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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
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Location: The Heliosheath
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 Pearl Masters 14 X 6 Snare & Recording
Hey guys, if there is already a topic about this just point me in the right direction and delete this thread.
But here we go;
I have recently started recording with my band (A modern rock band more or less) and the toms and bass drum are all good. No worries there. There's a TON of duct tape on the toms but our singer (who went to the Conservatory of Arts & Sciences in Arizona for music producing/recording/engineering) knows, for the most part what he's doing, so it still has sounded pretty dang good.
BUT, of course...the snare. I bought this Pearl Masters snare (with a Remo ambassador on bottom and an Evans ST coated on batter side) for a hefty chunk of money. Die cast rims, ah, beautiful snare. So powerful and rich. However, he just OVER LOADED it with duct tape. I let him do it after first but now I HATE it. There is no attack, this hundreds of dollars snare now sounds like a 20 dollar high school concert snare. I cranked the top head (after it being so loose I could create wrinkles with my fingers easily) and it was SLIGHTLY better but not by much.
His reasoning for doing this, is he doesn't want that ring/twangy sound from rim shots which is what I play (just my style, has been for 11 years). My ghost strokes sound just completely off of what the snare should sound like. He wanted NO ring or resonance.
Now today we're going to work on that snare, and he knows it's my baby and it will go my way because I didn't spend all that money on such a beautiful instrument to have it go to waste on what could be a VERY good album. So what do you guys recommend? How should/could this be done to eliminate a lot of ring (but not all), but still have GREAT attack, great tone, and really just a way to show the true voice of the snare itself?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!
EDIT ADD: He also duct taped the bottom head a ton. I think there's just too much duct tape. Again, thanks in advance!
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Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:06 am |
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xdoseonex

groove master
Posts: 3622
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Location: New York
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 Re: Pearl Masters 14 X 6 Snare & Recording
Ericinho6 wrote:Hey guys, if there is already a topic about this just point me in the right direction and delete this thread.
But here we go;
I have recently started recording with my band (A modern rock band more or less) and the toms and bass drum are all good. No worries there. There's a TON of duct tape on the toms but our singer (who went to the Conservatory of Arts & Sciences in Arizona for music producing/recording/engineering) knows, for the most part what he's doing, so it still has sounded pretty dang good.
BUT, of course...the snare. I bought this Pearl Masters snare (with a Remo ambassador on bottom and an Evans ST coated on batter side) for a hefty chunk of money. Die cast rims, ah, beautiful snare. So powerful and rich. However, he just OVER LOADED it with duct tape. I let him do it after first but now I HATE it. There is no attack, this hundreds of dollars snare now sounds like a 20 dollar high school concert snare. I cranked the top head (after it being so loose I could create wrinkles with my fingers easily) and it was SLIGHTLY better but not by much.
His reasoning for doing this, is he doesn't want that ring/twangy sound from rim shots which is what I play (just my style, has been for 11 years). My ghost strokes sound just completely off of what the snare should sound like. He wanted NO ring or resonance.
Now today we're going to work on that snare, and he knows it's my baby and it will go my way because I didn't spend all that money on such a beautiful instrument to have it go to waste on what could be a VERY good album. So what do you guys recommend? How should/could this be done to eliminate a lot of ring (but not all), but still have GREAT attack, great tone, and really just a way to show the true voice of the snare itself?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!
EDIT ADD: He also duct taped the bottom head a ton. I think there's just too much duct tape. Again, thanks in advance!
go to a different engineer
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Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:50 am |
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InspiRecordings

