Which kit really sounds like THIS ?

Buy any kit , put on any head, and tune anyway and my bet you’ll never get that processed sound from any kit. So what you need to focus on is recording your kit so it sounds like that! So you don’t need a new kit or heads just a hefty expense for new mics and recording/processing gear. Heck you can mic a cajon and make it sound thunderous and reverb-y like that.
 
I now use a Tama Silverstar 4-tom set with Zildjian K and Paiste PST cymbals and it's pretty decent. But as a rock drummer I'm looking for a kind of sound that I do hear in YouTube videos and on records and seldomly live, but that's always with audio editing or distortions. The kits I can play in shops, rehearsal rooms (including the Tama Starclassic) etc. generally don't sound like that in real life. And what I search is hard to describe with words. So here's a vid from Tama - I'm looking for a shell set of which bass and toms sound in reality (unaltered) like this:


The snare I will probably buy seperately. Which kit would you suggest? And what other measures to take regarding shell sizes, head types, yes or no dampening etc.

Problem is also that my favorite drummers tend to have custom gear, like Alex van Halen and Nicko McBrain.

Thanks for any feedback!
There are no kits that sound like that in person. Period.

Further, any kit can sound like that with enough processing.
 
Further, any kit can sound like that with enough processing.

Don't forget tuning, head choice, muffling, and porting. Replace that kit with a tightly-tuned, unmuffled, un-ported bop kit with single ply heads, and you'd get something entirely different.

The hoops are also contributing somewhat to the dry, focused tom sound, so the OP might want to consider a kit with die-cast hoops. Toms are tuned low, of course, and this is appropriate for some genres. Low tuning, muffling, bass drum ports -- these are not bad or good; it depends on the music you wish to play, and how you want to sound to the audience.

But the processing on this recording is considerable.

At minimum, the processing requirements would be an EQ, Gate, and compressor for every channel/mic, a stereo pair of overheads, and at least one room mic a bit further away from the kit. Most hardware mixers don't have the processing, so you'd need at least a Presonus Studiolive (or similar), or an 8-channel preamp and a computer running Logic, Protools, etc.

But, you really do need the large, reverberant room, to get that sound. Even the most expensive reverb software sounds pretty lame, when compared to real sound waves bouncing around the place, captured by microphones (preferably a stereo pair). The very best software and gadgets around are not very convincing, if you've been lucky enough to record the real thing.

It's not uncommon to search out a good-sounding room to record drums. Zeppelin famously hung microphones off a balcony to record Levy Breaks. Phil Collins used a room with a stone wall. The Red Hot Chili Peppers used the marble foyer of a mansion. And so on. It's about giving the drum sound some character. But in this case, the character is really coming from the room and the processing. Muffling, tuning, head choice, and the bass drum head port are also playing a role.

But the OP's ears are probably hearing that reverb, mostly. Which isn't *really* the drum sound.
 
But the processing on this recording is considerable.

At minimum, the processing requirements would be an EQ, Gate, and compressor for every channel/mic, a stereo pair of overheads, and at least one room mic a bit further away from the kit. Most hardware mixers don't have the processing, so you'd need at least a Presonus Studiolive (or similar), or an 8-channel preamp and a computer running Logic, Protools, etc.

This is one of the reasons . suggested the OP look at the EAD10. ~$500 and BAM, you get a workably close facsimile of the kit in the video.
 
This is one of the reasons . suggested the OP look at the EAD10. ~$500 and BAM, you get a workably close facsimile of the kit in the video.

So how does that thing work? I plug mics and a camera into it, then it to the CPU, and I get a video that sounds like I'm in a giant cave? I really don't understand this stuff.
 
So how does that thing work? I plug mics and a camera into it, then it to the CPU, and I get a video that sounds like I'm in a giant cave? I really don't understand this stuff.

Looking at the EAD 10, it's two condensers (left/right) and a BD trigger. The module does DSP magic and mixes the samples, coloration (eq, compression), and ambient effects (reverb, delay, distortion).

Since there are only two mics, I don't think it does any high-brow computation like beam-forming positional stuff.


For a sub $500 clip-on... My only real complaint is that it isn't $250. I'm patiently waiting on one to turn up on CL for the right price.
 
Looking at the EAD 10, it's two condensers (left/right) and a BD trigger. The module does DSP magic and mixes the samples, coloration (eq, compression), and ambient effects (reverb, delay, distortion).

Since there are only two mics, I don't think it does any high-brow computation like beam-forming positional stuff.


For a sub $500 clip-on... My only real complaint is that it isn't $250. I'm patiently waiting on one to turn up on CL for the right price.

That was really cool. It does pretty much what I would like in a recording setup. It's simple and all in one. Good for us who don't really know anything about recording audio and video. This may be a purchase for me sometime in the future.
 
If you practice with hearing protection, the drums will sound to you like they do in the audience.
That's actually a pretty good tip. I'm notorious for not using protection but I've begun to see the light recently and have been using an inexpensive pair of Fender brand earplugs. The drums almost sound miced to me now. It's a rather pleasant effect.
 
My take:

When it comes to "drum sound", it is important to consider where do you want your drums to sound good?

In your head, On your throne, or out in the audience? They may not always be the same. Or they may be a mix / compromise of those considerations...

