Rhythmically Speaking

Coady Combo – A new wave of drop-clutches

2012-08-12T02:19:00.003-07:00

And so the old saying goes, necessity gives way to invention. Needs strike, and trigger creativity in one’s mind, and when that occurs, old ideas can be re-invented and new development takes place. From rocks, to arrows, to swords, to machineguns, it is the very nature of the human’s mind, to recreate creation for better serving of its own existence. This process of development can be found everywhere around the world and in almost any industry, and why it should be any different when we examine the drum kit’s development history?

From the comprised sets of the 60’s, to the more elaborated kits from the 70’s, to the gigantic monster kits of the rockin’ 80’s. Because of this constant change, concepts have always been revisited and redesigned (something for better, sometimes for worse). Keith Moon played with a double kick drum, but had to abandon the usage of a hi hat. Modern metal drummers first solved the problem by adding a second hi hat so still could somehow take advantage of the complex sound dynamics offered by this essential part of a drum kit. Later the drop clutch was invented. An ingenious type of hi hat clutch that allows drummers to arm it when playing without the second kick pedal, or disarm it when doing double bass work, having the top hat just laying closed on the bottom hat, which happened to deprive the instrument of it’s characteristic sizzling sound. Forever a compromise, this lack of sizzling caused by the regular drop clutches, added to their noise generating, non-automatic functionality (a stick stroke is required to disarm the clutch). And it was this compromise that sparkled the development-driven, creative spirit of Canadian-based company Billdidit. TheCoady Combo (comprised of Coady Clutch, Coady Wash Control and Coady Trip Arm) arrived on the market with the sole purpose of revolutionizing, refining, and redefining the very existence of its predecessors’ drop clutches.

From the very first glance I took of the Coady, passion for innovation was what the phrase that crossed my mind. A recipe containing mechanics, magnetism, physics and obvious imagination, this three-piece apparatus displays uniqueness with its look while smoothing out many of the problems found on regular drop clutches. The Coady Wash Control provides plenty of customizable sizzling control over the hit hat when the drop crutch is disengaged. This simple and clever piece can be even purchased separately and can prevent any drop clutch from creating lifeless hi hat sound when the top cymbal is dropped. A heavy-duty screw system allows the player to carefully and precisely choose top and bottom hats contact and better serve their taste, style, cymbal weight, and their own dynamic performance. The screw is mounted on top of a heavy-duty spring that absorbs the chock of the cymbals, smoothing the transition between engaged/disengaged clutch positions. The Wash Control is a smart invention that will probably lead other drop clutch manufactures to envy Billdidit, with a feeling of “why didn’t WE think about this before?”

The Coady Clutch itself is another great idea that it works as well in practice as it does in theory. Here, a traditional hi hat clutch design is enhanced by the technologically advanced disk-drop-clutch device. Made of a heavy-duty plastic material, the disk holds the clutch by use of magnets. Simply hit the disk and the clutch will drop. Step on the hi-hat pedal and the magnets engage the clutch once again. The disk features six slots for magnet placement so one can better calibrate the drop clutch sensitivity regarding cymbal’s weight and playing technique. Although the Coady Clutch and the Coady Wash Control already represent a step beyond all other drop-clutch designs and functionalities on the market, theCoady Trip Arm is what brings all these innovative concepts together making this three-piece mechanism the first automatic drop-clutch ever. Why should a drummer have to hit the clutch for the cymbal to drop? Why not make it so that every time you step out of the hi-hat pedal and into the double bass pedals, the clutch drop by itself? That’s exactly what the Trip Arm does. The Trip Arm might turn a few heads when someone first sees it, wondering what that strange device might do, but as strange as it might look, it works, and who knows, it could become the norm and one might eventually wonder why a double bass drummer does not have one on his hi-hat.

The Coady Combo installation is quite simple. You can intuitively figure out how the system works. The Trip Arm might take a little extra time to perfectly optimized it with your hi hat stand and playing style, but once you find that sweet spot you have no more worries. The Trip Arm not only can be disengaged mid-play, in case you want to use the Coaby Clutch as a traditional drop clutch, but also is easily removable, so you have it ready to go gig after gig in matter of seconds. Once every main device of the combo is perfectly calibrated to your musical taste and style, this revolutionary drop-clutch works terrifically, and it quickly becomes a piece of your drum kit that you don’t even have to think about, yet another thing that sets it apart from traditional drop-clutches. It’s like it is not even there, you go back and forth between pedals and the combo does its job, you’ve got your sizzling hi hat cymbals while playing double bass, you have a controlled and dynamic hi-hat when you groove with the single bass drum pedal.

Ideas come and go. When ideas are well executed, chances are they will create a mark in history. The unique and innovative ideas put on the Coady Combo already are great ones. Double kick drummers worldwide will ultimately decide if this product will make its dent, but in my case, this combo is now a full-time member of my own drum kit.

The Coady Combo retails for $89.98. You can also purchase the pieces separately, The Coady Clutch costs $49.98, TheCoady Wash Control $12.98 and the Coady Trip Arm $34.98.

For more information please visit www.billdidit.ca

Review: Evans EC1 Reverse Dot

2012-08-12T02:16:00.000-07:00

Introduced to the market in 2009, the EC1 Reverse Dot snare head followed the success achieved by the Evans’ EC1 tom heads. With its one-of-a-kind design, the EC1 Reverse Dot surely is proof of Evans’ compromise on drumhead technological innovation. The EC1 is a 14mil single-ply head that features the renowned Evans Edge Control ring mounted on its underside along with its Center Dot, giving this drumhead a distinctive sound and unique character.

Once installed on my snare drum, I discovered that the EC1 Reverse Dot’s uniqueness was not only restricted to its look but was very present in its sound, making my snare drum produce a beautiful warm, woody tone. Because of its combination of thickness and controlled sustain provided by the Edge Rings, the EC1 Reverse Dot gives the drum a bold and fat sound quality while providing extreme durability, making it a great option for heavy-handed rock drummers. Its delicate coating is another factor that gives this head its modern look and sound, defining its woody tone. What impressed me the most though, is the ingenious placement of a center dot. This dot makes the head a hybrid entity with two very distinctive sound textures. The center has a defined, enhanced dense sound, and the edges a resonant, free and live character. Having these two variables of sounds on a single drum gives a drummer the power of further control on snare rolls and effects as well as providing an exploratory environment for creative drumming.

The EC1 Reverse Dot is a head where creative and innovative designs are meshed together culminating in one of the most unique and peculiar sounding snare drumheads in the market. It’s truly a combination of visual and auditory beauty.

For more information on the EC1 Reverse Dot and other Evans products, please visit www.evansdrumheads.com .

Chad Wackerman Trio Hits Live DVD

2012-08-12T02:14:00.003-07:00

Besides being a phenomenal jazz and rock drummer, having toured and recorded 26 albums with Frank Zappa, Chad Wackerman is also a man of charisma. Through his serene expressions, perfectly chosen words, and soft voice, he hosts and narrates details of every single song you will see and hear on his first DVD as Chad Wackerman Trio (recent released by the DrumChannel.com).

With pals Mike Miller (guitar) and Doug Lunn (bass) on board, the trio plays a variety of jazz-fusion songs composed by Wackerman himself. Written primarily for a quartet set up, Mike Miller takes on the duty of wisely accommodating vibes and guitar parts with a single instrument. After an introductory chitchat with the band, Chad carefully gives viewers the story behind every song they are about to experience through the performance.

"Sophie’s Beach" is the first tune of the DVD and is a song written for Chad’s daugther, inspired by their trips to the beach in Sydney. The song features a delightful and turbulent, as Chad describes, drum solo at the end. The movie continues with a Miles Davis inspired tune called "Spiral" and then with an old, dramatic and bold song, part of Chad’s first album, titled "Tell Me." "All Sevens" is the song that follows, bringing interesting drum signatures. Inspired by the poem “Welcome to Holland”, the ballad Holland is one of the most beautiful songs on this DVD and personally one of my favorites. Chad taps on dealing with changing expectations as the inspirational motive behind this one. Moving to rock-ish tunes, the trio plays the progressive "Balancing Acts" and the NYC inspired "The City," portraying Big Apple’s bombardment of humanity. The movie ends with another old song called Scream. The DVD features two more tunes under the bonus materials and a drum channel promo video that you might want to skip it.

The beauty of this DVD is found not only on the skillfully crafted songs but also in the showing of an artist’s way finding true inspiration for the creation of his masterpiece. Chad’s remarks on how the relationship of band behind the scenes reflects profoundly on its musicality serves as great advice to all musicians. Personally speaking, the only thing missing on The Chad Wackerman Trio: Hits Live DVD is a crowd to intensify the overall performances. Either way this movie will make want to just dim the lights, pour some scotch, light a cigar, relax and enjoy.

Million Dollar Drums with Drumagog 5

2012-08-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

It’s never been this easy to have exactly what you want. Well, at least in the music recording world. Virtual instruments, effects, and emulators are giving the power of music creation to any musician on the planet for only a fraction of the cost of real hardware and music recording paraphernalia. It’s a free musical-world indeed, where records are no longer made in multi-million dollar studios, but are now crafted in living rooms, basements, and garages. Where new music, good and bad, floods every corner of the World Wide Web. The digital revolution completely changed the music industry for better or for worse, and is here to stay.

On the drummer’s side of this shift from expensive-analog to inexpensive-digital, there will be no harder task than recording and creating a great sounding kit without having to lay out the real bucks for it. A drum set sound has as much to do with the room it is in as the sticks you are using to hit it. And as you might know, not just any room will make your drums sound good. Acoustically treated, engineered, and specifically designed studio rooms are expensive, and nowadays are even going through an extinction process. Besides the architectural aspect of recording drums, a few no less important aspects play a crucial part in achieving a perfect-sounding drum recording. Great mics, preamps, sound processors and the most critical, a competent sound engineer will also be required to capture the best of your performance. So let’s do the math: expensive place + expensive equipment + expensive staff = (logically) a very expensive drum recording.

But in a digital world where everything is possible, the time (and money) consuming process of drum recording can simply be digitally recreated, virtually emulated, and drummers anywhere on the planet can have the best sounding kit, simply and quickly, a few mouse clicks away. What if you could replace your bad sounding recorded kit with an astonishing, professional sounding one, while still preserving the integrity of your performance? WaveMachine Labs, creators of Drumagog 5, had just that in mind and took care of business. Welcome to digitally created perfection. Drumagog has become one of the best, most recognized and recommended, most essential and efficient drum replacer plug-in on the market. And with this fifth version of Drumagog, WaveMachine Labs brings on the best of their game. A user-friendly interface with powerful and exclusive features.