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Posts: 112
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OK, start by going back to square one. Get new heads without the duct tape. Try getting a batter head that says "Dry" (like the Evans Genera Dry). That will cut a lot of ring while still maintaining a 'snare sound'. Mess around with tuning FIRST to see if you can get a good sound BEFORE you start putting anything on the head. If it still rings too much, try placing your wallet on the head close to the rim (where it won't get in the way). If that still doesn't work try using something that doesn't leave residue (like Moongels) to get rid of the ring. Then use tape if you absolutely HAVE to. Again, try to use something that doesn't leave much residue, such as gaffer's tape.
Good luck! Hope everything ends up sounding great!!
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Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:33 am |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: The Heliosheath
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 Re: Pearl Masters 14 X 6 Snare & Recording
xdoseonex wrote:Ericinho6 wrote:Hey guys, if there is already a topic about this just point me in the right direction and delete this thread.
But here we go;
I have recently started recording with my band (A modern rock band more or less) and the toms and bass drum are all good. No worries there. There's a TON of duct tape on the toms but our singer (who went to the Conservatory of Arts & Sciences in Arizona for music producing/recording/engineering) knows, for the most part what he's doing, so it still has sounded pretty dang good.
BUT, of course...the snare. I bought this Pearl Masters snare (with a Remo ambassador on bottom and an Evans ST coated on batter side) for a hefty chunk of money. Die cast rims, ah, beautiful snare. So powerful and rich. However, he just OVER LOADED it with duct tape. I let him do it after first but now I HATE it. There is no attack, this hundreds of dollars snare now sounds like a 20 dollar high school concert snare. I cranked the top head (after it being so loose I could create wrinkles with my fingers easily) and it was SLIGHTLY better but not by much.
His reasoning for doing this, is he doesn't want that ring/twangy sound from rim shots which is what I play (just my style, has been for 11 years). My ghost strokes sound just completely off of what the snare should sound like. He wanted NO ring or resonance.
Now today we're going to work on that snare, and he knows it's my baby and it will go my way because I didn't spend all that money on such a beautiful instrument to have it go to waste on what could be a VERY good album. So what do you guys recommend? How should/could this be done to eliminate a lot of ring (but not all), but still have GREAT attack, great tone, and really just a way to show the true voice of the snare itself?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!
EDIT ADD: He also duct taped the bottom head a ton. I think there's just too much duct tape. Again, thanks in advance!
go to a different engineer
We're trying to get a producer, but for now, our singer is our producer. He is VERY talented with music engineering, but I think he just isn't as skilled with percussion in general and is more of pre/post production and guitars.
But I just spoke with him and he was very open to my ideas and figured I'd probably know best and that we could get to a happy medium.
But Inspi...thanks, I'll definitely work on that! 'Preciate it!
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Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:02 pm |
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drumur

session drummer
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He wouldn't be able to do that with me.
It's unnecessary if you know how to tune.
The most i ever have on the snare is either one piece of duct tape, about 4 inches long or a zero ring.
I do like Remo Emperor X on the snare for recording unless I'm going for the ambassador sound.
Toms I just use Pinstripes or any other pro head(even clear Ambassadors)and maybe one small piece of tape.
This isn't the 70's man!!!
LOL
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Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:21 pm |
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SGarrett

Moderator
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drumur wrote:He wouldn't be able to do that with me.
It's unnecessary if you know how to tune.
The most i ever have on the snare is either one piece of duct tape, about 4 inches long or a zero ring.
I do like Remo Emperor X on the snare for recording unless I'm going for the ambassador sound.
Toms I just use Pinstripes or any other pro head(even clear Ambassadors)and maybe one small piece of tape.
This isn't the 70's man!!!
LOL
I've let the teacher/engineer in a recording class put one piece of gaffers tape on my toms just so the students could get the experience. Aside from that, I use one MoonGel on my snare and nothing else for all of the recording I do now. This guy just sucks at mic'ing drums.
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Tue Mar 25, 2008 3:40 pm |
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Alan_

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or he's stuck in the time frame of 1968-78
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Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:21 pm |
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SGarrett

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Alan_ wrote:or he's stuck in the time frame of 1968-78
Wouldn't that be the same thing?
"Can I get a $1000 set of cardboard boxes, please?"
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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:20 am |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: The Heliosheath
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We talked about some biz last night. I just think he's starting to come to terms with the fact that he doesn't know as much about recording drums as he thought he did. It was quite humbling for him which bothered him at first, but he understood and accepted it.
I'm heading to the drum shop today after work to get new tom heads. The ones I have are just cashed at this point. We couldn't get good sound out of the toms and the snare rings too damn much, so it looks like I'm going to get a dryer head for the snare and I might try those Evans EC2 Clear Edge Control heads.
Anyone tried those?
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:18 am |
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InspiRecordings

