Making Drumming Affordable | Season Five, Episode 51
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
- $15 for a pair of drumsticks. $21 for a snare batter. No, these aren’t prices for premium products- these are basic consumables and it’s getting prohibitively expensive for us drummers. We’ve gathered a rather substantial list of ways to help you save money so drumming doesn’t break the bank.
PATREON:
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PRODUCTION PARTNERS:
GIK Acoustics (sonic treatment): sladl.ink/GIK
AKG Audio (microphones): sladl.ink/AKG
Evans Drumheads: sladl.ink/Evan...
ProMark Drumsticks: sladl.ink/ProM...
Signal chain:
Mics - Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB- Mac Studio w/Pro Tools 2022.5
Recorded at 48kHz / 24bit
Overheads: (Matched Pair in Glyn Johns - Cardioid) AKG C314 sladl.ink/C314...
Snare, Toms: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Kick Drum: AKG D12VR sladl.ink/AKGD...
All drumming interludes have been mixed and are NOT raw audio
Acoustic Treatment:
GIK 242 Acoustic Panels: sladl.ink/GIK242
GIK 4A Alpha Pro Series Diffusor/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIK4...
GIK Evolution PolyFusor Combination Sound Diffuser/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIKE...
GIK Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap: sladl.ink/GIKT...
Drums:
Pearl Masters Maple Custom Extra w/Ludwig 60’s Acrolite
Cymbals:
22” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian A, 15" Zildjian “Fat Hat” Prototype Hihats
Drumheads:
Snare: Evans G12 Coated / Snare Side 300
Snare Wires: PureSound Custom Pro Steel 20-strand
Toms: Evans G12 Coated / G1 Clear
Kick Drum: Evans UV EMAD / EQ3 Coated White Reso
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production & Consulting: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
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![“Fixing” Your Snare Sound [Step by Step] | Season Five, Episode 40](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xosBfmxmm40/mqdefault.jpg)
If you do nothing else, do this one thing: tilt your bottom hi-hat cymbal AWAY from yourself. Most drummers tilt their bottom cymbal toward themselves, and it exposes the edge of the bottom cymbal, which chews sticks up. Tilting the bottom cymbal away from you means that your sticks won't get chewed up by that bottom cymbal edge.
I have collected 6 drum sets over 50+ years of drumming. My mother bought fiber cases for my 61 Slingerland kit for my 12th birthday. They went around the world in ‘73. I have replaced leather straps but I am still using the cases and the drums. All of my drums (40+)are in cases. Some are bags (my Rogers jazz kit) but all others are in hard cases. I check my local drum shop often and ask if they have cases. My last trip there I picked up 5 used fiber cases for $50. A couple of them need new straps and a couple of them were for “deep” drums, but those are easily shortened. It won’t hurt to ask. I use all the drums I own because I have carefully chosen them for size and have selected heads and tuning for different musical styles and environments. This was a great episode you covered some very important points. And, I have never purchased a drum kit new.
Just a perspective. I'm from India. Here, we do not have big music stores or brand retail stores displaying their gear in most of the cities. Even if they do, it is always beginner or mid range products put for customers to try. We do not have the option to test/look/play before we buy the desired equipment. It is mostly online reviews and demos we rely on to get an opinion on the feel/sound. Also, due to importing fee the prices of all the products are way high compared to country of origin or US.
I swear to god. Even the second hand market here is terrible, I see only about 1 good cymbal every 2 months. There's this guy who makes B20 cymbals in India and its priced decently but still its relatively new, hard to trust.
@@juelgeorge1297 may i know the details?
@@GreyMostly yeah sure man. His company is RYET CYMBALS, if you happen to get something, do let me know what you think about it :)
Buying used is my favorite money saving strategy. Piles of "drum junk" are my favorite. Random heads, sticks, hardware, etc. give me lots of fodder for experimentation. Plus, fixing up old stuff and reselling it is a great way to work your way up to the expensive equipment you are dreaming of.
This is an excellent approach and one that I can’t believe we managed to overlook, considering how many things both of us have bought used. Cheers!
I am both so happy, and so unhappy that I'm not the only one to do this.
It's like barn hunting for drums.
