KirkDS

I don't use a set (I don't know how anyone could stand to use them exclusively), but I use a Roland SPD-S sampler/pad thingy with a few expansion pads spread around my kit.

 

It's the best way I've ever seen to have the best of both worlds....well, that is if you don't have the benefit of two entire kits and a spinning drum riser.

 

For what it's worth, Derek (sp?) in Pete's band "Counterparts" really gets the most I've seen out of an electronic kit and does a great job replicating the Rush stuff.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, but I can't imagine playing in socks! I have to have a good grip on my pedals (no sliding) and I like my feet to feel light...so I play barefoot on my kick. I leave my shoe on my hi-hat foot since people can see it I guess it's like the caluses on your hands, you just build up a resistance to it. I can play rudiments and junk on my knee for hours without feeling a thing as well....probably for the same reason.

 

This may be al ittle TMI, but you barefooters will know what I'm talking about. Your feet can't be dry or you won't have any traction, so I always rub a little lotion on my feet a few hours before a show and I'm good to go!

 

 

Hey guys - Just saw this thread and wanted to say thanks for the nice comments. As one who like to consider himself a professional musician, it's difficult to be as pleased with the way this stuff turns out when you compare it to a typical recording done with ultimate equipment in a studio, so we strive to do our best when dealing with the unbelievable challenge of being in different parts of the country(ies) and for instance, using cheap drum mics and recording in my basement and not knowing much of anything about how to record drums properly.

Pete's amazing tone and Andy's attention to detail are what make our recordings fun to work on ...in my opinion (besides the obvious thrill of playing along to all these great tunes!). And Ben being a solid kick-ass player doesn't hurt either

 

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks. I think we'll be doing some more tunes in the near future and using some improved techniques and equipment for a better overall end-result.

 

 

QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Oct 1 2007, 06:01 PM)

Nice Myspace page dude. Enjoyed the Rush covers! I just sent you a friend request. Cheers, Dave Anyone else who wants to add me, feel free to Dave's Myspace

I recently gave in and set mine up after discovering that it seems to be the musician's resume' network. I guess it's a pretty neat way to connect with other musicians and share stuff, etc. as well. It would be cool to have some of you guys in my group, so feel free to swing by my page if you're really bored and have nothing better going on

 

 

Kirk's MySpace

Funny video

 

Sometimes less is more. Sometimes something musically interesting is better than technically challenging. Come to think of it, that's usually the case. I guess the true musical geniuses are the ones who are able always able to play what's appropriate.

 

One of my favorite and most memorable fills of all time is the

one Michael Bland pulls out from who knows where in Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls" at about 2:20.

Michael is an incredible player and definately knows what to play and when.

 

Diamonds and Pearls

QUOTE (tascam @ Aug 20 2007, 02:24 PM)

Once a Pearl Man.... ...Always a Pearl Man. Congratulations on your choice, Kirk! Best of luck with your new drums.

Regarding drums in the "starter" range. Here's a copy of my post I made over at the Counterparts site.

 

 

 

Good timing, for me anyway as I finally have some relevant info to add in the "starter drum kit" department.

 

I'm currently in the market for some high-end drums and popped into Guitar Center a couple of days ago just to see what new stuff they had. They happened to have this particular Pearl Sensitone snare dum that I've wanted to add to the collection for a while, but surprisngly they had it bundled with their low-end Pearl "Vision" kit. I ended up sitting behind the Visions so I could goof around with the snare and ended up being shocked at how good these drums were!

They are beautiful and the hardware (lugs, mounts, arms, etc.) are actually better than my older high-end Pearl MLX kit. I was honestly shocked at the quality of these drums, thinking that they were probably in the $900 price range. They're mainly birch with some basswood thrown in I believe.

Then the guy tells me "Hard to believe we're selling these for $399". I was like "What?!" The snare alone (that I was going to buy anyway) is around $200, so I bought the whole kit right there, thinking my kids who are beginning drummers could use them. Best drum purchase I've ever made

 

So, to sum up, anyone who is looking for the best bargain in drums needs to get themselves to a Guitar Center and buy some Pearl "Visions" for $399.

 

Whatever you do, don't start a new drummer out on anything electronic. Let them learn and experience the true instrument.....and focus on reading and playing basic snare drum patterns as a start. There are plenty of basic books out there and I'd be glad to help with any of that if needed.

 

Couple of pics I just snapped...

