Gavin Harrison here!

Hello again Gavin.!:.!:.!

I'm thinking about buying a sonor force 2007.

Do you have any experience with this set? Do you know if it's worthwhile?
Is it a midrange quality set or something I can play with a long period of time?

Edit: Also, would it fit for versatile metal drumming? I mean, both for the very heavy parts and for the mellow parts?

Thankfull for any kind of answer,
David Lingdell.
 
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Hey Gavin,
Just wanted to say I've got tickets to one of your upcoming shows and I'm looking forward to it, it'll be awesome. I hope you'll play some songs from Nil Recurring, I'm looking forward to hearing those songs either way. What songs have you guys been closing with on this tour? I get the impression that before FOABP it was usually Trains or Halo, but I don't know if that's still true (or if it was even very true originally). Personally I'm hoping for Trains.
Thanks for taking time to talk to all of us
 
Hi Drizzle,

Are you setting up a new website or a FAQ section on your website or something?

It will be a new info website where you can search the Q&A data base of this thread.

Also regarding the S-Hoops, my snare always collects lots of debris (stick shavings, dust) between the head and the rim, so sometimes I'll turn it upside down to get rid of it, but with an S-Hoop that won't work, do you have the same problem? Or do you replace your heads so frequently that there's no debris.

I've never had that problem with the S-Hoops. I change the snare head about every 2 to 3 shows.

Hi angelo,

Finally i I have tried 14x5 snare drum 4mm,round edge, large hole(2inch) this sound very-very beautiful,volume is much more high and thin shell produces low frequency


Glad you're enjoying your snare drum. My favorite configuration is birch 14x5 with round bearing edges.

Hi ChrisBassdrum,

i wondered how the videos are so synchron to the music. is it because of a click, which you hear on your monitorsound or because of the lightengineer, who starts the videos?

Yes we play to a click when there's a video to keep the sync. The videos are triggered by the computer that is also generating the click.

If you hear a click than is it all in 4/4 or did you convert it in the right meters?

Yes it changes meters with the music.

Hi davling,

I'm thinking about buying a sonor force 2007.
Do you have any experience with this set? Do you know if it's worthwhile?
Is it a midrange quality set or something I can play with a long period of time?


I've never played one - but I have seen the quality of the build at close range when I was at the Frankfurt show and they look great. I'd be amazed if they didn't sound great too. The mid priced S Classix looked even better - like a really pro set.

Hi hauk,

I hope you'll play some songs from Nil Recurring, I'm looking forward to hearing those songs either way. What songs have you guys been closing with on this tour? I get the impression that before FOABP it was usually Trains or Halo, but I don't know if that's still true (or if it was even very true originally).

We haven't decided which songs we will play on the next tour yet...but if you want to hear a teaser of the Nil Recurring EP have a listen to the edited medley here..

http://www.myspace.com/porcupinetree

cheers
Gavin
 
Gavin,

Love the new preview of Nil Recurring. At about 14 seconds into the preview I hear something that reminds me of Steve Gadd on "50 Ways...". Anyway, its got a nice march feel to it as you're complimenting the 16th note guitar-like sample. Nicely done!

Will PT have any Chicago stops during the next leg of the tour?

Thanks
Jeff

www.myspace.com/jeffvdrums
 
Hi Gavin

Hi angelo,

Finally i I have tried 14x5 snare drum 4mm,round edge, large hole(2inch) this sound very-very beautiful,volume is much more high and thin shell produces low frequency


Glad you're enjoying your snare drum. My favorite configuration is birch 14x5 with round bearing edges.


http://www.myspace.com/porcupinetree

cheers
Gavin


Yes,i have played my custom made snare drum,"i think that music is magic", it is my big passion and i live for this all days of my life.
yeah! I know your configuration well the snare sound of fear of a blank planet is my favorite
i think that this is Yamaha recording custom.I have three birch snare with round bearing edge
1) 6ply 3,9mm keller shell
1)8ply 5,3mm " " "
1)10ply 6,8mm " " "
all snare with Puresound P1412 wire cut down 8", strainer is trick or yamaha
I can't play "safehoop" because
they are not imports in Italy
thanks for all experiment thanks a lot
Angelo
 
Hello.
If you could only practice for 1 hour of any day, what would your practice regime?
Thanks.
//Vincent.
 
Hi Gavin - love the Nil Recurring preview! Also, I can't wait to see you in Orlando in October (I'm bringing a gang of my friends to the show!)

I was curious, for a player of your level (staggering for many here to comprehend!), are there types of fills or rhythms that give you trouble? What types of things have you found most challenging recently? How did you overcome that challenge? Were there specific PT songs that pushed you to the edge of your ability or is PT more musically within your comfort zone?

P.S. I have found Rhythmic Horizons quite mind-bending! Thanks!
 
Hi Gavin,

Another "production" question from me. Again about In Absentia (its just one of the best drum sounds I ever heared).

In your studio, do you use the built in preamps from the mackie desk as the preamps for all the mics? Or is there any other kind of preamp you use for (some of) the mics? I know you have some very good mics that sound just great but still, preamps can make it sound different.