Picking sticks with straight grains is super important. I remember going with my father to pick out axe handles and he showed me how to pick out ones with straight grains otherwise they would easily break. If you have ever played a pair of sticks for 5 minutes and they broke, chances are the grain had a hard angle and was not parallel with the stick. If you have had a pair last 40+ hours, chances are they had a super straight grain that ran the whole length of the stick. Also tight grain is important. Tight grain means slower growth years for the tree and a much stronger wood. Wide grain means fast growth and weaker wood. I always take all of the sticks out of the bin and sort them until I find the best couple of pairs and it has served me well.
This is spot-on if you have the luxury of getting to hand-pick your drumsticks.
Turning the Bass Drum Head from time to time a few degreese,so that the beater is hiting the head not allways at the same point can help,to last the head longer.And a good hardcase or fightcase for the cymbals,especialy with a center rod,so that the cymbals can be stacked over each other,is a good thing to have,when you have to transport your gear often.And such a case can easyly be realised as a DIY model,if you want.
Have been doing exactly as you said, in regard to the bass drum head, since I'm so cheap haha
We have the same thing here in Europe. Local, Asian and American brands all became expensive! For example, common tag price for a Ludwig black beauty used to be around €800 and now it is around €1300!!!
Also worth a mention: body physics. Those hard hitters with heavy sticks that still can't get enough volume.. Will have joint issues down the road. Shoulders are very prone to lasting injury, as are hands and fingers. Not that I'm that type of player, but I had those issues. Ergonomics of body physics will keep all that injury at bay, Inc stretching
Yes! This is a long term aspect that can become significantly more costly than any piece of gear or accessory. Taking care of your body is an absolute must!
Yes, indeed much of what you said is common sense. However, many of us need to hear it said out loud so thank you for that 😄.
On the subject of gear getting stolen, one thing I did buy that’s been worth every penny was a Rock n Roller cart. I can load and unload my kit in one go rather than leaving some either in my car or the venue with a band member standing guard. Saves your back too and I’m not exhausted before I even start playing.
I use nylon tip sticks for practice, since a wood tip that starts to get squared will eat through the heads. Some tighten the bass drum head a bit for practice, loosening it back for gigs. Both tricks save $$.
Another great episode. I have been going through and cleaning out gear lately, and I am amazed how much I must have spent on sticks I could not find, etc. Nice to have it all organized again. I also have fallen into a trap the last few years - when I have had some extra disposable income from time to time - of grabbing something because it was "neat" or a really good deal. I could have lived without most of that stuff happily - working on selling or rehoming some of that stuff to either get some cash back or at least have it get used. Sometimes sales can pull me in!! :(
Man I miss your ponytail
Back to the 90s
Join our Patreon and maybe we'll convince him to grow it out again... 😉
@@SoundsLikeADrum Police? Yes? Yes, they have taken the ponytail hostage... Yes, everything, with SWAT, please. :D
Here's my budget tip for gig bags: thomann's millenium tour line. They're almost a hard case! I trust them for my stuff. I also had a single snare bag from Gewa, the entry one but still nice. However the cheaper milleniums blow it out the water in terms of protection.
They got hard plastic disc inserts at the top and bottom, tough foam padding on the sides. Doesn't feel as soft inside, but it shouldn't scratch. The gewa is just a flopping sleeve by comparison.
Frkn rad! I was wondering about cases for my new Mapex kit. Looked at a lot.. I use thomann /Finland, gonna check these bad boy cases out!
Thanks again, guys! I do love this channel. I learned a long (long) time ago not to surrender to FOMO by simply not having the money to follow whims. I go on and on here about my 50 year-old Ludwig kit with the equally aged Super Sensitive Snare, but the fact is that, against all odds in my mostly-frivolous 19 year-old life, I made an excellent choice. In that time, those drums were severely tested. When I was in a regularly gigging band, back in the 70s, the first thing I did was buy hard shell cases for them. During those years, the drums were either on a job with me, or packed in the band's van, and in that van, they sat through hot, humid summers and deeply cold winters. After the band, they lay dormant for almost 20 years, at my folks' house, packed in their cases. By now, I've given them lots of TLC, and I'm happy to report that they sound even more beautiful today.
Oh, and I'm still using the same Speed King pedal, too. I wouldn't mind getting another one, but DAMN those things are expensive! Thanks again, guys!
