What drumset is good for recording?

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4ever

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I want to have a drum set in my home recording studio. I'm not a drum player but want one for my potential clients. :D I'm not really looking for top of the line set so please help me out here.

Perl Forum ($400 w/o Hardware)
Perl Export ($500 w/o Hardware)
Tama ($500 w/o Hardware)
Student drums ($300) TDK?

Also our local music store will be selling Premier Artist Maple drum in December for two days only (14-15 Dec) for $499 (no hardware)... Should I wait?

Since I'm not a drummer I really need your input here. Thank in advance.
 
Pearl Export or Tama Rockstar, with the right heads and tuning will do perfectly fine. However, if you can get those Premiers for that price, I would definitley hold out.
 
Forgot to mention...do you have access to hardware or cymbals? These will really start to add on to the price if you don't already have them.

Also, stay away from "student" kits like TDK. Great for learning or whatever but almost impossible to tune and get a consistent even tone out of them. Just my opinion...
 
theletterq said:
Forgot to mention...do you have access to hardware or cymbals? These will really start to add on to the price if you don't already have them.

Also, stay away from "student" kits like TDK. Great for learning or whatever but almost impossible to tune and get a consistent even tone out of them. Just my opinion...
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, theletterq... I would hold out until December...

No, I still have to buy the harware seperately... I know it'll add up... Is Sabyan(sp?) B8 package a good buy (forgot the sizes but it has hihats, ride and crash for $180) ? I don't like the color though. Too much bronz perhaps?
 
Some may disagree but when it comes to cymbals, you should hold out for the absolute best you can afford. Most budget cymbals will end up being rather "clangy" and "gongy". The lowest I would go would be Sabian's Pro line. Other than that, try to just get maybe one at a time from Sabians' AA or AAX series. Sabians really aren't all that expensive.
 
I Use...
Tama Rockstar with a Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute Snare

Evans heads on the Snare, and Remo Emporers on the Toms and the Tama Bass Drum head that came with it...

My cheapy Sabian B8's record fine....
In fact It's the cymbals that I need to use the least eq on...

I have a Ziljian Crash that is pretty expensive and it has this depth to it, Sounds wonderful with my kit when your standing in the room ...but it is a bitch to record.... sounds really "tinny" when recorded.... I need Mega EQ to fix it up in the mix....

But cymbals can be debated forever... I like my B8's

Oh, and I have a recorded sample for you to hear...

"DRUM TEST"

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/rockpop/voxvendor/singles

Good Luck

Joe
 
If you're looking for a great sounding recording set, but don't want to spend much, look for a used one. You can get much better quality for about the same price, maybe a little more, than a 400 dollar new kit. Honestly, I don't know how good of a sound you can get for 400 bucks... Check out ebay, and you'll find some much nicer kits for the moeny. Also on cymbals, don't skimp on them! Sabian B8s sound like ass, at least to me. I have a Sabian AA Fast Crash 17" and a AAX Medium Thin Crash 15", along with an HH Raw Bell Dry Ride 21", 2 AAX splashes 8" and 10", and AAX Stage Hats 14", and get excellent sounds from all of them.
 
If you can get the Premiers for that price - you would have a better kit (Maple is much preferred over the Mahogany or Basswood normally found in entry level drums).

Of the kits you listed - the Export or the Tama (assuming at that price it's a Rockstar) are better than the Forum or the TDK.

Athough I'm not a fan of the B8/ZBT entry level of cymbals - they may be more appropriate than more costly cymbals (since you are getting entry level drums). Keep in mind that you can make entry level drums sound pretty good with decent heads and proper tuning - but there is very little you can do with a poor sounding cymbal.

Anticipate $200 - $300 for entry level cymbals (14" hats, 20" ride, 16" crash) to as much as $500 - $600 for "better" cymbals

Also, anticipate around $200 - $300 for hardware.

Although you can get more drums for your money used - there is also the chance that you will buy something with problems (most people with less than $1000 kits don't know the proper ways to maintain there gear) - this leads to damaged bearing edges, lugs, snare strainers, etc.

If you buy used, have a knowledgeable drummer check out the gear.

Re: Buying on ebay - while I'm sure the are many happy buyers - I have seen a few people come into the drum shop I work in with drums from ebay that have missing or damaged pasrts which either rendered the drums useless - or required time, effort and money to repair - making the "deal on ebay" not a deal at all.
 
Wait on the Premier Artist kit. I bought one (Birch) for $500 when my local Guitar Center was blowing them out. That is a kit that's easily worth 8-900$, and sounds just fantastic.
 
I would check around for a used Yamaha Stage Custom set. Wonderful drums for the price. Although, I can't say that I have ever price them used. But I am sure they would be reasonable, and Yamaha makes VERY good sounding drum kits.

If you want to step up to possibly the best sounding drums I have ever heard, try the Yamaha Absolute Maple Customs!!! Those will set you back a pretty penny, but they have a WONDERFUL sound to them.

Ed
 
Amen... B8's suck. Anything that comes in a package its pretty much crap in my opinion.. AAX's are really good for the price.

Scott

theletterq said:
Some may disagree but when it comes to cymbals, you should hold out for the absolute best you can afford. Most budget cymbals will end up being rather "clangy" and "gongy". The lowest I would go would be Sabian's Pro line. Other than that, try to just get maybe one at a time from Sabians' AA or AAX series. Sabians really aren't all that expensive.
Click to expand...
 
I agree with Sonusman, the Yamaha Stage Customs are one of the best (if not the best) low priced kits around. I also agree the Maple Customs are very good sounding - I'm a fan of Yamaha drums in general.

The stage customs are primarily Mahogany and they have a good blend of punch and warmth.

I had a set for a about 18 months and I still regret getting rid of them - but I needed the cash to buy some other gear (and since I already owned several kits, I had to make a hard choice. The guy that bought them loves them.
 
Yamaha Stage Customs are Mahogany, Falkata, and Birch, and run about $900 for a set.

Premier Artist maple kits are all maple, run about $1300 for a kit, and have isolation mounted toms. For $500, that is an absolute steal. In fact, if you're not gonna buy one, PM me and I'll send you $500 so you can buy me one. I bought a birch kit when GC was blowing them out a few months ago, and I'm kicking myself for not buying another one... even on ebay, they go for more than that.
 
Specs and features are just that. ;)

A used Stage Custom would fit the price range quite well!

mikeh. A friend of mine sold his off to, to his brothers. But rumor has it that he is buying it back!!! :) I have mixed like 3 CD's this guy produced that used his Stage Custom, and compared to all the other Allegra's, DW's, Premiers, Pearl's, Ludwig's, etc....and most of these others being their either near or top of the line kits, that Stage Custom just smokes it!

The Absolutes Maples are killer indeed! But you know which one by them I thought was a disappointment? The regular Maple Custom. Very "pingy" sounding no matter how I tuned them. :(

Yeah, Yamaha's are just the right stuff. It is surprising how many discriminating pro's play them!

Ed
 
I just wish that I have heard a Premier set that actually sounded decent in the past. For live use, they seem okay when carefully tuned. In the studio though, they never seem to get the right sound for me. I have tracked quite a few.

The Yamaha's on the other hand!!! Damn fine sounding kits!!! I wouldn't think twice about spending a few extra bucks on a Stage Custom for studio use compared to ANY Premier.

Ed
 
I think we can agree to disagree. The drummers who have come through my mini studio have loved my Premier, and I'm veryhappy with the sound.
 
Definately get the Premiers.....I'm getting myself the Artist Birch soon(i wish for that price)
 
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