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Posts: 112
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Ericinho6 wrote:I'm heading to the drum shop today after work to get new tom heads. The ones I have are just cashed at this point. We couldn't get good sound out of the toms and the snare rings too damn much, so it looks like I'm going to get a dryer head for the snare and I might try those Evans EC2 Clear Edge Control heads.
Anyone tried those?
YES! I use EC2's on my toms and I love them!
I'm glad things are working out. You should let us hear the tracks when they're done!
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:15 am |
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drumur

session drummer
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I prefer Emperor X
They are made for snare.
_________________ "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:16 am |
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Ericinho6

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drumur wrote:I prefer Emperor X
They are made for snare.
On your toms you do? Or your snare?
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:03 am |
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SGarrett

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Ericinho6 wrote:drumur wrote:I prefer Emperor X
They are made for snare.
On your toms you do? Or your snare?
They don't come in enough sizes to put them on toms.
Believe it or not, that ring will get buried under the music. Even with a MoonGel my 5"x14" Maple Custom Absolute snare has a lot of tone. This is what makes a drum sound alive and not like cardboard.
_________________
Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:57 am |
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Ericinho6

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Posts: 150
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Location: The Heliosheath
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SGarrett wrote:Ericinho6 wrote:drumur wrote:I prefer Emperor X
They are made for snare.
On your toms you do? Or your snare?
They don't come in enough sizes to put them on toms.
Believe it or not, that ring will get buried under the music. Even with a MoonGel my 5"x14" Maple Custom Absolute snare has a lot of tone. This is what makes a drum sound alive and not like cardboard.
Ah, I think I actually saw that (the sizes) before on Remo's site.
See I only have 2 times of recording under my belt. Once 10 years ago with a band that was horrible and no one cared about what we sounded like. Not to mention the fact that I had only been playing a year and barely knew anything about tuning. The second time was 2 years ago at a real recording studio with an engineer who didn't care what I did (and it showed once we got to mastering and that pissed me off) but I had my drums tuned up how I wanted them and the playback sounded great.
Have you heard/tried those Black Suede heads at all?
Oh and about the ring, I was starting to think that as well. I mean sure I don't want it to resonate (the ring) like I'm in a hallway but being in a rock band, I'm sure it'll get buried.
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:13 pm |
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SGarrett

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Ericinho6 wrote:SGarrett wrote:Ericinho6 wrote:drumur wrote:I prefer Emperor X
They are made for snare.
On your toms you do? Or your snare?
They don't come in enough sizes to put them on toms.
Believe it or not, that ring will get buried under the music. Even with a MoonGel my 5"x14" Maple Custom Absolute snare has a lot of tone. This is what makes a drum sound alive and not like cardboard.
Ah, I think I actually saw that (the sizes) before on Remo's site.
See I only have 2 times of recording under my belt. Once 10 years ago with a band that was horrible and no one cared about what we sounded like. Not to mention the fact that I had only been playing a year and barely knew anything about tuning. The second time was 2 years ago at a real recording studio with an engineer who didn't care what I did (and it showed once we got to mastering and that pissed me off) but I had my drums tuned up how I wanted them and the playback sounded great.
Have you heard/tried those Black Suede heads at all?
Oh and about the ring, I was starting to think that as well. I mean sure I don't want it to resonate (the ring) like I'm in a hallway but being in a rock band, I'm sure it'll get buried.
Doh! For some reason I saw "Focus X" which is an Aquarian snare head. Disregard my previous statement.
The ring of my snare even gets buried under acoustic pop/rock. You can also control the ring by where you hit on the head. Dead center has less "body" than off center and near the rim has the most amount of ring.
_________________
Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:39 pm |
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InspiRecordings

