small decent drumkit for sampling / learning...

arbee · 25th June 2009

hello,

I am pretty new on this site and I like it a lot. I produce music (mostly electronic sounding) for quite a few years now, I am particulary interested in rythms and drum sounds. now I'm starting to be interested in sampling drum sounds of all sorts.

I would like to start with a really small drumkit: bassdrum, snare, hihat and a few cymbals. I don't know if this kind of drumkit is common, I see toms everywhere. it's not that I don't like toms, but I have a small room and I want to start slowly. maybe grow for something big after (adding more cymbals, toms, percussion midi pad, etc...)

what kind of brand would sound nice for sampling, I don't have a really big budget but I really want something that sound nice and that can last long.

please forgive my little knowledge but you gotta start somewhere. as you can see I have a whole lot to learn and I guess this is the best place for me to learn.

thanks / slutz,
arbster

arbee · 26th June 2009

oh... too bad (bump?). I guess my subject is not interesting... sorry guys. is there at least an old thread I could check out ??

I'm really just asking for a small decent-sounding drumkit for someone starting...

thanks anyways.

chrisso · 26th June 2009

Nothing wrong with your topic.
I guess I've been busy myself.
Also, it's such a wide topic with no real answer. In other words, there are hundreds of cymbals, snare drums and bass drums that would work for you.
There are no kit packages that comprise just bass, snare and hi-hat.
My best advice would be to buy used, and in that case you can most likely afford older high-end professional drums.
I would recommend a Keystone (1960's) Ludwig Acrolite snare drum, or Supraphonic.
They are reasonably priced, versatile drums and widely used by professionals.
There are too many great bass drums.
Again, 'keystone badge' Ludwig are very nice and usually quite cheap.
Hi-hat and cymbal-wise, my top tip is used Zildjian. 1960's or 70's A Zildjian.
Look for thinner, jazzier cymbals, as they are great for recording.
HH or HHX Sabian are great. Also Istanbul Agop.

rooms · 28th June 2009

what sort of 'sampled' sound are you going for? I'm in exactly the same boat, I'm not really a drummer but wanted that crappy sort of dirty hip hop, late 60's folk kind of thing.

first off I picked up a kit off ebay which is just an old premiere olympic, one tom, hat, snare, 20" kick - really bad but has it's charm! I immediately stuck a really cheap ribbon mic into a cheapish pre, into a spring reverb, straight to a really old and crusty akai tape deck and loved the results right away. the drum kit cost me £50, the mic was about the same (karma ribbon), the pre was a relatively cheap DAV, the spring was from my sapce echo but you could use anything, and I rescued the tape machine from a bin. i'll attach a file of the very first time i sat and recorded on it, but as you can see it has that 'sampled vibe' - running very hot on the tape. a few tweaks here and there and it should be cool. it was recorded in my seriously small bedroom setup.

i've just recently got a better recording kit which is a nice sonor... but it's not really for me.

the scum · 29th June 2009

Go have a look at the cymbal makers websites (Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian, Meinl, etc), and figure out which models are better cymbals.

Then watch the classifieds/craigslist/etc for drumsets that come with cymbals. If they come with cheap cymbals (Zil ZXT/ZBT, Paiste 803, Sabian B8, etc), skip them. When some comes up that you can afford, that comes with good cymbals, give it a few minutes of online research to make sure that the drums aren't total junk, then snap it up.

Keystone Ludwigs and Zil A's would be a very solid start.

The trick is this: good cymbals are pretty expensive. But often used drumsets with cymbals sell for about the same amount, regardless of the cymbals included. With heads, tweaks and tuning, you can make most drums usable...but cymbals aren't really adjustable, so get good ones to start.

And if you're not interested in toms, you can always just leave them off when you set it up. Or find folks selling individual drums (check Ebay), and buy exactly what you think you want...

25th June 2009	#1
arbee Gear Head Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 58 Thread Starter	small decent drumkit for sampling / learning... hello, I am pretty new on this site and I like it a lot. I produce music (mostly electronic sounding) for quite a few years now, I am particulary interested in rythms and drum sounds. now I'm starting to be interested in sampling drum sounds of all sorts. I would like to start with a really small drumkit: bassdrum, snare, hihat and a few cymbals. I don't know if this kind of drumkit is common, I see toms everywhere. it's not that I don't like toms, but I have a small room and I want to start slowly. maybe grow for something big after (adding more cymbals, toms, percussion midi pad, etc...) what kind of brand would sound nice for sampling, I don't have a really big budget but I really want something that sound nice and that can last long. please forgive my little knowledge but you gotta start somewhere. as you can see I have a whole lot to learn and I guess this is the best place for me to learn. thanks / slutz, arbster

26th June 2009	#3
chrisso Gear Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Oz Posts: 15,355	Nothing wrong with your topic. I guess I've been busy myself. Also, it's such a wide topic with no real answer. In other words, there are hundreds of cymbals, snare drums and bass drums that would work for you. There are no kit packages that comprise just bass, snare and hi-hat. My best advice would be to buy used, and in that case you can most likely afford older high-end professional drums. I would recommend a Keystone (1960's) Ludwig Acrolite snare drum, or Supraphonic. They are reasonably priced, versatile drums and widely used by professionals. There are too many great bass drums. Again, 'keystone badge' Ludwig are very nice and usually quite cheap. Hi-hat and cymbal-wise, my top tip is used Zildjian. 1960's or 70's A Zildjian. Look for thinner, jazzier cymbals, as they are great for recording. HH or HHX Sabian are great. Also Istanbul Agop. __________________ Chris Whitten

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29th June 2009	#5
the scum Gear nut Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 91	Go have a look at the cymbal makers websites (Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian, Meinl, etc), and figure out which models are better cymbals. Then watch the classifieds/craigslist/etc for drumsets that come with cymbals. If they come with cheap cymbals (Zil ZXT/ZBT, Paiste 803, Sabian B8, etc), skip them. When some comes up that you can afford, that comes with good cymbals, give it a few minutes of online research to make sure that the drums aren't total junk, then snap it up. Keystone Ludwigs and Zil A's would be a very solid start. The trick is this: good cymbals are pretty expensive. But often used drumsets with cymbals sell for about the same amount, regardless of the cymbals included. With heads, tweaks and tuning, you can make most drums usable...but cymbals aren't really adjustable, so get good ones to start. And if you're not interested in toms, you can always just leave them off when you set it up. Or find folks selling individual drums (check Ebay), and buy exactly what you think you want...