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/KirkDS/DSC02772.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/KirkDS/DSC02773.jpg

 

And the current state of my drum room. I'm currently practicing on a 4-piece to sort-of try to force some creativity in the groove department.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/KirkDS/DSC02774.jpg

Here's some stuff I did a while back when I had a few guys ask me how to play some particular Rush stuff...and I was making a lame attempt at instructional video. I'll even throw in the one of me showing someone the particular rudiment that I like to think I invented...I call it the "Paradiddle Threes".

Anyway....

 

Here's one of me just goofing around at home a few years ago. Not sure what that crap I'm trying to play is.

Kirk drumming

 

A demonstration of one of the fills in Open Secrets for someone who asked a while back

Kirk - OS

 

Drumming to my "virtual" Rush tribute band's recording of YYZ.

Kirk - YYZ clip

 

Paradiddle threes

Kirk - paradiddle threes

I love that performance...especially Vinnie and Dave near the beginning.

 

Definately three of the greats in action!

QUOTE (launchpad67a @ Jul 28 2007, 01:03 PM)

QUOTE (Der Trommler @ Jul 27 2007, 07:12 PM) Color may also come into play. See, as long as you do not have a wrap, color will play a role in the sound of your drums. A white or lighter color will reflect the light & be a brighter tone. A black or darker tone will get a darker more warmer tone (accepts all light & warms up the drums). Are you serious? You can't be serious about the color of a drum effects its tone. I have never heard of this so mabey it's true, but I somehow doubt it. Yeah, he had me then he lost me.   Finally found some DWs that sounded nice at GC. It was a set of the redwoods (I guess they're supposed to be rare?) that were up on the shelf...and they sounded amazing when the guy was nice enough to let me get them down and gack around on them a bit. The Pearl Reference drums on display sounded pretty decent as well, but still not as nice as your typical 4 or 6 ply maple kit from Pearl, Yamaha, etc. Not sure why they're trying to re-invent the wheel.   I think I'm going with my gut and I'll probably continue to be a Pearl drummer. I'll probably try to get as many drums in whatever color/options I choose as possible (as I can afford!) so I can mix and match depending on the type of gig. I've got a laid back r&b/jazzy thing tonight that I'll be using a 4-piece for and I wish I had a 20" kick for it.   Sucks when you're trying to do some Neil Peart tom fill and run out of drums half way into it!

QUOTE (Der Trommler @ Jul 27 2007, 08:13 AM)