Its just that Im still amazed by the drumsound on the albums. They sound clear and crisp and cut trough everything. There is so much detail and it all still sounds extremely natural. If you really record with the mackies as preamp, a good room and some good mics (and of course a fantastic sounding drumkit) then Im really amazed !

Also, what soundcard(s) are you using at the moment and what kind of mac? I assume you replaced the G3 with a powermac G5 ?

Cheers,
Santi
 
Hi JeffV71,
thanks for the comments about the preview - I don't hear it as a "50 Ways" thing myself, but I know what you mean.
Unfortunately I don't think we're going to make it to Chicago on our next US trip. We trying to get to some areas that we haven't been to - or not been to for a long time.

Hi Vinnysimmo,

If you could only practice for 1 hour of any day, what would your practice regime?

I don't have practice regimes anymore. When I did - one hour would certainly not have been long enough by far...back in those days I would practice for 6 hours a day. It really depends at what stage you are in your development. I guess you first need to ask yourself questions like these : How's your time keeping skills? How's your reading? What do you want achieve in drumming? Do you want to be a pro player or just play for fun and earn a living doing something else?

Having a good teacher guiding you along is a big help too.

Hi cygnify,

I was curious, for a player of your level (staggering for many here to comprehend!), are there types of fills or rhythms that give you trouble? What types of things have you found most challenging recently? How did you overcome that challenge? Were there specific PT songs that pushed you to the edge of your ability or is PT more musically within your comfort zone?


All fills and rhythms gave me trouble at some point in time. I can't think of a PT tune that pushes me to the edge of my ability - none of it is really that hard to play (on paper). Pulling it off successfully night after night is another thing - and improvising fills/rhythms can be as challenging as I want to make it. Should I play safe and do exactly what I've already worked out on the record - or should I live on the edge and take some chances? It depends on my mood on a particular night - but when I can I try to push myself into taking some chances.

From a difficulty point of view - I think there's some stuff on the new PT EP that is as challenging as we've gone so far. My new project with 05Ric is probably the hardest material I've ever played to date. Not because it's mind boggling difficult or anything - but just from my point of view of trying to make musical rhythmic designs that mean something to the compositions and have a smooth flow through the odd time signatures and dynamics of the pieces.

Hi SantiBanks,

Another "production" question from me. Again about In Absentia
In your studio, do you use the built in preamps from the mackie desk as the preamps for all the mics? Or is there any other kind of preamp you use for (some of) the mics? I know you have some very good mics that sound just great but still, preamps can make it sound different.


First of all In Absentia was recorded at Avatar in NYC. Only the drums on Deadwing and FOABP were recorded at my home. Yes I used the mic amps on the Mackie 3208. They sound good to my ears. I hired a set of very high end mic amps and did a direct A-B test with them and the Mackie - and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. I had some musician friends come round and I blind tested them. They couldn't hear it either. Maybe they make a difference with vocals/guitars/strings etc - but certainly not with my drums.

Yes, I am using a G5 now - and I use Apogee Rosetta 800's.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi SantiBanks,

First of all In Absentia was recorded at Avatar in NYC. Only the drums on Deadwing and FOABP were recorded at my home. Yes I used the mic amps on the Mackie 3208. They sound good to my ears. I hired a set of very high end mic amps and did a direct A-B test with them and the Mackie - and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. I had some musician friends come round and I blind tested them. They couldn't hear it either. Maybe they make a difference with vocals/guitars/strings etc - but certainly not with my drums.

Yes, I am using a G5 now - and I use Apogee Rosetta 800's.

cheers
Gavin

Thanks for the info ! Interesting to read about the A-B test. I heared the preamps in the new mackies (the onyx series) are even better. I find this very interesting because on forums like gearslutz and the like, this kind of preamps etc and desks are concidered "Low End". But I find it very funny on the other hand that the PT albums are very high aclaimed there (Like FOABP and In Absentia), also sound and production wise.
Just snobby people thinking more in expensive brandnames then actually listen to what things sound like...

Thanks again for sharing !
 
Gavin,

The more I listen to Unsettled the more entranced I get by this drum track. This song is really "cooking" and I can only imagine the pool of sweat you had after recording this take. I can truly appreciate hearing the separation between the notes you're playing just in the opening snare, tom, and kick patterns alone! What an ambitious and magnificent drum track!

Considering your methods in rhythmic design, achieving smoothness over odd time signatures, complimenting the melody and other instruments, and not to mention recording it, how long did it take you to finish that track (how many takes?) ?

Thanks again for communicating to us on drummerworld. Such a great pleasure to talk shop with you!

Cheers
Jeff
 
Hi JeffV71,

"Unsettled" was no exception on this record. All the songs required an immense amount of work/concentration and rehearsing on my part to A) find the right parts that I wanted to play and then B) make a performance of them. I pretty much started by writing out some of the really detailed stuff - like the intro pattern on "Unsettled". Although this isn't exactly the part I played on the final version - it is exactly note for note the part I played on the demo (that 05Ric wrote that section to). I was reading this as I was recording the final version but not sticking to it 100%.

