NEW!
This recording was quite an undertaking. It's also kind of groundbreaking, and has a purpose beyond just the enjoyment of playing and listening to drum solo performance although, this is not a performance recording. It's a recording of sound; drum sound.
When I began making my own drums, from component parts, back in 1991, a journey into both sound and physical construction of that which creates sound also began. Yes, I messed around with things back in the 70's but, nothing close to the extent things developed into in the early 90's and beyond.
By the late 90s I had made a number of drum sets, big ones, got into wrapping, veneering and finishing, then around the turn of the century I got into making stave drums, snare drums, most of which I still have. I learned in all this that woods and other materials in shell construction did not make anywhere near as much of a difference in sound as was put out there by marketing campaigns from drum companies. As the hype got worse, in 2018 I decided to make a series of videos on my YT channel addressing the subject. Four years later, I never thought it would go 24 videos but, in the process of making them I made "non-drums," or unique drums and they all sound like drums because they are essentially two membranes under tension on a cylinder.
When I began making my own drums, from component parts, back in 1991, a journey into both sound and physical construction of that which creates sound also began. Yes, I messed around with things back in the 70's but, nothing close to the extent things developed into in the early 90's and beyond.
By the late 90s I had made a number of drum sets, big ones, got into wrapping, veneering and finishing, then around the turn of the century I got into making stave drums, snare drums, most of which I still have. I learned in all this that woods and other materials in shell construction did not make anywhere near as much of a difference in sound as was put out there by marketing campaigns from drum companies. As the hype got worse, in 2018 I decided to make a series of videos on my YT channel addressing the subject. Four years later, I never thought it would go 24 videos but, in the process of making them I made "non-drums," or unique drums and they all sound like drums because they are essentially two membranes under tension on a cylinder.
This recording takes some oddball drums and drum sets, as well as some detour adventures into drum set innovation, and showcases, and I use that term purposefully, various ideas and drums that sound, in my opinion and tastes, quite good to great, as drums go. Subjective, yes. No argument there. Under the microphone set-up I use, they sound as good as anything made and used, with a few exceptions. If they didn't sound good in their natural setting, under the masterful work of my friend, guitarist John Mayes, who mixed and mastered this recording, the listener will hear big, bold, refined drum sound. I'll even go so far as to say many will not believe what they are actually listening to. There is only one reason why all these drums sound like drums and it is not because of their specific shell materials, whatever nuances and subtleties shell materials create.
Yes, you will hear similarities as well as differences, set to set. The shell materials are radically different in some cases yet, the actual sounds you'll hear owe themselves to one component more than anything else.
Yes, you will hear similarities as well as differences, set to set. The shell materials are radically different in some cases yet, the actual sounds you'll hear owe themselves to one component more than anything else.
The sound of a drum is from the drum heads, essentially, and if you use heads that create good tone under tension and you can seat them correctly on a bearing edge, any bearing edge, you'll have good sound. How you mount the drums or set them in place determines variations of resonance and sustain, which, on many fronts is kind of moot because a band, live or recorded, is going to cover those nuances. Shell wall density also has a major factor in tone but, the initial impact of stick tip on the drum head, at whatever velocity thrown down somewhere on the head, is what is going to be noticed and heard, and once microphones and sound gear and people working it all get involved it becomes drums, are drums, are drums and can be manipulated in so many ways. All marketing distinctions by manufacturers become a big fog bank.
I would even state that, if I had the money and purchased different model heads for every drum set and changed the tunings, the listener would not recognize the same order of kits on the recording with those different parameters. All players know what's out there. Single-ply clear, coated, in varying thicknesses; double-ply clear, coated to varying degrees and types, in varying combinations of thickness; heads with a touch of oil between the two plies; animal skin heads are still made; then all the various muting aspects employed: dots, patches, rings and all the rest. Dozens of choices from different manufacturers. It's all an option to change the sound of a drum far more than any shell material.
I would even state that, if I had the money and purchased different model heads for every drum set and changed the tunings, the listener would not recognize the same order of kits on the recording with those different parameters. All players know what's out there. Single-ply clear, coated, in varying thicknesses; double-ply clear, coated to varying degrees and types, in varying combinations of thickness; heads with a touch of oil between the two plies; animal skin heads are still made; then all the various muting aspects employed: dots, patches, rings and all the rest. Dozens of choices from different manufacturers. It's all an option to change the sound of a drum far more than any shell material.
As far tuning goes, each drum was given a tone depending on it's placement in a kit. In some cases I tensioned tighter than normal, in other cases, more loose to gain necessary pitch differences. Again, I reiterate, these drums sound good, to me, as a matter of subjective taste. My sound is generally wide open and unmuted, save for a touch of something on snare drums and slight muffling of kick drums, which I address drum to drum for some open sound but, toned down depending on the heads used, shell diameter and depth, etc. In some cases the kicks sound so close to the same you'll not believe it possible because of what they are. In other cases they are quite different. You'll see why as you read on and listen.
If you have been to the site and read around, you have seen all these principles presented so, that is not my burden here. Here, I wanted to show, in a real-world recorded fashion, how good any drum can sound in performance application. It was not my intention to just strike the drums in quarter notes because that is not real world drumming for me. While I understand that process for comparison sake, the reality of a drum set in a band is another aural situation altogether.