Drumagog 5 relies on its newly designed Auto Align 2.0, developed in conjunction with mp3 format inventors, Fraunhofer. Auto Align 2.0 is a powerful algorithm that efficiently aligns samples with extreme accuracy. By the very first time you load Drumagog 5 to one of your drum tracks on your favorite DAW, you will experience right the way the excellence of this product. With a fresh, completely redesigned, bigger and more powerful interface, this new incarnation of Drumagog blew my mind (and some bad sounding drums) away unimaginably fast. Gog file loaded and your lame drum sound is immediately replaced by a professionally recorded and articulately played one all in real time. A drum sample library of 5 gigabytes gives you plenty of options for choosing the drum sound that best fit your track’s needs. And if 5 gigabytes is not enough, Drumagog 5 comes with new features, including one of my personal favorites. Under the Plugin tab you can load your favorite third party drum sample or virtual instrument software inside of Drumagog, infinitely expanding your sounds options. Not only can you make use of the third party library as you can quickly mix it and ingenuously blend it with Drumagog’s sound samples and built-in effects. Speaking of effects, another new feature of Drumagog 5 is that comes with two new and powerful built-in effects; Convolution Reverb and Morph Engine. Along with Drumagog’s built-in Synth feature, these will help you further shape Drumagog’s sounds. The possibilities are seemingly endless with these tools that also offer mind-blowing presets. The Synth offers Oscillation and Filter parameter controls that can completely redefine what you usually call drums. The Stealth Mode feature is another great tool for maintaining the integrity of a drummer’s performance but still being able to replace the drum sound without completing eliminating the room bleeding from that specific track.

WaveMachine Labs also developed a feature on this new version that can finally deal with the most articulate and dynamic piece of a drum kit. The hi hat. In the past it has proved to be a real pain in the *&% to try to replace and recreate the dynamics and articulation of a hi hat sound and performance. By adding the Auto Hi Hat Tracking device on Drumagog, WaveMachine Labs tried to solve this problem once for all. Since kick and specially snare bleeds are the major problem here, once you tweak the Sensitivity and Resolution parameters a little as well as the Auto HH Threshold (found under the Settings tab), you will be able to closely mimic the original articulations of your Hi Hat track with Drumagog’s sounds. The only problem about this feature is that adds latency (is this a word?). Nothing worse than having a hi hat out of place in a beat. I was able to fix it by moving my Hi Hat track manually on my DAW. The Auto Hi Hat Tracking is certainly a great initiative from WaveMachine Labs part; with a little more development it can definitely surpass expectations.

With old and new (but equally powerful) features, the fifth version of Drumagog truly is a evidence of how technology is facilitating many tasks only before reached with countless hours and dollars invested. A tool that serves as an example of how things in life should be: simple and efficient. No more worries about having a perfect drum take without a perfect sound. Accurate sound layering has never been so easy. The world belongs to those with power and Drumagog 5 gives the power to the performer to create a million dollar sounding drum anywhere he (or she) wants.

For more information about Drumagog 5 please visit www.drumagog.com

Drumagog 5 Platinum currently retails for $379.

Evans GMAD – A Breed of Punch & Tone

2012-08-12T02:10:00.001-07:00

There was a time when the only solution to get more punch, controlled sustain, and presence out of a bass drum in the mix was to run to your bedroom and grab the first available pillow or blanket, and shove it right into the drum. Although this creative technique is still put in practice in studios and on stages all around the world, many of the biggest names in drumhead manufacturing have sent their designing skills to the drawing board to create a more polished version of this concept, not only making the application of such a technique more refined, but also saving us the embarrassment of having our old bedding items as part of our drum equipment.

Evans started to experiment with the idea of creating mounted dampening systems on bass drum heads with the release of their EMAD series. The EMADs quickly became one of the company’s most used heads. Pushing the concept a little further, Evans then decided to synthesize EMAD’s dampening system with the dense, punchy and durable qualities of their G Plus series. The G Plus features an exclusive 12-mil single ply film made especially for Evans. The breeding result of these two heads gives birth to the GMAD.

Evans’ GMAD can be considered a sort-of “kit” for punchy bass drums, if you will. Single thick film for attack and low-end tonality, a set of two (3/4” and 1 ½”) foam rings for the featured mounted system, and Evans’ slam patch. Truly a nice combo if you want a bass drum with a super defined attack, something that I believe most drummers want, but can’t always easily obtain. The combination of these ideas culminates in what differs this head from those propped by pillows or blankets, Tonal Quality. Commonly, if you want more attack and punch, chances are sustain and tone will suffer. This certainly doesn’t apply to GMAD. The externally mounted adjustable damping system enhances and sharpens attack definition while controlling and not killing the true tone of the head. Because of its thickness, the 12-mil single-ply film creates bold low-end frequencies, which is then controlled and smoothed by the EMAD system, giving it a shorter decay.

The sum of the concepts applied on GMAD gives this drumhead an aggressive attack character but with a beautiful and rich tonal core. The GMAD fits well on many music styles, from RnB to Pop to Metal. For those looking for professional and punchy sounding kick, the GMAD is certainly a great option to go with.

For more information please visit www.evansdrumheads.com

Ddrum's Reflex - A Drum to Reflect On

2012-08-12T01:59:00.002-07:00

For a long time, Ddrum was a name only synonymous with drum triggers. At its inception this made a lot of sense, but lets fast forward through the company history and development.

The brand actually began as a division of Clavia, the Swedish electronic instruments manufacturer best known for the Nord line of keyboards. In 2005, Ddrum was acquired by Armadillo Enterprises, a company who also owns Dean Guitars. The acquisition turned out to be not only a turning point in the company’s history, but it also helped broaden its catalogue by launching them into manufacturing acoustic drum kits. Today, Ddrum offers a respectable variety of acoustic drum kits. Each of the Ddrum series features distinctive construction and sound, providing a quality palette for all types of tastes, budgets, and musical styles.

The Ddrum Reflex is one of the newer drum kit series released by the company. Like all the other series, Reflex also comes with unique features that help characterize not only its sound, but also its market value. Reflex represents Ddrum’s intention of delivering a high-end drum kit with a much more digestible price tag for the masses.

Defying Standards

Some of the features that the user will find on Reflex will certainly not reflect the same standards of the majority of kits out there. Take for instance its bass drum. An unusual and impressive 22” x 20” size brings edge to both its look and sound. The bass drum, as well as its snare, features 8-ply shells enhancing sonic quality. Reflex comes with 10” and 12” rack toms and a 16” floor tom. One might argue about the disparity of jumping from 12” to 16” and avoiding the traditional 14” rack tom. That, once again, is Ddrum’s way of further pushing the limits of conformity in the drum kit market, making their series stand out from the rest.

But the feature that really gives the Reflex kit its uniqueness is the wood from which is it constructed. Apparently Ddrum is the first company ever to use Alder wood (Alnus Rubra) as the prime matter for a drum kit. Commonly used on guitar bodies (and frequently found in furniture) Alder wood resonates a rich tone while simultaneously being lightweight. It is also abundant in the environment, allowing for a more affordable market value when compared to more traditional woods used in drum kits such as maple for example. Interestingly, Fender has used Alder wood for over 50 years

for the bodies of their legendary guitars.

Reflex also comes with a few of the more commonly found features such as the Face-Off Lugs, standard tom arms and clamps and single-ply stock drumheads. This series also offers an assortment of interesting and attractive finishes to choose from. Chrome and White Bubble Wrap are certainly eye catchers.

Sonic Distinctiveness

When evaluating its sonic qualities one starts to better understand more about the construction choices made by Ddrum for the Reflex series. Overall, the kit projects a well-defined attack with the right amount of warmth, just enough to give fullness to its bright presence. When analyzing the kit in parts, one can more accurately see how each segment of the kit supports and complements the other. The elongated bass drum produces an impressive clear attack, especially when taking into account its enormous body, which emanates plenty of low frequencies as well. Much like the bass drum, the snare also produces a sharp response accompanied by a fat quality that one can sometimes only find in more expensive snare brands. The Reflex’s toms are, at least in my point opinion, the elements that give the extra sonic edge to this kit. These short toms, especially the rack ones, project such a defined attack that bears the sonic qualities of a timbale. Think Neil Perts’ kit on Rush’s R30. The floor tom, although sharing certain sonic aspects of the rack toms, it also produces a well-balanced sound like the bass drum, with nice attack and not overwhelming “boomingness”. Although I could certainly see the Reflex kit being used in many different types of music, I believe it would be a perfect match for jazz, funk, R’n’B, Drum’N’Bass, and Pop Rock drummers.

On the Bright Side…

Ddrum’s Reflex is certainly not the usual $500 drum kit that envisions imitating some type of more expensive one. It’s definitely a drum kit apart from the rest. The very characteristic of being sonically and visually different from its counterparts makes Reflex a drum kit to be sought out. And on top of that, its affordable price makes it a great investment for any type of drummer, be he/she a beginner or a professional. Reflex definitely sounds like reflex and nothing else. And one has to appreciate that. It’s in the details like the elongated bass drum, the choice of wood, and the uncommon array of tom sizes that the appeal for kit is built upon and where the consumer will find its value.

Yet another good side of this kit is that it comes with something that many other brands have attempted but failed to accomplish. Good sounding stock drumheads. Reflex features single-ply Ddrum-brand drumheads. Their durability, as anyone might guess, are definitely not their strong selling point as they will wear out quite quickly, especially for hard hitters. But sonically, they sound really great. It makes the kit very exciting to play one you first set it up. It also works as confidence booster since it makes one feel that he/she made the right purchase choice. Definitely another bit of evidence that whoever came up with Reflex’s package had put some good and hard thought into it.

…On the Not So Bright

Many of the most respected (and expensive) drum kits do not come with a rack tom mounting system attached to their bass drum. The majority of kits with a lower price tag, just like Reflex, do. But that’s not the case. Such mounting systems, as many drummers out there know, presents advantages and disadvantages. Basically what it does is it affects the tonality of toms and bass drum, because vibrations and overtones directly travel across the tom stand. But on the other hand, it makes the set up of the kit more practical. So this issue is more of a compromise that one that has to do with a design flaw. Reflex is the type where perfection of tone seems to weight more than convenience for set up. Make sure to have a stands or a

drum rack available if you intended to purchase this kit

A second issue that seems to bother, at least this reviewer, is the face-off lugs. The problem here is more aesthetic than mechanical. To my eyes, the face-off lugs give a certain look of cheapness to the kit. They do function great and they can handle a decent amount of tension without ever detuning, but I feel that if Ddrum had invested a bit more into this small detail, the kit would certainly look more professional. But I also understand that simple details like this can play a huge part in a product’s cost.

Conclusion

When analyzing construction, sound, look, and especially price, Ddrum Reflex is a drum kit that is worth every penny invested on. I feel it is very difficult to find a kit in this price range that can offer the professional construction and sonic qualities that this kit does. In a recording environment as well as in a live performance setting, the Reflex drum kit is able to handle both quite well. It projects presence and body into a drumming performance.

For those just begging to drum as well as to seasoned drummers, Ddrum Reflex is a kit worth checking out at the store. If Reflex does not fit all the requirements that one is looking for in a drum kit, I can see it serving as the middle of the road kit for such a person. But I feel would be really hard for one to not like Ddrum Reflex. I’m sure even band mates will be impressed once they discover how much of the budget you used to paid for it.

Hands-on Review: Alesis DM8 USB Kit

2012-08-12T01:01:00.001-07:00

E-kits lovers are sure to find Alesis a home. While boasting a wide variety of models, Alesis is easily considered one of the most recognizable brands on electronic drum kit market. Focusing the delivery of a quality product for those on a tighter budget, Alesis’ e-kits have become the ideal entry-level choice for many players out there.

