Popular Drum Kit in Major Recording Studios

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by javl88

New companies - I'd go Craviotto, DW and Yamaha (High End).

I like the Cravvie snares.I have a bunch
had a Cravvie kit but sold it.
very expensive.great sustain/power but I was NOT blown away by them for recording.
just did not have the warmth/roundness/feel of the other stuff i have.
in the studio,most everyone passed on those and go for the older 70's/80's Gretsch's,Ludwigs etc.
I recently got a New Gretsch 125th anniversary kit made w/ Vineyard shells..lovely.don't know why but bass drum alone is amazing.
there's a popular recording drum tech here in town,Mike Fasano, who also bought the same kit [in all sizes] for his [drummer clients] arsenal.
great kit.

[Mr. Light]

I would hope by now OP has made his purchase but for anyone else contemplating: I've played everything under the sun and own 6 kits, new and vintage.........nothing holds a candle to my blonde stop sign Gretsch. I Love Yamaha, been playing them for years but there's a very noticeable difference in the room and under the mic. I can't make that 24" kick sound bad.

[waxx]

my choice would also be DW. Most versatile drums arround in my opinion. An old classicgretch, ludwig or singerland set could be good for second set, but as only set it's maybe a bit limited for more modern music styles... Now most drummers prefer other sizes of the drums and cymbals than 40-50 years ago.

[spectacular g]

Gretch toms, work on everything

Slingerland 24'' and a Keller 20'' for kick's

Ludwig snares

Lot's O' cymbals

Tune like hell...

and wraps ARE fine.

G

[toolskid]

Originally Posted by thenoiseflower

wraped drums sound ass-ish.

I couldn't imagine ever using my 60s superclassics on a recording session... oh hang on..

[andyfreeman]

There are lots of opinions on here, so here's a guide I've been giving people:

Major flavors of studio drums:

1) Reinforcement-ring 3-ply vintage shells. See 60's/early 70's Ludwig (clear interior are KILLER), Rodgers (mostly small-logo speckle gray interior), 60's Slingerland (flatter edges, but still).

2) Straight shell. Gretsch of all eras, Yamaha, Pearl, etc.

3) Hybrids: modern DW Collector's kits with skinny re-rings.

4) Synthetics (rare for a studio to own these): Fiberglas, Crystalite, Acrylic, Vistalite, Zickos, etc.


That said, I've heard terrible-sounding kits in all four categories. It's important to select a kit that SOUNDS good, not just looks good or has the right name on it.

Furthermore, it's a good idea to have a guy who knows how to properly cut edges if you're looking for a vintage kit. For example, Rodgers and Ludwig have been known to have bumps at the seams that cause heads to not seat properly, severely limiting tuning range. Of course, that could be part of the charm...

Lastly, certain drums only like certain heads. Clear/coated, Remo/Evans/Aquarian. Experiment, and you'll find what the drum likes. AND DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE THE BOTTOM HEADS, TOO!!!

Snares:

1) 6.5 x 14 brass

2) 6.5 x 14 aluminum/ludalloy (Bonham, basically)

3) 6.5 x 14 maple (get a jasper if you can find one)

4) all of the above in 5 x 14

Then there are 13" and 12" snares, but those are less common, and I find that drummers who play those sizes usually own their own.

I've been collecting drums for studio use for a decade, and out of five kits, the late-60's clear interior Ludwigs get the most use (12, 13, 16, 14x22), followed by a Gretsch USA kit (10, 12, 14, 16, 22x22 or 14x22).

Kick drum sizes are important. Modern sizes are usually 16x22 or 18x22, which are pretty focused and have a lot of attack. Vintage sizes are shallower, like 14x22 or even 12x22 adding to the fatness of the sound while retaining a fair amount of attack (which you can always accentuate with EQ anyway). The roundness of a 14x22 Ludwig is really something. It just kills.

To boil it down even further: deeper kick = tighter sound, shallower = more open. A metal band wouldn't want to use a shallow kick, as a rule, for instance. There are exceptions to every rule, though.

I'm leaving out 20" kicks. Again, those drummers who play those sizes generally own those drums. That goes double for 18" bass drums. Jazzers *ALWAYS* own their own kit.

