Update to my DW kit

[Brundlefly]

Inspired by the Big Kit vs Small Kit thread, I added six 8" Rata-toms in maple, color matched to the rest of my kit. These are the only 8" Rata-toms DW has ever produced. They use a mix of laminate styles (X-shell, VLT and standard) to achieve a very smooth pitch distribution. Enjoy...

http://homepage.mac.com/julianlove/.Pictures/kit_0816_left.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/julianlove/.Pictures/kit_0816_frontLeft.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/julianlove/.Pictures/kit_0816_front.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/julianlove/.Pictures/kit_0816_back.jpg

[Steady Freddy]

Wow!!!!

Looks like your set up for recording.

Sound clips please!

[kuren84]

That is such a sweet kit! Is there anywhere we can hear you play cos to have all that, you must be awesome.
Kevin

[alparrott]

Your kit is gorgeous. Please don't leave it sitting around on the curb unattended... lol

[freebirdgdw]

Terry Bozzio much?


...........

[SOGdrummer]

Simply wow! Kit looks fantastic and the sort of set up that most members here dream about at night (even the small kit devotees if they would admit it!)...

Are you set up in your home practice room or at a recording location? Must be real fun to move!

[larryace]

Dang man, you could raise the dead with that setup. Just gorgeous. I hope you do them proud. Do you use your entire setup for gigs? I can't imagine what load in, set up, breakdown and load out must be like with all that gear....

[frank0072]

"ratatoms" ? Never heard of that one. Man, those few toms must be worth a few times all my gear. You have an awsome kit, if I become a rich and famous drummer once I will be able to purchase something like that aswell. If that day comes, I WILL purchase something like that :-P.
Have fun playing!

[Loccufier]

Man, very nice kit, but very nice table you got there too!
Is that the TASCAM DM-4800?

[SoCalMike]

Wow that is one Sweet lookin' DW Kit

[bobdadruma]

Simply Stunning! If I ever win the lottery......

[Brundlefly]

Terry Bozzio much?

I got tired of all the "Peart boy" comments and decided to switch it up. Getting Bozzio comments is quite refreshing. ;)

Are you set up in your home practice room or at a recording location? Must be real fun to move!

Thank you.

The kit currently resides at a practice studio while my home studio is being built. If all goes well, I get to move in next month. Hopefully, that will be the third and last time I ever move it. This kit is meant purely as a home-studio recording projects kit. If I were in a gigging band (which I don't have time for), I'd have something about half this size or smaller... and in a wrap finish. I hate lugging kits around as much as anyone else. Plus, I have to rent a 10-footer to fit everything in one trip. :)

Dang man, you could raise the dead with that setup. Just gorgeous. I hope you do them proud. Do you use your entire setup for gigs? I can't imagine what load in, set up, breakdown and load out must be like with all that gear....

Thanks you. I'm not in a gigging scenario, atm. However, the setup time on this is about 1.5 hours with mikes and all if... I have everything memory locked and marked up. The real time killer is if I decide that I want to try a different arrangement. Those events usually run about 8-12 hours.

"ratatoms" ? Never heard of that one. Man, those few toms must be worth a few times all my gear. You have an awsome kit, if I become a rich and famous drummer once I will be able to purchase something like that aswell. If that day comes, I WILL purchase something like that :-P.

Ratatoms are DW's version of Tama's Octobans. And you can order them as a standard item in 6" diameters. However, the 6" Rata shells aren't made by DW, which is what prompted my discussion with them about using 8" shells instead. Imagine an Octoban like sound where there is a lot of punch and crack, but mixed with a standard warm maple tom sound.

Man, very nice kit, but very nice table you got there too!
Is that the TASCAM DM-4800?

Thanks and yes, its the DM-4800. I need a lot of simultaneous channels and it operates as a virtual control board for Logic. Not to mention that it can also weigh your mail and affix the proper postage.


Wow!!!!Looks like your set up for recording.Sound clips please!

Thanks and yep. Recording is my aim here. However, not in this room. It sounds like a muddy shoe box in there. Soon as I get it all dialed in at home, I'll post some stuff.

[MikeyOdrums]

Where are the vids? Need to hear those new toms, kit is just jaw dropping!

[Loccufier]

Thanks and yes, its the DM-4800. I need a lot of simultaneous channels and it operates as a virtual control board for Logic. Not to mention that it can also weigh your mail and affix the proper postage.


Is it worth the 5300 euro's? (7500 dollars that is, don't know if that is what you actually need to pay though)
I find it a very intresting table for a home studio, not that I'm going to buy one anytime soon, but I like gathering others experiences :)

[DrewTheShoe]

This gets my vote for favorite kit on the site, including the pros' kits.
The finish is stunning, the sheer possibilities of all those toms/ratatoms just blows me away, and the fact that it's a DW just makes me drool.
Get us some of those sound clips!

[freebirdgdw]

What application would you use the ratas for? presumably tribal type tom grooves?

[Ainulindale]

i'm so jealous it hurts - amazing kit!