drumming adept
Posts: 112
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Location: Front Royal, VA
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SGarrett wrote:Believe it or not, that ring will get buried under the music. Even with a MoonGel my 5"x14" Maple Custom Absolute snare has a lot of tone. This is what makes a drum sound alive and not like cardboard.
Definitely! Although you want to make sure it's sounding how YOU want it to! If you already have some other tracks (guitar, keys, bass, whatever) try recording some drums and mixing it in. Listen to how much of the ring starts to disappear. If it sounds good, it IS good. If the ring still gets on your nerves, RETUNE (or try a Moongel or something)!
Another thing. Make sure both heads are tuned evenly across the head. You have no idea how much ring just a slightly uneven tuning can add.
Just FYI, I have a Tama Rockstar kit and for that snare (the one that came with the kit) I have a Evans Genera Dry Coated batter head and a Hazy 300 snare side head and I don't need ANY muffling. It CAN be done!
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:24 pm |
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Ericinho6

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Posts: 150
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Location: The Heliosheath
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InspiRecordings wrote:SGarrett wrote:Believe it or not, that ring will get buried under the music. Even with a MoonGel my 5"x14" Maple Custom Absolute snare has a lot of tone. This is what makes a drum sound alive and not like cardboard.
Definitely! Although you want to make sure it's sounding how YOU want it to! If you already have some other tracks (guitar, keys, bass, whatever) try recording some drums and mixing it in. Listen to how much of the ring starts to disappear. If it sounds good, it IS good. If the ring still gets on your nerves, RETUNE (or try a Moongel or something)!
Another thing. Make sure both heads are tuned evenly across the head. You have no idea how much ring just a slightly uneven tuning can add.
Just FYI, I have a Tama Rockstar kit and for that snare (the one that came with the kit) I have a Evans Genera Dry Coated batter head and a Hazy 300 snare side head and I don't need ANY muffling. It CAN be done!
Yeah I used to have that snare (the metal one) but I have long since replaced that one.
I used to have the Evans Genera Dry Coated on my snare a couple years ago and it worked great. Should have just stuck with it really.
I'm heading to the drum shop in about 25 minutes (if any of you care haha) and I'm getting some new heads all around (Except bass drum, cause it's immaculate right now).
I think the biggest thing is convincing and explaining to our singer that yes, he is recording us and will mix it down and whatever, but he's our singer first. I think he's trying to put too much into recording and not enough into finishing his lyrics and listen to what others have to say. It doesn't help that he's extremely stubborn...but he's still a good guy.
Alright...so, synopsis:
Once I get new heads, double check my tuning (yes I know how to tune, I might sound inexperienced but I'm just trying to get EVERYONE'S opinion on EVERYTHING about this), dryer snare batter head will HELP with the ring, and you guys are awesome.
Sound about right?
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:38 pm |
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InspiRecordings

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Yep! Sounds like you've got things under control! I'd love to hear the tracks after you guys finish! You should post them.
Good luck!
BTW-My kit is the Rockstar Custom so I've got a wooden snare, not a metal one (which, ironically, ring more!  )
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:48 pm |
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Ericinho6

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Posts: 150
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InspiRecordings wrote:Yep! Sounds like you've got things under control! I'd love to hear the tracks after you guys finish! You should post them.
Good luck!
BTW-My kit is the Rockstar Custom so I've got a wooden snare, not a metal one (which, ironically, ring more! )
Ha nice!
I have a Tama Rockstar, when they started putting the Starcast Mounting on 'em. With the wooden Pearl snare (obviously) we've been talking about. It's actually 14X5.5 I think...I don't think it's quite 6". But anyways.
I will definitely post our recordings once we get some more stuff laid down and I get this sorted out!
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:55 pm |
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SGarrett

