bennyboyt
Member
I live in Dover, funnily enough, and I still reckon we could drink you under the table
Evans heads a journey for the perfect sound
- Thread starter AirborneSFC
- Start date
I live in Dover, funnily enough, and I still reckon we could drink you under the table
AirborneSFC
Gold Member
Well now I am an adopted German (more like Bavarian) so I have learned to drink The family and I plan on visiting the UK again soon and I would like to return to Dover. Perhaps a visit to The Eight Bells is in order?
Back on the topic....when my studio is setup I would like to use a spectrum analyzer when comparing all the different heads I have. What I honestly hope for is quantifiable data. Obviously shell material, weather, and so forth will all be a variable but hopefully it will guide myself and others to what they are looking for.
What I can say for now is that Coated G2's over clear G1's produce a very deep throaty sound that is very warm. Slightly less attack than clear G2's.
The family and I plan on visiting the UK again soon and I would like to return to Dover. Perhaps a visit to The Eight Bells is in order? Back on the topic....when my studio is setup I would like to use a spectrum analyzer when comparing all the different heads I have. What I honestly hope for is quantifiable data. Obviously shell material, weather, and so forth will all be a variable but hopefully it will guide myself and others to what they are looking for.
What I can say for now is that Coated G2's over clear G1's produce a very deep throaty sound that is very warm. Slightly less attack than clear G2's.
bennyboyt
Member
I imagine it's changed a fair bit since you've last visited, the Eight Bells is quite a grotty pub now, I'd recommend the Red Lion instead.
But yes, back to the topic, I have finally put on the coated G2's over the clear G1's, however I haven't had time to properly test them but that will come tonight. I've also got some mylar rings to help get the sound I want.
But yes, back to the topic, I have finally put on the coated G2's over the clear G1's, however I haven't had time to properly test them but that will come tonight. I've also got some mylar rings to help get the sound I want.
AirborneSFC
Gold Member
Hey everyone I recently settled on this combination so far:
G2 Clear batter over G1 reso. I posted pics on my other thread.
To my ears this setup gives me an equal sound of attack over tone with my kit.
I think its worth noting that I can tell the difference between the Evans G1 vs. clear
Remo Ambassadors.
G2 Clear batter over G1 reso. I posted pics on my other thread.
To my ears this setup gives me an equal sound of attack over tone with my kit.
I think its worth noting that I can tell the difference between the Evans G1 vs. clear
Remo Ambassadors.
AirborneSFC
Gold Member
Just a quick update. I purchased the Tunebot the other day and I had plenty of time to play with my drums. I found a few things out:
14" Snare drums really seemed to work well with Genera snare head over 300 hazy. I used this combo on my Mapex black panther 14x6 with die cast hoops. Honestly for a not so expensive snare it sounds great. Even my old PDP kit snare sounded good with this combo.
I just got my SQ2 snare and soon will switch up heads on it.
On my 13" Benny Greb snare I now feel that it (Genera Snare Head) does not let the drum sing as it should. Its not a bad sound but I am going to a coated G2 I think.
I found that by ear I could tune to very tight tolerances on any size snare. With toms I had a harder time dialing them in. Using the Tunebot I got my toms sounding awesome. I ended up tuning my toms to about a third difference between each size. Also I have the reso head tuned slightly higher than the batter side. Currently I use no moon gels at all. I will likely slip in some cotton balls in my floor toms though. Old trick that really works.
The current combination of G2 clear over G1 I think is great in particular for live. Lately I play a lot of rock and pop and it works. What I would prefer is slightly more warmth to go along with that attack. So I will try a coated G1 on the reso side for a gig or so.
Also on my bass drum I am going to swap out the Emad for an EQ4.
On my birch S Classix kit I really like coated G2's. I am going to use Genera Resonant for the reso all around on this kit. The picture attached is a small theater gig I played. Maybe about 100 or so people.
If I had the time I would take all my setups in the studio or record them so everyone can hear. For those that don't know my two main kits are Sonor Prolite = Vintage maple shell and S Classix = Thin birch shell.
I imagine regardless of drum brands if you had a similar shell construction you could reach similar results with head selection.
14" Snare drums really seemed to work well with Genera snare head over 300 hazy. I used this combo on my Mapex black panther 14x6 with die cast hoops. Honestly for a not so expensive snare it sounds great. Even my old PDP kit snare sounded good with this combo.