If you have been to the site and read around, you have seen all these principles presented so, that is not my burden here. Here, I wanted to show, in a real-world recorded fashion, how good any drum can sound in performance application. It was not my intention to just strike the drums in quarter notes because that is not real world drumming for me. While I understand that process for comparison sake, the reality of a drum set in a band is another aural situation altogether.
I recorded, once again, with my two Earthworks TC-30 omni mics with a Jecklin disk overhead, and a Sennheiser e902 on the various bass drums, all into a ZOOM H8 recorder. I mentioned to John, I wish I had spent the extra money for an Earthworks' mic for the kicks. I love the Sennheiser and spent a lot of time watching YT videos before I chose it. Just the same, Earthworks have ability to grab such detail it would have been a better example of what mics can do to recreate acoustic sounds in a recording. Earthworks goes for a totally transparent sound without enhancements of any frequency range. In the case of the e902, some mid-range is scooped out. Midrange can have a very important role to play in a bass drum, despite the usual range those drums occupy. It comes down to beater attack and definition on the batter heads.
Actually, I thought about two recordings here. One, the individual sets given their best aural presentation by virtue of modern day adjustments, made through whatever software and processing John uses, and then, a recording of John getting as "artistic" as he liked, turning on the jets and creating variations of sound, set to set, that might mystify the soundstage enough to leave a listener questioning if he's hearing acoustic drums, at all. We'll see how John has time to get into that in the future. I've mentioned to him it would be an aural and percussive masquerade and hall of mirrors recording.
Many have commented on my YT channel they wish they could hear my drums with a recording mic set-up, etc., rather than just the stereo mics on my ZOOM cameras. Concepts for Solo Drum Set 1-3 presents that situation. Here, on this recording, the same mic set-up is used throughout but, the drum sets could not be any more different from each other, set-up to set-up.
Solos for Concept Drum Sets takes this menagerie of percussive instruments and displays, without any doubt, a drum, is a drum, is a drum, based on its basic foundation - membranes tensioned on a cylinder. Whatever nuances and subtle differences may exist, even in the context of just a full set being soloed upon, let alone in the context of a band, with today's incredible variety of PA and recording equipment, all such differences disappear into the age of technology. You can make anything sound good with modern production equipment.
Different materials, different construction, different heads, different hoops, variable tunings, different size drum sets... the only constants here are the room and the mics, aspects of mounting, and the player. This is not a "comparison" recording, addressing shell walls. This is a recording to show any player can be happy with whatever drum set they play, for most any occasion, if some parameters are met.
Many have commented on my YT channel they wish they could hear my drums with a recording mic set-up, etc., rather than just the stereo mics on my ZOOM cameras. Concepts for Solo Drum Set 1-3 presents that situation. Here, on this recording, the same mic set-up is used throughout but, the drum sets could not be any more different from each other, set-up to set-up.
Solos for Concept Drum Sets takes this menagerie of percussive instruments and displays, without any doubt, a drum, is a drum, is a drum, based on its basic foundation - membranes tensioned on a cylinder. Whatever nuances and subtle differences may exist, even in the context of just a full set being soloed upon, let alone in the context of a band, with today's incredible variety of PA and recording equipment, all such differences disappear into the age of technology. You can make anything sound good with modern production equipment.
Different materials, different construction, different heads, different hoops, variable tunings, different size drum sets... the only constants here are the room and the mics, aspects of mounting, and the player. This is not a "comparison" recording, addressing shell walls. This is a recording to show any player can be happy with whatever drum set they play, for most any occasion, if some parameters are met.
On any typical plywood or solid wood shell -
*Bearing edges can be redone for better head seating, if necessary.
*Heads can be changed out for more sustain or less; more volume or less; more attack or less, etc.
*Mounting and hardware can be improved.
*Finishes can be changed with wraps or veneers, for cosmetics.
The last thing drummers need to be concerned with is laid-up veneer plywood drum shells, despite the onslaught of marketing hype by manufacturers.
As you listen to the recording on YouTube and read here and see what you are listening to, you'll understand what I mean.
*Bearing edges can be redone for better head seating, if necessary.
*Heads can be changed out for more sustain or less; more volume or less; more attack or less, etc.
*Mounting and hardware can be improved.
*Finishes can be changed with wraps or veneers, for cosmetics.
The last thing drummers need to be concerned with is laid-up veneer plywood drum shells, despite the onslaught of marketing hype by manufacturers.
As you listen to the recording on YouTube and read here and see what you are listening to, you'll understand what I mean.
In general, I left all drums alone when it came to muffling. In three cases I used gel pads of various sizes to control unwanted "ring" or "tones" present; one, a tom, and two were kick drums. These inexpensive gel pads are really cool. I used a bunch of them on another recording session (pictured). The drum was so muted I could barely feel it.
I also spray painted two kick heads to slow down their vibration rates a little, dampening overtones. Otherwise, muffling took place by virtue of head designs, themselves: muffling rings, dots, holes, etc.