QUOTE (KirkDS @ Jul 27 2007, 08:10 AM) QUOTE (Der Trommler @ Jul 26 2007, 07:31 PM) QUOTE (KirkDS @ Jul 24 2007, 03:04 PM) Guys - I'm in the market for some new drums and I'm having a very difficult time. I've played the same Pearl MLX kit since the mid-80's (all the harware, mounts, etc. are new and they look like a current kit...like new) and I never thought I'd be able to justify a new kit since my 15 minutes has come and gone, but suddenly I find myself gigging again and able to justify drums (in my warped mind anyway) again! I love Pearl drums. The thought of getting a high-end Masterworks kit built to my exact specifications is a dream, but those Yamaha Maple Customs are incredible as well. I have to say that I've played on about 12 DW kits recently and I'm not impressed in the least.  I keep thinking there must be something wrong with my ears because I'm supposed to like them, but so far I haven't come across a DW kit (even with me re-tuning) that sounds half-way decent.  I've played on some amazing Yamaha kits, but the problem is that nobody carries the high-end Pearl stuff.  Since I have high-end Pearl stuff, I know what to expect, but it would be nice to play on the newer stuff in the store. Oh well...  I guess I'm just looking for some opinions on current high-end drums from any of you with educated opinions Tascam - Please don't take my dissapointment with DW personally Really, that many DW's & nothing? Funny thing is, I have the smae problem for Yamaha's....The 12" toms have never tuned up well with the rest of any kit. Pearl's are ok for me. I wasn't as impressed with the higher end as the Session maple kits.... Tama sounded good as well but I couldn't stand any of the newer Ludwigs nor the Slingerlands or Sonors. i came in skeptical against DW as I only first knew of them as a hardware company (and a damn good one at that!) but Neil's choice for the Ludwigs lost my confidence in Neil's choices for kits. But I found that I could tune up any DW in a flash & every single person that heard them, commented on how beautiful they sounded.....Still, the Yam's were good, if you took out the 12" tom.... Man, this is the sort of thing I keep hearing from everyone that honestly knows what they're talking about...regarding the DWs. I'm not going to give up on them yet. Maybe I'll see if I can talk someone into letting me put some coated ambasadors on a couple of toms and just generally have my way with them for a little while. I'm pretty far down the Pearl path at this point and I'm pretty excited about it, but I want to make sure I have the correct opinion on some of these other drums. Yeah, I like the Tama and Yamaha stuff too, but can't really see myself playing those drums for some reason. It's weird...   I spent a lot of time researching stuff on www.massmusic.net last night...where you can special order Pearl drums and the shipping is free. Tons of options and possibilities regarding drum sizes, snares, hardware color, wood type/thickness, etc. I'm not sure the heads will be just the adjustment. The only other thing I can see is someone not being able to tune a drum. DW makes soooo easy with the True Pitch tension rods (33% more thread than any other brand). DW makes their drums with only 100% perfect maple & birch. The rest is sent down to PDP (who, in return, takes 95% perfect & better). They sell the rest of the maple to anyone else who wants to buy. Here' my issue with ALL other brands. There are 3 major rims made: triple flanged (which, by design, allows a drums to become that BIG FAT WET sound), wood (old style sound with a little bit of a focused sound), die cast (a VERY focused sound that makes your eyes blink when you do a rim shot on a snare!). First, toms should have that wet sound yet every major manufacturer puts die cast on the toms. (the reason is to prevent slippage of tension rods & keeps the drum in tune). YET, they seem to keep putting triple flanged on snares!! *ick* DW puts triple flanged on their toms due to the True Pitch tension rods. It's easier to tune & stays in tune much longer. They also match pitches for drums allowing a more in tune drumset. I like other brands as well but as soon as I started putting DW drums together & setting them up, tuning them, etc...I can't really look at other brands in the same fashion..... Thanks for that info. Really appreciate it. I guess it's true that at the end of the day, everyone is using top-notch maple, similar hardware, and similar heads, so it would seem that tuning would be the biggest factor. Tuning has never been one of my better talents, but I've always had good luck getting drums to sound nice.   There's a Guitar Center about 10 minutes from where I work, so I think I may head over there today during lunch and see if I can do some experimenting.

QUOTE (Der Trommler @ Jul 26 2007, 07:31 PM)

QUOTE (KirkDS @ Jul 24 2007, 03:04 PM) Guys - I'm in the market for some new drums and I'm having a very difficult time. I've played the same Pearl MLX kit since the mid-80's (all the harware, mounts, etc. are new and they look like a current kit...like new) and I never thought I'd be able to justify a new kit since my 15 minutes has come and gone, but suddenly I find myself gigging again and able to justify drums (in my warped mind anyway) again! I love Pearl drums. The thought of getting a high-end Masterworks kit built to my exact specifications is a dream, but those Yamaha Maple Customs are incredible as well. I have to say that I've played on about 12 DW kits recently and I'm not impressed in the least.  I keep thinking there must be something wrong with my ears because I'm supposed to like them, but so far I haven't come across a DW kit (even with me re-tuning) that sounds half-way decent.  I've played on some amazing Yamaha kits, but the problem is that nobody carries the high-end Pearl stuff.  Since I have high-end Pearl stuff, I know what to expect, but it would be nice to play on the newer stuff in the store. Oh well...  I guess I'm just looking for some opinions on current high-end drums from any of you with educated opinions Tascam - Please don't take my dissapointment with DW personally Really, that many DW's & nothing? Funny thing is, I have the smae problem for Yamaha's....The 12" toms have never tuned up well with the rest of any kit. Pearl's are ok for me. I wasn't as impressed with the higher end as the Session maple kits.... Tama sounded good as well but I couldn't stand any of the newer Ludwigs nor the Slingerlands or Sonors. i came in skeptical against DW as I only first knew of them as a hardware company (and a damn good one at that!) but Neil's choice for the Ludwigs lost my confidence in Neil's choices for kits. But I found that I could tune up any DW in a flash & every single person that heard them, commented on how beautiful they sounded.....Still, the Yam's were good, if you took out the 12" tom.... Man, this is the sort of thing I keep hearing from everyone that honestly knows what they're talking about...regarding the DWs. I'm not going to give up on them yet. Maybe I'll see if I can talk someone into letting me put some coated ambasadors on a couple of toms and just generally have my way with them for a little while. I'm pretty far down the Pearl path at this point and I'm pretty excited about it, but I want to make sure I have the correct opinion on some of these other drums. Yeah, I like the Tama and Yamaha stuff too, but can't really see myself playing those drums for some reason. It's weird...   I spent a lot of time researching stuff on www.massmusic.net last night...where you can special order Pearl drums and the shipping is free. Tons of options and possibilities regarding drum sizes, snares, hardware color, wood type/thickness, etc.