I just got my SQ2 snare and soon will switch up heads on it.
On my 13" Benny Greb snare I now feel that it (Genera Snare Head) does not let the drum sing as it should. Its not a bad sound but I am going to a coated G2 I think.
I found that by ear I could tune to very tight tolerances on any size snare. With toms I had a harder time dialing them in. Using the Tunebot I got my toms sounding awesome. I ended up tuning my toms to about a third difference between each size. Also I have the reso head tuned slightly higher than the batter side. Currently I use no moon gels at all. I will likely slip in some cotton balls in my floor toms though. Old trick that really works.
The current combination of G2 clear over G1 I think is great in particular for live. Lately I play a lot of rock and pop and it works. What I would prefer is slightly more warmth to go along with that attack. So I will try a coated G1 on the reso side for a gig or so.
Also on my bass drum I am going to swap out the Emad for an EQ4.
On my birch S Classix kit I really like coated G2's. I am going to use Genera Resonant for the reso all around on this kit. The picture attached is a small theater gig I played. Maybe about 100 or so people.
If I had the time I would take all my setups in the studio or record them so everyone can hear. For those that don't know my two main kits are Sonor Prolite = Vintage maple shell and S Classix = Thin birch shell.
I imagine regardless of drum brands if you had a similar shell construction you could reach similar results with head selection.
Attachments
AirborneSFC
Gold Member
Live my G2 clear over G1 clear combo sounded great!
Also thanks to Evans for hooking me up with some free skins
Also thanks to Evans for hooking me up with some free skins
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A
audiotech
Guest
Also thanks to Evans for hooking me up with some free skins
Are you now an official endorser of their products?
Dennis
Florian
Gold Member
Jeebus,
All the money Ive given Evans over the years and not even a thank you....sheesh. That said, With my Sonor Ascents its G2 clears over G1 clear resos...on the maple SQ2 kit, it is the same. Tried G2 coateds over g1 clears and it was too "heavy"...went back to g2 clears on top. Snares - Evans ST or Power Center Reverse dots over 300 Orchestral. On my Greb its PCRD over 300 hazy.
F
All the money Ive given Evans over the years and not even a thank you....sheesh. That said, With my Sonor Ascents its G2 clears over G1 clear resos...on the maple SQ2 kit, it is the same. Tried G2 coateds over g1 clears and it was too "heavy"...went back to g2 clears on top. Snares - Evans ST or Power Center Reverse dots over 300 Orchestral. On my Greb its PCRD over 300 hazy.
F
AirborneSFC
Gold Member
Dennis,
Good morning sir - currently no but I would gladly endorse them since I use them anyway. I actually perform in a band made up of all Soldiers or folks like me who work for the Army. Since 90% of our performances are for Soldiers, MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) or BOSS (Better Oppurtunity for Single Soldiers) and many unit functions I simply asked Evans if they would do a military donation. The pictures are the answer to that question!
Florian,
In my practice room I was a little nervous because I felt that the G2 over G1 clear did not have the warmth I wanted. However when I played live that was quickly dismissed. What I would honestly like to try is G2 clear over G1 coated. I think that will be the best compromise of attack and warmth.
Right now the only heads I have not tried are the EC2 SST.
The honest truth as to why I plan Evans is consistancy. They are always the same. When I was touring full time I played Remo and Aquarians. Even here recently when I got back into it for me I found an ease of tuning when I switched to Evans. A played a PDP kit for a year with Remo's all around. I then re headed the entire kit with Evans all around and it was a night and day difference. Even my band mates felt they made my drums come a live.
marko138
Silver Member
Live my G2 clear over G1 clear combo sounded great!
Also thanks to Evans for hooking me up with some free skins
Great shot of the kit!
Florian
Gold Member
I too play Evans exclusively...they are the most consistent heads I can get. As for clear over coated, not sure that is a good idea. maybe G2 clears over G+ or G14s as they are both single ply heads (12mil / 14 mil) I played G2 coated over G+ for awhile, but it was too boomy for me. YMMV.
F
Andy
Honorary Member
Sorry man, only just picked this up. Shipping to Germany = easy
On topic: Just about to return the new Custom range kit to G2 over G1 clears, as I know that combo so well. Currently tuning up 3 kits & playing with head combo's in preparation for our drums recording session in two weeks time.