You will hear clear or coated heads from Aquarian, Attack, Evans, Remo, and Drum Factory Direct heads, which surprised me for their quality in such a great price range.
I also spray painted two kick heads to slow down their vibration rates a little, dampening overtones. Otherwise, muffling took place by virtue of head designs, themselves: muffling rings, dots, holes, etc.
You will hear clear or coated heads from Aquarian, Attack, Evans, Remo, and Drum Factory Direct heads, which surprised me for their quality in such a great price range.
I've mentioned the difficulties of playing these drum kits on the Recording Blog page, in a lot more detail but, suffice to say, the solos went from one take to as many as ten takes because of all the logistical differences in the drums and their placements in kit form. Every set had different parameters involved and it just made playing surfaces inconsistent enough to cause train wrecks. If I was going for performance ratios, there would have been a whole lot more time and takes but, I left it a "warts and all" situation for the sake of time involved, and the principle of the recording: the sound of drums.
You are going to hear 2 pc., 4 pc., 5 pc., 6 pc., 7 pc., 8 pc., 9 pc. and 10 pc. kits.
Rather than remove my current rack set-up, I used it for all the drum sets so, pics will show things all around me with nothing attached or things attached for other solos, etc. Hardware all over the place. I kept the cymbal set-up largely the same, so as not to interfere with the listener's perception of the drum sounds. I changed out some rides, and also some crashes on a couple solos.
You are going to hear 2 pc., 4 pc., 5 pc., 6 pc., 7 pc., 8 pc., 9 pc. and 10 pc. kits.
Rather than remove my current rack set-up, I used it for all the drum sets so, pics will show things all around me with nothing attached or things attached for other solos, etc. Hardware all over the place. I kept the cymbal set-up largely the same, so as not to interfere with the listener's perception of the drum sounds. I changed out some rides, and also some crashes on a couple solos.
Here's some info on the individual solos and instruments used. From my perspective, though they all sound good to me, for what each is, I didn't place them on the recording from the "best" to "worst." I mixed them up. Sound is totally subjective. You might not like the sound of any of the drum sets used but, I am sure you will find the drums perfectly adequate for the purpose of a recording or playing live, depending on genre. Touring, in some cases sure, in others, no way. And when you see the pics of each set enclosed here, I think some smiles, raised eye brows and dropped jaws will take place.
As usual, I played whatever each set caused me to think and feel. The solos are varying lengths based on that and how much fun I was having with each set-up.
As usual, I played whatever each set caused me to think and feel. The solos are varying lengths based on that and how much fun I was having with each set-up.
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1. DRUM MY CORPS, Part 1 - The Snare Drum Set - I decided to open with this 9 pc. rig. I originally got into using the half-depth concept for shells by accident. Late 90's, I had a Pearl, 6.5x14 Free-floating, Maple snare on a stand. It was just sitting there, unused, detuned, wires off. I walked by it and just tapped it, and I was shocked at the sound. The tone, the sustain... I immediately decided to cut all my toms down, and have stayed with that basic concept, since.
The set you hear on this solo is all different snare drums from my collection, 10" - 14" diameter, different depths, materials and construction; tensioned for descending pitch. While the drums all have single ply, coated batter heads, they are from different companies, different models, same as the clear, snare side heads and wires. I used a 5.5"x24" bass drum, which is just something made from a piece of shell, cut off from another shell. The sound you hear is a community of drums with no truly obvious differences that jump out at you with the full set engaged, save for the way the various heads respond in their muting designs, like a vented head, a 12 mil, and a couple with dots affixed underneath. Point being, can you tell just from the sound which are metal and which are wood drums, and what kind of wood drums?
The set you hear on this solo is all different snare drums from my collection, 10" - 14" diameter, different depths, materials and construction; tensioned for descending pitch. While the drums all have single ply, coated batter heads, they are from different companies, different models, same as the clear, snare side heads and wires. I used a 5.5"x24" bass drum, which is just something made from a piece of shell, cut off from another shell. The sound you hear is a community of drums with no truly obvious differences that jump out at you with the full set engaged, save for the way the various heads respond in their muting designs, like a vented head, a 12 mil, and a couple with dots affixed underneath. Point being, can you tell just from the sound which are metal and which are wood drums, and what kind of wood drums?
This was the most difficult set to play cleanly. Normally, heads can be tensioned relatively the same and head diameter determines pitch. In this case, each batter head was tensioned more and more loosely to gain descending pitches in drums. Playing such a diverse set of rebounds was really tricky. Lots of stick clicks here, no matter how many takes I tried. There was no consistency to get used to, unless I just played quarter note fills. I tried that, too. Was better but, not enough to stay within that range so, I just stayed within my usual playing style. This is the tenth take and I could have obviously tried more.
The drums used -
A 6x10 Mapex Birch i/o, w/some other core plywood, w/Leather wrap;
A 6x10 Griffin snare shell w/metal lining inside and out, simple plywood hoops and single tension system;
my 6x12 Pine, 3/4" thick stave;
a 6.5x13 Tama steel;
my 6.5x13 Padauk, 7/8" stave, w/flat staves i/o;
a DW 5.5x14 Black Nickel over Brass;
my 6x14 stacked plywood ring;
and my 7x13, 3/16" thick aluminum.