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Ericinho6 wrote:
Yeah I used to have that snare (the metal one) but I have long since replaced that one.
I used to have the Evans Genera Dry Coated on my snare a couple years ago and it worked great. Should have just stuck with it really.
I'm heading to the drum shop in about 25 minutes (if any of you care haha) and I'm getting some new heads all around (Except bass drum, cause it's immaculate right now).
I think the biggest thing is convincing and explaining to our singer that yes, he is recording us and will mix it down and whatever, but he's our singer first. I think he's trying to put too much into recording and not enough into finishing his lyrics and listen to what others have to say. It doesn't help that he's extremely stubborn...but he's still a good guy.
Alright...so, synopsis:
Once I get new heads, double check my tuning (yes I know how to tune, I might sound inexperienced but I'm just trying to get EVERYONE'S opinion on EVERYTHING about this), dryer snare batter head will HELP with the ring, and you guys are awesome.
Sound about right? 
Would it help if I sent you a short clip of the same pattern with and without music so he can hear how the tone blends with the music? If so send me a PM with your email address. I can even include a third completely dry drum mix so he can hear how much EQ, reverb and compression change the sound. Total time for all three would be around 30-45 seconds.
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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:07 pm |
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drumur

session drummer
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Quote: I prefer Emperor X
They are made for snare.
On your toms you do? Or your snare?
I meant for snare.
also Emperor coated, CS coated, Powerstroke coated,Coated pinstripe,
On toms I like pinstripes but clears or coated are cool too
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Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:51 pm |
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Ericinho6

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I ended up getting the Evans G2 Dry Vents snare head. I used it about 2 years ago and loved it. Just moved to a different head afterwards. And the new Evans EC2 (clear) for the toms. I spent some time yesterday retuning my snare, 2 toms, and floor tom before my singer got there. He seemed humbled. The guys in the band (who've had my back in this situation) were telling him "Listen to them man, they're incredible! Stay off the duct tape!"
So he loved them no doubt. We did have to tape a bushing to the bottom of my 2nd rack tom because that resonant head was creating some background noise that was getting annoying. I think part of that is the room I'm in, but it wasn't a big deal, the toms still sound SO good and the snare is just HUGE now.
A story with a happy ending no doubt. All is well with the band, laid down two more tracks last night just me by myself. Felt good for sure.
Thanks again guys for all your help and assistance!
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Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:48 am |
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SGarrett

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I didn't have the time to mix that track down for you last night, do you still need it? Seems like you got things worked out alright.
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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive
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Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:00 am |
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Ericinho6

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SGarrett wrote:I didn't have the time to mix that track down for you last night, do you still need it? Seems like you got things worked out alright. 
Hey no worries, I didn't get a chance to check my email before sound check. So it's all good, I mean I wouldn't mind hearing it if you want. I'm always down for recordings, I like to listen to a variety of things. If not that's cool too.
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Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:25 am |
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SGarrett

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In that case, here are my most recent recordings...
Shayne Williams - Save Yourself: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6264700
Ian Rushton - Traveling Down This Road Again: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6354514
Ian Rushton - Is This As Good As It Gets: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=2070346
Joe Pita - Jack and Jill: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6071248
_________________
Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive
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Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:53 am |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
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SGarrett wrote:In that case, here are my most recent recordings...
Shayne Williams - Save Yourself: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6264700
Ian Rushton - Traveling Down This Road Again: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6354514
Ian Rushton - Is This As Good As It Gets: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=2070346
Joe Pita - Jack and Jill: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6071248
I'll check those out when I get home. I think my work IT dudes are saying "no no" cause the page won't load.
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Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:20 am |
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Ericinho6

