Need drumset for recording

[parablue74]

Soundpunk: My friend told me the Gretsch at Ranking Sport is the low end model. The Catalina Birch has 20 and 22" BD size.
Darren: You are right, players make a lot of difference, like for me, i can't play drums well, but who cares, i am just recording others....
Seekz: I can't seem to find much drums with floor toms by 18" size, most are 16", any you recommend that is within 1.5k??

Still midway on research, it seems many people are mentioning that 100% Birch wood is recommended for recording as Birch is a sound that is easy to EQ. Sticking by that, it seems so far Gretsch Catalina Birch and Ludwig LC325E Accent CS Custom Elite Power seems to be the best choice as they are both 100% Birch at <1.5k. Both brands hard to find in Singapore. A friend told me Tama is very rock sound, which may indeed be difficult for a studio, since like all instruments, a sound too colored may be not very versatile for multi purpose usage..
I tried on Birch sound, and to say it, i love the sound, it has become my favourite, 2nd Oak, 3rd Maple.

 

[bryanlim]

hi all,

firstly, i think that both pearl and tama hardwares are pretty good! i seriously think they are not bad, considering i seen much worse ones.

secondly, i think u missed my point where i said the drums itself is not so impt. i don't think u need to get a birch drumset. a good sound man can turn the drum sounds good. eq is all it takes. i think u should rather spend some money on sum quailty cymbals. Y!? cuz i think eq for the cymbal is a harder job to be achieved compared to drums. and also, we as drummers realli like to hav gd cymbals to play with.

tama has a rock sound? i think tat is pretty vague to generalise.

and if u realli wish to get a nice drumset, my take would be with the pacifics.

 

[Darren]

EQ

Yeap I agree, toms can be eq'd to pretty much anything you want, provided if you tune the drums properly, if not some colours may already be cut off. Snares are important. Too long to list why they are cos it might erupt another out of point thread. Tune it right.

Cymbals are important for its shine and tone. Stock or beginner cymbals just cant cut thro, it doesnt have that oomph or sustain.

So I suppose just get something decent, not the super low end type with warped shells and chipped plys, but something between 1500 to 2?

I use a stage custom with a 20" BD with G1 skins. So far it pretty much covers everything I want to do. But sometimes a 22" BD might provide that deeper sound, but that can be salvaged in many ways.. May I also suggest that EQ skins on the bass drum sounds ...well wet. Nice and wet. Like....hmmmmm Well thats my cents.

In the end you have to be comfortable with ur gear and know how it responds thats all. All trial and error.

Good Luck!!

 

[parablue74]

EQ is definitive, everything in the sound world can be eq. The idea of Birch wood as written by text is that it has a pre-eq sound that happens to be at a right frequency that cuts through mix, so the same for maple wood. So less EQ needed. That's why 100% birch or 100% maple is found in high end drums like Yamaha Recording Customs or Tama Star Classics etc etc etc.
The moment the sound engineer takes up an EQ action, there is more audio degradation. EQ circuitry adds another program of quantisation that kills the soul of the sound making it more digital than analogue. That is why professional studios use hardware, unlike budget home studios that like to use software.
I have done some research on studios around the world, and found that Rockstars and Stage Customs are found quite often in Midrange studios. The high end Recording studios mostly use Maple or Birch, most popular being Yamaha Recording Custom, Tama Star Classic, DW, etc etc.
Gretsch drums are also popular, but they are more vintage, most of the vintage Gretsch drums are found in studios abroad.
There is hardly any beginner or low end drumsets around, except by some personal home studios.
I guess i believe at least the drumset has to be of semi-pro/mid range level. The Gretsch Catalina Birch or Ludwig CS Custom Accent are both 100% birch, roughly $1000-1200 but ain't very popular, their price is almost equvalent to Pearl Export, Pearl Forums. Yamaha Stage Custom, Tama Superstar are more expensive at $1800. And 2nd hand Pearl Exports and Stage Custom are going for $700, Rockstar for $1200.
At about the same equvalent prices, i can get 100% Birch found in high end studios, which is funny??? I guess maybe it's the popularity contest that makes Gretsch and Ludwig inferior to Pearl, Yamaha and Tama.

 

[Darren]

no man ezi music man

Man ezi music has maple shell drum sets at super affordable prices.. No kid no kid. just check it out... he be most willing to let u try even. And no i am not part of his posse, i jsut know he got good shit to sell.

 

[kanzer]

i agree

yup i fully agree. ezimusic is friendly and good. ricky is a nice guy. his products have been good so far for my use. try it.

 

[parablue74]

Yep, sure, will try it out!!! I've got 6 mths to save up, so i haven finalise any decision. Want to try out all the drums mention and compare first.

 

[parablue74]

Anyway, thanks guys for all your helpful comments... buying drums sure is fun!!!

 

[seekz]

I remember the stage custom got 18" toms I think. I've seen it in jamming studios. But its out of prodution i think. I think tama also have but i can't remember whih model

 

[parablue74]

Really... where is Ezimusic???? I've been searching for it, no one seem to know...
Went to check several drums out today, Pearl Export is definately better than Pearl Forum a lot. Won't throw a cent on the Forum, too entry level. Pearl Target is as good as Pearl Rhythm Traveller.
Philipine Mahogany does ring pretty much and has a low deep sound, ain't very good for recording. Soundwise, Pearl Export=Tama Rockstar Custom=Yamaha Stage Custom. Can't really tell the diff, they are all not in tune... but seem to sound similar to me.
Checked out Gretsch Catalina Birch at Ranking sport, seems good, sharp with less resonance, but what really turn me on is the Pacific PDP MX series drums, those really seem to sound really cut through. Hard to compare between Gretsch and Pacific, seems one i got to hit hard with the stick(PDP) while the other i could only tap lightly, but they are priced about the same...
I guess the Mahogany sound would appeal to live drummers pretty well(more expressive), but not for studio as the warmth and resonance makes it harder to manipulate due to overleakage among the mics. Am i wrong to make a vague comment that Birch is more commonly liked by Jazz/Fusion drummers???
PS: There was really no way to test out the Ludwig, there wasn't stock in Swee Lee.

 

[nkf31]

it is impt to note the heads affect the sound a lot more than the shells of the drums. ezimusic is an online store. you search for it.

 

[michaelcgh]

Selling TAMA Superstar, might be what you are looking for

Hi, I'm having a friend who is selling his drumset cos he is moving out and shifting house back to Malaysia. His set is pretty new, I would say about 1 mth old and he seldom plays (i think so far he only touch it for 30 mins!) Saw on your previous posts that you are interested in Tama superstar. Here are the specs:

Tama SK52S-VTB Superstar Drum shell kit W/HR5Wn Hardware
Colour metallic grey.
Cymbals - Sabian B8 Performance set (16 and 18 inches crash plus 20 inch ride c/w individual stands) w/bag.
Remo O-rings full set pack with 14inch extra.
Tama Drum stick HM1.
Tama HC13BR Cymbal stand.
Pearl D-2000 drummer's throne (worth $300).

Bought it for $3000, think he wants to sell at $2200. Price is negotiable though. Should be fitting in your budget since your $1.5k budget did not include cymbals. If you are interested, let me know, I can arrange for meeting with my fren and testing it out. Call me @ 90274447 or email me @ michaelcgh@yahoo.com. Think my fren is leaving for Malaysia next week, so intending to sell fast.

You can view pics at my blog at http://mic-asturias.blogspot.com

 

[gkinsingapore]

I just recorded someone using a Tama superstar kit...definately has the goods!