
sonusman
Banned
Whew!!! This is a big ol' barrel of monkey's that got opened up here!!! 
This subject could be debated until blue in the face. I almost want to scold punx_drummer for even starting it, but I doubt he knew what kind of sparks would fly!!! LOL
The question is FAR too subjective to have a "right" answer. The style of music, how the drummer hits, the room it will be mic'ed in, the mic's used, how much processing will be done, and the EXACT type of sound is sought will have everything to do with how the drums ultimately sound!!!
There IS indeed a difference in how shell/head/hardware combo's sound! What is considered "warm" is VERY subjective too. Someone define what warm means in orchastral vs metal recordings?
Indeed, a far different standard would be applied, and rightfully so!!!
Personally, I don't give a hoot what the common "nashville" session is using when I am doing a funk recording!
Inversely, if I am recording country, doesn't matter what Steve Gad uses eh?
So, there are differences.
As to the question at hand. I will ignore the "warm" part of the question.
Without fail, Yamaha kits sound great in recordings! Whether is has been rock, folk, metal, jazz, funk, blues, the best drum sounds I have layed down on tape (harddrives included...) have been any Yamaha kits I have recorded. I have had good luck with other brands of drums for sure, but no other brand has provided the consistency in quality that Yamaha has over vastly different genre's! The Mapel Custom Absolute has been the best sounding and easiest kit I have ever recorded. The Mapel Customs tie with the Stage Customs. Depending upon the style, either will work well, with the Mapel Custom's working betting for lighter hitters and the Stage Custom's for heavier hitters. ALL Yamaha drums have so far provided a very punchy, well defined sound on tape for me, as well as having great nuance when tuned for more responsiveness in delicate pieces.
I have mic'ed up some great sounding kits from every other manufacture, but I seem to get more "dud's" with these other manufactures. Most Yamaha's seem to tune quite easily, and seem to just provide the type of sound I want in a recording.
I will say that they are not always to most "fun" kit to play live. DW's seem to have a much more "alive" sound from the players perspective, but don't seem to mic up as well. Live or in the studio, I have more problems with DW's than most other kit's I have mic'ed up. If DW's float your boat (they don't mine...but that is JUST my opinion that nobody else is forced to share...
) than you might want to check out Allegra drums. I have had much more luck with Allegra than DW's, and drummers seem to agree that the drums are very comparable in every other way. Allegra's are less expensive though, and that makes them favorable to many drummers.
punx_drummer, if you are looking for kit's that just seem to be MADE TO RECORD, I would look no farther than Yamaha. Check around, they are possibly the most widely used professional kit in the world, and for good reason in my opinion.
Interestingly, this guy: http://www.drumweb.com/profsound.shtml#ref50 seems to prefer Yamaha for many of the same reason's I do. I wouldn't call this guys credentials amature at all.
I doubt that HE would even say that Yamaha's are the "best", but a lot of engineers that I talk to, and MANY good drummers all agree that you cannot go wrong with a Yamaha kit.
Peace.
Ed

This subject could be debated until blue in the face. I almost want to scold punx_drummer for even starting it, but I doubt he knew what kind of sparks would fly!!! LOL
The question is FAR too subjective to have a "right" answer. The style of music, how the drummer hits, the room it will be mic'ed in, the mic's used, how much processing will be done, and the EXACT type of sound is sought will have everything to do with how the drums ultimately sound!!!
There IS indeed a difference in how shell/head/hardware combo's sound! What is considered "warm" is VERY subjective too. Someone define what warm means in orchastral vs metal recordings?

Personally, I don't give a hoot what the common "nashville" session is using when I am doing a funk recording!

So, there are differences.
As to the question at hand. I will ignore the "warm" part of the question.
Without fail, Yamaha kits sound great in recordings! Whether is has been rock, folk, metal, jazz, funk, blues, the best drum sounds I have layed down on tape (harddrives included...) have been any Yamaha kits I have recorded. I have had good luck with other brands of drums for sure, but no other brand has provided the consistency in quality that Yamaha has over vastly different genre's! The Mapel Custom Absolute has been the best sounding and easiest kit I have ever recorded. The Mapel Customs tie with the Stage Customs. Depending upon the style, either will work well, with the Mapel Custom's working betting for lighter hitters and the Stage Custom's for heavier hitters. ALL Yamaha drums have so far provided a very punchy, well defined sound on tape for me, as well as having great nuance when tuned for more responsiveness in delicate pieces.
I have mic'ed up some great sounding kits from every other manufacture, but I seem to get more "dud's" with these other manufactures. Most Yamaha's seem to tune quite easily, and seem to just provide the type of sound I want in a recording.
I will say that they are not always to most "fun" kit to play live. DW's seem to have a much more "alive" sound from the players perspective, but don't seem to mic up as well. Live or in the studio, I have more problems with DW's than most other kit's I have mic'ed up. If DW's float your boat (they don't mine...but that is JUST my opinion that nobody else is forced to share...

punx_drummer, if you are looking for kit's that just seem to be MADE TO RECORD, I would look no farther than Yamaha. Check around, they are possibly the most widely used professional kit in the world, and for good reason in my opinion.
Interestingly, this guy: http://www.drumweb.com/profsound.shtml#ref50 seems to prefer Yamaha for many of the same reason's I do. I wouldn't call this guys credentials amature at all.

Peace.
Ed