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*Sigh*
Tried the 14" Emperor X...HATE IT. Tuned it completely from the start twice and it had far too much twang and ring.
Tried a 14" Evans ST, was pretty good, lots of sustain and ring, but I was able to minimize how much ring. I wanted to have some ring but now like it was hitting a concert snare with a marching stick.
14" ST Dry, started out fine, had it tuned in perfectly, but then of course our f'n singer told me I was doing it wrong (made sense right...  cause recording drums for 9 years is JUST LIKE PLAYING THEM for 12) and loosened the head when I was out on a break, came back, within 2 minutes of practicing our new song (I wear in ear monitors for the click track when we practice so I wasn't paying close attention to the sound of my drums)...about 15-17 dents were left in the head...now it's cashed.
I've spent nearly $80 in heads since we started recording. He wants my kit to have NO sustain for ANY of the drums WHAT SO EVER. Then he goes in and strip silences all my tom tracks so it sounds worse than having pillows inside my toms.
I'm horribly frustrated and have thought about quitting the band all together because of his stubborness. I understand he went to school, got his pretty certificates, but he is NOT letting ME do what I know.
I mean really...do you guys think recording drums for 9 years (which when you think about it...he recorded probably a total of 1 year straight through when you add it all up for 9 years) is JUST AS GOOD as someone who played for nearly 12 years in rocks bands, by himself, jazz band, concert band, marching band in high school and college, and drum and bugle corps!?
Please tell me I'm not crazy and that my frustration is real and not me being a fool. I've had my snare and set tuned perfectly and came back to it covered with duct tape and paper towel to kill the sound completely.
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:14 am |
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InspiRecordings

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Location: Front Royal, VA
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You're not a fool. He really shouldn't be touching your stuff without asking you. If you haven't already, you need to talk to him about simple manners (ie. asking before you mess with someone's property!).
Tell him to let you tune the drums the way you want. If he wants to go in later and gate the drums or use strip silence or whatever, that's his territory (plus, it can be undone  ), but he SHOULD NOT mess with your equipment unless YOU give him permission!
You should have some input on the editing that's being done afterwards, but let him do his job too. See what it sounds like after he finishes his processing and puts some other instruments with it. Then if you think it still sounds like poop, tell him!
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:27 am |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: The Heliosheath
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That's what I'm thinking. I've already scolded him about touching my set without asking and his justification was; "You're not letting me do what I want, so I just did it." But whatever, I'm tired of getting all worked up about it.
I took all the duct tape off the set, tuned the drums to what I felt was the correct range, pitch, and tone, let him put his craptacular duct tape BACK on the set and started recording again. Instead of saying ANYTHING about how it sounds, I've kept my mouth shut and have been eating A LOT of gummi bears to soothe my tongue if you will.
I'm waiting until we start doing guitars and bass to then let him know (because I heard what it sounded like with scratch guitars) that it sounds like I'm playing on a cardboard box.
But for now, yeah, I'll just let him do what he thinks is right.
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:44 am |
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InspiRecordings

drumming adept
Posts: 112
Joined: 30 Dec 2007
Location: Front Royal, VA
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Yeah, the whole situation seems like it just sucks. Look forward to when you get the chance to work with some different people.
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:59 am |
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drumur

session drummer
Posts: 835
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Location: New Jersey(Suburbs of Philadelphia)
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If you check my myspace recordings, I engineered them, (whatever, drumur2)
I used an Emperor X with a zero ring and on the Toms I used pinstripes with nothing on them. The Kick has a Powerstroke with an Evans muffler on the batter side only.
If you make them sound good, you should be able to capture that sound with the mics.
Excessive muting is unnecessary and "Old School."
Drummers of today don't do that.
Good Luck
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/drumur2
Last edited by drumur on Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:07 am; edited 3 times in total
_________________ "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:03 am |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: The Heliosheath
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drumur wrote:If you check my myspace recordings, I engineered them, (whatever, drumur2)
I used an Emperor X with a zero ring and on the Toms I used pinstripes with nothing on them.
Good Luck
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/drumur2
I'm an idiot. I totally forgot I have a zero ring. I'll give that a shot. Maybe that's all it needed. Hey thanks for that! I'm still going to check out your recordings there. (Can't right now, at work) I use Evans EC2 and I love them farm more than pinstripes...but it's all good! Thanks!
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:05 am |
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SGarrett