The company has also been continuously improving their line, constantly releasing new models as well as upgrading the ones already available on the market. For this summer, Alesis unveiled two new kits that, in my opinion, are the link between their more professional (DM10) and their more accessible models (DM6). The newly released DM8 is available in two different options; the DM8 Pro Kit (only differing from the USB kit by offering RealHead drum pads and the StageRack) and the DM8 USB Kit, which I will be focusing on in this article.

First impression and assembling – Coming in a well-packed and well-protected box, the DM8 has proven to be one of the easiest Alesis’ kits I’ve ever assembled. A new addition to Alesis’ e-kits line, the DMRack is a four-legged heavy-duty rack that comes pre-assembled inside the box. All you have to do is to set a desirable height for your rack toms and quickly add the two extra legs and voila’! The rack is ready for drum and cymbal pads. To some, this might not seem like a big issue, but I remember spending at least a couple hours putting together one of the earlier Alesis e-kit racks, and if you plan to take the DM8 on the road, the DMRack is truly a time saver. Although the clamps that hold pads and the rack itself together are made of plastic, they seem sturdy and strong enough to resist intense pounding sessions. One of the best features of the DM8, from an assembly perspective, is that it won’t require the use of a drum kit, aside from the kick drum pad that is attached to its rack with six bolts. Assembly is also made more efficient by the clever combination of all the cables to a DB-25 connector that goes directly in the drum module. Patching is also easy and simple with the labeled cables, and the module can even accommodate two extra add-ons.

Quick Tip: Read the manual (I bet a lot of you won’t) and especially, learn to calibrate the kit. Once you have everything assembled you will be able to turn it on and start playing, which is great, but, if you spend the time to calibrate and learn the kit’s capabilities, you will certainly be able to enjoy and play the DM8 much more.

Pros – To my eyes (and ears) the very best thing about the DM8 is the high-end sonic quality of the module’s kits. You get 100 different preset kits that can cover an array of styles, from rock to jazz to electronic to Latin; plus, it allows you to manipulate and save its samples to your own customized kits. Once you better familiarize yourself with the drum module capabilities, you will start to see all the goodies it has to offer. Effects, such as compression and reverb, that can be applied directly to one sample, or on the overall sound of a kit; the ability to optimize the kit to your playing style through tweaking velocity, curve velocity and cross talking, and much more. Another great feature of the drum module, like the DM10’s, is that it comes with 75 accompaniment tracks that you can use for practicing as well as to test the kit’s capabilities. It will also let you record and (even quantize) your performance. The module also comes with USB connectivity so you can use samples from your favorite drum software and also record MIDI performances directly on your DAW. Just remember to lower the buffer size to bring latency to a minimum.

Cons – One of the greatest challenges throughout the history for e-kits manufacturers has been the issue of how to emulate the feel and articulation of a pad to a point that it feels and sound like a real drumhead. In the case of the DM8 USB Kit, I should warn you not to expect anything close to that. Although the pads are certainly better than many drum pads out there (they are softer, hence giving the sticks more bounce), they are still pretty much practice pads. If you are not comfortable with playing on practice pads, chances are you will detest this kit, or, at least, it will take some time for you to get use to it and learn to tolerate it. In the end, it will actually become more a matter of technique than quality. To maximize the articulation of the kit, I strongly suggest optimizing its retriggering settings, especially for those that play fast, so that you won’t be missing any notes during your performance. The good side of this type of drum pads is that, with the help of the quality-built DM Rack, they eliminate cross talking fairly well (a serious issue that I’ve consistently found in the DM10).

Unfortunately, I encountered two very bad problems with the DM8 USB Kit that has more to do with wearing than design. First, the rubber that should help to hold my kick pedal attached to the kick drum pad just came off during playing. I guess Alesis needs stronger glue for this essential, but overlooked piece of the kit. I tried to attach my pedal without it, but still it’s not 100% great. Once in a while I have to adjust the pedal position, which is quite annoying, especially if you are in the middle of a performance. The second big issue that I encountered was with the Ride Cymbal Pad. After a couple of hours of playing, it seems that the rubber pad came slightly off and the bell’s triggering became defective.

What the author wants to see – I believe this kit is almost there. Reasonably priced considering its great module and rack, and somewhat decent pads. Some further testing for wear and tear may need to be conducted by the manufacturer. Who wants to buy a product that will start falling apart only after a couple hours of playing? I also would love to see capabilities for importing samples on the drum modules. Built-in libraries are great, but the musician of the digital age is now looking for originality more than ever. No one wants to sound like someone else. And no one wants to bring a computer everywhere just so your own samples can be played.

Who will like the DM8 – In my opinion the DM8 makes a really great practicing kit. It can also be very useful for smaller gigs where the loudness of a real drum kit can be an issue (churches for instance). It is great for project studios where you might need to quickly record a beat into your DAW and it’s good for small sampling applications during a gig. The DM8 also makes a really great kit for kids that want to graduate from Rock Band.

Who won’t – Professional drummers that look for a reliable, consistent and durable kit for recordings and performances. Drummers who are not used to playing on practice pads, or that love the sonic complexity of an acoustic drum kit and especially, heavy hitters – they will just tear the DM8 apart.

Photos

Specifications

Built-in sounds: Over 750

Kits: 100 preset, 100 user

Accompaniment patterns: 75 preset, 75 user

8” Dual-zone snare with rimshot

Three 8" single-zone toms

Large kick pad for single and double pedals

14” Dual-zone ride with bell and bow

12” Crash with choke

8’ Hi-Hat with continuous-control pedal

DMRack with four-post design, wingbolt-adjustable clamps, and mini-boom cymbal arms

Mix input for practicing with external music players

USB-enabled for tracking and programming with music software

Price = $699

Sonor Drums New Kits

2011-01-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

Sonor Drums is adding four new drum kit series to their catalogue, satisfying all drummers’ tastes and budgets. The new Sonor’s drum set series are called Ascent, Essential Force, Select Force and Smart Force.
Ascent Series - Featuring Sonor’s latest technology in drum manufacturing, The Ascent Series is a revival of Sonor’s renowned Beech Shells. The Ascent Series is considered (by its manufacturer) to be a perfect symbiosis between newly the released Select Force and S Classix Series. Ascent stands apart from traditional drum kits by featuring a thin Bass drum shell (7 layers) and thick snare and tom shells (9 layers), thus creating a unique balance of tone and sound. It’s available in 9 new Wood Veneer, Sparkle and Solid Fade, and Burst finishes.
Essential Force Series – The 9-layered Birchwood shells are the foundation for Sonor Essential Force Sets. Hefty and dynamic sounds, with accentuated mid-ranges and highs, and defined lows are the hallmark of these shells. Essential Force comes with high-gloss-lacquered natural wood surfaces, and comprises 5 preconfigured sets and fifteen individual components for maximum customization.
Select Force Series – The new Sonor Select Force was specially designed for advanced and semi-professional drummer. Offering a wide variety of pre-configured sets, including availability of Short Size Toms, 20” deep Bass Drum and the new S Drive Configuration, this series features 7-layer Canadian maple shells for rich and warm sounds, highlighting lower pitches and providing balance in the mi-range and treble. It also comes in nine finishes options.
Smart Force – This is Sonor’s new entry-level drum set series. It features 9-layer poplar shells that create full bodied and balanced sounds. The Smart Force will be also offered in an “extended” version, that will featured a few extra pieces for first-time drum kit buyers. The Smart Xtend will come with Cast B8 Cymbal set, mini boom stand and drum throne. It is available in six different finishes.

The new Sonor drum set series (with exception of the Smart Series) also feature new light-weight tension TuneSafe lugs, new designed TAR 9Total Acoustic Resonance) Tom Mount System and new designed Chrome plate Snare Strainer and Snare Butt. Sonor’s new series will be available on the market in March 2011.

For more information please visit www.sonor.com

Aquarian introduces acoustic/electronic drum triggering with inHEAD

2011-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Besides being chosen “Best In Show” at NAMM 2011, Zildjian’s Gen16 AE (Acoustic- Electric) cymbals were not the only product release in the convention with goals to revolutionize the sound-triggering world. Much like Zildjian’s Acoustic-Electric Cymbal,Aquarian, which paired up in collaboration with MIDItroniX, introduced in Anaheim the inHEAD, the first acoustic drumhead with electronic trigger built-in.

Combining the sensitivity and feel of a real acoustic drumhead with the Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) film technology; the inHEAD enters the market as a product that could revolutionize electronic drum triggering. The advantages of the inHEAD are not restricted only to its real drumhead qualities, which allow drummers to play their favorite drum, without having to sacrifice his drumming technique. Since the FSR works by measuring pressure rather than the drumhead vibration, the inHEAD is bullet proof when speaking about crosstalk and miss triggering, two of the most inconvenient problems found in any electronic drum pad. Despite these two essential enhancements to the technology, the inHEAD’s sensor is claimed to be the most sensitive on the market. The inHEAD comes with its companion, the inBOX, which allows you to attach the inHEAD right into your drum module. This new acoustic electronic head also aims to benefit experimentation and hybridizing of drum sounds using triggers and microphones. Special inHEAD drum mutes will also be available so it can use as a traditional electronic pad set, allowing drummers to play the inHEAD even when silence is required.

Since triggering quality, unwanted crosstalk, double triggering or loss of low-end sensitivity seem not to be an issue for the inHEAD, the big questions remaining now are how much its retail price will be, and how durable can it be. These are the two variables that for sure will decide the success of the product. InHEAD is scheduled to hit the market around May 2011.

For more information about Aquarian and the acoustic/electronic inHEAD please visit www.aquariandrumheads.com

For more information about MIDItroniX please visit http://miditronix.com

Ddrum new drum kits and hardware for 2011

2011-01-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

This January Ddrum not only expanded their product line but implemented a major upgrade their website. With a cleaner design and more informative structure, the new site is surely a welcome change for all Ddrum players and fans. The company is slowly growing in the market and their Artist Roaster includes giant drumming names such as metal drummer legends Dave Lombardo, Shawn Drover, Vinnie Paul and Carmine Appice. Known mostly for their ultra popular triggers for acoustic drums, Ddrum’s drum set lines continue to grow and being upgraded. For 2011, Ddrum has three new drum set-related releases and is introducing their new heavy-duty hardware line, The Heavy Hitter Hardware.

Ddrum’s Alder shelled, warm and focused tone drum kit, The Reflex Series, is getting a new beautiful finish, making over the series with a striking new look. Some of the new astonishing finishes include Grey Bubble Wrap and White Bubble Wrap. This affordable and naturally equalized kit will try to persuade new players not only by its balanced sound but also by its new look. Another drum kit release from Ddrum this year is the Vinnie Paul Signature Limited Edition drum set that also features alder shells. This limited edition kit comes with shorter and smaller toms (9” x 12”, 10” x 13”, 16”x 16”) bass drum (20” x 22”) and snare (7” x 14”) when compared with Vinnie Paul’s Artist Signature kit. The snare drum features Dunnett throw off system and the kit has a unique look with Vinnie Paul’s Custom Dragon Wrap.

