate price. I hope you find what hopes to be an awesome set up!

 

[Bulls Hit]

Tama has some REALLY good hardware for a very moderate price. I hope you find what hopes to be an awesome set up!

Of all the gear mentioned above, Tama is the one I'd go for.

The Tama Swingstar is a great entry level kit, and very reasonably priced.

If you're looking for something semi professional, the Rockstar would be your best bet. I own a Pearl kit, but I've been impressed with the Tamas I've played on. Their hardware is rock solid & built to last.

A Rockstar should also leave you with enough money left over for some hats and a couple of nice cymbals. Steer clear of entry-level cymbals if you can. Once you've had them a couple of weeks you'll wish you got the good ones

 

[Enrique]

Very true Bulls Hit. In my opinion, I think that the best bet for a semi-pro kit would be Tama's Rockstar/Rockstar Custom. You just can't beat their deal! Getting the right cymbals to compliment any kit is vital, just like you mentioned. I think the best deals on cymbals right now would be Sabian's XS20 or Zildjian's ZXT (taking the place of ZBT-Plus), if you are on a budget. But quantity isn't always as better as quality. You can invest in high-end models, simply by buying the necessary cymbals (ride, hats, and a crash). If you are unsatisfied with quanitity, there are always deals out there! Sometimes you might stumble upon a quality cymbal. Companies who sell used products tend to sell items for very moderate prices not just because they were used, but mostly because of its condition. If you somehow find a cymbal in like a pawn shop, more than likely they will sell it as is, without taking the proper steps to cleaning it or what not. My point is, you don't have to settle for anything less. By the time you do the shopping, I'm sure you'll know if you should buy or pass on it. Let us know what you come up with.