[Brundlefly]

Is it worth the 5300 euro's? (7500 dollars that is, don't know if that is what you actually need to pay though) I find it a very intresting table for a home studio, not that I'm going to buy one anytime soon, but I like gathering others experiences :)

I think I paid something like $4,500.00 for it, but don't quote me on that. I know it was under 5k.

Being in that practice studio has made it hard to for me to fully explore the board, partly due to the nature of that studio and partly due to time. So, I don't yet feel like I know it well enough to really comment fairly. The few practice recordings I've done bypassed most of the circuitry, going straight to Logic. Those were pretty nice, but I'm a ways out from having it dialed in.

When I feel like I've got a good handle on it, I'll probably write up something on my process and the equipment involved.

What application would you use the ratas for? presumably tribal type tom grooves?

Sure. That's certainly one.

The goal I had was to produce something with broader use applications than what you would get from regular Octobans. After all, when you have a kit as big as mine, space is at a premium. So I think it is important for each piece to be as broadly useful as possible. And when anything proves otherwise, I throw it out or replace it.

Anyway, I think DW hit the mark with these. They can certainly handle all the typical Octoban-like applications most are familiar with. But then they are warm and have more tone, and (unlike most Octobans, really) they can be tuned to recognizable pitches so you can do true melodic work with them. Then, at their lowest pitches, they are low and powerful enough to literally compete with and mix in with my other toms. Where my acrylic Octos are a contrast with the rest of my kit, these are more complementary.

[LuigiSuper17]

Amazing kit man, very well orchestrated and that finish really shines as well. Did Warren Buffet leave his wallet in your car or something?

[Bram]

I loved that kit in the Peart setup, but this is even nicer!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing in the Peart setup that i don't like, is that you have to stretch your arms to reach the toms above the hats.
I have played my drums in the Peart setup, but I changed to a more normal setup (3 up, 2 down)

Bram

[Brundlefly]

I loved that kit in the Peart setup, but this is even nicer!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing in the Peart setup that i don't like, is that you have to stretch your arms to reach the toms above the hats.
I have played my drums in the Peart setup, but I changed to a more normal setup (3 up, 2 down)

Bram

/agree. I gave the Peart thing a shot, as weird as it looked, because well... you just never know until you try. And it does have it's advantages. Namely a great ride position and open body language when working between snare, floor and rack toms. I really liked those things, but IMO, having the toms over the hats vastly limited their accessibility. Fine for big chromatic fills (ahem), but terrible in just about every other way.

The current setup also creates distinct levels that support muscle memory: snare and floor level, rack tom level, small cymbals level and then big cymbals up top.

[mind_drummer]

Everything look great ! The kit (finishes), the cymbals (diversity) and config.

Congrats it's a really nice drum kit that surely makes some envious... (I'm one of them ! lol !!!)

[hateplow]

Jes*s Chr*st.

How did I miss this thread? Fantastic setup! I love that finish, those sizes, that recording set-up...

Really, really special!

Who do you have to know to get custom ratatoms made for you? (John Good, I presume...)

[Mastershake16]

AMAZINNNGGG KIT! but so many stands? ever consider racking it?

[larryace]

Did Warren Buffet leave his wallet in your car or something?

That was great ha ha

[Brundlefly]

Jes*s Chr*st.

How did I miss this thread? Fantastic setup! I love that finish, those sizes, that recording set-up...

Really, really special!

Who do you have to know to get custom ratatoms made for you? (John Good, I presume...)

Thanky!

And no, the only person you need to know is a good DW dealer. When I picked up the toms at the factory (I live not far away), they lamented the fact that people don't tend to think of them as a custom shop. You can order stuff that isn't in their catalog. Hell, they even made me some custom Z-arms to go with the ratas.


AMAZINNNGGG KIT! but so many stands? ever consider racking it?

Not really. Never been a fan of racks. Especially when they run across the front of the kit. But I do have one on the left holding the ratas so I'm considering adding one to the right. It would eliminate a stand or two, but I'm not convinced that it would be any more flexible. And since I don't move it much...

Amazing kit man, very well orchestrated and that finish really shines as well. Did Warren Buffet leave his wallet in your car or something?

Hehe. Considering the beating he's taken in this market, I'm not sure Warren can afford it.

[alparrott]

Thanky!
Not really. Never been a fan of racks. Especially when they run across the front of the kit. But I do have one on the left holding the ratas so I'm considering adding one to the right. It would eliminate a stand or two, but I'm not convinced that it would be any more flexible. And since I don't move it much...

I highly recommend this course of action. It is much less unwieldly than across-the-front racks, but with many of the same advantages (vconsistent setup and positioning). Since, like me, you play your rack toms to the left, it would work out great for you. It's also easier to schlep two mini-racks, the spanner bars are shorter and fit in the car better.

[Brundlefly]

... it would work out great for you. It's also easier to schlep two mini-racks, the spanner bars are shorter and fit in the car better.

Car???! I think you may have misspelled: http://www.uhaul.com/trucks/truck_17_big.gif

[alparrott]

Car???! I think you may have misspelled: http://www.uhaul.com/trucks/truck_17_big.gif

Dunno, dude. I play a pretty big kit (http://drummerworld.com/forums/showpost.php?p=596584&postcount=133) myself, and it all fits in the back of a Subaru Outback, with room for my wife in the passenger seat...