The third and last drum set release from Ddrum this month is a new version of their smaller, entry-level and road friendly D2 kit, the new D120B differs from the D2 by featuring smaller tom, snare, and bass drum sizes. It comes with Basswood shells, D Series oval lugs, crash, hi hat, and ride cymbals, stands and throne. A great option for your youngster or for the van-traveling, pub-playing drummer.

In addition to drum kits, Ddrum is also coming out with their new heavy duty hardware. The Heavy Hitter Hardware is comprised of straight cymbal stand, HideWay Boom stand, Short HideWay boom Stand, add on cymbal arm, and three beautiful professional thrones. The Heavy Hitter is now Ddrum’s top of the line drum’s hardware series.

Pearl Drums unveils an array of new products for 2011

2011-01-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

Is there better way for a drum maker to start the year than releasing a new brand drum set line? Well, that’s what Pearl Drums did, in a way, for 2011. The new line, called Reference Pure, is a lower mass (thus more resonant) version of Pearl’s already market-available Reference Series. The Reference Pure Series features the same shell composition and targeted task specific bearing edges found in the “impure” Reference Series. Both Reference series are also now available in two new finishes, Black Cherry and Red Metallic.

Pearl’s Vision Series is also kicking off the year with new releases. Following the success achieved for over 20 years of Pearl’s most recognized kit, the Export, the Vision Series portrays a continuation of quality and standard set by the legendary Export. The Vision series is now being offered in 4 new Maple and Birch configurations as well as a new selection of color and finishes. The following are some quick facts about these four new Vision configurations.
Vision VML features 6 ply Maple ply shells in beautiful high-gloss lacquer or Pearl’s new groundbreaking Artisan II lacquer finishes. VML includes chrome hardware, wood bass drum hoops in matching finish and a wood snare drum in matching finish.
Vision VBL features 6ply 100% Birch Shells that deliver that studio-desired, naturally EQed sound characteristic of Birch. Available in super high-gloss lacquer finishes with chrome hardware, VBL comes with matching wood bass drum hoops and a Steel Sensitone Snare Drum with a chrome finish.
Vision VBA delivers full Pearl Birch quality in 3 beautiful Artisan II finishes. The shells are 6 ply Birch ply and come with matching wood hoops and a matching Birch ply snare drum.
Vision VB offers 6 ply Birch ply shells in premium high-gloss coverings like the new #49 Mirror Chrome. VB includes a matching Birch ply snare drum, matching wood bass drum hoops, and is available with black or chrome hardware.

Pearl’s Masters MCX series is also now getting new look options for 2011. Quilted Bubinga Sunburst and Mocha Tamo are the new available finishes for the MCX series. Pearl didn’t forget marching drummers or percussionist on their 2011 new releases. The company is also releasing the new Advanced Marching Hardware for snares, tenors and bass drums that feature a height/range independently adjustable front leg to facilitate performances on level ground and in Stadium Bleechers. The new 2Face Cajon stands out from any other Cajon by the simply fact of being playable in both, front and back faces. One face is 5mm thick offering a more mellow woody sound, while the reverse face is 3mm thick and gives all the punch, thump, and crack. Answering the requests of educators for a more appealing concert snare drum tone, Pearl is also releasing the new PL900C that has a Poplar Shell drum producing a warmer sound than metal shell drums for a better ensemble experience for both the player and teacher. The new snare drum is a compact 13x3.5 for easy playing and lightweight transport and is finished a concert black wrap.

For more information about these and other Pearl Drum products, please visit www.pearldrum.com

Alesis introduces two DM8 Electronic Kits

2011-01-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

Alesis is introducing two new models of electronic drum kits to their extensive catalog. Following the success achieved by the recently released DM10, the new DM8 USB Kit and DM8 Pro Kit both feature similar technology, but offered at smaller prices. Like the DM10, the DM8 sound module comes with array of genuine recordings of real drums and cymbals featuring advanced Dynamic Articulation, which gives the kit a realistic feel, performance, and sound. The DM8 sound module also features an exclusive metronome to facilitate practicing and performance, play along tracks, professional audio and trigger inputs/outputs, plus MIDI and USB MIDI for expansive flexibility and connection to a wide range of devices.

The DM8 USB Kit is a five-piece kit that comes with a dual-zone snare pad, three tom pads, a kick pad, h-hat with control pedal, crash with choke, and a triple-zone ride. The DM8 USB kit also comes with a preassembled four-post DMRack that is very sturdy and makes for quicker and easier set-up. This kit also comes with rubber drum and cymbal pads, making it more affordable and a good option for students or beginners.

The DM8 Pro Kit, on other hand, features Alesis’ RealHead drum pads, which highly upgrade the kit’s performance, feel, and triggering. The DM8 Pro Kit comes with a 12-inch snare, 8, 10 and 12-inch toms and an 8-inch kick pad that accommodates single and double pedals and DMPad Cymbals, a 12-inch Hi-Hat with RealHat control pedal, 14-inch Crash with choke and a 16-inch triple-zone Ride. A new sturdy StageRack accompanies this kit and features a quick easy set up and improved design and is now also being shipped with the DM10s.

The DM8 USB Kit and DM8 Pro Kits are available from musical instrument and pro audio retailers. The DM8 USB Kit has a U.S. Retail Price of $899.00 and an estimated street price of $699.00. The DM8 Pro Kit has a U.S. retail price of $999.00 and an estimated street price of $799.00.

For more information please visit http://www.alesis.com

Vic Firth starts the year with new products and partner

2011-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

Announced in the last week of 2010 and immediately put into effect, Vic Firth Drumsticks’ partnership with cymbal makerAvedis Zildjian combines two of the most recognized brands in the drumming industry into an alliance to greatly strengthen their role in the business. In such great spirits is how this New England-based, family-owned company started the year while introducing a few of new drumstick models.

Among the new releases are five Signature Series sticks; two American Classic, two Corpsmasters and two Wire Brushes. The following is a quick overview of these new additions to Vic Firth’s 2011 catalogue.
Signature Series
Charlie Benante (SBEN)
A Rock shaft and tip with a special taper for great feel and durability. With Vic Grip for a slip resistant grip.
L = 16 5/8" | Dia. = .625"
Peter Erskine "Big Band"
Combines the shaft dimensions of a 5A and 5B with a long taper for effortless rebound.
L = 16" | Dia. = .585"
Russ Miller "Hi-Def" Signature Stick
Special "half acorn" wood tip for incredible cymbal clarity. Logo at the nodal point for perfect cross-stick tone.
L = 16 " | Dia. = .535"
Steve White (SSW)
A medium sized stick with a short taper makes it ideal to ride and accent with the shoulder. The balance provides excellent control‚ and a short rounded tear drop tip creates a compact sound.
L = 16 1/4" | Dia. = .585"
Signature Vibraphone - Stefon Harris
Redesigned with reduced head size and increased overall length for improved playability.
L = 14 1/2"
American Classic®
5B "Chop-Out" Practice Stick
Rubber tip with an elongated taper to simulate the balance of the 5B.
L = 16 1/4" | Dia. = .595"
5A Dual Tone
5A wood tip with a durable synthetic felt mallet head attached to the butt end.
L = 16 1/8" | Dia. = .565"
Corpsmaster®
Ralph Hardimon "Hammer"
A scaled down Hardimon‚ made in Sta-Pac® for added weight and sound production.
L = 16 7/8" | Dia. = .695"
Ralph Hardimon "Chop-Out" Practice Stick
The Hardimon "Hammer" with a rubber tip. The ultimate workout stick.
L = 16 7/8" | Dia. = .695"
Wire Brushes
Russ Miller Wire Brush
A brush dedicated to each hand. Features a "sweep" brush with medium gauge wire for smooth sound‚ and a "ride" brush with a tight spread and heavy gauge wire for clear projection with incredible rebound.
Dia. = .580" | "SWEEP" Spread = 3 1/8" | "RIDE" Spread = 2 3/4"
Legacy Brush
A retractable wire brush with a wood handle provides a natural feel in the hand. With medium gauge wire and an infinitely adjustable brush spread capable of maintaining any playing position.
Dia. = .530" | Spread = 3 1/2"

For more information about Vic Firth drumsticks please visit www.vicfirth.com

Sabian releases OMNI and new China cymbals

2011-01-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

Sabian, one of the world’s leading companies on cymbal making, is starting 2011 by adding four new cymbals to their catalogue. Two of them are part of the new OMNIcymbal models, comprised of AAX hybrid cymbals. Sabian is also releasing two new Chinese cymbals developed with Chili Pepper’s drummer Chad Smith, the Holy China.

Developed with the assistance of legendary drummer Jojo Mayer, the OMNI cymbals are not a crash, nor a ride, but hybrid of both. The concept behind the OMNI cymbals was to find a way to create a cymbal with outstanding sonic contrast both when played on its own or with other cymbals. The OMNI cymbals feature a medium-weight center in brilliant finish and an extra-thin, natural finish edge for a highly musical tone and careful balance of frequency. Available in 18" and 22" models, OMNI is the latest cymbal innovation from SABIAN, and it’s covered by the SABIAN two-year warranty. See exclusive OMNI video featuring Jojo, Chris Pennie, Mark Guiliana and Elliot Jacobson at www.SabianOMNI.com
OMNI Facts:

 Sizes & Retail Price: 18" ($225), 22" (#315)

 Weight: Medium Bell, Extra-Thin Edge 

 Finish: Brilliant Bell, Natural Edge 

 Metal: B20 Bronze

 Warranty: Two Years

The explosive new Chinese cymbal model, the Holy Chinas, feature a higher profile to raise the pitch, holes for volume and sustain, and a large, unfinished bell for cut and durability. They are a true mark of Sabian’s promise of offering innovation to the cymbal market. The secret on the Holy China cymbals can be traced to its combination of 51 holes (19” model, 64 for the 21”) that create a smooth attack and enhanced volume without distortion. See Chad Smith and the Holy China Attack, informative and humorous videos atwww.SabianHolyChina.com
Holy China Facts :

 Sizes & Retail Price: 19" ($269), 21" ($319)

 Weight: Thin Finish: Natural (Brilliant is optional) 

 Metal: B20 Bronze 

 Warranty: Two Years

For more information please visit www.sabian.com.

Zildjian’s Gen16 releases Acoustic Electric Cymbal

2011-01-18T11:10:00.001-08:00

At NAMM 2011, Zildjian, one of, if not the most recognizable cymbal brands in the world, has shown that it has embarked for good onto the electronic path with the release of their very first line of Electro-Acousticcymbals under their new jurisdiction department for cymbal development, the Gen16. The Gen16 was created last year at the Zildjian headquarters and attributed (with the help of many Zildjian customers) with shaping this new breakthrough line. Last November, Gen 16 released their very first software, the Digital Vault, containing samples of many of the most widely known and used Zildjian cymbals. Now, they’ve come out with a mechanism through which one can usufruct these virtual technologies in a performing way. The Gen16 is clearly reshaping Zildjian character in the music making market.

