Gavin Harrison here!

The snare I used at the festival was the same that I use on my DVD a 12x5 Sonor designer.

It sounded great, as did the rest of the kit. I was speaking with someone who was at the festival for both days and he mentioned that your Sonors were the best sounding set of the weekend.

Do you remember if the Designer snare was the same one used when you recorded "Creator"? Maybe its me but the snare sounds different in that song (were you using two?) than most of the others on the album. I'm looking into a second snare and that's the sound I'm after.

Thanks.
 
Hi Sonor,
If I can remember correctly, I used my Yamaha 9000 RC 14x5 cranked up high on "Creator". I don't remember using two snares on that track - although I did use 3 hi hats.
A closed pair of 12" Remix on my right with a pair of 8" splashes (half opened) mounted just above them. Plus the regular ones on my left. It was the only way to play that rhythm.

greetings from Japan
Gavin
 
Hey Gavin,
I think that "Orchidia" is some of your most outstanding and accomplished works yet. I'm wondering why PT doesnt have this song in the live rotation. If you could remedy that for the future tour of next year, I think all your fans would be pleasantly surprised! Thanks.

MM
 
Hey Gavin,

I just had to say that you're a great inspiration for me and I love, love your work with Porcupine Tree. The previews of Rhythmic Horizons on Drummerworld blew me away too.
I still need to get my copy, but it's christmas soon. So, Got to see what happens if I ask it from Santa, haha. XD
Anyway, I don't have your Rhythmic Visions DVD either and it said in the description of Rhythmic Horizons; "continues where Rhythmic Visions left of'". Will I be able to understand to full content of the DVD without having seen Rhythmic Visions?

Cheers,
Dex.
 
Hello..........Gavin,

I have been watching my DVD's of PT. and listing to In Absentia.
I enjoy your musical approach and techniques.
Especially interested in your drum sounds. I went through all the previous
threads so not to be redundant. Many of them pertaining to
your snare and bass drum sound. My question is about your tom's sound
I was wondering what sort of processing you are using or not in
getting that tom tom sound? When I saw you in NYC
at the Nokia your tom tom sounds were very similar
to the DVD and the CD recordings. Lots of attack with
little decay. Also, what techniques do you use to tune your drums for
live and studio recordings.
Thanks for the inspiration
Tom Occhiogrosso
 
Hi Tom,
glad you've been enjoying the DVD's (I only know of one DVD that we made - what are the others?).
I have no particular method for tuning drums - just years and years of experience/trial and error of trying to make them sound the way I want. I've tried a lot of head combinations but for the last few years I've settled on Coated Emperors on the top and usually clear ambassadors on the bottom. Don't ask me if the bottom is tighter than the top - because I don't know. Also I don't intentionally tune to a pitch - but the relative distance from tom to tom always comes out the same across the 5 toms.

I heard about an interesting method of dampening the other day. I will try it next time I have a tom that sustains too long. Push cotton wool balls through the air hole and let them rest inside on the bottom head. They should (in theory) jump up when you strike the drum and then fall down again and shorten the sustain. Sounds crazy? I'll give it a go.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Cotton Balls?? What a unique idea.
Thanks again for the insight. This narrows it down for me.
Now I'm thinking that my mikes are to close to the head
so that the over tones are more noticeable. Or maybe the drums
are to close to each other experiencing a sympathetic
harmonic off each other. I think I'm going to try adding
a drum at a time and analyzing each one independently.
Setting up my rack with just toms getting the sound
I want then adding my cymbal hardware latter.
What do you think..or am I just being obsessive?
thanks again for the inspiration
P.S. I enjoyed learning "Blackest Eyes" It was great fun.
Tom O.
 
Hey there!

First of all, the live DVD is great. Brilliant work all the way trough. Special kudos to Lasse Hoile for the editing. It looks fantastic.

I have been going trough the SQ 2 drum system for a while now, and i was wondering if you could give a word of advice on the shell thickness. I've been thinking about the thin shells. Are they, at least in theory, more suitable for me, since i'm not a very heavy hitter. What kind of shells do you prefer.

Thanks!
 
Hi Gavin,
you`ve probably been asked this a few times before. I keep wondering why the drum sound on In Absentia was THAT different from Deadwing. I understand that on the first record you were just about to become a new band member (with all full democratic rights), whereas on Deadwing you had been a full band member for about 4 years, which is probably a different situation when it comes to influence on the sound. So my question is: In retrospect, do you prefer the drum sound on Deadwing over the drum sound on IA?
I for my part think that the drum sound on IA was fantastic (i.e. full and big, but still natural), whereas the drum sound on DW was rather dry and kind of softer (but still great, though). I must admit that I prefer the sound on IA.
And btw, where did you record the drums for IA? A drummer friend of mine, who absolutely fell in love with your way of drumming, wants to know. (I am keyboarder in the first place, but also love drums and guitars.)
 