The drums used -
A 6x10 Mapex Birch i/o, w/some other core plywood, w/Leather wrap;
A 6x10 Griffin snare shell w/metal lining inside and out, simple plywood hoops and single tension system;
my 6x12 Pine, 3/4" thick stave;
a 6.5x13 Tama steel;
my 6.5x13 Padauk, 7/8" stave, w/flat staves i/o;
a DW 5.5x14 Black Nickel over Brass;
my 6x14 stacked plywood ring;
and my 7x13, 3/16" thick aluminum.
2. ARE YOU On MY SIDE - The Siding Set - Stave drums made from construction sheathing for siding, with an embossed weathered wood look. I used two types. One is a 3/8" thick OSB. The other is a 1/2" fiberboard. Two different materials, two different densities. Any major difference in tonality? See if you can tell. I really love the look of this kit.
6x10 - Fiberboard
8x12 - Fiberboard
10x14 - OSB
14x20 - OSB
6.5x13 - Fiberboard
The staves are left flat, inside and out, not rounded. I'm going to add an 8" drum to this kit, I like it so much.
To my ears and taste in sound, the bass drum is really nice. As I mention elsewhere on the site, the drum is not perfectly round (check out the pic of all the shells). I had issues with the belt clamp I used to hold the staves together while the glue dried. Just the same, for its size, the drum explodes, with no tonal evidence of being so out of round. The heads seat fine. The drum sounds great. I was quite surprised it recorded as well as it did. It didn't sound any different while playing it. This was the first set I recorded, which I used silicone beater heads with the bd pedal.
6x10 - Fiberboard
8x12 - Fiberboard
10x14 - OSB
14x20 - OSB
6.5x13 - Fiberboard
The staves are left flat, inside and out, not rounded. I'm going to add an 8" drum to this kit, I like it so much.
To my ears and taste in sound, the bass drum is really nice. As I mention elsewhere on the site, the drum is not perfectly round (check out the pic of all the shells). I had issues with the belt clamp I used to hold the staves together while the glue dried. Just the same, for its size, the drum explodes, with no tonal evidence of being so out of round. The heads seat fine. The drum sounds great. I was quite surprised it recorded as well as it did. It didn't sound any different while playing it. This was the first set I recorded, which I used silicone beater heads with the bd pedal.
3. The FLASH - The Roof Flashing Set - Just a 5x12 snare drum and a 20x20 kick made from galvanized roof flashing. The kick was just a matter of cutting the tape which held it tightly together and letting it unravel and manipulating it into the right diameter, ending up 1/8" thick. The layers stayed packed together well enough to just put some aluminum tape on the inside and outside seams. I used a couple of old bass drum hoops for re-rings, which I just screwed to the metal, for bearing edges.
Very basic and simple wood lugs, with 10-24 threaded rods into star nuts for tension, just a couple chrome hoops I had around, with a wood hoop piece attached to one for the pedal. It's a pretty heavy drum.
I did add gel pads to the inside reso-head to lessen "boom." I ran out of head protectors so, I used a couple DCP stickers. Not their intended purpose and you can see some wear on one just from the small amount of time the drum was played on. I switched from Silicone to some older wooden beaters w/leather patches.
Very basic and simple wood lugs, with 10-24 threaded rods into star nuts for tension, just a couple chrome hoops I had around, with a wood hoop piece attached to one for the pedal. It's a pretty heavy drum.
I did add gel pads to the inside reso-head to lessen "boom." I ran out of head protectors so, I used a couple DCP stickers. Not their intended purpose and you can see some wear on one just from the small amount of time the drum was played on. I switched from Silicone to some older wooden beaters w/leather patches.
As you can see, the center section of the pedal slid back off the hoop piece so, I changed the pedal set-up to my usual Drumnetics/OffSet combo for the rest of the recording.
The snare drum was made from various pieces of flashing I had which I put together with a pop-rivet gun. More threaded rods for tension, just using 10-24 nuts for caps; both heads tension at the same time. No strainer involved, either. The wires are just taped to the snare head at a position that came as close as possible to typical snare drum sound. Having heard players who leave their wires very loose, the sound is not my sound but, it's a snare drum sound. I began with some Scotch tape but, it quickly snapped. Then I just used a couple strips of Gorilla tape. Muted the head more but, it all worked just the same.
The snare drum was made from various pieces of flashing I had which I put together with a pop-rivet gun. More threaded rods for tension, just using 10-24 nuts for caps; both heads tension at the same time. No strainer involved, either. The wires are just taped to the snare head at a position that came as close as possible to typical snare drum sound. Having heard players who leave their wires very loose, the sound is not my sound but, it's a snare drum sound. I began with some Scotch tape but, it quickly snapped. Then I just used a couple strips of Gorilla tape. Muted the head more but, it all worked just the same.
I could easily add components to this set with more rolls of flashing, studs for lugs and hardware store parts. Add a throw-off to the snare, and it's good to go anywhere, for anything. Yeah, it's pretty ugly. I could modify it with typical lugs and tension rods and it would compare to any drum set out there. Why? How? Because it's a cylinder with membranes under tension. That's a drum. The most simple instrument in history.