As a drummer I definitely agree on getting bundles of sticks I've gone through so many pairs of sticks buying them on there own it gets pretty expensive my local music store pointed me to a bundle of sticks they had came with 10pairs for cheaper drum heads are also expensive 😅
im not a gigging drummer by any means, i really just play to come up with beats and ideas for songs ive written, but ive learned alot by watching your channel especially for tuning, and ive found i prefer heavy sticks for the feel of the rebound and the sheer power when playing hard which i love! either vic firth sd1's or these regal tip quantum 1000 wood tips which were my first sticks i ever bought and still havent broken them lol
Drum heads and sticks are really expensive.. I used to collect sticks to my taste years ago, but now I mostly buy 5a sticks.
Decent ear protection is priceless though. i always feel like many musicians forget that part
Agreed! That’s a VERY important investment.
When it comes to sticks, it’s the one thing I will not cheap out on when it comes to consumables. We don’t physically touch our instruments. The only thing our hands feel are the sticks themselves. I want that to always be enjoyable. I also always use coated emperors on toms and costed ambassador on snare. I don’t have a higher collection of heads for “just in case.” I like to use what works for me and always that.
I'd say re: power, pay attention to how your drums react and react in a space. All drums have a limit re: headroom, and hitting the drums to the point that they choke actually makes them sound smaller. Pay attention to the headroom available.
I backlined a kit last year for a local ska/reggae show my band opened and left a pair of sticks on the hi-hat clip-on holder and another of the drummers used them and chewed 'em up hard on his hats/snare. Times is tough I tell you. Don't be a stick beaver.
We may have to commission a "Don't Be a Stick Beaver" graphic...
Thx for the perspective and the advices...
Especially if you live in a country like Turkey (See our prices vs. incomes) 1$ = 26.93 Turkish lira.
Love your series, thx again.
04:54 Oppps! We cant buy bulk :)) It's too much money!
Keep everything if you have the space.Your old gear can be an invaluable source for cheap repairs of your current gear.
Awesome video I enjoyed this so much
Yes, thank you for this video. For sticks, I’ve done exactly this journey: used 7A for a month, then they snapped. 5A, 5B, 2B suit me better. For the drums: this one is tricky as I play in a town where buses are common and taxis are few, and forget about driving. That 18 inch bass drum isn’t ideal sound wise, but the 22 just won’t fit on the bus. :-) Or if taxi, it must be a big, more rare one, or a small one with a large trunk. But I think your point is : commit to just a smaller kit then, don’t own a small and a big kit.
"I was always trying to find some cheaper option"
That's when cody went into his latin percussion hand drumming phase.
😂
I just paid 85 bucks for 3 Aquarian deep vintage 2's for the toms on my old ludwig set!
This is a great episode, specially for us noobs. Thanks!
Thanks for the video.
The old two sticks as a wing nut wrench trick haha.
Both a blessing and a curse! 😂
The Regulate beat!
When I bought my Demon drive in 2019, it was 600 something euros, now it's listed at over 800... Damn.
Great Stuff as usual. Prices are insane, beyond normal inflation which is high. I heard some of the new Pearl 'high end' kits on yt and they are fantastic, but 3500 for a 3 piece masters maple pure is just crazy.
Question for Cody - what sticks are you using in the video? Thanks!
Cost of goods and labor have spiked quite a bit in recent months, which resulted in some of these major spikes. The cost of wood compared to a couple years ago is astronomical. Unfortunately, that’s having quite the impact on drums and drumming. As for the sticks Cody is using here, those are the ProMark Carter McLean signature model.
Thanks
Getting expensive, it's always been!
I could buy a house with all the drum stuff I have. The FOMO comment just hit me in the nuts.
Any advice for those of us on the shorter side? One struggle I’ve always had with setup and damage overtime is that drumset ergonomics often favor people who are muuuch taller than me, a 5’4 1/2” person. Lol
Luckily they make drums of all sizes! There will always be some sacrifices and/or compromises with setup/equipment/ergonomics. It’s up to you to take the time to figure out how to thread the needle so that you don’t hurt yourself and can still make music.
Chick Webb was shorter than you, and I think he used a 26" bass drum, hehe.
If you're not doing so already, learn to sit with your hips well higher than your knees (Thomas Lang has a great video about bass drum technique in which he also talks about seat height). If you can, move your rack tom(s) away from the highest part of the bass drum (mount them to a stand or rack), although it will mean more distance between them and the floor tom. Tilt the rack toms more. But the best option is to get smaller drums - 18" or 16" bass drum, and traditional depth or shorter rack toms (Tama HyperDrive, DW Short Stack, etc.). The sound of a smaller bass drum may not be your ideal, but with care they can sound very good, and they're easier to gig with.