Also pay attention to kick drum head size. Bonham's 26" won't work in every room.

Funny story: I had been searching for the right kick drum to complete my clear-interior 1970 Bonham kit, and I located one in a friend's basement of all places. I took it to Paul Montineri to do vintage-spec bearing edges. When I picked it up, I hit it in his garage, and it didn't sound like much. He, wiser than I, told me to go outside and walk to the other side of the man-made pond he lives next to. I did so as he stood on the opposite side. He hit the drum from the far side of the pond, and it was like a cannon. The sound waves threatened to cave in my chest. "See?" he said.

Oh yeah, and if you're going to own drums, own a bunch of hardware. I recommend the DW 9000 series. Tough as nails.

-A

[Guitfiddle]

Don't know if it is a popular kit, however the Premier Genista(made in England) and the Signia series (made in England), really sound great. And also GMS maple...I like the higher end Yamaha kits, as well. I have heard some really good sounding DW's also.

[Palaver]

Hey guys,

As a drummer, and after recording an album on different kits, I'm convinced that a drumkit's sound has mostly to do with the following four things:

1) Shell sizes
2) Mic Placement
3) Tuning
4) The drummer's physical motion

For example, I love using the rimshot technique on major snare downbeats. By 'rimshot,' I'm referring to hitting the centre of the snare with the stick tip while simultaneously nailing the hoop with the top 1/3rd of the stick (not just a sidestick which this term often gets mistakenly used). This motion alone will dramatically alter the tone of the drum, and will produce a far louder 'crack' with rich overtones. The major difference I notice is between wood and metal. Metal will tend to ring, wheras wood is warmer and sounds more damp.

Mechanics, sticking technique and tuning (with relation to shell size) have far more of an effect than DW versus Tama.

I'd just pick a brandname based on hardware and manufacturing preference. A maple kit from different brands with similar shell sizes and thickness will sound identical if played and prepared by the same drummer.

A good drummer can make a piece of shit sound good (given time and proper preparation). It's certainly not like comparing a Les Paul Custom into a Marshall half stack versus a solid state Peavy and Epiphone.

That's my two cents,
Phil B.

[tmcconnell]

I have a DW custom kit, well maintained. So much depends on the player. My kit was designed to be played "out" . bounce not smack... and its amazing when played by the person who gets this. A good drummer feels out a kit, and can make the best of a lot of stuff.

My brass was hand selected for recording. People often bring their own brass, and what they bring can run from great to horrible. go figure.

I have had a yamaha recording custom kit, and it sounded good too, but, overall, if I had it to do over, I would seriously consider a more mellow, (not maple), kit and I would have a better snare selection.. with a focus on deep and dark. Its easy to get a nice head sound, but its hard to get really convincing, woody punch. imo, of course.

(footnote) in really dead drum rooms - which are too common - the bright kits (like mine) do better, but my room is quite live. With drums, room means a lot. t

[mhs2xs]

Another drummer here, for more years than I care to remember. I highly recommend Gretsch Renown Maple. I was looking to buy DW Collector Series or a Gretsch USA, but when I heard these up against the other two, I was sold. I'm a firm believer in spending money when it's warranted, but the Renown Maples were every bit as appealing as a $3.5k Gretsch USA Maple or $3k DW kit. But definitely, listen to them for yourself as they'll still run you well over a grand new if they're not on sale and that's a chunk in anyone's (well, most anyone's) book and that's before you even begin to consider pedals, hardware, cymbals and a few choice snare drums. You can run into the 5 figures in a hurry if you're not careful. Sometimes I wish I had taken up guitar or bass....

Cheers!
Mitchell

[mikelevitt]

Originally Posted by sethmeister

Yamaha. Love my Birch Custom Absolute. Great for a more modern sound.

Or you could pick up a 60s or 70s Gretsch, Rogers, or Ludwig for a classic sound.

Or a classic sound. We are loving ours here.

[vitreouswindows]

Check out the beveled art glass drums by John Orlich at artofmusicinstruments.com. I've played these and they sound great, on everything.