4. DRUM MY CORPS 2 - The second solo of the snare drum set is with all the snares thrown off. One extra drum was also added; another 6x10 snare; plywood with some metal flashing inside and out.
Again, as you listen, while there are some variances in tone between drums it is nothing highly discernible. Different materials, depths, heads and tuning. Can you pick out wood or metal? Can you tell what is being used without the pictures to show it? Ask yourself if those differences would be heard in the context of a band all around you, going through whatever PA system, or recording software used.
Again, as you listen, while there are some variances in tone between drums it is nothing highly discernible. Different materials, depths, heads and tuning. Can you pick out wood or metal? Can you tell what is being used without the pictures to show it? Ask yourself if those differences would be heard in the context of a band all around you, going through whatever PA system, or recording software used.
10-6, GOOD BUDDY - The YouTube Set - I put this solo back to back with the previous one because the pitches and overall sound was similar but, the two sets could not be anymore different.
This set is composed of 10" toms and snare, from different manufacturers, which I used in the shell series of videos on YouTube. The tonal stretch has limitations, to be sure but, they are all 10" toms.
6x10 - Snare (was a 9x10 Mapex Mars tom)
6x10 - no name
7x10 - DDRum D2R
8x10 - PDP Double Drive
9x10 - Pearl Export ECX
9x10 - Yamaha Rydeen
Do these lesser line drums from DDrum, Mapex, PDP, Pearl, Yamaha, and the no-name, $10 drum, with plastic lugs, made of who knows what, picked up on Ebay, as I did the other drums, as well, sound inadequate for recording? Not in the least. They are all lower line drums. Yet, they don't sound that way. I covered the $10 tom with Oak veneer, inside and out, and put the plastic lugs back on it, just 4 mind you; what the hoops are made for. They all sound musical. The kick is an 18x22" Pearl Export, the only "normal" bass drum on this recording.
Listen to the overall sound. What do you actually hear? Tonal descent. No realization of woods, finishes, depths or anything other than the pitch of each drum, which I did place from most shallow to most deep, right to left in the stereo image, 6x10 through 9x10. I also used thicker batter heads on two drums to help reduce their desired pitch and maintain tone and sustain;. otherwise everything is 10 mil, single-ply, clear. The snare batter is coated and a typical weight snare side head, with steel wires. Can you tell the snare is a 6x10?
I did touch up the bearing edges on a couple of these toms. Yes, they would come with less than desirable edges, just to send the drums out the door asap but, again, any drum can receive new or better edges to seat heads correctly and offer a better tone from them.
This set is composed of 10" toms and snare, from different manufacturers, which I used in the shell series of videos on YouTube. The tonal stretch has limitations, to be sure but, they are all 10" toms.
6x10 - Snare (was a 9x10 Mapex Mars tom)
6x10 - no name
7x10 - DDRum D2R
8x10 - PDP Double Drive
9x10 - Pearl Export ECX
9x10 - Yamaha Rydeen
Do these lesser line drums from DDrum, Mapex, PDP, Pearl, Yamaha, and the no-name, $10 drum, with plastic lugs, made of who knows what, picked up on Ebay, as I did the other drums, as well, sound inadequate for recording? Not in the least. They are all lower line drums. Yet, they don't sound that way. I covered the $10 tom with Oak veneer, inside and out, and put the plastic lugs back on it, just 4 mind you; what the hoops are made for. They all sound musical. The kick is an 18x22" Pearl Export, the only "normal" bass drum on this recording.
Listen to the overall sound. What do you actually hear? Tonal descent. No realization of woods, finishes, depths or anything other than the pitch of each drum, which I did place from most shallow to most deep, right to left in the stereo image, 6x10 through 9x10. I also used thicker batter heads on two drums to help reduce their desired pitch and maintain tone and sustain;. otherwise everything is 10 mil, single-ply, clear. The snare batter is coated and a typical weight snare side head, with steel wires. Can you tell the snare is a 6x10?
I did touch up the bearing edges on a couple of these toms. Yes, they would come with less than desirable edges, just to send the drums out the door asap but, again, any drum can receive new or better edges to seat heads correctly and offer a better tone from them.
6. Bottleneck - Just for fun, I tossed in a short, 5 gallon water bottle solo, used as a hand drum. I held the bottle in the upright position and played the bottom for thump, the side for staccato, and the top edge for some 'tings.' Could you tell it's a water bottle? It shows up later, as well :-)
7. THE MONGREL - The 'as odd as it gets,' set. They are all basically "mongrel" drum sets but, this one truly is.
An 8x10" concrete form tube (Tubie on YouTube);
a 2.5 gal. plastic water bottle, 8x11;
a plastic food bucket (YouTube): conical shape - 11/10x13;
an old, Rubbermaid trash can, 20/16 X 18," with one plywood re-ring, the 20" side was left as is; plywood hoops;
and my 6.5x13 PVC, also seen in my YouTube series.
I then decided to put the Frankenstein drum back together. Made more sense to use that drum for this kit.