I have been going trough the SQ 2 drum system for a while now, and i was wondering if you could give a word of advice on the shell thickness. I've been thinking about the thin shells. Are they, at least in theory, more suitable for me, since i'm not a very heavy hitter. What kind of shells do you prefer.

Thanks!

Yes, I'm a bit confused too. I was thinking about the thin shells for my next Sonor kit - but I just played a DeLight at the Montreal Festival and it sounded amazing. They're the "Vintage" thin shells. To be honest I haven't played a Sonor kit that didn't sound really good to me.

Cheers
Gavin
 
.. So my question is: In retrospect, do you prefer the drum sound on Deadwing over the drum sound on IA?
I for my part think that the drum sound on IA was fantastic (i.e. full and big, but still natural), whereas the drum sound on DW was rather dry and kind of softer (but still great, though). I must admit that I prefer the sound on IA.

"In Absentia" was recorded at Avatar in New York. A very famous drum room. "Deadwing" was recorded at my house. I don't prefer one over the other really - I think the drum sounds suited the songs on both records. We wanted a dryer "in your face" sound on DW - whereas IA is a bit more classic drum sounding.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hey Gavin,

Hope everything goes great at the show in Japan tonight. I was thinking about this earlier and figured I'd ask. When Deadwing was mixed did Steven do it all at his own studio or was it done at an outside studio? If he did it at home, did he mix it through his Mackie console or do it all digitally?

Is the recording approach to this album more or less the same as with Deadwing or are you taking a decidedly different recording approach to differentiate it sonically from the previous album. I noticed you had sort of changed your mic set up from the last album and have incorporated more room and ambient mics. Is it safe to say that the album will have a more classic drum sound than Deadwing?

Thanks,
Kenneth
 
Hey Gavin.
Love you long time. Conrats on being featured in Drum Magazine and Modern Drummer in cosecutive months! You deserve it! For PT, do you have unlimited control over what ultimately ends up on tape or does SW have the final say? I have Axis longboards and was curious to know what spring tension you have yours set at. Also, how tight(loose) is your batter head? Last question. Whats the general direction of the new album (without giving too much away)? Thanks!
 
Hey Gavin,

Hope everything goes great at the show in Japan tonight. I was thinking about this earlier and figured I'd ask. When Deadwing was mixed did Steven do it all at his own studio or was it done at an outside studio? If he did it at home, did he mix it through his Mackie console or do it all digitally?

Is the recording approach to this album more or less the same as with Deadwing or are you taking a decidedly different recording approach to differentiate it sonically from the previous album. I noticed you had sort of changed your mic set up from the last album and have incorporated more room and ambient mics. Is it safe to say that the album will have a more classic drum sound than Deadwing?

Thanks,
Kenneth

Hi Kenneth,
I think it's better I tell you more about the new album after it's comes out - and you've heard it. Yes, I've got a slightly different mic set-up than before - and hopefully will be able to use a bit more of the live room this time. We'll see what happens when it gets mixed.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Mr. Hat,
I haven't seen either piece from DRUM! or MD yet - it takes a while for them to make it over to this side of the pond. My Axis pedals are kind of medium tension - although some drummers have sat on my kit and said that the springs felt really tight to them. Pedal set-up is such a personal thing - I can barely play any other drummers' pedals. I guess the head is on pretty loose - just tighter than the point where there would be wrinkles. I would find it very hard to play if there wasn't a pretty large pillow in there.

Cheers
Gavin


Hey Gavin.
Love you long time. Conrats on being featured in Drum Magazine and Modern Drummer in cosecutive months! You deserve it! For PT, do you have unlimited control over what ultimately ends up on tape or does SW have the final say? I have Axis longboards and was curious to know what spring tension you have yours set at. Also, how tight(loose) is your batter head? Last question. Whats the general direction of the new album (without giving too much away)? Thanks!
 
Hi Gavin!

There's nothing I can possibly add to the gushing and well-deserved praise for your work from the other posters here - except to say - your work on IA made me sit up and take notice of your spectacular talent, like no drummer ever has.

You are very kind to respond to your kindreds here. Says a lot about ya.

Love the new PT DVD, and I have your instructional DVD in my cart at Amazon.com. (Don't know a thing about your craft, but you compel me to learn more.)

Thanks for making life more interesting!
 
Hello Gavin...

Just going over some of your clips here on DW for about the 100th time. I don't think these clips are going to lose their effect on me for a while. Brilliant work.

Concerning 2 of the clips (Futile, and Swerve)...

It's always enlightening to see a drummer be successful in handling 2 different styles of music. I mean Futile, and Swerve don't seem to be anywhere near the same genre. Both have very different feel, but you show fantastic pocket in both songs.

My question is. What were your practice routines (if any) to be able to play different styles with such great feel, and groove? Is it something you always had to work on, or was it always there?
 
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