[scorpiwoman]

OK I've recorded them all, I own 3 DW kits, 2 yamaha recording, tama maple starclassic, ludwig bonham vistalite, and a Sonor 9000 along with countless snares. They all sound great even the one with wraps. Learn which heads sound the best with your kit, and learn how to tune and change heads regularly, and you will be just fine. 90% percent of most drums I've heard that don't "cut it" are usally from not being played well, bad tuning, bad heads, and not recording in a good room. enough of my rant, check this out

I just purchased a DW with the VLT which gives the drums a lower fundamental pitch which is very noticeable, check out the exact technology from the DW web site, This kit sounds pretty amazing, the 12" tom sounds like a floor tom, the drums can be tuned up higher for better rebounding and playablity without losing the low end.

[Accurate]

I really wouldn't put too much money into this. If you are working with good drummers, they will bring their own kit anyway. If you want to have an alternative for drummers who bring in crappy kits, you can get a kit that will sound great for not much money. Look for used Tama superstars from the 80s (all birch shells) or Ludwig B/O badge kits from the 70s (I bought one for $400 that sounded amazing) if you're doing rock stuff. For a more old school sound, Sonor Teardrops and Ludwig Clubdates (both 60s) are both phenomenal, and would work great for indie rock as well. I have a set of teardrops that has outperformed every other kit I've ever played on (Including vintage Gretsch and DW). Make sure you replace heads, tune them between sessions, and properly maintain them and you can get an amazing kit for under $1000. Use the rest of the money for a few different snare drums (different depths and shell materials, start with one metal, one wood) - having the right snare sound for a particular song will make much more of a difference than a new DW kit.

[Bubbagump]

Worry more about sizes and mounting hardware... someone mentioned earlier to have a mix. I have a 6 piece Tama Star Classic maple kit I use. 10, 12, 14, and 16" toms cover a lot of bases and can be configured in just tom floor, 2 toms and floor, etc. But really, the rest is going to be in tuning and head selection unless it is just bizarre (like a Vistalite etc) Mounting hardware, jsut make sure it is sturdy and can be configured. I hate the Pearl style arms as I find them clunky to adjust. The Yammy/Tama/DW ball and socket style I much prefer, but the balls do wear over time and have to be replaced. However I find the benefit to far outweigh the need to replace them from time to time.

Also, snare wise... I think you can get a lot of mileage from a 5.5x14 steel snare (Supraphonic, Yammy standard stock whatever) and a 5.5x14 maple with cast hoops. You'll get 80% of the very classic sounds and you can tune them to work on just about anything. Past that, get a deep maple snare for 80s back beat/old country and a brass piccolo for the funk/hiphop guys.

Cymbals, A Custom crashes (Maybe 16 and 18), New Beat Hats, and a 22" K Constantinople Med Ride will again cover 80% of your needs.

Then get a whole heap of moongel, dampening rings, pillows, etc to tweak (or not) to the session at hand.

[andyfreeman]

Regarding the "wraps suck" comment - there is a wrap technique that will choke a drum's sound. It's possible to wrap drums while only gluing one seam, as opposed to the proper way of gluing the wrap to the shell all the way around. This leaves the wrap semi-floating, and it can interfere with resonances. It's a rare thing, and fairly recent in practice, but it will have an effect on tone. I've never seen this technique used on any quality drum, though.

I also had a Slingerland kit once that was "restored" in the 80's by some hack, and wrapped in 1/4" formica. That TOTALLY affected the tone. Had to buy a heatgun to get the stuff off, too. It was a real bear.

Anyway, Just trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Not all wraps are created equal.....though most are.

+1 for Gretsch Renowns being a great value. I've done several records with those in maple and one in mahogany. They're not as refined as the USA's, but the bang-for-the-buck is huge.

-A

-A

[Syncamorea]

Originally Posted by scorpiwoman

I just purchased a DW with the VLT which gives the drums a lower fundamental pitch which is very noticeable, check out the exact technology from the DW web site, This kit sounds pretty amazing, the 12" tom sounds like a floor tom, the drums can be tuned up higher for better rebounding and playablity without losing the low end.

Bingo. If you have the time and can afford the bucks, go to DW and check out their shell tech in person. In the mean time, go to their site and find the 2-part video clip of Neil Peart and the SSC demo given by John Goode. Amazing tone range.