You can also see I switched things around, adding a pancake drum.
An 8x10" concrete form tube (Tubie on YouTube);
a 2.5 gal. plastic water bottle, 8x11;
a plastic food bucket (YouTube): conical shape - 11/10x13;
an old, Rubbermaid trash can, 20/16 X 18," with one plywood re-ring, the 20" side was left as is; plywood hoops;
and my 6.5x13 PVC, also seen in my YouTube series.
I then decided to put the Frankenstein drum back together. Made more sense to use that drum for this kit.
You can also see I switched things around, adding a pancake drum.
The water bottle was the trickiest to deal with. I made two of them and the first one, 2.5 gal., could not handle the pressures from tightening for head tension. It buckled. The second, a larger, 5 gallon bottle, held up okay.
I used a couple of old shell pieces for re-rings on the Sona tube, as well as some struts inside to keep the shell wall rigid, which I added second time around and when I put it back together, placed the print upside down. Never noticed until I took the pictures.
Just some scrap plywood for re-rings for the trash can, glued and screwed in place, with struts inside and out for rigidity.
You can obviously hear the 14" pancake drum is drier, being just a thicker, coated, single head. It sounds more like a hand drum.
The ultra-thin nature of the water bottle and food bucket, tended to have a very obvious, shaky, overtone when struck with more velocity. The shell walls just could not take the concussive impact and a lot of vibration caused the heads to react with odd tones. I could've handled that with gel pads inside the shells but, decided to leave them, as is. The other option would be double-ply heads to reduce the concussive force moving into the "shells."
I would challenge anyone to figure out what this drum set is made of, if I didn't reveal it. The kick was easily the most bombastic of all the bass drums used. I was shocked at how good it sounded and felt to play. Tell yourself a few times, you are listening to an old, Rubbermaid trash can with a cracked rim on the 20" side (look at 9 o'clock in the pic above). Apart from the snare, no lugs on the shells; just plywood hoops and the threaded rod system for tightening both heads at once.
None of the drums are "drums" by modern definition. The toms sound "thin" because they are almost weightless. Just two membranes tightened down on a cylinder of some kind. Take away the weight of the metal threaded rods and the drums could blow away, literally.
Give me any kind of cylinder and I'll make a drum out of it. A real, recordable drum. It's all about seating the heads.
I used a couple of old shell pieces for re-rings on the Sona tube, as well as some struts inside to keep the shell wall rigid, which I added second time around and when I put it back together, placed the print upside down. Never noticed until I took the pictures.
Just some scrap plywood for re-rings for the trash can, glued and screwed in place, with struts inside and out for rigidity.
You can obviously hear the 14" pancake drum is drier, being just a thicker, coated, single head. It sounds more like a hand drum.
The ultra-thin nature of the water bottle and food bucket, tended to have a very obvious, shaky, overtone when struck with more velocity. The shell walls just could not take the concussive impact and a lot of vibration caused the heads to react with odd tones. I could've handled that with gel pads inside the shells but, decided to leave them, as is. The other option would be double-ply heads to reduce the concussive force moving into the "shells."
I would challenge anyone to figure out what this drum set is made of, if I didn't reveal it. The kick was easily the most bombastic of all the bass drums used. I was shocked at how good it sounded and felt to play. Tell yourself a few times, you are listening to an old, Rubbermaid trash can with a cracked rim on the 20" side (look at 9 o'clock in the pic above). Apart from the snare, no lugs on the shells; just plywood hoops and the threaded rod system for tightening both heads at once.
None of the drums are "drums" by modern definition. The toms sound "thin" because they are almost weightless. Just two membranes tightened down on a cylinder of some kind. Take away the weight of the metal threaded rods and the drums could blow away, literally.
Give me any kind of cylinder and I'll make a drum out of it. A real, recordable drum. It's all about seating the heads.
The complete depth of each drum is 5.25." The bass drum is a 5.5x24, made from a shell piece left over from a cut-down project of that drum. It fits in well with the concept of the kit. It has no less punch or resonance than any of the other kicks used in the recording. The sound is more immediate, given the mic is much closer to the batter head. I do not like the sound of a mic inside a bass drum. If it's augmented with a second mic outside, it sounds more natural to me. One mic inside sounds like a beater slapping against a lump of newspaper, to my ears.
This rig is basically for picking up and heading off to jam. I can just carry it to wherever. Some contain the snare drum in the set-up but, I found the weight of the drum tends to impact the sound of the 10" tom in front of it so, I removed the placement of the snare and just use the tom configuration, in this case 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18." The snare is a 3.75 x 13 PVC shell with Oak veneer inside and out, on a typical stand. The second pic shows my 6.5x13 Ipe (Ironwood) shell, which I'm using with the kit now, having left it set-up for use after the recording session.
My first prototypes of this kit were single head. This one is double-headed drums.
Because the drums are as much one drum as seven, varying rates of sustain can be noticed. In common with typical drums, smaller heads produce less sustain, larger heads more but, that is a little more pronounced with this rig.
All the toms on the table are fitted with Drum Factory Direct clear, single-ply, 10 mil heads. They performed really well. I suspect they are made from the same film used for Ambassadors.