[Freddie Freeloader]

*droool*



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[helton brazil]

Oh My GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That here in Brazil it would be beautiful....
but it is very expensive one it had beaten DW in the bad country
Very beautiful yours had beaten man, congratulations....

Hugs

[drumhead61]

Amazing looking kit, what an upgrade! Sound clips would be drooled upon as the pics were...thanks for sharing.

JIM

[Skulmoski]

Very nice kit.

In my youth I would have dreamed for a kit like this. However, with age, my dream kits got smaller. (Size Matters Theorem: As age increases, the number of cymbals and drums in Greg's drum kit decreases.) In 20 years, my dream kit will likely be a Ludwig Chief snare drum!

That said, I would love to get behind a big kit again!

Cheereo!

GJS

[darrenwalker]

That!!!..my friend is indeed a beast of a kit...Its very growl may shake the planet to its very core!!

Seriously, beautiful drums man.

[Brundlefly]

Amazing looking kit, what an upgrade! Sound clips would be drooled upon as the pics were...thanks for sharing. JIM

Thanks. And now that BlizzCon and summer vacation are finally at an end, it shouldn't be tool long before I have this thing in my studio and some decent sound clips up.

Very nice kit.

In my youth I would have dreamed for a kit like this. However, with age, my dream kits got smaller. (Size Matters Theorem: As age increases, the number of cymbals and drums in Greg's drum kit decreases.) In 20 years, my dream kit will likely be a Ludwig Chief snare drum!

Hehe. At age 12, I started with a single snare drum. Now I'm 43. I'll leave the extrapolation of my personal Size Matters Theorem to you.

That!!!..my friend is indeed a beast of a kit...Its very growl may shake the planet to its very core!!

Seriously, beautiful drums man.

Thanky! And yes, I wanted a drum set that could compete with The Large Hadron Collider. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider)

[Nichalson2112]

That is a beauty! Sound guys must hate you!

[trickymitch]

Man that is a massive kit... lil too big for me but I love the colour. Roughly how long does it all take to set up?

[Brundlefly]

Man that is a massive kit... lil too big for me but I love the colour. Roughly how long does it all take to set up?

Hard to say exactly since I've never set it up from scratch as it stands, but my guess is maybe about an hour. I'm sure it could go faster with practice but it doesn't really matter much. This is not a gigging out kit and it almost never moves.

[Mendozart]

Hey Julian,
Good to see this kit over here. I really like the way it has grown since I saw it last. BTW, I'm the one who bought that 19" Sabian Vault cymbal off you, the cymbal has really worked out well for me. Take care.




Greg

[wy yung]

Brundlefly, lovely kit.

Do you take that thing out on dates? If so, how long does it take to set up and break down? Do you play many venues that can accommodate it?

[Devin93]

What batter side heads are you using on your toms? BTW the kit looks amazing!

[Brundlefly]

Hey Julian, Good to see this kit over here. I really like the way it has grown since I saw it last. BTW, I'm the one who bought that 19" Sabian Vault cymbal off you, the cymbal has really worked out well for me. Take care. Greg

Hey there, Greg. Glad the Vault is working for ya. I figured it would. They always sound great.

Brundlefly, lovely kit. Do you take that thing out on dates? If so, how long does it take to set up and break down? Do you play many venues that can accommodate it?

No. I'm married. Besides, chicks don't really get it when you bring your drums with you to a movie theater. I don't know why. See a few posts down for the setup times and venue answers.

What batter side heads are you using on your toms? BTW the kit looks amazing!

Thanks. Heads are all stock DW. However, I'm planning to give Aquarians a go on the batter side pretty soon.

[dr.funkenstien]

hey, kinda off topic but I'm currently in the process of learning how to use that same Tascam board in the background! haha.

Brendan Colameco
www.myspace.com/brendancolamecodrums

[Drewbrew]

what a nice kit lol. Anyway what are those cables coming from the shell of the drums

[deedubb]

Wow! That kit is truly something else, Amazing!!

Very Nice to see someone else with Mapa Burl :)

[Brundlefly]

hey, kinda off topic but I'm currently in the process of learning how to use that same Tascam board in the background! haha.
www.myspace.com/brendancolamecodrums

Welcome to the DM 4800 club! So far, I'm pretty pleased with it. Does far more than I think I need, which is a good sign that I made the right choice. :) Although, I already do plan on bypassing some of the built in pre-amps in favor of UA 610s for all of the condensers.

what a nice kit lol. Anyway what are those cables coming from the shell of the drums

I had the May internal mic system installed on all toms larger than 10" and the bass. I'm using Audix D2s on the rack toms, D4s on the floors and there's a D6 in the bass. Audix i5s on the snares. Overheads are Audix M1245s and Neumann TLM 103s.

Wow! That kit is truly something else, Amazing!!
Very Nice to see someone else with Mapa Burl :)

Thanks! Mapa Burl was a must have for me. It has elegant patterns that don't get in the way. And being a bright open blonde makes it a more neutral starting place for lacquers.