On drums...

Filed under, "Why Make It Harder Than it Has To Be ?" when there are so many real problems. But there are reasons to look into these things. Somebody forgot to account for resonance, and see what happened?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw

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Gregory

Ok then...

...center srike it is.

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Cliff

River City Trio

What if we did all have the same opinions?

Couple quick notes....ANY Designer kick that I have played has been inherently dry. Normally I have to start at point A and work to subdue/tame a drum. I have to go the other way with a Designer kick. Start at point A and work to open it up.
My SQ2's were the same way and so were any Link era kits I've owned.
Interesting having these Signia drums from the same era to compare to. I've been saying for a long time that Sonor drums in general have a more dry/tight/focused sound. For the longest time I believed part of that reason was due to undersized shells. That theory has since been thrown out the window. Premier's are also undersized.

Beaters...mean A LOT more than I ever see anyone mention on how a kick sounds. I have been experimenting lately with different beaters and plan on doing a lot more of it.

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Gregory

Undersize shells, aside from making a marginally smaller drum, encourage the resonance of the head by ensuring that only the flat portion of the head is involved with the shell, so a more live sound results. Same with Premier.

Sonor resonance might rightly be called controlled compared to other things (certainly compared to the Gretsch, which have a bark that can bite), but put two Amb weight heads on my Designer kick, and you can get all the warmth and lack of control you can stand, and will soon be working back the other way. Much depends on where Starting Point A is.

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Gregory

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Cliff

River City Trio

What if we did all have the same opinions?

Hey, Cliff. I posted that on a previous response, hoping to help define "effective radiation," but the link didn't work; now it's fixed. We're on the same path with the same detours. Maybe Justin's physics friend can straighten this up.

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Gregory

I'd be interested to see more of the complexity that governs a drum's sound. A single membrane is complicated enough, but what happens when a second membrane is added? We talk about vibration of the shell, but what form does that vibration take (shell shape), and how does that influence the membrane? Waves traveling through each other create standing waves; how does that affect the sound?

There is a great deal more work I'd like that guy to do.

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Gregory

Kelly,

This is a great point that, I'm surprised, we haven't really touched on yet. There are a lot of dynamics that go into creating the tone/timbre/decay of a percussive note and the beaters surely have something to do with it. I think this is best determined by analyzing the type of force each beater can apply and how that force is distributed (i.e. felt beaters tend to hit a larger surface area and have more absorption, etc.)

Also, I haven't got to a chance to drive up to Ann Arbor and talk with my friend about the physics of drums yet. I'm planning on going either Thursday or Friday if I get some house chores finished in time.

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Justin

Designer Maple Light (Bubinga) 8,10,12,14,16, 22 kick
Force Custom (Bee-Bop Jazz) 12,14, 18 kick
Remo Roto Tom (Chrome) 14, 16
Snare HLD 588 Signature

Greg...I agree...and found it is not the undersized shells that take them to the dry/tight side solely. I also always attributed some degree of it to Sonors over the top hardware, Mass = muffle and their over the top isolation. We talked about that a long time ago you and I. I see all the rubber or anything added to a shell as preventing vibration, a clamping effect.
If you add it all up, an undersized shell will tighten the note, pitch whatever we can call it and accent the effect.
My view of it anyway.


Justin, I just found out HOW MUCH it does by accident. I am a Eliminator junkie, love them. With this new kit I wanted to experiment with a different sound, a more open sound. I was too lazy to take my Eliminator off of one kit and put it on this one so I grabbed a pedal I haven't used in ages with a big round felt beater on it. I was actually thinking "marching band" bass drum was what I wanted and thought "duh", look what they smack them with.