Consistency in playing and in sound

In the 2003 Percussioni interview, Vinnie touched on the need for both good equipment and a good sound mix.

I think so many of my equipment purchases are a direct result of a lack of consistency in sound from venue to venue.

What are your equipment experiences as far as things that work consistently well from gig to gig? For example, I have an old rebuilt Fibes snare (cause Buddy used one at one time)that sounds consistently good across several recordings and performning venues. But I can't say that about all of my gear.

Thanks,

Andy

I buy what pleases me and as a player it's our responsibility even with inconsistencys in roomsituations to make the best of it. if you buy gear becuase it sounds great in one place but sucks in another, you're making the wrong choice.
I mean studios are the same way, your kit could sound great at Sunset Sound, but maybe you get to the Chaplin stage, or Mad Hatter and they sound like ass.
That's where you have to work along with the engineer at finding the right spot in the room, or tuning of the drums to make them sing.

I've been having the hardest time finding a great ride cymbal that sounds great in various rooms/studios. I've been using an HHX stage ride, and I'm fairly satisfied, but I want to be EXCITED by my ride. The stores in town just don't have enough of a selection on hand to make an informed decision, and buying online means incurring shipping charges when I inevitably return items.....

I need to pay a visit to the Sabian factory....

In my opinion good gear is good gear, as far as you judge over Toms and Bassdrum. What I mean is, that IMHO any of the upperclass Drumsets like let?s say Pearl Masters, dws, Yamaha Custom series, Starclassics... sound good, especially if you get used to their tuning and roomdepending habits. For my part I play a Pearl Masters Custom for about 10 years now and the more I play that kit, the more I like it! I always vary a bit between coated and clear Ambs. and found out that I preferred Evans EQ1s for the kick. That works for me in each situation.
Snare is harder to judge. I?m happy with having one standard Instrument. In my case I use a N&C Solid Maple 14*5 bit over a year now, and I?m still excited!!! In my experience / fields I?m workin in, wood snares are generally more versatile than metal ones.
Cymbals are a big topic! I?m surprised to read, that you can?t find a big variety in your stores in the U.S.. It?s the same prob over here in Germany. And some people even rumor that Zildjian kind of preselects the best Cyms for the U.S. market and send the other stuff over to europe [img]graemlins/cry_smile.gif[/img]
By observing the sinking quality standard in the last years (especially Zildjian - regarding the stuff I played in the shops here) I fear that?s more than a rumor... Not seldomly I find some displayed "K"?s in a Drumstore, that, when you hit it, turns out to be some "K-laquered Scimitar"...javascript: x()
Frown
BTW: I believe that good gear is definitely getting better over the years.
What do you guys think? Is that really a physical thing that happens with the drum/the cymbal or is it rather a "getting used to and know how to use it"-thing of the playing person?

One interesting Vinnie-fact about good gear:
I?m lucky to play with a german Guitar Player named Lothar Kosse. He recorded an instrumental CD some years ago and V.C. played on it in a studio in Switzerland. Even though he used his wonderful Gretsch baby for later sessions in the same studio (see the pic on his webpage), for this one recording with Lothar, his own drums were not setup there. Instead he used a friend?s MAPEX Maple kit... Anyone of you know the CD? Called "Rainmaker" and is available @ audiophile-imports. In my opinion the sound is as much Vinnie as a Drumsound can be.... That confirms my opinion, that a huge, huge part of a good sound depends on the Player. As long as we are talking about good Equipment (no crappy Kits!) guys like Vinnie will make it sing in every situation...
Hope I didn?t bore you with my long blabla ;-)

Quote:

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Originally posted by heideldrum:
I'm surprised to read, that you can't find a big variety in your stores in the U.S.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The big stores like Sam Ash and Guitar Center only stock what they 'think' they can sell easily. I would LOVE to be able to try EVERY ride cymbal that a manufacturer makes. In most cases, the stores will have 4 or 5 to choose from. West LA Music in Santa Monica has a bigger selection, but even there, it's not enough. I can understand the problem with trying to carry that much stock, so it's up to the cymbal, head and drum makers to provide some sort of 'listening center' or facility where drummers could go and try out their products.

Do they honestly expect us to just buy stuff because some famous drummer promotes it? Everyone has their own taste.

Heideldrum, I can't agree with you more! Vince has a sound about him when he strikes a drum... We all do, some more than others. Equipment definitely plays a huge part, but the texture of the sound and the way a drum feels when you play it is completely dependent on the player. Obviously some rooms sound better than others, which affects the feel of any instrument for that matter.

I totally agree with Randy, it's our responsibility even with inconsistencies in room situations to make the best of it! We really have no choice, but to make chicken salad out of chicken shit!

It's about the way you hit the drums. I took a lesson with Hass on the crappiest set of drums, and he sounded the same he does on recordings. The same thing happened in my lesson with Zach Danziger..

Another interesting "Sound story":

Some years ago I had the chance to take some lessons with a young german Drummer called Jost Nickel (by the way a killer-player!!!)
There were 2 kits in the room: A brandnew Pearl Masters and a relatively old Sonor Phonic in some weird sizes and with kinda rotten drumheads...
1st lesson I came in and Jost already used the Pearl, so I played the Sonor. When we both played I thought: "Damn, why is he sounding so good. Perfectly balanced, beatiful tone, just like well recorded... and why do I sound so s***???" My inner pride told me, it was because I had the bad and he played the good Kit....


Next morning: I came in and Jost played the "bad kit"... Guess what happened with the sound???? [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

learn, learn, learn....

Hey heideldrum, Welcome!

How is Jost doing? I read he's kinda big in Germany.

Me, jgadd and him did the certificate program at Drummers Collective. We spent a whole summer hangin' together and had a great time. Haven't got in touch with Jost since.
If you see him, please tell him that the two "Canucks" of the class are on HOD, if he wants to join. I remember he was a huge Weckl/Vinnie fan.

Thanks

If you have a good groove, and are comfortable with the gear's positioning, you'll sound good on anything. However, good gear still helps.

BTW, I've heard Jost Nickel on a recording and he's a killer drummer.