QUOTE (launchpad67a @ Jul 25 2007, 11:41 AM)

I'm also not a big Pearl fan, although I play a custom Pearl snare (but snares don't count as most drummers use a snare that is not the make of the set they play). Anyhow, I obviously love my DW's but before them all I played was Yamaha and Sonar. Kirk, have you really played 12 DW kits and they all sounded bad? That's really unfortunate. Buy what sounds good to you, that's all that really matters.

QUOTE (tascam @ Jul 24 2007, 02:42 PM)

DW...Schmee W! Go with whatever your ears (and eyes too) tell you Kirk! If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Guys - I'm in the market for some new drums and I'm having a very difficult time.

I've played the same Pearl MLX kit since the mid-80's (all the harware, mounts, etc. are new and they look like a current kit...like new) and I never thought I'd be able to justify a new kit since my 15 minutes has come and gone, but suddenly I find myself gigging again and able to justify drums (in my warped mind anyway) again!

 

I love Pearl drums. The thought of getting a high-end Masterworks kit built to my exact specifications is a dream, but those Yamaha Maple Customs are incredible as well.

I have to say that I've played on about 12 DW kits recently and I'm not impressed in the least. I keep thinking there must be something wrong with my ears because I'm supposed to like them, but so far I haven't come across a DW kit (even with me re-tuning) that sounds half-way decent. I've played on some amazing Yamaha kits, but the problem is that nobody carries the high-end Pearl stuff. Since I have high-end Pearl stuff, I know what to expect, but it would be nice to play on the newer stuff in the store.

 

Oh well... I guess I'm just looking for some opinions on current high-end drums from any of you with educated opinions

 

Tascam - Please don't take my dissapointment with DW personally

Not that any of this really matters in the grand scheme of life, but I actually gave this some thought and I've come to the opinion that there's definately artistic subjectivity on many levels (comparing drummers within the same genre, comparing a drummer from one genre against a drummer from another, etc.) and it's really complicated to look at it that way. I think the bottom line though is that truly great drummers are versatile. Certain drummers, like our Professor have carved out their own niche and are so unique that it's damn near impossible to catagorize them or compare them to other players.

Guys like Vinnie, Dave, Steve, Omar, Dennis, have such a command of the fundamentals and advanced aspects of drumming (that are applicable across most all genres) that Neil just doesn't have. We all love Neil's playing because of the magicical formula that happens when it mixes with what Ged and Alex are doing, but on his own or in any other situation, he's quite average in my opinion.

The other guys I listed could literally do ANY session or tour with any band of any genre (with the exception of off the deep-end metal, etc. maybe) and more than likely elevate the music to new levels where we know that Neil struggles to just hang on and not cause a train-wreck when playing his suppposedly favorite music (big band jazz).

Neil does some intricate and challenging things, but challenging in an unfamiliar kind of way because his style is so unique and quirky, not because it's incredibly advanced.

I mean, there are literally hundreds of guys (like myself) that have decided for whatever reason to record themselves playing Rush tunes...and although the majority of them suck horribly, many actually resemble the original. I don't think there are many of us posting videos of ourselves playing Festival De Ritmo (or however you spell it) or anything else from any of Dave Weckl's CDs because his stuff requires a much deeper understanding of drumming that only a few drummers possess.

Ok..I'll stop now. No offense meant towards our hero or anyone who thinks he's the greatest.... I'm just typing as I'm thinking here.

Neil and Rush get us all excited about drumming for many reasons, but it's just my opinion that he's simply not one of those elite players.

