That's Not What I've Been Told! Drum Sound Physics, Part ONE

Comments · 473

• MA

  @markciocco2509 · 3 years ago

  Preach.  Long time drummer here.  I’ve held for sometime that shell characteristics (other than diameter and depth) play a fairly minor role in overall tone.  The points you make also highlight how drum manufacturers have placed way too much emphasis and marketing hype on shell wood species, construction, thickness, etc.  Great vid.  By the way, I easily made it to the videos end.

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• TI

  @timm1139 · 3 years ago

  ….reading drum catalogs instead of my school books? Yeah, me too!

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• TH

  @theswime945 · 3 years ago

  Drums and science and sound engineering, all coherently explained. What more could you want? Cheers.

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• AS

  @Assimilator702 · 2 years ago (edited)

  RefonDrums has an entire YT channel built upon the subject matter of this video. Most drummers really have no clue about drum physics. You nailed it right here! Sonor  also hit  the nail on the head!

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• RO

  @robertriecker7867 · 2 years ago (edited)

  Shell tamber  is a sales pitch

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• RO

  @Rockin_Ross · 3 years ago

  On your recording drums chapter: I use the example of how Eddie Kramer of Led Zeppelin recorded John Bonham. Very few microphones used and he still got great sound from that man. <br><br>Great video series, Sir! You’re the ultimate Drum Nerd hero! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

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• DR

  @DrBackBeat · 2 years ago

  This video is amazing and I&apos;m going to recommend it forever to people. The amount of myths being propagated daily, most frequently by drum manufacturers&apos; marketing departments mind you, is astounding, and a down-to-earth assessment of what turns out to be really basic science is sometimes all you need to debunk the lot. I&apos;ve gotten pretty active on the r/drums subreddit, and while there is enough BS on there as well, the down-to-eartheners there have really educated me on how overestimated things like shell materials etc are and how much more the heads matter to begin with. Really pulls you away from the marketing guff for flagship drum sets and settles you into a nice intermediate kit for a fraction of the price and the same amount of pleasure and reliability.<br><br>Please never stop, this was by no means a long or winding video but incredibly educational. And your way of telling is nothing short of mesmerizing. Thanks!

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• TE

  @terrystowers6085 · 3 years ago

  I was born in 1971 in Dubuque, Iowa, and therefore I came of age in the 1980s. There was very, very little in the way of technical, sound-centric design theory information available for a young drummer to learn the how’s and why’s of our newly adopted instruments. I can remember tuning my drums by singing the old solfège do re mI fa sol la ti do, haha! There simply were no obvious resources available from which to glean answers to the standard 1,496 &nbsp;questions one must ask in order to have the slightest idea of how to logically and systematically create a workable and reproducible drum sound. Modern Drummer Magazine was really coming into its own around my time so one could learn a thing or two from there. My biggest blessing was the advent of VCR technology, the growing popularity of the video rental market, and the DCI/Hudson Music partnership which focused on creating educational/instructional videos on a very wide spectrum of topics associated with many different musical instruments. There were interviews with popular drummers of the day sitting behind a kit and providing answers to direct interview questions, or full length instructional videos by these individual artists who cover their own chosen curriculum of gear selection, hand/foot technique, networking skills, showmanship skills and so on, as well as my saving grace: a VCR release from Noble and Cooley Drum Company with master drum design engineer Bob Gatzen. His video was around two hours long and he covered just about everything a young person could hope to learn about shell design, tympanic membranes, drumhead design, snare design and drum tuning. It was a Godsend for a young aspiring drumset player in Dubuque, Iowa. I’m very grateful for this internet YouTube production series that I’m devouring currently. Thank you thank you thank you! &nbsp;👍👍👍

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• GU

  @guitaristbiker · 3 years ago

  I have thicker heavier drum shells with outter round over edges. I always used clear emperor batters and clear ambassador resos. After hearing you talk in the shell and edge videos about roundovers robbing some high end and you liking thinner heads on those old thicker sonor shells, I snagged some clear diplomats to try as my resos and then flip my clear ambassadors up to the batter side. WOW! did that make an amazing difference with tuning range and bringing some high end back into the equation, also a better sounding more rounded sustain. Much appreciated sir!

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• MA

  @MattGarwood777 · 3 years ago

  so I can’t sleep and I find your channel. I watched and took flippin’ notes. can’t WAIT to experiment in my basement recording studio tomorrow! seriously great content and please keep it coming!

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• AL

  @AldoMetalDrums · 2 years ago

  This has to be one of the nerdiest drum videos I&apos;ve ever seen, and I love it! 🖤

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• JO

  @JohnJohnson-rc6ci · 3 years ago

  Thank you for this input and taking the time to express some facts. I am a full time professional and are very familar with the Sonor book you are reading, furthermore I play a Sonor Signature Kit. The shells are super thick, heavy and super mass. The kick drum shell is 20mm thick with each shell reducing in thickness in relation to size (diameter). The projection and sound of these drums is unmatched, I,ve stacked them up against everything over my years in the industry. Yes thick shells are awesome, head selection is critical to getting that sound. I also have a Sonor Designer Series Kit , same configerations as the Signature Kit but with rims mounting. The shells are thick and reducing also, the sustain is unbelievable and well defined. Really there is nothing between the two Kits when using the same heads on both. Shalom.

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