AirborneSFC
Gold Member
So a couple things you can do. One is try placing a few cotton balls in your floor tom. The second is using a small piece of moon gel, gaffers tape or similar on the batter head. Let me know how it works out for you.
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AirborneSFC
Gold Member
Well I don't like to use rings. I think they kill too much of the sound. The cotton balls in the floor tom will remain on the reso head. Naturally this will kill some of the resonance but I think not too much. You might also try tuning your reso head at a slightly higher or lower tension.
A few things to consider:
1. Playing live that resonance might not be a bad thing. It will keep your drum from sounding dead. When I play live I noticed when I tuned low and where I like it to my ear that in the audience it sounded dead.
2. If you are just fine tuning your drum try just lowering or raising the tension on a couple lugs. Give it a try - you will be surprised how well this works.
3. When using some moon gels or gaffers tape you can move them around the drum to get the desire sound you want. Checkout this video for the application:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WLTWvc6AhM
Benny there uses some gaffers tape on both his snare and floor tom! I don't know why but slightly pinching the tape up in the center seems to do the trick! I have even used this method on my bass drum batter head for recording.
You can use this on both your batter and reso side.
4. The room you are playing in has a HUGE impact on how your drums will sound. For example on a wooden stage vs a carpeted drum riser and so forth.
Judging by what you have told me I would think two pieces of moon gel would get your sound closer.
Do you have a 16" floor tom? I have a 14" and 16" and the 14" is always the easiest to tune!
A few things to consider:
1. Playing live that resonance might not be a bad thing. It will keep your drum from sounding dead. When I play live I noticed when I tuned low and where I like it to my ear that in the audience it sounded dead.
2. If you are just fine tuning your drum try just lowering or raising the tension on a couple lugs. Give it a try - you will be surprised how well this works.
3. When using some moon gels or gaffers tape you can move them around the drum to get the desire sound you want. Checkout this video for the application:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WLTWvc6AhM
Benny there uses some gaffers tape on both his snare and floor tom! I don't know why but slightly pinching the tape up in the center seems to do the trick! I have even used this method on my bass drum batter head for recording.
You can use this on both your batter and reso side.
4. The room you are playing in has a HUGE impact on how your drums will sound. For example on a wooden stage vs a carpeted drum riser and so forth.
Judging by what you have told me I would think two pieces of moon gel would get your sound closer.
Do you have a 16" floor tom? I have a 14" and 16" and the 14" is always the easiest to tune!
bennyboyt
Member
Cheers for the advice there!
The room I currently tune it in is a wooden floored area, the drum stands on a carpet however, and the room hasn't got good acoustics generally speaking.
The floor tom size is 14". I read somewhere (may be on here) that for a 2ply coated head you need to tune it a little tighter than a single ply, to get a good sound?
I'm ordering some Moongel tonight so hopefully a slab of that will help me out here, it's quite frustrating having an instrument you can't get to sound right, even though you know it's possible!
The room I currently tune it in is a wooden floored area, the drum stands on a carpet however, and the room hasn't got good acoustics generally speaking.
The floor tom size is 14". I read somewhere (may be on here) that for a 2ply coated head you need to tune it a little tighter than a single ply, to get a good sound?
I'm ordering some Moongel tonight so hopefully a slab of that will help me out here, it's quite frustrating having an instrument you can't get to sound right, even though you know it's possible!
AirborneSFC
Gold Member
No problem! I think we all could use advice sometimes and certainly we all learn from each other.
I think the moon gel and playing with tuning will get you where you want. I found once I played with my band that even my most resonant drums get muted. I tend to have everything miced up at my gigs and usually only my snare needs some dampening. I cut a moon gel in half also last gig and put it on my 16" floor tom.
To be honest on my jazz kit I have a coated G2 on my 14" floor tom and it also is a little boomy. Our band practice room also has wooden floors. I just throw one moon gel on it and its right as rain.
I think the moon gel and playing with tuning will get you where you want. I found once I played with my band that even my most resonant drums get muted. I tend to have everything miced up at my gigs and usually only my snare needs some dampening. I cut a moon gel in half also last gig and put it on my 16" floor tom.
To be honest on my jazz kit I have a coated G2 on my 14" floor tom and it also is a little boomy. Our band practice room also has wooden floors. I just throw one moon gel on it and its right as rain.