Describe the SONOR Sound Please...
- Thread starter Brandtwi
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JustJames
Platinum Member
That great Slazenger sound!
Buddy Roach
Junior Member
Well it's a bit like describing how red looks.
I think Sonor drums sound "round". That makes perfect sense to me but does it help? Not sure that I could describe a sound adequately using words.
JustJames
Platinum Member
trickg
Silver Member
Seriously, how good is a written description of how a certain type of drums sounds? It's pretty subjective based on the impressions and vocabulary of the person making the description. It's no different than having people ask about the sound of various drum heads or cymbals - words only get you so far.
Another example would be whiskey. I like whiskey - particularly bourbon. I read reviews about this, that, and the other, but ultimately when I read a review about whiskey, I'm looking in general for one of two things:
1.) It tastse good and is it worth the price.
2.) It doesn't taste as good as the price would suggest.
3.) Occasionally a review will be like, "don't buy this whiskey - it's harsh, burns, etc..."
Past those things, about the only thing I can really do is take the plunge, buy a bottle for myself, and get my own firsthand impressions on whether or not it's something I'll like and purchase again.
I've always done the same thing with heads. I've never agonized about which heads to buy, or posted questions on a forum about how they sound. I buy them and use them. If I like them, I rate them against other heads I like and decide whether or not I'd use them again, and if I don't, I make the decision to not get them again.
I realize that these are drums, and therefore a lot more expensive than a set of heads, but with that said, Sonor makes good drums - I'd venture to guess that if the OP took the plunge, they'd probably find a way to set them up to where they liked them. Drums are not static - as long as the quality is good, they can be made to sound a variety of ways based on head selection and tuning. If the OP ultimately decides they don't like them well enough, I'm sure they'll get a decent amount of money back on their investment by selling them.
Jeremy Bender
Platinum Member
I feel sorry for the OP asking a genuinely honest question amongst an august group of philosophers.
Truly a lesson in the old saying... "free advice is usually worth what you pay for it."
Truly a lesson in the old saying... "free advice is usually worth what you pay for it."
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trickg
Silver Member
Seriously though, what was he expecting to get? A person can listen to the same kit of drums and come away with totally different impressions due to their own opinions and how they perceive things and how the drums were set up, never mind who may have been playing the drums at the time, the context of where the drums were being heard, whether the kit was mic'ed up at the time, etc.
I agree with Larry Ace - it's an impossible question.
Consider the same question, but change the kit - how do Pearl Exports sound? Here's a kit that has been very popular and widely used - everywhere from bedrooms, to basements and garages, all the way to pretty major gigs. The answer is still going to be the same - we could describe the drums as being punchy, round, warm, deep, etc, but what is that really going to help without actually taking that laundry list of descriptors and applying it to actually hearing/playing the drums in person? (This is aside from the fact that I've heard Exports that sound fantastic, and Exports that sounded like garbage, just because of how they were set up and tuned.)
oldskoolsoul
Silver Member
Nothing, when the answers are that they sound like drums or "DDOOoooouuummm!", "KHUUUDD!" and "KRAAACKK!"..
Best advice to the OP is to stop reading after reply number 10 in this case..
Or to just go play, try and compare a few sets himself..
Odd-Arne Oseberg
Platinum Member
To me "That Great Gretsch Sound" is certainly a marketing phrase, but they have a character you don't get anywhere else.
Most brands, regardless of model have something you can recognize. Mostly on toms as there aren't a million options with those as anything else.
Sonors have a warm, deep and open sound. Modern Sonor, anyway. Easy to understand why people like them. Not for me, but you all know what I like.
This is only personal taste and that's all it can ever be.
Does that sound give you the fuzzys, then if you can afford it, go for it.
.., but yes....
Most people won't care. Most drums in good working condition will do the job.
It's for the sound and feel that makes it the most pleasurable to you.
Brand recognition has played a part in gigs, but it's so common using small company custom stuff these days that it probably doesn't matter much.
If you're not sure if you'll keep them then all major brands should give you a good price as long as you don't get some really weird and unusual sizes.
Most brands, regardless of model have something you can recognize. Mostly on toms as there aren't a million options with those as anything else.
Sonors have a warm, deep and open sound. Modern Sonor, anyway. Easy to understand why people like them. Not for me, but you all know what I like.
This is only personal taste and that's all it can ever be.
Does that sound give you the fuzzys, then if you can afford it, go for it.
