Noisy Drummer

The_D · #1 06-13-2007, 12:44 PM

We are getting more and more gigs these daysand everything seems to be going well. The only negative feedback we have had is the volume.

These arent picky old farts and its not a major complaint but we cant seem to get the drummer any quieter. I set the bass to his kick drum level and everyone else builds on that.

I know absolutely jack about drums but he took the bottom skins off all his toms a few months back and I have to think that will make them louder. Should I just tell him to put them back on?

He might just have to play softer but he gets excited and just starts melting them later in the set

jazzy grille · #2 06-13-2007, 12:47 PM

I used to have a "caveman" drummer that was like that.

Does he realize he is loud? Most of the time they dont realize it.

Watch out if you tell them they might get offended (or something along those lines).

The_D · #3 06-13-2007, 12:51 PM

I have practice tonight. I am just about to leave in fact. I will suggest he puts the skins back on for our gig on Sat and we will see how it goes.

I just dont want to loose a gig from it. He is a good guy so I'm sure he will take the advice and not the hump

CoolHat · #4 06-13-2007, 03:11 PM

Obviously I have never heard your band play, but from my experience I´d guess the toms are not the problem. I´ve seen and heard a lot of heavy handed drummers and 99% the time they do their worst damage with cymbals and snare.

A hard hitting drummer with heavy, thick cymbals (like the Paiste Rude series for example) can easily fill a medium sized room with ear-piercing noise. A tightly tuned snare can be painful too.

funkydjembe · #5 06-13-2007, 03:29 PM

Good luck dude 'cause drummers

, two thirds of 'em are kinda strange. They sit there and bang away. A drummer needs discipline more than any other IMO. A good one works with you. Democracy

richardjones89 · #6 06-13-2007, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funkydjembe

Good luck dude 'cause drummers

, two thirds of 'em are kinda strange. They sit there and bang away. A drummer needs discipline more than any other IMO. A good one works with you. Democracy

kinda strange? now thats a great explination!

lol what ISNT strange about hitting a bunch of roses tins with sticks?

of course i am joking, the drums are a real filler for a band and help keep the rock and roll alive

i love the drums, wouldnt mind owning a kit of my own if i had the space. the drummer of my band actually said something about the loudness of drums, he said that you can buy covers for them or something so theyre not as loud. and a common choice is stuffing the drums with items of clothing.

but as for loud cymbals... maybe replace them with roses tin lids when hes not looking

not as loud, but also not as nice to hear.

Johnny Crab · #7 06-13-2007, 03:53 PM

Without the drums in a PA or any amplification?

We had a nice event last night when a sprinkler system loaded up his BOSE system with water. Drums got a lot quieter. He CAN play loud w/o being miked but it did drop him a lot. His drums have both both heads. The snare cuts above everything(unmiked) when I record LIVE with a Zoom H4.

Good luck. I've only played with a couple of drummers in 30+ years who could control their volume consistently(i.e. when it is not a part of the song).

The_D · #8 06-13-2007, 04:59 PM

Well I brought it up with himn tonight and he is going to fit the other skins for Sat night. Like I said in the original post, it isnt a huge problem so shouldnt need a huge solution.
The problem is that when people are saying about the volume its me and the guitarist they look at. We have to explain that we are playing as loud as the drums. Maybe we should just turn down a bit one night and see how bad it is.

Stumpy · #9 06-13-2007, 05:07 PM

After my experiences this past spring with our new producer I would say that your drummer is right where he should be. If you believe he can move a cinder block with his kick drum then that is the stuff. Seriously.

Get above that so he sits in the mix - with his sound not changing.

We had to do the same. It was a serious change for us, but I will tell you that the band sounds so much bigger and stronger and more aligned with the majors that are on tour.

Many will disagree, but I will tell you that we have gotten nothing but compliments on our new sound. http://www.crashthemachine.com http://www.myspace.com/crashthemachine

He is using the 26" bass drum from the Gretsch kit...

It is a thought on how folks get the sounds that they do...