You might ask yourself what makes this new release stand out from many other electronic cymbal pads out there. The answer can be found in the words from Zildjian’s Director of R&D Paul Fracis, “For us at Zildjian, we've always been about the real feel. Most of what's currently available for drummers are rubberized, cymbal-shaped trigger pads, and they typically lack the feel and responsiveness of a real cymbal. One of the most important things for us in creating the AE Cymbal was that it had to feel and play like a real cymbal”

Zildjian reached its goal by making the Gen16 Acoustic Electric cymbal a low-volume acoustic cymbal that utilizes a unique dual microphone and DSP engine to amplify and model the cymbal’s output. The Acoustic Electric cymbal was designed to work with most cymbal setups and hardware. This one of kind technology will enable drummers to not only play with classic Zildjian cymbals sounds but also create an array of non-traditional sonic textures.

For more information about Zildjian please visit www.zildjian.com. More information about the Gen16 can be found at www.gen-16.com

MEINL Releases 75 New Products for 2011

2011-01-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

German cymbal company MEINL is entering 2011 with a series of new releases that include new cymbal models for their world renowned cymbal lines, new accessories and even a whole new cymbal line.

Within the new releases you can find seven new models ofM-Series including 8 ½” bell, 10” splash, 13” medium and 14” heavy hi hats, 16” & 18” heavy crashes and 20” heavy rides. Also included are two new models ofByzance Traditional (16” medium hi hats & 20” extra thin hammered crash), two new models of Byzance Dark (15” hi hats and 22” rides), four new models of Byzance Vintage including 14” sand hats, 16” & 18” trash crashes and 22” sand rides; three new models of Sound Caster Fusion (16” & 18” thin crashes and 19” powerful crash), and the new cymbal line Classic Custom that offers professional sounding cymbals at moderate prices and feature various sizes of splashes, chinas, hi hats, crashes, rides and matched cymbal sets. Five new matched cymbal sets (two Sound Caster Fusion, Classics Custom, Mb10 and Mb8), six new cymbal sets (3 HCS & 3 MCS), new designer cymbal bags as well as artist cymbal bags from Chris Adler & Aaron Gillespie, new cymbal dividers (14” & 22”), new cymbags for all cymbal sizes (6” to 24”), two new practice pads (6” & 12”), two new designer drum rugs (5.25ft x 6.5ft) and many more. A s@#*load of new products to make any MEINL aficionado go insane.

Besides all these new additions to MEINL’s catalogue, the company also released their own online magazine,PURE METAL, which will feature MEINL product releases, interviews and news. PURE METAL will be updated quarterly so anyone can be on top of what’s happening inside MEINL headquarters.

MEINL’s online magazine PURE METAL can be found on the following linkhttp://meinlcymbals.com/onlinecatalog2011/catalog_cymbals.html

For more information about MEINL please visit www.meinlcymbals.com

Yael’s drumming gear and more

2011-01-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Had I not come across the recently released The Love Project DVD, I would have missed out on the opportunity to talk to one of the most passionate drum artists that I have ever had the privilege to chat with. A charismatic person and skillful drummer, Yael shows all her many years experience behind the kit through words in this exclusive interview I had the honor to conduct for MGR.

MGR: Where does your love for drumming come from?

Yael: I was the pots and pans kid that found a rhythm to everything from Mom's cooking to the Stevie Wonder and world music played at home. Got first toy drum set at 6 (bashed through it in a few months) and at 13 got my first used Ludwig 4 on the floor kit with one cymbal and a hi-hat. I was in love with figuring out how to play everything on drums. It's amazing when it first starts to click and you find your groove.

MGR: On a daily basis, how often you are behind the kit?

Yael: At this particular time I'd say I'm playing a bit almost everyday as now I have a kit set up in a little guesthouse that I can play at all hours, day or night. It varies depending on who I'm going on the road with or what sessions I have coming up. Or what songs I have to learn, create parts for, or just free time to jam with my mates. But sometimes I go quite a (frustrating) while without playing enough, for example, while editing DVD, I barely played besides when we actually recorded and filmed drum parts.

MGR: What was your first drum kit?

Yael: The toy kit was called a "Sterling Beat" but a real kit was blue sparkle Ludwigs 22”, 12”, 13”, 16” when I was 13.

MGR: What kit you are currently playing and why?

Yael: I play DW drums and have been endorsed with Drum Workshop since 1999/2000. My kits also vary with the projects I do. What you need for one band isn't necessarily the best kit for the next. For instance I am currently doing some "one offs" with a flamenco Spanish style guitarist so I have fallen deep into loving my DW mini-pro kit and I used it live at our Grammy museum premiere where Love Project performed live for the first time in LA. The kick has a unique, almost 808 (drum machine) sound to it. It's configuration is 16” kick (yes,16!), 10” rack, 13 floor. I add my 8” mini timbale and 6" rataban also a PDP 805 10" popcorn snare to the left of the hats. ("Great things come in small packages" kit). But in yesterday's session I recorded at Mikal Reid's studio, for an Irish singer-songwriter's album on a Bonham-esque set up 22” kick, 12” or 14” rack, 16” floor 14x6” Black Beauty snare drum ... not my own unfortunately. The sexy old school "all one needs to rock" kit. On Lynch or Caffery or heavier Skolnick type songs/albums that I've recorded, I've used my Spiderpine 22x18” kicks double bass, 14” rack in the middle, 16 floor on left, 18” floor on right. Big loud drums. On the Miller tour with Res, Talib Kweli, I used 13” snare, 20” kick, 10” rack, 10” popcorn snare, 6” rataban, 14” floor. Way more funky and punchy, a little tight.

MGR: What about cymbals?

Yael: I'm with Sabian cymbals now. Size and set up also varies accordingly The Radias are badass and I love all the tiny f/x. Bozzio’s nano hats rule as do very large chinas for recording soundtrack or scoring jobs. Trying to get into that a lot more these days. I use HHX x-plosion fast crashes and AAX crashes 14 -20” then the Roy Mayorga signature ride is going on my list. The ozone killer crash is sweet and Max Stax amongst my favorites.

MGR: What drumsticks fit better your drum style and why?

Yael: I have a signature "drumaddict" stick with Vic Firth. Very similar to 3A wood tip. I prefer the stick not to go skinny at the tip, almost one thickness all the way through. Medium in weight and has to feel comfortably balanced to your hands.

MGR:What about drum skins?

Yael: Remo for heads. Right now I'm using Ambassadors for this recording and Black Suede Emperors live. Powerstroke 3 on kick drums.

MGR: How often do you replace your drumheads?

Yael: Snare heads the most, but when at home playing they last about a week to 10 days recording - maybe 2 songs - and live - just one show per snare head. Toms last longer at home - kicks last longer with the Falam pads. I find Black Suede EMPS last the longest. And they look the best, which doesn't suck.

MGR: Do you have any tricks you use when tuning your kit?

Yael: Sometimes for the kicks I tighten evenly throughout the normal criss cross method and loosen the top two lugs, just to get the Sound as close to Bonham as possible, but without pillows or losing any resistance off the kick beater itself. Lay into it and feel like you're hitting something - Nothing better than a great sound to get you in the zone. Moon gels are a great help in the studio as well. Even cut them in half sometimes just a tiny piece is all u need.

MGR: What mics do you feel make your kit sound the best?

Yael: That varies on studio and budget but this package sounds nice:

C1000 Condenser Microphones

C518M MicroMics with Mounts

D112 Dynamic Microphone

My favorites in the mix are usually the room mics.

MGR: What are your favorite drum recordings?

Yael: I have so many favorites - simple to complex from Mahavishnu to Queens of the Stone Age, Alain Johannes solo record, Spark resonates quite magically. Always love my Soundgarden to Stevie Wonder and the Beatles to Beastie Boys, Missy Elliott and Mastadon - but the ultimate drum sound recordings has been any LED ZEPPELIN for me... New Stone Sour with Roy is a true evolution in an amazing drummer, finding a band for his own voice - great grooves, new Shooter Jennings with Bryan Keeling is epic, Ojos de Brujo cuz they rule, Them Crooked Vultures with Dave G is incredible. A Perfect Circle with Josh Freese and a real close second to Bonham vibe, I'd have to say The Dead Weather with Jack White on drums has been my favorite this year- quite brilliant live too.

MGR: How do you warm up before a gig or session?

Yael: Before a session I drill the songs over and over in the house on the iPod in the car etc, and actually don't play to it for a while - only a bit for review, not a few notes on the snare drum and go! Live. Just kick it on a pad or couch arm for a little bit to take the edge off but should do better with that next time I'm offered a bigger tour.

MGR: Are you planning to take The Love Project to the road?

Yael: We managed to get a few of us together at the Grammy Museum premiere in Los Angeles to play. I would love to take the project on the road but obviously people like Terry Bozzio are very "special guests" and maybe only available for one offs. There is a way we are trying to sort out and a few of us have performed together at SXSW music and film festival in Austin and most recently in Portland at Pendulum Dance Theaters High Art show. It's a crew so big in a sense yet, between 4 or 5 of us... we can execute most of the material quite nicely using stems for piano or cello, etc. We hope to find a way to take it on the road because with the DVD and EP out we have requests to play from Brazil to Hawaii to Tokyo and Europe/UK. That would be a blast.

MGR: Any advice you would give to those leaning toward a drum career?

Yael: Be passionate. Stay focused and don't be too hard on yourself or take the business side of it too seriously. We get into music because we love to play. If it's your passion you will find a way to make it work for you. Good luck! Follow your heart and make it count.

For more information about Yael and The Love Project, please visit http://www.drumaddict.net

Curt Bisquera Wheels You On A Chill Ride

2011-01-17T12:34:00.001-08:00

Curt is one of those drummers that you think you’ve never heard about, but in reality you have. He is one of the hottest session drummers in California and his huge drumming portfolio is something not accomplished by many. This, in fact, was the first time I heard about Curt Bisquera (aka Kirkee B), and I’ve been playing drums for over 13 years. If his intention with the release of this DVD (The West Coast Adventures of Kirkee B.: Curt Bisquera on Wheels) is to spread the word about his work, I must tip my hat to him. And it does so in a cool, laid back way.

When I first read the press release for this DVD, I was very excited. It promised a “tour to the greatest recording studios in Los Angeles”, although in my opinion the word “tour” is being misused here. A “pass-by” would be a better fit. The movie starts in great style with a very cool session in the Studio A of Capitol Records. Laying down an amazing performance right off the bat, Curt started to make me anxious to see what was coming next. And that’s when the “tour” starts. Passing just in the front of a few studios while playing some sick beats and sharing some stories on top of one of those tour-through-a-city buses, Curt’s stats started to pop up in the screen, showing just how many sessions he’s done in each of the studios. This was a bit of a disappointment as it would have been great to have some footage of the interior of each studio.
Skateboarding from his house to JR Robinson’s and Luis Conte’s, Curt shows off a little of his unique lifestyle. He pays a visit to his old drum professor for a jam session and then, after passing in front a few other studios, Curt gets down to business. With two more sessions, Curt shows off his skills, and that is what I really enjoyed on this very chill DVD. Along with some extreme close-ups of our main character, the bonus content shows some technical tips on drum tuning and damping, but nothing that you wouldn’t have already heard about unless you are a drummer still wet behind the ears.