Unsettled intro.jpg

I probably spent 3 days rehearsing the whole piece until I felt comfortable enough to try and record it. That was about the average for most of the others too. Normally I can get a track down in a day or an afternoon. Yes, I was completely exhausted at the end of it - and in the back of mind - worried that I might have to perform all these songs live one day. But, I have felt like that about other pieces I've done in the past and they've come out fine once I've rehearsed them enough.

Glad you enjoy it - we hope to release the finished CD before the end of September.

cheers
Gavin
 
Gavin,

Do you ever have tempo problems on certain songs when rehearsing/playing live? or have you just played the song so many times that it is embedded in your brain? It seems my last two band rehearsals this week I've been in a slum, on 2 songs, and we have a show this Saturday and I'm worried.

Sincerely,
Rob
AKA "I'm in a tempo slum"
 
Hi Gavin
How are you?. Is not successful to find in Italy book CONTEMPORARY STUDIES FOR THE SNARE DRUM by Fred Albright.Can you say of what about of this?
Can i use something of similar? Which?
thanks very very very a lot, for me you are a groove master, solid,clear
Angelo
 
Hi crookedrook,

Do you ever have tempo problems on certain songs when rehearsing/playing live? or have you just played the song so many times that it is embedded in your brain? It seems my last two band rehearsals this week I've been in a slum, on 2 songs, and we have a show this Saturday and I'm worried.

I'm not sure what you mean. Are the tempos wrong to start with - or are they slowing down/speeding up throughout the song or in sections? Some tempos are quite hard to pull off live. They might be difficult because they are really fast or (more likely) really slow. Perhaps the drum part is difficult to play? Either way I would use a click for at least the beginning of the tune just to get settled in. When you're worried about a tempo - chances are that it won't help you play it right. You need to feel relaxed and focused.


Hi angelo

Is not successful to find in Italy book CONTEMPORARY STUDIES FOR THE SNARE DRUM by Fred Albright.Can you say of what about of this?


you can find it in many places via the internet. Do a search in google for it. Probably it will come from the USA.

cheers
Gavin
 
We recorded these songs already using a click track and had the right tempo (bps). Our lead guitarist starts the song and if you remember Kasmir from Led Zepplin that's what the drum beat sounds like. It does, however, speed up and slow down throughout the song and it really aggravates me. We do have some parts that go into a 6 count that when we get to them we tend to slow down instead of keeping tempo and it is really easy to drag because of the way we are playing them. I will take a metronome with me tomorrow night just to set it right before we play.

Hi crookedrook,

Do you ever have tempo problems on certain songs when rehearsing/playing live? or have you just played the song so many times that it is embedded in your brain? It seems my last two band rehearsals this week I've been in a slum, on 2 songs, and we have a show this Saturday and I'm worried.

I'm not sure what you mean. Are the tempos wrong to start with - or are they slowing down/speeding up throughout the song or in sections? Some tempos are quite hard to pull off live. They might be difficult because they are really fast or (more likely) really slow. Perhaps the drum part is difficult to play? Either way I would use a click for at least the beginning of the tune just to get settled in. When you're worried about a tempo - chances are that it won't help you play it right. You need to feel relaxed and focused.


Hi angelo

Is not successful to find in Italy book CONTEMPORARY STUDIES FOR THE SNARE DRUM by Fred Albright.Can you say of what about of this?


you can find it in many places via the internet. Do a search in google for it. Probably it will come from the USA.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin -

Thanks again for chatting with us here.

Could you break down what you're doing with that flurry of kick drum craziness in the middle of Anesthetize? I understand the rhythmic pattern, I'm just curious how you're physically achieving it. Are those all single-strokes on the kick drum between accents?

Looking forward to seeing you guys in Nashville. I was part of the scene there for a few years and toured with some well-known country artists before coming back to "normal" family life. You guys should wander over to Printers Alley and get up and play a bit after your show. It's where all the players hang out and it's a great vibe there...and you never know who might get up to play/sing a couple.

Thanks!
Kirk
 
Hi Gavin How are you?
I read in internet text books of "Berklee" college:
"Musical studies for the intermediate snare drummer" / Garwood Whaley
"Portaits in rhythm" /Anthony Cirone
"Rudimental primer" / Mitchell Peters
" All american drummers" / Charley Wilcoxon
know you someone of these? have you used someone?
What do you think about?
thanks a lot "Master groove!".
Angelo
 
Hi KirkDS

Could you break down what you're doing with that flurry of kick drum craziness in the middle of Anesthetize? I understand the rhythmic pattern, I'm just curious how you're physically achieving it. Are those all single-strokes on the kick drum between accents?

look back one page to post No.1407 the second written example is exactly the part you need.
Yes, they are all single strokes on the bass drum - and always starting with the right foot.

Hi angelo,
from your list above - the only book I know is the Charley Wilcoxon book. I would say that the Fred Albright book is more advanced than that.

Cheers
Gavin
 
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