This first solo leaves the snares off and is played with mallets.
This rig is basically for picking up and heading off to jam. I can just carry it to wherever. Some contain the snare drum in the set-up but, I found the weight of the drum tends to impact the sound of the 10" tom in front of it so, I removed the placement of the snare and just use the tom configuration, in this case 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18." The snare is a 3.75 x 13 PVC shell with Oak veneer inside and out, on a typical stand. The second pic shows my 6.5x13 Ipe (Ironwood) shell, which I'm using with the kit now, having left it set-up for use after the recording session.
My first prototypes of this kit were single head. This one is double-headed drums.
Because the drums are as much one drum as seven, varying rates of sustain can be noticed. In common with typical drums, smaller heads produce less sustain, larger heads more but, that is a little more pronounced with this rig.
All the toms on the table are fitted with Drum Factory Direct clear, single-ply, 10 mil heads. They performed really well. I suspect they are made from the same film used for Ambassadors.
This first solo leaves the snares off and is played with mallets.
9. DON'T TRASH MY DRUMS - The Trash Can Set - Yep. Three galvanized steel trash cans, small, medium and large. Very quickly made "lugs" from scrap wood. Heads that fit, even if some are too large for the diameter of the "shells," which are all conical. Also shown in the YT shell series, the kit received a new set of 'lugs' which allowed for greater head tension and thus, better tone. Owing to physics of what they are in their component parts, they are still made to sound like percussive instruments once the recording software gets involved. No bearing edges, other than the formed and rolled edges of the manufactured metal cans.
The tom is a 14/12 x 12" deep. The floor tom is an 18/16 x 23" deep. The kick is a 22/18 x 27" deep. I used my 7x13 aluminum snare for this solo. I should mention the kick is actually 21" on the larger side. The head greatly overlaps the edge of the "shell." I used standard 12-24 tension rods with star nuts to tension the heads down.
The tom is a 14/12 x 12" deep. The floor tom is an 18/16 x 23" deep. The kick is a 22/18 x 27" deep. I used my 7x13 aluminum snare for this solo. I should mention the kick is actually 21" on the larger side. The head greatly overlaps the edge of the "shell." I used standard 12-24 tension rods with star nuts to tension the heads down.
I also used the Zildjian 24" med-heavy ride I used with Legend on "From the Fjords." Three of the rides I used back then were loaned to me by my friend Paul Sikora, who still has that full drum set since I sold it to him 43 years ago! Just incredible. He was kind enough to let me purchase back the 24." It's a strange and yet, wonderful feeling to have that instrument back under my sticks. Great sounding cymbal. It recorded just as nicely as it did back in the 70's, on Fjords.
Even though my style of playing is not straight Rock, this set moves some walls as a monster 4 pc. kit. Trash cans. Remember that.
As an addendum I should remark, John Mayes started out as a drummer. Of all the drum sets he has played, heard and recorded in his life, among the drum sets of mine he has worked with, this trash can set is his favorite. Consider the information in such a statement.
Even though my style of playing is not straight Rock, this set moves some walls as a monster 4 pc. kit. Trash cans. Remember that.
As an addendum I should remark, John Mayes started out as a drummer. Of all the drum sets he has played, heard and recorded in his life, among the drum sets of mine he has worked with, this trash can set is his favorite. Consider the information in such a statement.
10. MBM - The Maple, Birch, Mahogany Set - Also shown on my YT video series on shells, these 6x10" toms, Keller Maple, Birch, and what is called Mahogany, which is actually a Poplar core, with very thin veneers of Mahogany inside and out, plus the 6x10 snare drum, make for a unified kit. The snare is a very inexpensive shell off a very inexpensive snare drum I got off Amazon years ago. I placed galvanized flashing inside and outside the shell. The kick is an 8x16" Keller Maple shell piece, sandwiched into a standing frame.
You can hear just the difference a beater can make. In this case, a couple Tama silicone beaters. A very cool, small set with a big sound. I use my simple, single tension system for tuning both heads at once, with plywood hoops, etc., and tuning is as easy as can be. Again, what is heard? Tonal descent. No distinction of woods, despite the marketing hype on the subject. I think it would make a nice set for Jazz, with maybe a 12" tom to replace the 10 in the fl. tom position to extend a low end pitch.
You can hear just the difference a beater can make. In this case, a couple Tama silicone beaters. A very cool, small set with a big sound. I use my simple, single tension system for tuning both heads at once, with plywood hoops, etc., and tuning is as easy as can be. Again, what is heard? Tonal descent. No distinction of woods, despite the marketing hype on the subject. I think it would make a nice set for Jazz, with maybe a 12" tom to replace the 10 in the fl. tom position to extend a low end pitch.
I used the 16" with single ply, clear heads and a small gel pad on each one. The beater patch is an Evans woven patch, which also takes some "bite" out of the impact articulation. If I put twin ply or muted heads on the drum, cut a hole in the front head for better articulation of the batter head for the mic, you'd never know the difference of what it is from a standard bass drum.
Yes, that's a piece of a broken cymbal for a hoop protector on the snare for rim shots.