Conceptually, this DVD could have done a little better. Just imagine actually touring through all the greatest recording studios of LA, seeing the studio rooms and equipment, sharing stories with great audio engineers and producers! That could have taken the DVD to a whole new level. What really saved me from true boredom are the few, but awesome, performances by Curt and some of his top-notch friends. To say that this DVD will not provide you any inspiring or educational purpose would be short-changing it. I do give props to Curt for sharing his mantra in the very end of this movie: “There is only one Curt Bisquera, and that Curt Bisquera has something to offer that no one else has to offer.” Words of wisdom that every drummer can put to use towards their own music career. There is always something that only you can offer and no one else, and that is yourself.

In-Depth on Toontrack’s EZdrummer

2011-01-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

Back in 2004 I learned about a Swedish experimental metal band that had an incredible drummer known for his syncopation, polyrhythms and polymetered beats. His name, Thomas Haake, the band, Meshuggah. In their fifth full-length album, Catch Thirtythree, released in 2005, I discovered that the drums sounds, besides originating from Haake’s kit, were not actually from a recorded drum performance, but programmed(!). After that discovery, I had to find out how those drums were created, which led me to Toontrack. On those recordings Haake used the Drumkit From Hell expansion package for EZdrummer.

Created to be a light version of Toontrack’s Superior Drummer, EZdrummer is an easy-to-use, powerful virtual drum tool for music production. Coming with 7000 sound files and 8000 MIDI carefully crafted drum patterns, this piece of software impressed me right from the beginning. The interface has a beautifully pictured clickable kit so you can sample its sounds right off the bat. All the sounds were professionally captured at Avatar Studio in NY from performances of world class drummers sampling top-notch drum brands products like Sabian, Zildjian, Slingerland and GMS. You can also add your own sounds to its library, and Toontrack offers expansion packages with specific kits sounds that covers pretty much all your drumming needs. I will be reviewing every single expansion package, so make sure to come back and to check them out.
Plenty of tools, easy to use
The EZdrummer comes with the Pop/Rock Kit and a free expansion package, The Cocktail Kit EZX. The Pop/Rock Kit features GMS’ 12", 14", 16" and 18" toms and 22" kick drum played with felt or plastic beater. There is also a open kick option for this drum. The sampled snares are 14" Roger and Slingerland and a 13" GMS Piccolo with damped options for each of them. There are two choices for hi hats: 14" Sabian HHX and 16" Zildjian Crash Hats. The crash and ride cymbal selections are entirely Sabians, 13" and 18" Jack Dejohnette Encore, 16", 17" and 18" HHX Evolution, 19" AA Medium Thin, 19" HHX Evolution Ozone, 21" Handhammered Vintage and 22" Handhammered Raw Dry. Each of these sounds can be selected through a drop down menu from the arrow icon in each drum and cymbal. In the top left you will find presets for your kit sound, (default, tight, ambient and basic) each giving a quick way to answer your drum needs. You can also customize the kit with your preferred sounds and save it as a new preset. On the bottom left you will find the Open Mixer button, which gives you control over the mix between all the components of the kit. It also offers four presets: default, roomy, dry and mono, which can also be customized and saved with your own settings. In the Mixer window you can control not only the output volume of each drum but also panning, bleed control of certain microphones, solo and mute, and output routing, so you can craft each drum separately on your main recording application. The Mixer window also offers a pan switch button that will flip the whole panning configuration.
Groovey!
In the bottom center you will find the grooves button that gives you access to all the pre-created MIDI grooves. Let me point out that this library of grooves is huge and very well crafted. You can also use any of this MIDI grooves with any other EZX kits, so the possibilities here are enormous. The Pop/Rock MIDI grooves library comes categorized under 4/4 straight, 4/4 shuffle, 4/4 with 6/8 feel, 3/4 and 6/8, each containing drum fills, pop/rock, funk/rock, motown, ballad and sidestick drum style grooves. Each offers dozens of groove choices and variations. The true beauty of this library is the drag and drop simplicity: find the groove you want, drag and drop on your main production application, re-craft if you need to, mix and combine with the other MIDI variations, etc. And of course I don’t have to say that they will synch to the tempo of you application, do I? Obviously if you are more of a performance guy (or gal) you can just hook your MIDI keyboard or pad controller and do your thing. You can access to a MIDI layout of all the sounds under the upper right help button. Back to the bottom center of the interface, you will see a “humanize” button that, as you might guess, gives the grooves a more human feeling, combining drum hit randomizing and non-cycling. You can also control the hits velocity with the Velocity Knob and set the tempo to half or double time.

Switching quickly to the Cocktail kit can be easily done by clicking in the top center drop down button. You will see a beautiful and more comprised kit that will fit to your more “loungy” tune needs. Now you will play with three Yamaha drums, Zildjian hi hats and Mikaelsson rides. The kit presets are default, open brushes and sticks. The Mixer presets are: default, roomy, flat, onlyoh and dry and the MIDI grooves offers 4/4 styles of Brazilian rhythms of Baiao and Samba with dozen of variations and fills.

The thing I love the most on this Toontrack product, besides its simplicity and small disc requirements, it’s its superb drum sound quality. This is an awesome tool for those who need great sounding drums and don’t have the time to look for a drummer or don’t want to drop some serious money in a professional studio. I love how you can mix up kits with other MIDI grooves from other kits and being able to add you own sound samples. Besides being the Superior Drummer’s little brother, the EZdrummer does a terrific job on making you achieve professional sounding drums on all of you musical productions. You might want to free up a good chuck of time because if you are anything like me, once you start messing around with this you won’t want to stop.

EZdrummer’s EZX expansion packages are: Eletronic, Jazz, Funkmasters, Twisted kit, Claustrophobic, Nashville, Drumkit From Hell, Latin Percussion and Vintage Rock. All libraries can be loaded on Superior Drummer.

You can purchase the EZdrummer at www.toontrack.com for $179.

How pro is the Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit?

2011-01-17T12:28:00.001-08:00

One of Alesis’ goals in the music industry is to win the electronic drum kit market by offering affordable products to the masses; no doubt about it. Every now and then, Alesis keeps releasing new models and configurations to their ever-growing inventory of electronic kit paraphernalia so it can cover the needs of all e-drummers out there. And what struck me the most when I came across the Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit, you ask? The price tag, but of course! While looking for an e-kit that could trigger sounds from my computer, this USB Pro Drum Kit was the one that seemed to give the most bang for my buck.

One reason I was looking for e-kits (other then the masculine need to constantly have more toys) was so that I could hybridize my acoustic drum set with all the new electronic sounds we have been incorporating in my band’s music. I found that there is no better solution than having a complete and racked MIDI controller kit rather than single pads here and there. For a module, rack, 3 cymbal pads, and 5 drum pads, the Alesis USB Pro Drum kit has an unbeatable price; $700. Here’s my evaluation after playing with it for a solid week.
THE RACK – The plastic rack that comes with the Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit can be solid foundation for the kit, once you’ve spent a decent amount of time putting it together. And by decent amount, I mean a couple hours. With a lot of bolts and parts, I would recommend you first familiarize with the structure before diving into setting up. If you just put things together and then try to move things around a bit here and there, you will end up wasting a lot of time trying to have everything set up as you want it. The problem with this time consuming task, is that makes the rack not easily portable. If you need this rack ready to go everyday on the road, you might as well travel with it semi-set-up, which, can become a pain in the butt if you don’t have tons of space on your trunk. Its plastic made structure also, unfortunately, plays a huge part when you try to optimize the kit, since it conducts the vibrations from on pad to the other, making cross talking inevitable.
THE PADS – The Mylar pads you will find with the USB Pro Drum Kit are definitely better than the regular rubber pads you can find on other Alesis e-kits, but not comparable to Mesh pads, that’s for sure. The beauty here is that you can tune their tension to your drum playing style and also replace them with any other drumheads available in the market to play with your favorite skins. I think they mimic a real drumhead pretty decently. The thing that bothered me the most about the pads is its so-called “dual zone” capabilities. It’s great that Alesis is trying to make the rim of the pads as a second trigger, but it’s almost impossible to separate it from triggering the pad sound when you hit it. Unless the intention for the rims was to just trigger a similar sound of the pads, which can, sometimes mask this flaw. The cymbal pads have a nice look, resembling a real brass cymbal. They are very sensitive, but lack the bounciness you get from real ones, obviously. I guess that would be too much to ask anyway. They have a great choke feature, if you can optimize it to work great, which proved to be a little tricky.
THE MODULE – The Alesis USB Pro Dum Kit comes with the Trigger I/O as the link for communication between the kit and your computer. Cables and inputs are well labeled making it pretty easy to install every pad with the right cable and in the right place. The problem with this piece lies on its annoying way of saving your settings and especially on its, in my opinion, non-methodical manual. Let’s put this way: Once installed, the module’s default presets shouldn’t be called presets. Cross talking happens pretty much everywhere, even by simply hitting the rack you can trigger a sound. Going through its manual, which unfortunately only explained the parameters you can control, but no method of how to use them in a cohesive way, gave me a really bad first impression of the kit. Tell me if I’m wrong, but don’t you want to be able to just sit down and play once you spend a decent amount of money on a new piece of equipment? You’ve already spent two hours putting things together and now you will need another two to make the kit sound, well, like a kit! A little frustrating, I must say. I ended up finding an online manual of how optimize the kit, sitting in the Alesis site, which made me question why this valuable piece of information wasn’t part of the physical manual provided. After a few hours of tweaking and a software upgrade (which mostly helps if you are using the BFD drum sample program included with the kit, which in my case I wasn’t planning to) I was able to finally lay down some beats and have much better experience with the Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit.

Wanting to find affordability and high-end quality in any product is something no one will deny. But the reality is that they rarely (if ever) walk hand and hand. Professional quality means big bucks and the Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit further proof of that. For its price, this e-kit is a damn good kit, as long as its flaws won’t get on your nerves. How pro is the Alesis USB Pro drum kit? I guess that’s dependant upon on what professionalism is for each musician. If you need an e-kit for practice, small gigs or for simple triggering, than this kit can do a pro job, other than that I wouldn’t count on it. No offense Alesis. Criticism is a powerful tool for constructive development.

Interview: Matt Nolan Custom Cymbals; craftsmanship & innovation

2011-01-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

We live in a world where the market dictates product creation, displacing artistic craftsmanship and forfeiting quality for the sake of quantity. That being said, there are still some true artists out there, slightly hidden in the middle of a society dominated by giant corporate monsters. Matt Nolan Custom Cymbals keeps it pure, bringing artistry and quality to the masses who are still looking for it.

Following an accidental online discovery, Matt Nolan’s website popped up on my computer screen and immediately captured my attention and filled me with awe. Eager to known more about the man behind the incredible work I was researching, my fingers enthusiastically started typing an email to inquire about a possible interview. This feature interview is what followed.

MGR: Let’s begin with how it all started. Where did your interest in starting to make hand-made cymbals come from?

Matt Nolan: Hmm, let's see. I've been playing drums since I was about 13, having been in the school choir before that. Playing in the school orchestra was followed by drumming in the college "dance band" (like a small big band) and then rock, pop and jazz-funk groups through university and beyond. Today, I play in a rock band, a piano boogie band and I play avant-garde free-improvisation with a great experimental guitarist using a big rack of my gongs.

I've never really stopped playing drums since I started, but there was a period about 6 or 7 years ago when I wasn't able to do much due to domestic / family reasons. I think the need to be creative had to find a vent. Being in a band takes lots of time and a strict schedule. Whereas tinkering with making cymbals could be done on a more ad hoc basis.

