ShowgunSam Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I'm sure there are a great many members on this forum that are drummers, and like me, have payed close attention to Neil's ever changing drum sound and set-up over the years. He's been through just about all of the major touring brands like Tama, Ludwig, Slingerland, and DW (not in that order, of course.) So, I ask you... Paint-jobs aside, what do you think of his drum sound today, versus previous eras? Which of his kits do you think sound the best and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powderfinger Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 (edited) I'm watching the R30 DVD right now, and as far as live sound goes, his kit sounds pretty damn good here. Where the studio is concerned, the more natural the better. Some of the earlier records in places featured the 70s dull thud/paper bag sound--that isn't so much a criticism of Neil as it is a criticism of what was in vogue in the 70s. I also have trouble getting on board with the overly processed drum sounds of the Power Windows-Presto era, and even some of the Roll the Bones material. As a fellow drummer, I like drums to sound like drums... Edited February 24, 2012 by Powderfinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShowgunSam Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 It's funny you mention R30, because I always felt the most biased towards that 30th Anniversary kit. I mean, the show was bad-ass and the recording quality was superb, but to me, the R30 kit sounded like cardboard, especially those toms. It just didn't seem to have any "balls" to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pound of Obscure Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 The red Tamas are still my measuring stick for drum sound. To my ear, that's what drums are supposed to sound like. His DW's sound good except the small toms. I think his small toms sound like soup cans. Pretty terrible. Plus he doesn't have enough toms anymore to play fills correctly, but that's another subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powderfinger Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 QUOTE (ShowgunSam @ Feb 24 2012, 05:19 PM) It's funny you mention R30, because I always felt the most biased towards that 30th Anniversary kit. I mean, the show was bad-ass and the recording quality was superb, but to me, the R30 kit sounded like cardboard, especially those toms. It just didn't seem to have any "balls" to it. LOL, I'm really only comparing the R30 sound to Rio, which I watched this morning. But I do like the sound of the R30 drums. Mind you, I am listening through my factory TV speakers. I have not listened to the audio discs (I just got this set in the mail earlier this afternoon). Perhaps my opinion will change, but I think the toms sound fine. I despise toms that sound like robo-cannons. But toms aside, I think his snare sounds great here. I'm on The Seeker now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metaldad Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Before.....Way before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReflectedLight Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 whatever drums he played on hemispheres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powderfinger Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 QUOTE (Pound of Obscure @ Feb 24 2012, 05:30 PM) The red Tamas are still my measuring stick for drum sound. To my ear, that's what drums are supposed to sound like. His DW's sound good except the small toms. I think his small toms sound like soup cans. Pretty terrible. Plus he doesn't have enough toms anymore to play fills correctly, but that's another subject. Yeah, man. I just heard some "soup can" action in this R30 set. His floor toms sound good, but those high toms are a little off. (This can have something to do with the live mix. Certain instruments can be EQ'd to cut through, while having their tone compromised in the process.) When exactly was the red Tama era? I think it was Perm Waves-P Windows, right? I do like the Hemispheres sound. But yes, the red Tamas were probably the best--especially on MP and Signals, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShowgunSam Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 QUOTE (Powderfinger @ Feb 24 2012, 05:46 PM) When exactly was the red Tama era? I think it was Perm Waves-P Windows, right? I do like the Hemispheres sound. But yes, the red Tamas were probably the best--especially on MP and Signals, IMHO. That would be the Signals, GuP, Power Windows era, my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dscrapre Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I always thought that the drum sound from R30 was pretty much unlike anything I've ever heard. It was so in-your-face. The higher toms cut right through and the floor toms just rumbled angrily. There wasn't a whole lot of "character" to them, the sound was almost entirely attack. I don't think that the drums themselves necessarily were the cause of that, though, because they sounded pretty normal everywhere else I've heard them. I think that it was the way that the live album was mastered. But that's really been the thing throughout the years with Neil his drum sound was very short and attack oriented. We just had this discussion on a drummer forum I'm a part of and one of the members said it best: QUOTE I don't know what Peart has in his head, but if I was going to guess, I might speculate that it's almost like the Bonham tuning method applied to a wider collection of drum sizes. If you take a drum and really put some tension on the heads - almost to the point of choking - rather than tuned down closer to the shell's "sweet spot", the result is cleaner action off the head and more audible mids out of the drums. It's those mids that give the drums character, IMO, and the enhanced action of the heads makes them easier to play. Not to knock on DW but they go for a sound that's heavy on low-end resonance and sharp stick attack, but they seem to not want mids at all. That always struck me as odd since most of those lows and almost all the resonance disappear when mixed in with heavily amplified loud music. Most of what's left is a plastic-y stick attack and a tubby tone. I think they promote that sound because it sounds great from the driver's seat and by microphones, but in the