Live Big Band Setup

Clayton_C

Senior Member
This is my live set-up with my school drum set, mics and all.
Here are the specs:


Ludwig Classic Maple
18" Bass Drum I believe
14" Snare
10", 13", and 14" mounted toms
(I traded the stock snare for a Supraphonic after my small combo played and we went into the more ballistic big-band section of the night.)
Cymbals (left to right)
14" AAX Stage Hats
20" Zildjian Orchestral Suspended Cymbal
16" AAX Stage Crash
20" AAX Stage Ride
18" Zildjian Avedis Medium Thin Ride with 6 rivets (which is WAY to many... I taped over 4 of them, which improved the sizzle and reduced the sustain of the cymbal itself, unfortunately)
Accessories
LP Black Beauty Cowbell

I don't know the spec on the mics, but when I get the recordings, I'll be sure to post them up on the "Your Playing" Section. Here's a youtube video of me playing "Rock This Town" by Brian Setzer during the event (sorry, it's a little dark, but the sound's not bad.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCzHPAjfX_Y

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NICE i like that kit looks great and sounds great you play it great,
btw, how do you like those hats.
 
Thanks for the compliments
They're pretty versatile. If I had my pick, I'd take some Zildjian Light Hihats, but with the AAXs I've found that you can get anywhere from a pretty loud open effect to a fairly quiet jazz click on 2 and 4.
 
Must be a great feeling to play in a band like that, with a kit like that! Are AAX hats good for music like this? I thought this kind of music required darker cymbals?
 
I usually like the darker sound when I'm playing in small trios, etc... but for big band, I've found that AAs and AAXs really have a GREAT vintage sound. Obviously, they're not going to quite match up with old Ks, but the tonal quality is similar and they cut through the music without being annoying. I feel like darker cymbals might get lost in the mix a bit.

And yeah, it is a great feeling! Supposedly we're doing the full chart of Channel One Suite (by Buddy Rich, obviously) this year... I cant WAIT to get my hands on that thing!
 
Wow! Thats a great looking kit - cant beat the natural look!
I watched the quick vid and i gotta say nice chops man, great rythem, nice finish!
Couple questions -1 - how do you like the Pinstripe heads, they sounded great! and 2 - how has your experience been with your Sabians?
Again - love the whole setup and keep up the excellent drumming!
 
The pinstripes are PERFECT for this set. Absolutely perfect. I'll have to post the recordings when I get them, because I'm positive they'll really sing through the overhead mics. I have used the Dave Weckl tuning method for this whole drum set, (see this: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_RoUQyv5A) and I can tell you, it really works well.

And the Sabians, as I mentioned in the earlier posts, work moderately well. I've noticed that the AAXs fill out the sound of the drums very well, while the two Zildjians (the orchestral and the med crash) offer plenty of volume and trash when needed, while still perfectly rideable.
 
A muffled bass and pinstripe heads for swing?? That's different. I use big open drums myself for that traditional vibe. Good luck with the Channel One thing.
 
Music stands say "BCHS", so if i'm not correct this is a high school band??? You have some awful nice gear. I guess you have a nice music budget. Why don't you just remove those rivets instead of taping them over?
 
Yeah, we're a high-school band. The gear is spectacular, but I'm not sure how our budget compares to other schools. As we are a private Christian school, I don't think we actually a great budget at all, but the music department is the school's baby, really. And as good as this kit looks, the hardware and cymbals are actually pretty much a frankenstein. I've just grabbed odd cymbals from the classical percussion cabinet, and found some extra matching Gibraltar hardware in a closet one day for the extra crash and the cowbell.

I didn't remove the rivets because (and I know, this is stupid) my band director doesn't believe me when I tell him that all the pro drummers the world 'round use riveted cymbals for rides. He asserts that they are "strictly special effects cymbals, nothing more." So rather than contradict him and cause a feud, I just taped over them. Whats a slightly deader cymbal against an angry music teacher?
 
Yeah, we're a high-school band. The gear is spectacular, but I'm not sure how our budget compares to other schools. As we are a private Christian school, I don't think we actually a great budget at all, but the music department is the school's baby, really. And as good as this kit looks, the hardware and cymbals are actually pretty much a frankenstein. I've just grabbed odd cymbals from the classical percussion cabinet, and found some extra matching Gibraltar hardware in a closet one day for the extra crash and the cowbell.

Yeah, the part that really gets me is the CM ludwig. My school's cymbals are pretty similar to yours (aax stages as well).

2000 posts!!!
 
Sweet kit, i'm getting a Ludwig Classic Maple in two weeks, in that same finish. So excited for it.
 
Congrats! It's a stunning kit, I'd definitely recommend Remo Pinstripes on all the toms, no muffling needed. I'm sure you'll love it!
 
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