For instance, I feel that a lot of drums I hear out in the world are tuned to sound big, or "good" for near field perspective. Think thuds and low boomy attack.

Then there is setting up a kit to sound good from 25' to 50' away. This may not sound the best at the drummer's point of reference. Think less muffled open sounding or ringy sounding drums. With other instruments, and out in the audience, you won't hear that ringy quality that much.

But, when you throw a sound guy, or recording engineer into the mix, (pun intended), all bets are off. This is the world of make believe where literally, anything is possible. From enchanting fairy tales to shrieking horror stories, it's all there man.
 
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I now use a Tama Silverstar 4-tom set with Zildjian K and Paiste PST cymbals and it's pretty decent. But as a rock drummer I'm looking for a kind of sound that I do hear in YouTube videos and on records and seldomly live, but that's always with audio editing or distortions. The kits I can play in shops, rehearsal rooms (including the Tama Starclassic) etc. generally don't sound like that in real life. And what I search is hard to describe with words. So here's a vid from Tama - I'm looking for a shell set of which bass and toms sound in reality (unaltered) like this:


The snare I will probably buy seperately. Which kit would you suggest? And what other measures to take regarding shell sizes, head types, yes or no dampening etc.

Problem is also that my favorite drummers tend to have custom gear, like Alex van Halen and Nicko McBrain.

Thanks for any feedback!
Obviously you understand now that those drum sounds are heavily processed. To get closer to that sound in real life, if you are looking to buy a shell pack, then go for those Tama Starclassics - they're great drums, and you know that with enough processing, they can sound like what you want. But IRL they won't sound like that, but you can get closer to that sound by using double-ply heads, heavy sticks, play hard, tune low, and put some gels on the heads to muffle the resonance.
 
This is not a serious question, obviously it's a gag. Nobody could possibly actually believe those or any drums sound like that natually.
 
A friend's band did a record at the Powerstation in NYC in the early 90's. The drums had massive room tone; I asked what processing they used.
Turns out they had mics placed at the ceiling.
So yeah, BIG room. Low tuning. Hit hard. Gate accordingly.
 
Piggybacking off Brent's excellent post about tuning for the stage, or 25 or 50 feet away....this obviously applies to unmiced gigs (the drums).

I'm never miced so I learned to listen through the ring and some errant overtones from the throne...because I understand that the ring and yes even some errant overtones....they make the drum sound fully like a drum from a distance. Even the smallest bit of gel on the rack toms will KILL your unmiced tom tone in the audience. Floor toms not as much.

Teach yourself to listen past the "imperfections" of the toms, or better yet, totally embrace them. They really are your friend. Not your nemesis.

And in the end, it's 100% how the drummer plays. In other words, a great drummer playing on a really badly tuned kit...is still remembered as a great drummer. To me a great tone is the thing that pushes it over the top but really, the magic is in the drummer and what he does to bring the kit alive.

A drum is NOTHING without a drummer. It will just sit there for eternity, not making a noise, until something brings life to them. THAT is where the magic is, playing the drums, not the sound they make. The takeaway here? A great drummer trumps the worst sounding set out there. Time feel is the #1 most important aspect of my playing and the thing I care about the most. Don't get me wrong, I am a total tone slut, but I know firmly where it sits in order of priority. It's closer to the bottom of the list than the top, as far as the really important things go.

I play a bass drum with a full head and 1 T shirt inside to absorb the basketball tones. Onstage, yea it's not my preferred BD tone. But 20 feet away, it's everything I always wanted in a bass drum tone. Some concessions must be made for unmiced drums.
 
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Thank you all for your suggestions. I decided to start at the basis, get a top shell set (which has become a Ludwig Classic Maple) and delve into the working of heads and try several, and learn how to tune drums and experiment with damping. And I'm moving ever closer to where I want to be :)

Here's my current kit:

IMG20210905153514.jpg

IMG20210905153301.jpg
 
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Those aren't Tama drums!..Its a Tempus carbon fiber kit with tama hardware. You can't hear that!?. Don't listen to THESE Fauci disciples!. But seriously they sounded like cardboard boxes tuned immaculately. I'm not kiddin.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. I decided to start at the basis, get a top shell set (which has become a Ludwig Classic Maple) and delve into the working of heads and try several, and learn how to tune drums and experiment with damping. And I'm moving ever closer to where I want to be :)
Well damn ...... you ain't messing around, are you??? ;) Nice kit. Nice studio.
 
Here is how the drums you posted actually sound.

Clearly, the drums in the first video have some eq, processing, compression, etc... on them. If you want that sound..naturally...I think you are going to be out of luck.

This sounds so much better to me than that over processed crap in the OP. But even this sound is far beyond what is achievable without mixing. The closest I've gotten to that sound without mics is with Evand e-rings. High quality earpro would probably make a difference too. I say "probably" because all I've ever used are cheap ones.
 
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Thank you all for your suggestions. I decided to start at the basis, get a top shell set (which has become a Ludwig Classic Maple) and delve into the working of heads and try several, and learn how to tune drums and experiment with damping. And I'm moving ever closer to where I want to be :)

Here's my current kit:

View attachment 108356

View attachment 108357

Good move!

Ludwig CM's are definitely a solid start. I love mine!!!
 
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