But, I really wonder about this "my sound" thing. Even if you are used to session work, most folks have no real idea what their drums sound like to a live audience... Somebody needs to be conversant in how drums can be made to sound, how the PA can affect that, and how the overall mix of the band should sound. And being at the back of the stage behind the kit is not a place where that can be easily accomplished.
Exactly, and this is why I pointed out the importance of relying on the soundman (if they're good, of course.) The
drummer doesn't tell the sound man (or the producer, or the songwriter) how his drums are going to sound...
they tell the drummer what they need in order to make the drums sound best (and/or they just do what they want anyway.) They hear things that we don't, and the drummer insisting that their resonant drum be mic'd and they're not going to adjust the tuning or damping if needed, can easily result in a bad drum sound that the sound guy can't control on his own.
It's crucial that the drummer understands why drums sound different depending on where one hears it. I've said dozens of times that a mic hears things differently and inch or two from the head, than we do sitting behind the kit, or from in front. It seems obvious, it's certainly true, yet drummers just seem to disregard that rule of physics.
The only way to begin to get a kit to sound like it does to the drummer's ear, is to mic it from that perspective - with very low overheads. Unfortunately, in a concert setting, the ambience makes this fairly impossible without isolating the drummer, which of course changes the sound yet again.
I'm just not sure why so many drummers think they can shove their drum sound down the sound guy's throat. Apart from the fact that it simply doesn't work in the real world of amplified/recorded music, the sheer arrogance of it makes the drummer less appealing to work with. In this business, the
nice guys finish first. Ever met any really successful drummers with an attitude? That's because there aren't very many (I've only met one that I didn't instantly like.) But how many unsuccessful drummers have an attitude about their playing and what
they want in music?
Well, there's a reason. Playing music is teamwork. While there are many guitar & piano players who can perform on their own, drummers almost always have to work with other musicians. Let's say that two drummers audition equally well, and one is funny, easy-going, carries a conversation well... and the other is a bit intense (
not to be mistaken for confidence.) Guess which one gets hired almost every time? Maybe the intense guy is noticeably better, but the easy guy carries the song well, too. He'll probably still get hired over the better drummer.
Nice guys finish first. Be a nice guy. Work with the sound guy. If he says a drum needs a tweak, do it. There shouldn't even be a question about it.
What do you suppose Vinnie does when an engineer tells him to make an adjustment on a drum? If anyone said "Vinnie tells him
'no'..." then please forget about a career in music.
Bermuda