Also, just prior to that, I had been playing mostly on electronic drum pads, with headphones. I mean, they were pretty good - the mesh head V-Drums - but starting back again on acoustic drums with real cymbals was such a joy. The nuances and subtlety of expression possible with real cymbals especially so. Thus, a fascination started to grow.

MGR: Where does some of your inspiration come from for some of the intriguing designs and forms you give your cymbals and gongs?

Matt Nolan: I'm working from a visual as well as a sonic aesthetic. Sometimes it was "I wonder what this shape will sound like "sometimes it was" I wonder what shape you need to get this sound I can hear in my mind's ear". The more you do, the more you learn, the more you can predict the answers. Cymbals and Gongs are about material, shape and tension. Shape has many dimensions, and tension can be evenly distributed or varied. Also, in conjunction with or separately to shape, you can play with surface finish to create designs.

I like natural forms and I like geometry. I have the most fun when I can bring the two together somehow.

MGR: From a sound perspective, how would you differentiate Matt Nolan Cymbals from the ones found in retail stores?

Matt Nolan: I like mysterious sounds, unusual sounds, dark and smoky sounds in general. A lot of the cymbals I make are dark and often quite dry also. But I like a good depth of expression too: a cymbal that has lots of different sounds hidden in it, sounds you have to learn to play as you get to know the cymbal better. I try to make cymbals that are truly different, that give the player more scope to define "their sound".

Having said that, I do produce some more mainstream sounding cymbals too every now and again.

MGR: You work on your own, right? Or do you rely on anyone?

Matt Nolan: Right. Just me. Cutting, hammering, playing with fire, cleaning, buying materials and tools, making tools, selling, packing, shipping, answering phone and emails, doing the website, making youtube videos, doing the accounts, planning shows, setting them up, manning show booths, the lot! I spend less than half my time actually crafting. Though that balance is slowly shifting upwards.

I'm lucky in that I have a few friends that help out here and there. For trade shows and public drum shows, there's usually somebody who's good enough to help me on the booth so I can dash away to see other things, take a lunch break, etc. I have a good friend locally who is a bit of a photographic and video genius too. He helps me out occasionally on those fronts and lots of the time with general advice and encouragement.

MGR: How long does the process of creating one of your cymbals usually take?

Matt Nolan: Usually around 4 to 8 hours. Or, to answer that from a different angle, about 6 years!

MGR: Every craftsman had a teacher. Where did you learn the techniques you apply to craft your cymbals?

Matt Nolan: Well, really, I am more-or-less self taught. Most independent cymbal makers are. You work things out by trial and error, and by studying existing cymbals. You use your eyes, your ears and your fingers. But, I would be dishonest if I left my answer there. I did read a lot of postings on a web forum called cymbalholic.com by the independent cymbalsmiths Mike Skiba (USA) and Johan van de Sijpe (Belgium) - both sadly now passed away. Oddly though, I never really understood what they were talking about until I had actually experienced it myself. You get the light-bulb moment later on.

Also, I owe a great deal to the nomadic Welsh metal-crafter, Steve Hubback. I bought a ride cymbal from Steve (via cymbalholic) when he was living and working in Iceland. Now he's living in Prague, in the Czech Republic, but for a short time he was living in Wales and not that far from me in Bath. The cymbal I bought was amazing. I bought it before it was made, so the first time I saw it was when I opened the box. I still remember the amazement in seeing it. A work of art.

Such a unique sound though. I wanted some brothers and sisters for it. So I went to see Steve in Wales a couple of times. I watched him work and he showed me a couple of things. Nothing in too much detail though. Which is good. It is nice to find your own way, so the work you produce has a more personal style.

MGR: What the materials are they usually made of?

Matt Nolan: I use a variety of Bronzes from B5 to B15. Recently I've been dabbling with B20 too, though I want to keep that to a minimum really as that is getting into "same as everybody else" territory. Ultimately it is about sound, and the different sounds of each alloy. A lot of people look down their noses at stuff like B8 or anything called "sheet Bronze". I hope to change this view. In fact, I am already - word is slowly getting out. If you put the time and care and effort in, wonderful hand-hammered cymbals can be made.

Outside of strict Bronzes, I use a couple of Bronze-like alloys too. I also use Nickel Silver, mostly for gongs but occasionally for hi-hat bottoms. I make cymbals and gongs from certain alloys of Stainless Steel - a very different sound world. I've been doing some experiments with Titanium and Titanium Alloys. Similar in sound to Stainless, a bit brighter and less dry. Very light and very strong though. Also, incredibly hard to hammer - ha!

MGR: Currently, how many different types of metal percussive instruments do you offer on your catalogue?

Matt Nolan: Difficult question. My current paper brochure just has a few examples in it and my website doesn't have everything on it - which it needs to. I need more hours in the day.

Let's see. I guess if we stick to groups of instruments then it's not so difficult. Cymbals, Gongs, Tam-Tams, Tuned Plates, Symphonic Triangles and Sound Sculptures. I did do hand-hammered and braised cowbells which sounded awesome and had elaborate motifs hammered into them but they just take so long. I'd have to charge more than a ride cymbal - so I gave up on those.

MGR: You call some of your crafts "Sound Sculptures". Do you find that many drummers are currently cut off from (or unaware of) the world of possibilities metal percussive instruments offer?

Matt Nolan: To a certain extent, yes. I hope that through my work I will broaden a few people's horizons - not just to things that I make, but to the possibilities that percussion has to offer in general. There is so much to explore. Historical instruments and new ones.

Sound Sculptures in the cymbal and gong sense are really a Steve Hubback invention, inspired partly by his appreciation of the Baschet Brothers' work in glass, steel and aluminium. A very elaborate cymbal or gong could be called a Sound Sculpture. At the other end of the spectrum, you have large constructions with lots of different sounds you can play on them. The key thing to a Sound Sculpture is the visual art aspect. But they've got to sound good and be fun to play too.

MGR: Are there any notable artists in particular in the drumming world playing Matt Nolan Cymbals? Anyone you admire who you would love to see take a shot at it?

Matt Nolan: Well, there's a handful of guys who have big-brand endorsement deals but also have a piece or two of mine in their sonic arsenal. I don't like to squeal on them, though I think I'm up to 6 Grammy Award winners now. People I can probably name as the instruments they have are not strictly cymbals and thus don't clash would be Will Calhoun (Living Colour), Damon Reece (Massive Attack), Joe Travers (Billy Idol, Duran Duran, Zappa Plays Zappa), Billy Hulting (Percussionist with Zappa Plays Zappa), Emil Richards (nearly 2000 Hollywood soundtrack credits!) and a growing number of Orchestras including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Boston Symphony.

I have 3 endorsers myself. They are more percussionists than drummers really. William Winant - you may not have heard of him but he's played with Sonic Youth, Mr Bungle, John Zorn, the Kronos Quartet and lots more. Watching him play in Mr Bungle back in, I don't know, 1995 something like that, was quite inspirational. It's great that he now has some of my instruments. Lisa Pegher - solo orchestral percussionist. One to watch - maybe the next Evelyn Glennie. Ryan Edwards - a West African drumming expert (and he's had Malaria 3 times for his trouble) is working his magic for me in and around Berklee in Boston.

MGR: How can someone buy Matt Nolan cymbals?

Matt Nolan: You can buy them from my website - www.mattnolancustom.com - I typically have more in stock than appear on the shop page - so please email. I also undertake commissions. In the USA, on the web, there's usually some stock at www.mycymbal.com , www.rarevintagecymbals.com and www.brandontrading.com.

As for bricks and mortar stores, there's usually some stock at Fenland Music in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, La Baguetterie in Paris, France and Drumcenter in Cologne, Germany. Komaki Music in Toyko, Japan have some Symphonic Triangles of mine. In the USA there's Pro Drum in Hollywood, the Memphis Drum Shop, Maxwell's in NYC and Andy's Music in Chicago. Dave's Drums in Ottawa, Canada too.

Or you could go to the London Drum Show, the Chicago Drum Show or PASIC. I have a booth at these and you can try out cymbals and buy them right there and then.

For more information about Matt Nolan Custom Cymbals, please visit www.mattnolancustom.com

DW 3000 Bass Drum Pedal Unites Playability & Affordability

2011-01-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

Let’s put it this way, coming from personal experience, this is a piece of gear that can make your gig an inferno. Either you have a kick pedal that does the job or you have one that doesn’t. It’s incredible how much the kick pedal influences your performance, it can determine how quickly and especially how accurately you can play. To play drums is like a dance between drummer and drum kit; if your partner can’t handle your moves, it’s certain your will be “tripping over each other” every now and then.

The DW kick pedals have been part of my drumming life for a good amount of time now. When I first purchased a DW 5002, my deep for DW pedals started. I’ve been touring and recording exclusively with DW pedals ever since. I’ve also tried the DW 9002 in the past and they are, at least so far, the most responsive pedals I ever put a foot on. This is the first time I stepped on a DW 3000 and my first impression of it was that I felt the professional quality of DW pedals is does not just apply to their higher number series, but straight through their whole line. The 3000 is one the cheapest DW pedals you will find in the market and, surprisingly, the price tag is the only big difference between them. Their cool features and superb quality are all there, from the 2000 through to the 9000 bass drum pedals.

Let’s go through common features that you can find in most DW pedals including the 3000 series.

Steel Base Plate – This is a major factor for me when buying kick pedals. Having a base plate makes a huge difference because it provides a sturdy foundation. This one ensures non-skid play on carpeted surfaces by utilizing Velcro pieces on the bottom of the plate as well as two hand adjustable metal spikes that give more than enough resistance, keeping your pedal from going anywhere. It doesn’t matter how heavy footed you are, these features keep the pedal in place, as hard as a rock.

Adjustable Toe Clamp - I love this feature. There is nothing more annoying to me as a drummer than having to clip my pedal through a clamp device that sits right underneath the pedal itself. From experience, I’ve found out that most of those clamp devices lose strength throughout your performance, and you really don’t want to have your pedal be weakly connected to you drum. This DW clamp ensures the pedal and drum stay strongly connected and doesn’t require a drum key for assembly. For me, that’s a major plus. It just makes the job of installing your pedal to your bass drum a whole lot easier and especially quicker. And, in the event that you actually need a drum key you will find one right next to the clamp! It couldn’t be a better bonus to come with this pedal. And all you drummers out there know how instrumental it is to have a drum key easily accessible at any time you need one. It’s also serves as an awesome place to keep drum key back up.

101 2-way Beater - The commonly known DW beater is also a part on this series. The 2-way beater offers a felt side that gives a traditional warm kick sound and a plastic side for a more “clicky” and aggressive kick attack. The beater also comes with a memory lock that can be adjusted with an Allen key (included with the pedal). This will help you replicate the beater height every time you have to take it apart from the pedal.

Bearing Spring Rocker Assembly – This is an exclusive DW feature on their pedals, I haven’t yet seen it anywhere else. Not only can you easily adjust the spring tension in the bottom screw where is attached, but you can also customize the beater response and its distance position to the drumhead by sliding the screw that attaches the top ring of the spring back and forth. This will require a drum key, but thank god you have that one next to the toe clamp easily available! This feature allows drummers to better adjust the responsiveness of the pedal regarding how heavy or light-footed they are.