 

QUOTE (tascam @ Jul 11 2007, 11:25 AM)

QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Jul 11 2007, 03:38 AM) Yeah, better ones even! (Gasp) Okay...I'll take the bait....(even though, as some have mentioned...this is a "show pictures of your drumset" thread...)   Name 3 drummers better than Neil Ellwood Peart.   (Of course this will be highly subjective, and your opinoin is only that...just "your opinoin". )   Funny how implied sarcasm gets turned around into what others think that person REALLY thinks or feels. I can also name 3 other drummers, but I can't think of one drummer better than Neil....maybe equal in their respective genre of drumming, but not one drummer better in the wonderful world of Rush music (progressive rock, classic rock, melodic heavy rock, etc.) Hey buddy.... We're all big Neil fans here, well, I always thought I was a big fan until I met you , but even taking subjectivity into consideration, I think we can safely say right off the bat that Mr. Bozzio, Mr. Weckl, and Mr. Smith can all do things that Neil could barely dream of. I'm also fairly certain that Neil would be beyond hard-pressed to throw down anything that these guys couldn't emulate immediately.   I'm sure it could be said that this type of example doesn't make one drummer better than the next, but if doesn't, then these guys aren't better than me either! Besides, Neil has ripped on other drummers for years who weren't able to bring it (numerous comments regarding "less is not more", etc.), so I'm guessing he'd probably agree with my example.   Music IS definately subjective, but it's typically apparent when one player is more technically proficient than the next. Personally, I'd rather listen to Jeff Porcarro do some shuffle groove all day than to hear Bozzio and his million dollars worth of cymbals that sound like crap, but there's no denying who's technically "better". One guy plays grooves that you hope to hear when you get to heaven and the other guys is a freak of nature. I have Neil catagorized with Porcarro.

QUOTE (tascam @ Jun 27 2007, 12:40 PM)

Hey Kirk! Glad to see you and your BEAUTIFUL drums here in this topic! They are just gorgeous drums!!! I think the finish on your Pearl MLX is just jaw-dropping! Love them! Here is a link to the Exotic Series of Pacific's line of drums that will also make your jaw drop. http://www.pacificdrums.com/lxe/lxe.htm Some of these exotic finishes are PRECISELY the same as the big brother DW Collector series finishes and are priced at about 1/4 the cost. You find the same maple wood shells, the True-Pitch tuning rods, the STM Pro tom mounts, DW Clear coated heads, and really, really sturdy 900 series hardware on both Pacific LXE series and on the DW Collector Series drums. In fact, I was also told by a customer service manager at DW that an 18 wheel semi pulls into the Oxnard, CA plant with a shipment of North American Maple Logs (to be used for the shells), drops off half of the truck at the DW plant...and continues down to Baja, CA and drops off the remaining half of the NA Maple logs at the Pacific plant. It's the EXACT same North American Maple wood in both DW Collector's Series Drums, as well as Pacific Drums. I own a few PDP sets, as well as DW Collector Series sets. I am so pleased and would urge you to check out the PDP kits at a local drum shop or GC. (Although, the high end PDP LXE kits aren't usually on display at GC...they have to special order them...a good drum shop usually has a few for you to try out!) Hope this helps.

QUOTE (robertkincaid96 @ Jun 24 2007, 08:58 AM)

I like my PDP kit. I have a 7 piece kit Black to Cherry fade. I have the DW Double Kicker 7000 and 900 series hardware. I love the hardware, it is very sturdy. I have Paragon Cymbals too. I really like the sound of those as well. This was purchased without my knowledge. My wife gave me this set as a gift for Christmas 2006. I have had three other sets in my life. The best of those was a low end Pearl Export Series. Those were destroyed by the Plaintiff in a divorce case.  This set  was about $3,000.00 counting the extras and cymbals. Paragons - I have the Splash-n-Stack 10" splash , 14" hats, 16" crash, 22" ride, 18" crash. http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb248/robertkincaid96/Drums001.jpg http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb248/robertkincaid96/Drums002.jpg http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb248/robertkincaid96/Drums003.jpg

Beautiful pictures. Pete, really cool how you have the same attention to detail with the way your guitars look that you do as to the sound coming out of them Your guitars are amazing

Wow, great job Paul! Really cool. Guitar and bass sound especially authentic.

 

...edit... Still listening. Really love the amazing guitar tone.

QUOTE (Rush! @ Jun 9 2007, 08:53 PM)

Very nice! Wasn't Miles Davis the original creator of "Shhh" ?

After hearing Michael Bland and Sonny T. (of 80's and 90's Prince fame) play in their regular house gig in downtown Minneapolis, I felt a bit inspired to try to see if I could play the intro to this tune that's always kicked my ass. Love Michael's playing, but he's in another universe....

 

Just having fun trying new things with my recording setup at home....

 

Kirk - Shhh

 

And the real deal for comparison....

 

Prince - Shhh

Awesome! Wow, those drums sound great. Too cool!