grand scheme of things (like a mix) tighter tunings get more net mids and tone that can cut through. I probably better mention before I have DW owners taking me to task on this that those drums are perfectly capable of tuning to higher registers, so I'm not saying it's the drums as much as it's the presentation of those drums by their makers. Anyway, I think it's just the result of tuning high like that that gets you less sustain. Here's Tom Sawyer with isolated drums. It's amazing to me how weird those toms sound. Not at all how drummers typically tune these days. They have almost no sustain, but as I mentioned earlier in this thread, Evans Hydraulics cranked up tight over thick shells will do that. Funny that this is my favorite Peart sound even though I'd never think to tune my drums like that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsuvYqHZYNg One last adder: I like the Ludwig sounds on Presto, but for some reason, they have always reminded me of coconuts! I don't know why, they just do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powderfinger Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 QUOTE (ShowgunSam @ Feb 24 2012, 05:56 PM) QUOTE (Powderfinger @ Feb 24 2012, 05:46 PM) When exactly was the red Tama era? I think it was Perm Waves-P Windows, right? I do like the Hemispheres sound. But yes, the red Tamas were probably the best--especially on MP and Signals, IMHO. That would be the Signals, GuP, Power Windows era, my friend. Got it, thank you. I know he used Tamas on Perm Waves and MP, but I was not distinguishing between his first Tama set and his Artstar/Candy Apple Red set from Signals through Power Windows... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dscrapre Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Also another thing to take into account is the DW heads that Neil has used since R30., I've heard negative reviews that describe them as being "Tonelessly Loud". Which is definitely a term I'd use to describe the R30 drum sound. As for my favorite. I really can't pick one. Neil's drum sound has never really jumped out at me. His drums just sound like drums. Not great, not bad. With him it's all about the drummer. This guy could make anything sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandDesigner Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 You can make anything sound good with proper micing, EQing, etc. I'm not a fan of the way he tunes his toms (way too tight), and his lower toms get muddy, but I attribute that more to different tuning and micing techniques rather than fault with DW drums. His best drum sound was definitely MP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerofthor Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Overall I would say the PW to Signals era was his best. GUP sounds like a completely different kit. It really is the way they are recorded and tuned that makes the difference, not the brand. Since his involvement with DW, neither his tuning or recording, mixing, mastering methods have been advantageous, imo. He sounds neutered on TM. My favorite all-time sound is on the Passiac, NJ video boot. Those toms are very inspiring to listen to, and remind me of why I loved the guy in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 <<<<<<<<<<The drums he used in my avatar(Ludwig Super Classics) had a fabulous sound other than the thin bass drum on most records. Kevin Shirley came along and rectified that on Counterparts and the Counterparts drum sound is one of Neil's best. As far as engineer they should never have strayed from Kevin Shirley. It started going downhill with DW after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvisibleAirwaves13 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I am not a drummer but I was very impressed with how powerful and full his drums were on this TM Tour. I could really feel it in my chest. I can't remember the last live tour that sounded that good and felt that powerful. Overall though I would vote for the MP kit. Bad ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todem Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 His drum sound was the best to my ears during Hemispheres - Hold Your Fire. My absolute favorite sonic flavor was his live drum sound on Exit Stage Left. Perfection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USB Connector Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Personally, I really loved the snare from R30. That sound was just perfect in my ears. I find the TM Tour sounded a bit thin, but that may have been because the whole recording is low on bass. What I heard live sounded incredible during that tour. Judging by BU2B and Caravan I'll assume they're probably closer to the thinner side. So those would take the cake for me if they had more balls to them. Overall, I'm going to give it to the red tamas he had during the T4E tour. Those sounded best to me because it great balance overall. It wasn't too bass-y and it wasn't too thin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeminiRising79 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I'll chime in and say that the thundering and clarity of the permanent waves kit was the pinnacle of his sound. Raw and refined, combined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lerxt1990 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Feb 25 2012, 06:59 PM) I'll chime in and say that the thundering and clarity of the permanent waves kit was the pinnacle of his sound. Raw and refined, combined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummerrobin Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dscrapre Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) QUOTE (Drummerrobin @ Feb 25 2012, 07:06 PM) Yay Drummerworld! Yeah that place is pretty great! Just curious though, how did you know? EDIT: Gee I wonder, because he couldn't possibly be a member. Edited February 28, 2012 by Dscrapre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacklifeson Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 IMHO, the best drum tone he got was on Moving Pictures. Just...natural and powerful. I also think that on Counterparts he got a great drum tone as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummerrobin Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dscrapre Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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