Nothing like the sound of a beautifully tuned bass drum...

Is it the floppy beater you're referring to Jonathan? Looks weird to me too. I can only assume the spring is disconnected or something pending setup. Maybe there is some trick I'm not aware of.

Couldn't agree with the thread title more though. I'm pretty anal about tuning.
 
Aha, you've clocked it. What he has there are two electronic trigger pads behind the bass drums, with that funny downwards beater thing I've seen on other videos (Thomas Lang uses them in some of his videos on an e-kit, I think). The bass drums are there for show only.
 
I thought he was going for one of those axis beaters.
 
Yep; he's got a couple of these babies...

top_M.jpg
 
In a way though it's more of an honest approach than using kick drums as midi trigger pads, a la most other metal drummers. In a way this makes more sense, since he's probably playing on the same things he practises on.
 
In a way though it's more of an honest approach than using kick drums as midi trigger pads, a la most other metal drummers. In a way this makes more sense, since he's probably playing on the same things he practises on.

I don't see how it's more "honest". He's still using a trigger system for his bass drums rather than miking them.

The fact of the matter is, drummers who trigger their bass drums are still at least hitting the bass drums, not pretending to.

-Jonathan
 
But if the drums aren't generating the sound, why hit them at all?
 
But if the drums aren't generating the sound, why hit them at all?

You make a point, it's just the deception I don't like, which of course still exists for triggered BD.

I'll stop talking now.

;)

-Jonathan
 
reminds me of the MD interview scandal w/ Kenny Jones (the who) from back in the 80s. had had this STUNNING double-bass yamaha kit & stated that the 1st kick drum was "only to hold up the small toms". had no pedal there & did not play it. the next MD issue, letters poured in about the ethics of bringing a dbl kick kit to this huge gig & only using 1 kick, etc.

check the thumbs-up pic for lack of pedal placement:

+ http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/drums/drums7982.html
 
I'm not a triggering fan either, but this doesn't really bother me (anymore than triggering itself does, which isn't much, to each his own). He is still kicking a pedal to generate the sound. If they removed the empty bass drum shells to be "honest" it would be pretty ridiculous looking.
 
That would be worse. In fact I saw a video recently where a drummer had basically that setup, with real toms and cymbals and a e-kit bass drum pad. Very odd.
 
...I remember watching a television concert with Kiss when they reunited a couple of years ago.

What I remember the most was watching Peter Criss going through the motions and looking more like the kid that played the drums with the Partridge Family than the lethal rock monster that legend says he is/was. The effort that he was displaying was no macth for the power of the playing as it came through in the mix. It looked like he was either triggering, or air drumming to the actual drumtrack.

Either way, his lack of intensity and energy really stood out.

Barry
 
Yah. I don't see it being much different then having a 20ft wide wall of empty Marshall stacks when you're only using one real 1/2 stack (or even a backstage combo amp). Or a monster 12 piece kit, when you're only using 5 pieces for real. Or Tommy Lee's pedal-less (ie not used) 28" inch secondary kick drum. It's just part of the stage show.
 
...I remember watching a television concert with Kiss when they reunited a couple of years ago.

What I remember the most was watching Peter Criss going through the motions and looking more like the kid that played the drums with the Partridge Family than the lethal rock monster that legend says he is/was. The effort that he was displaying was no macth for the power of the playing as it came through in the mix. It looked like he was either triggering, or air drumming to the actual drumtrack.

Either way, his lack of intensity and energy really stood out.

Barry

I've seen that too, very disappointing compared to what he was doing in 1975-76 on the Alive! stuff.

I'm a HUGE fan of great sounding bass drums, and to me, one of the coolest sounds in the world is a great chest thumping bass drum....

But, in a concert setting, after they muffle the drum with whatever they put in, or heads they use (pre-muffled etc...) and put a gate on it ( then use effects to put back "in" the natural boom of the drum), what's difference between a triggered drum and a "pad" kick pedal?
They aren't going for a "great kick sound", they just want something that's easily going to sound good through the PA.
 
you guys remember the Kenny Jones / MD interview scandal from the early 80s ? check the "thumbs up" pic & the text above the images "Kenney reportedly used the second bass drum only as a means to hold the tom toms, and didn’t play this drum.":

+ http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/drums/drums7982.html
 
I agree, string him up!!!!! Kick drums for show?? Argghhh!!!

I did a festival last weekend, and Vince Neil was the headliner at one of the dates I played. His drummer was using a rental back line (Yamaha RC), and there were 2 kicks but with a double pedal.

I sat at the kit, and the hats were a mile away and really high, and the cymbals were above my head! He sat about 12" off the ground on a cut down seat, & the snare stand was cut down too. The floor tom legs were above the rim it was so low.

ALL the heads on the drums but the snare felt like they were just on the drum, I can't really even say there was any tension on anything. He may have tightened them up later, but these were loose as you could get.

I know they used gates on the kick, and they used them on the kit I used too (trans black Mapex Saturn).
I can't believe the guy could do anything on those drums or the (1) bass drum (but Vince Neil's music isn't Dream Theater either....) The kick heads were all P3's.

...Oh, the second kick was not mic'd....at least put a mic on it to look like a real DB kit...
I've seen that a lot though. Much easier for the FOH, so I can understand.
 
Noooooo, this is terrible!!! The beauty of using 2 kicks is that you can generate 2 completely different sounds. That's what I did back in the day. I played a 20" & a 24". What flavour, what energy. Arrrggghhh, this is killing me. I'm an old fart, so I'd better go back to the early 80's where I clearly belong!

As for live kick sounds. I know it's not metal, but I hope you all can experience the FOH sound of Simon Phillips twin 24" kicks on a Toto (or indeed, any rock band) gig. Wide open chest crushing yet musical wonderfulness. Easier for FOH sound? twin spherical objects to that lazy ass approach.

How do you feather a kick with triggers? How do you ghost? Arrgghh, get a freakin drum machine and put a puppet on it.

Annoyed, going home!
 
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