Drum "tone"

[hamo]

This might sound like an odd question, but here goes.

I was listening to Weezer's live cover of Should I Stay Or Should I Go, and when the drums kick in, I just think they sound mint, really great. It got me wondering, do drums have "tone"? Do drummers think about their sound in anything approximating the way guitarists do? or does drum GAS extend more to finding ways to stop what they have moving or breaking as they mercilessly beat and stomp on it?

[Kev77]

Yes, but with a smaller vocabulary

[sopachrga]

Yeah absolutely they do. Our drummer is always buying different cymbals and different skins to try different tones. Just spent a few $K on a new snare too.

[Slowy]

Yes, but with a smaller vocabulary

This. They seem generally easier to satisfy though. The drummer I played with for 15 years is a tone freak. He has a kit worth near $20k (10 years ago) and it really does sound glorious. I often tap a cymbal just for the pleasure of hearing it ring.
One of his earlier rigs had mesh transducer heads running into a sound processor. It was very good and fascinating to hear the variety of drum tones on offer.

[higainer]

I believe so.

I saw an interview with Shannon Larkin explaining how certain woods work better in the studio for him to provide better attack.

Drummers just like guitarists have their signature sound.
Alex Van Halen's snare.
John Bohnam's open roomy sound.
Phil Rudd has a certain laid back type of swing, yet holds everything together.

Vinnie Paul has extra deep kick drums, yet deliberately goes for a tight metallic sound.
Essentially the polar opposite sound to Bohnam's.

My most hated thing was/is the overly highly tuned (trash can snare).
Seemed to be the fashion in the 90's.
Some of the guilty parties include
Jack Irons
Matt Cameron
Igor Cavalera
Jon Stanier

Absolute worst example was Lars Ulrich on St Anger......YUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

[jeremyb]

Drums are a really expensive hobby, and yep so many factors influence their sound

[Kev77]

The questlove sig sticks changed my life,

[Slowy]

Phil Rudd has a certain laid back type of swing, yet holds everything together.

Not so much these days.

[calling card]

Hours of entertainment setting those things up. I hacked up a wool dressing gown into strips for damping the skins on mine. Biffed out all the pillows & stuff the kids had loaded in there. Tuning is a bit of a trip into the twilight zone though.

[SimonHirst]

I'd say there are easily as many variables with drums. So much to do with where the drum is hit, velocity, how it's hit, if it's tuned well and a hundred other things. Same for cymbals. Recording or doing live sound for a great drummer with a well tuned kit is really rewarding. Doing either for a drummer who is the opposite is a mare.

[Conway]

Phil Rudd has a certain laid back type of swing, yet holds everything together.

Not so much these days.

LOL. Shows what a lifetime of sex and drugs and rock n roll does to you.

[GrantB]

Phil Rudd has a certain laid back type of swing, yet holds everything together.

Not so much these days.

Come on...he still likes to swing, I'm sure

[jimi]

Yeah... nothing like showing up to a gig a couple of hours early to set up. Tiny stage, so its a case of let the drummer set up and get sorted and we'll set up once hes in place, 90mins later he's still tuning his drums.

thump thump thump, "how does that sound at the back of the room?" thump thump thump.

Its strangely similar to waiting on the mrs to choose an outfit before going out. Sounded fine the 1st time, sounds fine now, just pick one and lets go.

[rickenbackerkid]

Drummer in my Pink Floyd Band is amazing, both in his playing and the sound of his drums.

He's got 3 kits - a vintage Ludwig for jazz, a Tama with big sizes that he use for rock covers and finally a Pearl Masters kit with 5 toms + 3 mini high tuned toms. All of them sound amazing, and he's got a massive pile of cymbals to pick from. Also a few extra snares for different tones.

Truly a pleaseure to hear a really excellent drummer, and if they have great tone as well, well that can't be beaten.

[dylan]

in the studio, drum "tone" is even more critical and obsessive than guitars. many top session players and studios dont even tune their own drums, they have a professional drum tuner/drumhead replacer on call 24 hours. the guys that get the drum tone are so specialised they dont even need to play the instrument!