MadJazz
04-18-2009, 10:52 PM
I was thinking of getting a new set of drums, preferably sonor, but the amount of options like shell material and shell depth vs diameter make my head spin. I sincerely don't think it makes such a big difference and if I don't really understand or hear the difference between maple vs birch, fat vs punchy, etc, I might as well buy a force 3000 instead of delite and invest in heads, isolation and mics. Anyway, your help is welcome.
What I need:
- Overall soft sounding drums, not too loud or cutting.
Volume is a major concern to me, even though drums will never be completely soft.
- Toms and kick: low sounding and short sustain but with full body. Mellow and focused.
This is where fat vs punchy confuses me. Fat usually refers to maple, thin shells producing a low tone with full resonance. Punchy otoh usually refers to birch, bright focused attack. What I want is the best of both worlds: low tone, short sustain.
Moreover, to maximaize the shell's character and full body, I need deep shells. But deep shells also mean more volume. So it doesn't really matter what I take?!
- Snare: very tight for playing funk. The timbales character should dominate over the metal wires. I like a good amount of crack though but it shouldn't be raw or biting. Just the correct amount of snare slap. However, rim shots should be loud and bright. So my guess is:
a) smaller diameter of 12" or 13" for tight sound, that's one thing I know for sure
b) deeper shell of 7" or 6" for full body and more timbales character, or 5" for less volume?
c) stainless steel wires or synthetic wires? 20 strands or less?
d) die cast hoops
e) maple, birch, brass... does it really matter?
My guess is to go for a thin maple shell, deep sized, with coated powerstrokes.
I've heard that maple snares don't take high tension well, and since I want my snare to be tight, it needs to be tuned high. So, is a birch snare the better choice?
What I need:
- Overall soft sounding drums, not too loud or cutting.
Volume is a major concern to me, even though drums will never be completely soft.
- Toms and kick: low sounding and short sustain but with full body. Mellow and focused.
This is where fat vs punchy confuses me. Fat usually refers to maple, thin shells producing a low tone with full resonance. Punchy otoh usually refers to birch, bright focused attack. What I want is the best of both worlds: low tone, short sustain.
Moreover, to maximaize the shell's character and full body, I need deep shells. But deep shells also mean more volume. So it doesn't really matter what I take?!
- Snare: very tight for playing funk. The timbales character should dominate over the metal wires. I like a good amount of crack though but it shouldn't be raw or biting. Just the correct amount of snare slap. However, rim shots should be loud and bright. So my guess is:
a) smaller diameter of 12" or 13" for tight sound, that's one thing I know for sure
b) deeper shell of 7" or 6" for full body and more timbales character, or 5" for less volume?
c) stainless steel wires or synthetic wires? 20 strands or less?
d) die cast hoops
e) maple, birch, brass... does it really matter?
My guess is to go for a thin maple shell, deep sized, with coated powerstrokes.
I've heard that maple snares don't take high tension well, and since I want my snare to be tight, it needs to be tuned high. So, is a birch snare the better choice?