Upgrading my drums... what should i get?

M

MaximumMetal288

New member
Hey everyone. My friend will be aquiring 500 dollars soon and we plan to use it to upgrade my home recording area. Here is a list of my equipment...

14' Yamaha Snare - Model number SD35OMG
CB MX Series percussion
12', 13', 16' Toms
22' Bass Drum

14' Camber C4000 hi hats
16' Paiste 802 Crash
10' A Custom Zildigian Splash
20' ZBT Zildigian Ride

I personally thing that getting a new bass pedal and some mxl 993 condesor mics would make the drums sound and feel better. My current bass pedal is an old gibraltor and it is very uresponsive and weak feeling. My friend on the other hand wants to buy the best possible hi hat, but i think my hi hat is fine for now, and some condesors would be better. Right now my mics are pretty much limited to all things pg series (minus the pg81).

What do you guys think? We are limited to 500 dollars. Thanks!
 
New Hihat

The first thing that I noticed was your lack of a good pair of hihats. Chances are thatt you hit those the most in a song, thus you should at least buy a decent pair of those. However, rather than dropping 200 -300 on pro hihats - maybe you should settle for something mid level and used on ebay. maybe used paisre sound formula or alpha hats on ebay? 802s might even be better than the camber hats you have now.

You can get a good single bass pedal for a little over a hundred new or a little less used. I'm quite happy with my Tama Iron Cobra pedal and thats about 125 new.

At this point you would probably still have about 250 left. So you could probably afford some cheaper MXL condensors and maybe even an SM57.

I would buy as much as you can used and try to make your money go farther.
 
You have Camber hi hats - Chuck 'em. Paiste 802's sound really good for the price if you can still find 'em. Better mics don't make crappy instruments sound better, they just show off the crappiness. Maybe get some really good heads, too.
 
Better Hi-hats are definitely top priority. Cambers sound like metallic dung. If you're patient enough to wait around on eBay for a good deal, you're bound to find one. I got some pre-split era Istanbul hi-hats for around $80! Good things come to those who wait... Oh, and I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade the ride either. ZBT's aren't much better than Cambers...
 
Id go with cheaper condensors...I got a pair of mxl 603s for 105 bucks at guitar center on sale...thats a steal...and they sound great as overheads....definitely get new mid level high hats...like someone else said you probably hit them the most in any song.
 
CAMBERS SUCK!!!!!!!! ITS LIKE HELL HAVING THESE!!!!!! I GOT A SET OF CAMBER C-4000'S, AND I REPLACED THEM AFTER A MONTH CAUSE THEY SUCKED SO MUCH!!!! also, ZBT isnt too good. Stick to Paiste. Trust me. I love them. Especially the Sgnature series... but those are really expensive...
 
my ride sucks, it's light and thin and clangy. It has a tiny, worn out stamp that says Zildian, hard to believe they made one that bad?

Then again when I go looking, I don't like what I hear anyway. I like that one w/ the dents on the Steve Smith DVD, but who knows what it really sounds like live. Looks expensive and thick.
 
especially for recording, hihats are going to make such an incredible difference. really really nice hats aren't going to wash out or get harsh like the cheap (and mid level, too) ones do. I love mastersound hats.

buy the stuff that you won't have to upgrade later. in the end, you'll be happier.
 
I have a set of zildjian scimitar bronze hats and a scimitar bronze 20" ride. dont let the obscurity and cheap ebay price fool you. these are excellent cymbals for recording. i hated them when i first got them with my used Ludqig kit. but after playing them for a bit.....wow. I use the ride cymbal as a crash because it kills for that. For as long as they aren't cracked they will stay on my kit.
 
wesley tanner said:
especially for recording, hihats are going to make such an incredible difference. really really nice hats aren't going to wash out or get harsh like the cheap (and mid level, too) ones do. I love mastersound hats.

buy the stuff that you won't have to upgrade later. in the end, you'll be happier.
Click to expand...

ditto on the mastersounds - they sound great

and I've got some SP1 condensors for $50 each that actually sound real nice.... much better than dynamics
 
Maybe I'll pick up some new hi-hats then. I look at the mastersound hats on ebay or something, they significantly cheaper on ebay than the websites. I kinda like the ride though, the bell sounds pretty good to my ears, but a new ride would be good, but those hats do suck.. a lot.

I'll definetly get the mxl 603's if they are 105 a piece. I can't believe they are that cheap. Now I gotta get my friend to not buy ANOTHER guitar instead of trying to get my recording stuff sounding kick ass. He can be wierd though, if he buys the hats, then he will always shove it in my face that the drum set is partially owned by him. :p

Thanks
 
I'd say look into Paiste Alpha's. They indeed cost a bit more than Zildjian ZBT/ZBX or Sabian B8/B8 Pro. But the Alpha's are pro cymbals for fair prices.!.!
If you really have enough money i'd say get some Sabian HH/HHX/AA/AAX etc.etc...but that's just me ;).

About the Pedal, you say it reacts not fast and is not good enough?
Have you ever adjusted the spring on your pedal or played a bit with that?
If you still don't feel the Pedal is very good, look into some Pearl Powershifter/ or the PowerShifter Eliminator (interchangeble cams!! for different responses), tho the Tama Iron Cobra/Iron Cobra Jr. series also do a great job. I use the Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide, and I love...but I also played on the Pearl, and felt even more comfortable on those than my own Tama's.

About the micing problem. I'd also say MXL but since I am a newbie at this (recording), don't take this advice from me :).
 
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