.., but yes....
Most people won't care. Most drums in good working condition will do the job.
It's for the sound and feel that makes it the most pleasurable to you.
Brand recognition has played a part in gigs, but it's so common using small company custom stuff these days that it probably doesn't matter much.
If you're not sure if you'll keep them then all major brands should give you a good price as long as you don't get some really weird and unusual sizes.
trickg
Silver Member
Apparently the sarcasm/joke in my post was missed - again, I submit, it's an impossible question to answer with anything other than what you've suggested - go find some and play them to make a firsthand assessment.
No it isn't. It's possible to lend some knowledge on the subject even if the question is somewhat vague. The problem with some of the answers is that they have nothing positive to share and border on ridicule.
Ain't that the truth. :rolls eyes:
I think of beefy deep sounding drums with a lot of attack and pretty strong focused fundamental. Really clean sound, top notch, big and bold. I owned one kit years ago, a Designer (I think thats what it was called) and I was blown away by its construction and hardware. Best hardware on a kit Ive played to date. Kit sounded huge and powerful. I think Sonor are amazing drums. Hope this was helpful, dont get mad at the guys just having some fun, its pretty much all good natured around here and some of us have been around long enough that new threads are really like the 20th time we've discussed it by now and you know, laughter is good.
Now lets describe the taste of an apple...
Now lets describe the taste of an apple...
Buddy Roach
Junior Member
A question regarding how a brand of drums sounds should be met with an answer like "they will sound like drums". That's the most honest answer one can give for this question. It's far more informative than a bunch of subjective adjectives.
OP....for the most part, drums are drums...regardless of the badge. The only way for you to know how they sound is to go find and play some. I get it that not everyone can just find and play "whatever"....but the reality of this physical world is that you either hear them and get informed that way....or rely on warm, round, dooooom, bang, crack, as being the best answers you will get.
EricT43
Senior Member
It's very hard to describe how a drum sounds, especially a whole brand, because Sonor have several lines with different characteristics.
A couple of months ago I bought a mint used Sonor Vintage Series kit in 20/12/14 sizes, along with a matching snare. These are 6mm thick 9-ply beech shells with rounded bearing edges. The build quality is excellent. The edges look and feel as close to perfect as anything I've seen. They tune up very easily and stay in tune for a very long time. I've used them recently in two 3-hour gigs and didn't have to make any tuning adjustments. They have a big tuning range and are warm and punchy-sounding, and project very well. They have a lot of dynamic headroom, by which I mean you can hit them harder and harder, and they just get louder and louder without the sound getting squashed.
Every time I play them in a gig, I think to myself "damn, these drums are awesome." They just sound great. I don't get that feeling quite so often with my DW or Yamaha kits (even though they sound quite good, too). The Sonors make me smile a lot. I am really sold on the quality of Sonor drums. If you can afford them, go for it.
A couple of months ago I bought a mint used Sonor Vintage Series kit in 20/12/14 sizes, along with a matching snare. These are 6mm thick 9-ply beech shells with rounded bearing edges. The build quality is excellent. The edges look and feel as close to perfect as anything I've seen. They tune up very easily and stay in tune for a very long time. I've used them recently in two 3-hour gigs and didn't have to make any tuning adjustments. They have a big tuning range and are warm and punchy-sounding, and project very well. They have a lot of dynamic headroom, by which I mean you can hit them harder and harder, and they just get louder and louder without the sound getting squashed.
Every time I play them in a gig, I think to myself "damn, these drums are awesome." They just sound great. I don't get that feeling quite so often with my DW or Yamaha kits (even though they sound quite good, too). The Sonors make me smile a lot. I am really sold on the quality of Sonor drums. If you can afford them, go for it.
Larry
"Uncle Larry"
I played a backline Sonor kit last night. Pro lites I think but don't quote me. It was miced. The 10" tom sounded glorious. I wasn't crazy about the bass drum, floor tom, and snare tuning, but they were really nice drums. Scandinavian birch, ply, but the outside ply looked stave to me, because of the orientation of the seams. Yet I saw plies, the owner showed me. So I'm not sure how they did that.
veecharlie
Senior Member
Sonor is one of the most respect drum manufacturers in the world. To be honest, their quality is on top of everyone.
Soundwise, they sound great natural already. You have sustain, you have wood tone, and mostly warm.
Of course it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE if you listen a drumkit compressed and EQed online. So don't make conclusions that quick