The 3000 series comes with a double chain that attaches the beater to the pedal board like most DW pedals as well as the Turbo™ (TD3) concentric drive that maintains a direct relationship between the sprocket and the footboard to provide a solid, powerful, consistent feel and response. After playing with the 3000, I couldn’t feel any difference at all when comparing it to the DW 5000. If there is any, it’s definitely almost undetectable. I got the same amount of response from both and the pedal stood still as a rock even when I was laying down some very intense footwork grooves. These two attributes are what really make a good pedal great. Cosmetically, the 3000 has a slimmer pedal board when compared to the higher numbered DW pedals, but this won’t change its performance. For some reason I even think this helps with the pedal’s sensitivity.

The DW 3000 Series Bass Drum Pedal is currently priced at only $99.00. Certainly the best priced pedal from one of the best pedal manufacturers on the market. A down side about this product is that it doesn’t come with a case or bag for transportation. For a touring musician, there is no worse thing than not having a specially designed case for each hardware part. But I guess this is another reason why this great pedal is so affordable. If you are just beginning to play drums, and you are not sure what pedal to buy, you don’t have to think twice about purchasing one of these, and if you have being playing drums for a while, I’m sure this pedal won’t disappoint you.

You can also read more about the DW 3000 hardware line by checking my reviews about the DW 3500T Hi Hat Stand here:
http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3432.html
and the DW 3300 Snare Stand here:
http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3415.html

For more information on the 3000 Series Kick Pedal or any other DW products, visit www.dwdrums.com.

Inside Haake’s Head. Toontrack’s Metalheads EZX

2011-01-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

Orbitoclasts in hand, we are going in. You will never be this close to one of the best modern metal drummers of our time. Thomas Haake, in conjunction with producer Daniel Bergstrand and Toontrack are making available to all Ezdrummer and Superior Drummer 2.0 users twelve of the most intricate, mind-blowing, avant-garde metal drum tracks ever recorded by Scandinavian modern/experimental metal band Meshuggah. Every hit, kick and cymbal, all in MIDI format, performed and created by the man himself, Tomas Haake. Metalheads EZX is a one of kind release but part of a celebration, the Metal Month celebration at Toontrack.

Lethargica, Electric red, Bleed, Stengah, Pravus, Closed Eye Visuals, Sane, Rational Gaze, Straws Pulled At Random, the Mouth Licking What You have Bled, Future Breed Machine, Combustion. Classic after classic Meshuggah song. Each organized in sections (Intro, Theme, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Bridge, Solo, Outro) as well as in Full Song version, so you can just sit back and enjoy all the creative power of Haake’s performances. And creative power is what Metalheads EZX offers. To develop, to push, reinvent, recreated, “Destroy-Erase-Improve” new ways of writing metal music. The sounds contained on Metalheads EZX are a compilation of two of Haake’s gigantic drum kits, recorded to “metal perfection” by Daniel Bergstrand. Serving as an array of almost infinite groove possibilities and ideas, each of these twelve songs and its containing parts can easily be put to use as building blocks or as a polished final drum product to almost any metal song. A very useful and powerful feature, incorporated for the very first time on a Toontrack’s product, is the ability to control in the Mixer the levels of kick and snare triggers, giving you further control of sound, facilitating your aiming goals.

Impeccably recorded, flawlessly and ingeniously performed, Metalheads EZX’s grooves are surely a powerful tool for all metal making musicians, regardless of if you play the kit or are just a Meshuggah music fan. Not to mention the mere act of having Haake’s superbly sounding kit on your sound sample library is already a priceless investment for your computer.

Toontrack Metalheads EZX retails for $89.

For more Information please visit www.toontrack.com

Evans EMAD Resonant; booming while controlling

2011-01-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

The resonant heads of a drum set play a very important role in shaping the overall sound and tone of your kit. They are the ones responsible for creating that full body sound that you can feel in your stomach every time you hit your toms or kick your bass drum. They literally give life to them. Nowadays, the market is flooded with many different options of resonant heads for almost any situation. One of the most recent releases of resonant heads was the Evans EMAD Resonant that was introduced following the success achieved by its EMAD (Externally Mounted Adjustable Damping) batter-brothers. Here is what I discovered after running some tests over in my studio with the EMAD Resonant installed on my kit.

First off, I decided to place some mics around my bass drum, focusing on the resonant head of course and on the overall room sound of the kick. I had a regular resonant head installed that I usually use for live performances, single-ply with a hole and an internal control ring. It was a slightly thicker when comparing with the EMAD that features an 7.5mil film, which made me expect less resonance and boom right of the bat. After sitting behind the kit and recording some kicks I quickly switched the resonant head for the EMAD. Being a thinner and less tough head, I could already hear hints of the tone that it was going to produce while I was tuning it. But what got me really curious about this head is the feature that not only gives its name but also sets it apart from any other resonant heads out there; the Externally Mounted Adjustable Ring that was designed to control sustain and the overall sound of the drum. Right after the very first kick I played, I could not only hear the difference but feel the difference. And what a difference it was, it was like comparing a riffle shot sound to a cannon blast! I could literally hear one of my wife’s paintings rattle on the nearby wall every time I kicked the bass drum. I was very impressed with the low-end boost I achieved just by replacing my regular resonant head for a thinner and sustain-controlled one like EMAD’s. After such a great first impression, I ran quickly to the record some of those kicks and see how they where going to sound on my monitors. Note that I didn’t change mics or the batter tuning for this test, I only switch a conventional resonant head for the EMAD Resonant. By playing back the recording I did with the EMAD installed, I realized that not only did it give my kick a more refined tone, but it boosted its overall presence and boom-strength.

Accentuating low-end qualities while controlling sustain and refining the overall bass drum tone, the Evans EMAD Resonant is a head that can help bring a live and strong presence to any bass drum. Hard rock as RnB/Hip Hop drummers can really have a blast with this resonant one.

For more information about Evans Drumheads, please visit www.evansdrumheads.com

Beginning Drumset Course reviewed

2011-01-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

Learn drums; A simple keyword search that will easily result in hundreds of options to choose from. Most of these book and DVD titles will share the same path of how one can learn the art of drumming. Since the goal is the same, sometimes the best way seems to be the only way. But only sometimes… Recently I came across an instructional guide book series that gives a little twist on the “learning drums” methodology, a three volume collection that is intended to teach any aspiring drummer the most important music genres through the use of famous hit-song beats created by some recognizable masters of modern drumming. On The Beaten Path: Beginning Drumset Course Vol. 1, 2 & 3 written byRich Lackowski caught my eyes by offering this exciting way of learning the basics of drumming. The following describes my thoughts regarding if Mr. Lackowski’s method can really put one on the right “beaten” path.

In volume 1 of On The Beaten Path, Rich starts from the most basic of basics by introducing the drum set components and positioning, stick and foot techniques and music reading. From there on you will be following the footsteps of famous drummers with each beat/lesson excerpted from one of their hit-songs. Focusing on the Rock genre, volume 1 of On The Beaten Path goes from the wonderfully simplistic grooves of Meg White to Bonham’s remarkable D’Yer Mak’er’s initial drum fill, passing through Phil Rudd’s rock basic beats and Dave Grohl’s modern rock grooves. With a quick bio/introduction of the drummer behind each beat, Rich dissects each part of the groove patterns, so one can easily understand how it was created. And one doesn’t need to fry their neurons once the staff gets more complicated. The book comes with a CD with all the grooves contained within, played by Rich himself, allowing the use not only to more easily understand the beat, but also to improve their music reading and vocabulary. This first volume ends with a little more information about the general anatomy of an acoustic drum such as drumheads and drum sticks types and selection, as well as the most common and user friendly way of tuning the kit. The only thing I find to be missing from this first volume of On The Beaten Path is a section about basic drum rudiments. Even though they are usually not the most exciting things to practice, in the end they are a strong foundation needed when developing great drumming technique (in my opinion anyway).

After a quick recap on music theory, volume 2 of On The Beaten Path dives right back into beats and fills. This time with 63 drum patterns excerpted from famous Blues and Jazz songs. Beats from songs such as “Manish Boy”, “Sweet Home Chicago” and “You shook Me” will get you into the blues, while “Chelsea Bridge”, “Moanin’” and “So What” will bring you the jazz. Throughout the three volumes of On The Beaten Path you will see tips, terms and drum concepts that will improve the user’s knowledge of drumming little by little while they go through the lessons, which becomes a great way of not overloading a beginning drum student with too much information at one time. Some of the concepts touched throughout the books include flam, drags, double stoke, buzz rolls, rim shots, stick shots, cues, first and second endings, polyrhythm, sextuples, ritardando, accelerando and many more. Cleverly, at each point these concepts are introduced, Rich follows the explanation with an example of how the concept was used in the following hit-song’s beat. And that’s how On The Beaten Path methodology works, unveiling the basic concepts of the art of drumming through some of the best examples we might find easily in the contemporary music, giving users a great point of reference for the new vocabulary and technique they are learning. No boring examples or exercises, the focus of On The Beaten course seems only on the fun part of music, which is, as silly as it may sound, the simple fact of playing it and feeling it through a song.

Like Vol. 2, On The Beaten Path Vol. 3 jumps right from the beginning into 43 more beats and drum fills, but this time the book touches other music genres such as Country, with the use of songs like “On the Road Again”, Funk, through songs like “You Can Make It If You Try” (some words of wisdom here for sure), and Reggae by jamming with “One Love” and “Buffalo Soldier”. Volume 3 even takes the user south of the border with Brazilian Latin beats from “Girl From Ipanema”, “Desafinado” and Phish’s “Fee”. Continuing to build on what was started in the previous volume, the user is brought back into Jazz with some advanced patterns using beats from “In Walked Bud” and fills from “So What” and “Blues Walk”. On vol. 3, Rich also teaches beats in different time signatures such as Neil Peart’s “The Trees” and Nick Manson’s “Money” as well as concepts of half and double time found on Lars Ulrich’s “Whenever I May Roam” and Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee”. The third volume of On the Beaten Path finalizes with a very nice example of tempo manipulation using the famous song “Stand” from Blues Traveler.

With clean graphics combined with direct and simple writing, this collection truly sets itself apart from all other educational drum books. Every page kicks open a new perspective of the drum universe through an easy-to-learn and enjoyable methodology. With On The Beaten Path: Beginning Drumset Course Vol. 1, 2 & 3, Rich Lackowski blends effectiveness and excitement, so anyone can learn basics of the art of drumming by having the greatest drummers of our time as their teachers. Without tedious exercises like ones found on many drum learning books, Rich takes a drum student on a journey throughout drumming history and knowledge that will make him (or her) enjoy every single moment.

On The Beaten Path” Beginning Drumset Course Vol.1, 2 & 3 can be purchased at www.alfred.com or at your local music store. The three books retail for $9,99, $14,99 and $14,99 respectively.

Rich Lackowski’s also wrote award winning “On The Beaten Path: The Drummer’s Guide to Musical Styles and the Legends Who Defined Them”, “On The Beaten Path: Metal”, and “On The Beaten Path: Progressive Rock”.