drummers

ToeFunk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCUGSL8gGAkKick/Snare/Hat recommendations to sound like this? The kit I have now is LOUD and a bit sloppy sounding and having joined the Air Force I'll have a bit of dough soon. Thanks.

The_Hook_Up

Im convinced that drum heads were manufactured differently/different composition in the 60s and 70s..something had to change, because there is no way to get an old drum sound perfectly these days...the Daptone and Dungen guys get awful close , but dont nail it perfectly...no one does. The only thing I can figure is that its the heads...you can get a vintage kit but it aint gonna sound like 1968 no matter how hard you try. I guess the come up would be a grip of unused vintage heads...

Electrode

Drum heads were made out of calfskin back in the day. That might help you on your search.

hemol

so many variables affect how a kit sounds (what sticks, dampers on the heads, dampers in the drums, rims, heads, coating inside the drum, tension/tuning of the heads). And then you gotta figure that the examples are mediated even further by recording techniques, which factors in another insane amount of variables. I'm nauseous thinking about trying to replicate a particular sound.


What I can tell you about the drums I play:

I have a wooden beater on my kick. It makes a huge difference when you're playing feathered stuff, and it sounds serious.

I play with Steve Gadd signature sticks with vinyl tips. I think they're 7A. I wrap them in masking tape from the tip about three inches down.

On my kick I keep the beater head on the tighter side, and the resonating head on the sloppy side.

I play a thinner snare drum--not quite a piccolo. Thinner drums tend to have brighter tones, and the character of the drum itself is more tonal.


What I can hypothesize about the kit in that recording:

Heavy hi hats, dampened kick.

If you're gonna spend the money on a kit just go to a local drum shop and tell them what you want. They'll be able to guide you through their inventory and you can try stuff out till you figure exactly what you want.

chase

Drum heads were made out of calfskin back in the day. That might help you on your search.

plastic drum heads were invented in 1956 by Mr. Evens. After that I'm sure very few people where fusking with calf skin.

LokoOne

I dont know much about drums but I do rememebr when i was fronting a band once, the drummer was tight and shit, then he got a Piccolo snare. and that shit was killing it.

Horseleech

The old saw on drums was to never change the heads. Also, I hate to say it, but old school drummers knew how to play with feel. It's very rare these days to hear a drummer who isn't playing all out all the time.

I used to think Elvin Jones was bashing the hell out of his drums until I saw footage of him playing - he knew HOW to hit a drum, not just how hard.

Knowing how to tune the drums is also a dying art. I played in a band with a guy who was Max Roach's drum tech for a while, and his drums always sounded great. The guy in that band before him was a good player, but never put in the time to learn how to tune. HUGE difference in sound.

Also, drummers in the old days always muted their drums, and it seems like everyone now wants to let them ring. Sounds OK by themselves, but is crap when played with a band or recorded.

One more difference is in the recording. Close mic'ing the drums is the dumbest idea ever. Zeppelin used two mics, three max. If the drummer knows how to tune/play that is all you should ever have.