Moderator
Posts: 4466
Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Location: Near Sacramento, CA
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It is not the engineer's job to change the sound of the drums. His job is to capture the sound a drummer has. I would firmly plant my foot on this issue. In fact, I have firmly planted my foot on this issue on more than one occasion. I'm more than willing to help achieve a sound, but there are limits. One band wanted me to use samples on all of my drums and had the engineer change my snare sound, before we tracked, without telling me. As a result, my snare sounds like, as one person put it, "a cheap Casio keyboard". That, along with the guitarist's insistence on dominating the mix caused me to quit that band before the mixing was even done.
Last edited by SGarrett on Tue Apr 08, 2008 5:32 am; edited 1 time in total
_________________
Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:07 pm |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: The Heliosheath
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That's what I'm afraid it might come to. I always thought it was the DRUMMER'S job to get the sound HE wanted and the ENGINEERS job to tweak that sound AFTERWARDS if necessary and IF the band agrees. Especially when the engineer is also the singer.
I get so damn frustrated and irritated trying not to start an argument with this guy, I have a feeling one day I'm going to blow and just quit.
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Tue Apr 08, 2008 5:27 am |
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SGarrett

Moderator
Posts: 4466
Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Location: Near Sacramento, CA
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I'll see if I can mix that track down for you later today.
_________________
Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.
http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive
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Tue Apr 08, 2008 5:35 am |
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looneyr

new
Posts: 2
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
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 MOONGELS!
All the studios I have worked in, big and small, always have a supply of moongels for the drums. PLEASE get rid of that duct tape ASAP. Tuning the snare is an art in itself. Learn to tune the drum so you don't have annoying overtones, but don't make it sound unnatural by muffling the tone! HINT: In the studio environment, tuning drums to a lower tone will help you get a rich, full, controlled sound. Trust me! Don't crank our drums in the studio, especially your toms! Use Puresound brand snares, and you may want to swap the stock throw-off out for a Trick brand, as the Pearl throw-offs are a bit on the cheap side. If this guy really did go to school for engineering/producing/etc. he must have cut a lot of classes.
Best of luck,
Ryan
www.ryanlooney.com
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Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:06 am |
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Rem

session drummer
Posts: 683
Joined: 07 Jul 2007
Location: UK
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jesus thats crazy.
when i recorded (indie/drum n bass/folk (lol) i used coated ambassadors all around, absolultly no muffling apart from the powersonic on my bass.
I still managed to get a well good thud, like not too old school or jazzy.
I thinkl the engineer gated them.
_________________ Drumming is my passion.
Recording is a habit.
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Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:07 am |
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vincemie

session drummer
Posts: 611
Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Location: new brunswick nj
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Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:38 am |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: The Heliosheath
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From what I've heard where he went to school for music engineering all of his teachers were dinosaurs more or less and very FEW music engineers go to that school anymore. I've heard a lot of negative things about that place in the last 10 years so it makes me wonder.
But we're abandoning recording for a few weeks now cause we have some shows coming up so it's not really worth going through the motions after every show until we get another break. But I definitely have the snare (finally) tuned in using an Evans ST coated head. The toms are locked in and the bass drum is perfect. I took all the duct tape off and tuned the toms back in of course. It was kind of funny looking at his face when I was taking all that sh*t off...I thought he was going to cry
It's alright though...I'm sure he'll figure it out
I have to say though, those Evans EC2 heads (clear) are incredible. I've never played on better heads. Honestly. Now I know it's (for the most part) based off of opinion but in my opinion they are the best heads for toms.
What about resonant heads for my toms (and floor tom) what would you guys recommend with those EC2s?
And I do apologize if I seem like a beginner with all the questions and what not. I've been playing for nearly 12 years and am not a novice like I seem. I just try to remain humble and open to as many ideas and point of views as possible.  -- and I still appreciate all the advice and help you guys have offered me. Thanks a ton!
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Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:02 am |
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InspiRecordings

drumming adept
Posts: 112
Joined: 30 Dec 2007
Location: Front Royal, VA
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I just use G1s for reso heads with my EC2s. Sounds like money.
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Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:35 am |
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Ericinho6

drumming adept
Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: The Heliosheath
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InspiRecordings wrote:I just use G1s for reso heads with my EC2s. Sounds like money.
Cha ching??
 Just kidding.
I'll have to give those a shot, unless that's what I have now. I have literally "Evans Resonant" for my resonant heads. Do they even make those anymore or are those the G1s? I looked on Evans' website to no avail for the "Resonant".
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Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:32 am |
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