The difference in color between the toms and kick is simply the difference between oil-based finishes and water-based. Oils add an amber tone. Water-based leaves the wood as light as the wood is naturally.
Yes, that's a piece of a broken cymbal for a hoop protector on the snare for rim shots.
The difference in color between the toms and kick is simply the difference between oil-based finishes and water-based. Oils add an amber tone. Water-based leaves the wood as light as the wood is naturally.
11. TIME for DINNER - Main Course - Second solo with the tabletop/pancake rig. Everything you see in the pics was used on this solo to close out the recording, including my three, stacked plywood-shell tube drums 6x12, 18 and 24" depths, as well as a 12x20 stacked plywood, converted bass drum into a floor tom, on legs. It's the largest set-up on the recording.
This was the last set I recorded and I had enough fun to keep it set up for daily use.
This was the last set I recorded and I had enough fun to keep it set up for daily use.
While the set all tilts to the same angle you might suspect it's very difficult to play. It's different, and takes some getting used to but, in fact, as the body turns at the waist the ergonomics of the movement actually follows through quite naturally.
Standard 12-24 tension rods are used, passing into standard lug nuts sunken into the plywood table, with just traditional 1.6 mm hoops, to keep the whole rig as light as possible.
Originally designed to set up on its own rack, here the table is set up on one rod on the rack and two points where a small cymbal stand was used. Three points of contact for mounting it. I'm guessing the whole thing weighs around 30-40 lbs.
Standard 12-24 tension rods are used, passing into standard lug nuts sunken into the plywood table, with just traditional 1.6 mm hoops, to keep the whole rig as light as possible.
Originally designed to set up on its own rack, here the table is set up on one rod on the rack and two points where a small cymbal stand was used. Three points of contact for mounting it. I'm guessing the whole thing weighs around 30-40 lbs.
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As you can see in the pictures, all of the "regular" toms in each set sit in snare drum baskets or stands, save for the Trash Can floor tom, which has very short legs attached in some wooden, DIY leg brackets, and, of course, the 20" stacked plywood bass drum, converted into a floor tom (which was set-up with the entire plywood kit in the previous recordings), on legs.
To add to the nature of the recording, I began with my reconstructed and renovated Bi-lateral double pedal, made from Griffin single bass drum pedals, magnetized (no springs), with Walnut foot boards; pictured with a couple kits, with various beaters depending on bass heads and their sizes. Unfortunately the center section kept sliding back off the bass drum hoops and I set it aside for more renovation, and brought in my usual bi-lateral pedal made from a couple Drumnetics slaves and a magnetized Off-Set pedal center section.
The bass drums are pretty much left "as is" with whatever heads I had to use; some with muffling rings, some without. No special dampening was used, aside for some "moon gel-type" pads - window gels used for decorating - on a couple bass drums, to lessen 'boom.' They work great for a lot less money.
Bear in mind, the recording could have been enlarged by mixing up all the drums in more set-ups to see what differences the listener would actually hear to tell things apart. I kept things categorized and made the point about heads being the sound of a drum and shells, while adding those nuances and subtleties, are not the influencer they have been made out to be.
To add to the nature of the recording, I began with my reconstructed and renovated Bi-lateral double pedal, made from Griffin single bass drum pedals, magnetized (no springs), with Walnut foot boards; pictured with a couple kits, with various beaters depending on bass heads and their sizes. Unfortunately the center section kept sliding back off the bass drum hoops and I set it aside for more renovation, and brought in my usual bi-lateral pedal made from a couple Drumnetics slaves and a magnetized Off-Set pedal center section.
The bass drums are pretty much left "as is" with whatever heads I had to use; some with muffling rings, some without. No special dampening was used, aside for some "moon gel-type" pads - window gels used for decorating - on a couple bass drums, to lessen 'boom.' They work great for a lot less money.
Bear in mind, the recording could have been enlarged by mixing up all the drums in more set-ups to see what differences the listener would actually hear to tell things apart. I kept things categorized and made the point about heads being the sound of a drum and shells, while adding those nuances and subtleties, are not the influencer they have been made out to be.
Again, my thanks to John Mayes for his excellent work in mixing and mastering. Overcoming some room and "phase" issues this time around, he found a way to tackle it and bring out the beast in each set.
I will especially look forward to that being the case with Volume 2 of this recording, where John just decides to augment each solo with any of the bells and whistles modern digital recording has at his fingertips. Volume 2 would be a truly a wild ride and show to an even greater degree it is not the drum set that matters, as much as the player, and what sound engineers do with the instruments recorded or presented live. Again, we'll see what the future holds on that one.
Drop me a line, tell me what you think, and share this recording with those you believe will be encouraged and blessed by it.
Thank you for your time - Ray
I will especially look forward to that being the case with Volume 2 of this recording, where John just decides to augment each solo with any of the bells and whistles modern digital recording has at his fingertips. Volume 2 would be a truly a wild ride and show to an even greater degree it is not the drum set that matters, as much as the player, and what sound engineers do with the instruments recorded or presented live. Again, we'll see what the future holds on that one.
Drop me a line, tell me what you think, and share this recording with those you believe will be encouraged and blessed by it.
Thank you for your time - Ray