What would you suggest for a Recording only kit??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Scinx
  • Start date Start date
S

Scinx

Mechanical Monkey
I am just diving into drums and want a kit to record (rock music) with. I wont be using it live so it doesnt need to be loud persay.

Ive scoured this board for a month now and played some different things. I think the Zildjian K's are what I want for cymbals. After that - Im sorta clueless..

My basic question is this - what size drums (between a kick, snare, 2 rack toms and a floor tom) are recommended for recording and what size cymbals (crash, ride, hihat). Also - is there any preference as to what brand records best? I am looking in the $600 range or so (for the drums and hardware). [I understand cymbals will probably bring me up several hundred more].

Your opinions and knowledge are greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
In that price range, I would search for a fusion kit from either Pearl, Yamaha, Gretsch or Mapex...I've had the best luck recording with mahogany shells as opposed to maple....
 
can someone please decifer for me the difference between a "studio kit" and a "live kit"? I laugh everytime I see those words.
 
There is no difference. A kit is a kit. Try the mapex, thats what I got, and I love them. They are fairly cheap, but with good hardware and they are well constructed.
 
I tend to disagree. Live kits have deeper shells to build more reverb and volume naturally. My studio kits have had shallow shells to contain boom.
 
i like 22 inch bass drums for rock. i can really hear the difference for certain songs between a 20 and a 22. better to have two bass drums :-)
 
As a general rule, smaller size shells record better, with a more focused attack and less overtones. Smaller, thinner cymbals also record better for the same reason.

For that reason, I would suggest fusion sized shells 20" kick with 10", 12", & 14" toms. I like 13"x3" for a studio snare (you can always tune them down if needed). The snare should be wood - metal snares are very hard to tame in the studio.

The debate of which wood records best is eternal and in fact this site had a rather heated debate on that subject within the last year. While Maple is the most preferred wood for drums in general, I have found Birch provides a tighter (more focused) sound which seems easier to capture in a recorded medium.

Since I currently own 4 sets, (Maple, Birch, Mahogany & electronic) and have owned various combinations of those woods, as well as a set of the plexiglass/fiberglass drums - I have plenty of first hand experiance in recording different kits.

I've never felt hardware was as important for a studio kit. Naturally, a good hi-hat and kick pedal and a throne that is steady are important - but heavy duty stands in the studio is more than what's needed. As long as the hardware stays in place and doesn't make noise!!!
 
i went to tama.com and ocdrum.com (2 of my favorite drum co) and I couldn't find what they recommend for live and studio.

My point is, there is no set standard live kit and studio kit, it's all a matter of personal preference just as there is no punk snare drum, metal snare drum, country snare drum, etc.

If a kit sounds good, it will sound good regarless of live or studio or practice use.
 
to answer the question, if you are looking to buy a kit for 600, my advice would be to build your own. It'll end up sounding better (if you do it right) than any 600 used or new kit you could buy.
 
What do you mean by building my own? As in buying individual drums from different companies (pieces instead of a set) or actually building the drums? If the latter - where would I even start? Can I just buy shells and heads and whatnot? From where?
Thanks to all who have responded!
 
Certainly buying shells and building your own kit is an option. However, having priced this out on more than one occasion, I'm not convinced that it provides that significant of a savings (by the time you add i all the hardware and more impoirtantly the sweat equity).

I would never recommend building a kit to someone who is a novice to drums. Perhaps someone who has worked with several kits and understands the sounds available from different woods and different sized shells and the different cuts of bearing edges and the effects of different thickness of plys (or the right number of plys) - maybe, maybe, if someone had that body of knowledge under their belts they could make the right choices to build a kit - but in adsence of that knowledge there is a very distinct possibility that building your own kit would result in a less than satisfactory end result.

fenix, while I agree with you that a good sounding kit should sound good regardless of the venue, the fact remains smaller sized drums tend to record better - this is not to say that there are not plenty of great sounding recordings of big drums (John Bonham used large shells) - but it normally does take better engineering chops (and tuning chops) to record big drums.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top