suitcases, not bass drums

[johnnyblotter]

Here's the story. Some time ago, in an old, odd place, I cobbled together a drumset using the following.

1 snare
1 suitcase
1 cardboard box
various percussion stuff.

I recorded said drumset via a mackie mixer with exactly 1 microphone. That microphone is the AT4033A.

I have recorded many bass drums in many ways. I submit that the vinyl suitcase used here smokes everything. No effects or eq on any of this.

Imagine how ferocious it would sound with a real mic, eq, and compressor. It seems like sacrilege to use fancy stuff on a suitcase though. Anyway...

Very curious to hear what folks think. Another post forthcoming featuring the entire kit.

[daback-daboot]

I think your the kind of guy I'd love to make a "house" album with. I like how you think...

ps: I take it you used the cardboard box as an extender for the suitcase? Done that with older 14-16 deep kicks that couldn't bring the punch using another kick shell or chair with a blanket draped over its sides.

[majortom]

Replace the snare with a coffee can and you're in business.

[johnnyblotter]

feast your eyes...

It's the patented zero dollar drum sound. Perfect for apartments.

I have this theory that low-volume sounds that have inherently good tone can be very aggressive and yes, big sounding, by simply finding the point where the signal nearly overloads the channel. Also, that D112 in the back is not wired up, so don't go thinking I'm cheating by using two mics. Still, I hold that the suitcase kick drum is a very viable alternative in any studio. It sounds like a regular bass drum that has already been eq'd and compressed. It has definition, presence, and punch. How many people fight like hell to get the kick drum to cut through? Suitcases, baby.

I know the high-enders will brush off this stuff. Brian Eno would approve though, and that's enough for me. Oh yeah, the cardboard isn't really featured here...I use it with a brush for a nice shaker type of sound.

Bonus - you can fit most of the kit into the suitcase!

[majortom]

BTW, I wasn't poking fun. I think this kind of stuff has a place. And it's fun. A while back I mic'ed up a big Folgers coffe can with the plastic top for effect. Great for finger drumming "drum and bassey" kinda stuff. I would have loved to mic up a crappy spring mattress I used to have. If you put your ear to it and beat on it, it sounded like a trippy Bonham kick in Westminster Abbey during a rainstorm... or not.

Can I add your suitcase kick to my file of samples? Right next to the chorus of stomping Doc Martens. Nice hardshell suitcases aren't cheap.

Can you post a short wav? Royalty free of course :-)

[johnnyblotter]

don't know if I have it isolated. I'll poke around later. No go on the royalty free, I want writing credits.

[johnnyblotter]

Yes, but see, you can build a sound around nothing. Nothing. For instance, here's me with the aforementioned drum kit. I laid a wurlitzer track (from a buzzy wurlitzer) over it and laid some bass samples (only cause I didn't have a bass that week). Notice the tasty cardboard shaker stylings. How much does cardboard cost? In some instances people will pay you to take it away. This is a much better business model.

Sure, the snare's a little harsh and the wurlitzer is too, a bit, but you know what? The Velvet Underground and the Pixies were harsh too. The real sound is in either the super-high or the super-low end. This s**t has bite to it. I'm just waiting fer the world to catch up.

Same technique, only 1 mic. Two live tracks, bass samples and one or two drum samples...but if I was better I wouldn't need any samples. There's vocals too but..ahem...they're a little uh, embarrasing.

I get sounds it takes major labels millions, if not billions of dollars to achieve.

[GYMusic]

What is that wooshy, reverse reverb sound just before every kick beat? Sorry... suitcase beat? Sounds post processed.

[johnnyblotter]

on the first track? No processing. The kick pedal makes some noise, that's it. The second thing I posted I most likely used compression, maybe a bit of reverb.

[mejon]

cool stuff!

[trent]

Fvck it's good to hear people still living the true spirit of the sound engineer...in pursuit of wonderful sound by applying self-realized innovation, listening on their own terms and clearly having a blast doing it. Rock on Johnny!thumbsup

[roxxon]

Very cool!
Your makeshift kit sounds better than many of the drum kit sounds that are posted in this forum in various recordings.
I wonder what kind of drum sound you could come up with if you had an expensive set of drums and some decent mics?

The possibilties are very scary.

Nice work...
It's great to hear someone with a different vision, who succeeds!

[dim light]

I think amore sounds super cool! I like your haircut to!

[dim light]

Suitcase disco?

[ntimkovich]

yeah man, i totally dig your approach!! as someone who can't afford the super-quality gear that most people on gearslutz talk about like it's as common as a toaster, i applaud a REAL low-fi approach.

i did something similar a while back on a bored afternoon. inspired by a japanese friend of mine...all done with toys i had sitting around...

http://www.themtrain.com/Sounds/Zen_Perc.mp3

cheers!
nick

[DeeDrive]

I was doing sound for some tribal indian womans trio a few years back, and the drummer had a rented a DW kit, which we set up for him at soundcheck. When he got there, he took the whole kit apart and propped the kick drum up like a tom so he could beat on it, and grabbed a suitcase, dropped a D112 in it, and used that for his kickdrum. I gotta say, it sounded pretty amazing...