If Chick's Tom's were mounted ON TOP of his 26" bass drum, he would NOT have been able to reach them. That's where height issues come in, not the size of the bass drum.
I'm not quite as short as you (though I used to be...) I've found that by far the worst factor was having a kick drum that was too tall. Second to that are rack toms that are too deep. Pretty much everything else can be standard size and comfortable, though I might go out of my way to get a 20" ride over a 21 or 22, so that you can more comfortably reach the bell.
Ive been saying no to gigs still wanting to pay prepandemic prices because of this very topic…
I have a question about the longevity of snare wires. The lifespan of my snarewires is pretty short, by that i mean maybe 2 months. They always end up breaking or warping in a exreme way. Do i have to pay even more attention, that they're parrallel when i'm mounting them. Or is there an untold secret? Yes, i hit quite hard but i don't think that's the issue... Thanks for some advise :))
I recently bought my first snare and during delivery, despite being bubble wrapped, the snare butt end had been smashed through the shell! The shop has been great chasing up the delivery company but it's been a good early lesson in the importance of cases.
Ouch!
It's difficult to talk about this stuff without going on a rant about neoliberalism and politics, so I'll just say it's ridiculous how unaffordable it's all become. I too remember when sticks were $5, heads were ~$1/inch, ride cymbals were well under $300 (and old K's were under $400, lol), and Pearl advertised the Masters series as the affordable option for pro-level drums -
Yeah, we don’t need to get into cause for higher costs or larger economic discussions in order to be thoughtful and intentional about our approach to drumming in order to save money. The good news is that it’s possible to save quite a bit if we make a concerted effort.
Not only did it get expensive but they mix other materials to make profit margin so, be careful eg; the same yamaha stage custom will have lower quality materials especially the lugs
Please keep in mind that this isn't necessarily a cash grab by companies in our industry. Cost of raw materials, storage, labor, and transportation have all increased and that's raising the cost of goods. Companies are forced to raise prices in order to maintain realistic margins. Please cite your source regarding the Yamaha Stage Custom example or clarify that this could be a potential example rather than a current piece of evidence.
@@SoundsLikeADrum if the company advertises their product as a stage custom then it should meet the standard of a stage custom period. I have bought 2 stage custom sets and the quality difference between them is noticeable & the lug on the new floor tom broke easily & had to be sent back for exchange & the new one already feels fragile enough that i need to put exact pressure otherwise it will give-in. The older one i bought back in 2010s feels way more durable and no incidents untill now.
Top level Remo snare drum head is $23. That is not expensive.
It was only about five years ago that you could get a 14” snare batter for $14-16. That’s at least a 44% increase. What’s “expensive” is entirely relative but the significant change in price is undeniable.
How does the Emad sound for a reso head on floor toms?
From my experience, it amounts to so much mass that the tuning range is seriously reduced along with projection and general quality of tone. But that's just my perspective. -Ben
@@SoundsLikeADrum It would just be for metal/ hc, so usually reso heads are muffled with floor toms and those genres aren't known for their tuning ranges.
I miss the old bricks of sticks.
They're still out there! Most brands ship their sticks to retailers in bricks of 6 or 12 pairs.
I have found that for me the best compromise of feel, durability and cost is cheap "no name" brand oak 5b's, I get them for 30 bucks (aud) so about 20 bucks usd for 6 pairs.
in my country the pearl demon drive double pedal went from ~500€ to over 1000€ in less than 10 years. why? its the same product. metal sure as hell hasnt gone up in price that much
Costs of raw materials (including metals), labor, and transportation have all gone up significantly and are forecasted to continue. Companies and other participants in the sales chain (distributors, retailers, etc.) are forced to raise prices in order to maintain sustainable margins with anticipation of potential further increases.
No mention of cymbals? There’s lots of people breaking cymbals simply because of bad technique / ridiculous force applied. Many of them are actually asking for cheap alternatives because they just can’t afford it anymore.
Everything on the topic of cymbals is covered in Cymbals Sounds, our Patreon-exclusive cymbal series. You get access to it at any tier within our Patreon: sladl.ink/Patreon