IF you are not yet ready for that sound, or you are sure that the sound is not for the style (jazz combo, acoustic setting, etc.) then change him out. If it is rock ... my thoughts are to step up and put him back in the pocket.

MHO

jsbachonbass · #10 06-13-2007, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_D

Well I brought it up with himn tonight and he is going to fit the other skins for Sat night. Like I said in the original post, it isnt a huge problem so shouldnt need a huge solution.
The problem is that when people are saying about the volume its me and the guitarist they look at. We have to explain that we are playing as loud as the drums. Maybe we should just turn down a bit one night and see how bad it is.

Be careful with miking the drums now. I know from experience that if the bottom skins are not tightened right, you can get a lot more low end tones that sound like low end feedback. It seems that most drummers take of the bottom skins to get a deader sound for miking.

If you have him going thru a monitor, you might turn him and turn everybody else down in his monitor mix. He might then ask you to turn up, and then you can say "no, you need to play quieter."

The_D · #11 06-13-2007, 05:49 PM

We dont run him through the PA. They arent big venues either, just pubs and clubs.

We will see how it goes on Sat. We will just try and clean up the mix a bit.

I take it doping him with valium is out of the question? [jk]

Deacon_Blues · #12 06-14-2007, 09:19 AM

I kinda agree with Stumpy on this one.

funkydjembe · #13 06-14-2007, 02:42 PM

how about putting a little duct-tape on the skins and throwing a blanket in the bass drum? (seriously ment). You'll get a tighter sound.

The_D · #14 06-14-2007, 03:16 PM

I will see how it goes on sat and let you all know.

derrico1 · #15 06-14-2007, 03:22 PM

If he's having trouble playing at an appropriate volume, you'll likely end up losing work if you don't address the problem. Turning up everything else to get the right mix only works in venues large enough that the acoustic kit at full bore isn't already too loud. If that's the case, +1 to Stumpy. However, if people are complaining about the band's volume, I'm guessing you're not regularly playing very large halls and arenas.

+1 to muffling the kick with a blanket. You could also try a few rehearsals with the drummer using hot rods or similar alternatives. These *will* help with snare and cymbal volume.

Note that a ham-handed drummer will reduce hot rods to flinders against the rims in under ten hours. According to the research literature, smarter drummers should figure out how to hit the center of the heads cleanly after wearing out a couple of pairs of hotrods, but field tests of this theory have all run aground on the difficulty of finding a smarter drummer.

agreatheight · #16 06-14-2007, 03:31 PM

You could try something like this:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...eld?sku=404500

http://www.drumcentral.com/drum_shields_02.htm

Good luck!

Joe P · #17 06-14-2007, 03:37 PM

I believe that too-loud bands have a huge impact on how many clubs/parties/events run live music - I mean DON'T run live music!

BUT!: Also remember that it's all venue-size, really! If you were in a stadium venue, and the band members were.. what? -forty feet from each other, he could play as hard as he wants, and you'd still beg for him in the monitors!

But your drummer should understand this.

Joe

Asa Samuel · #18 06-14-2007, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_D

I take it doping him with valium is out of the question? [jk]

sounds like the best idea yet go for it!

gretschman · #19 06-17-2007, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_D

Well I brought it up with himn tonight and he is going to fit the other skins for Sat night. Like I said in the original post, it isnt a huge problem so shouldnt need a huge solution.
The problem is that when people are saying about the volume its me and the guitarist they look at. We have to explain that we are playing as loud as the drums. Maybe we should just turn down a bit one night and see how bad it is.

Maybe you just THINK you're keeping up with the drums. Depending on the position of your amps you may not be hearing them as well as the audience, in which case it could be you and not the drummer who are the problem.

I play with a guitarist who claims that he's just keeping up with my drums and cymbals, but at times I can't even hear my own snare drum that I'm beating to death.

You need someone unbiased who has a good ear to listen to the band from out front and tell you if there's a problem and where it is.

The_D · #20 06-17-2007, 03:54 PM

Well it actually ended up being quite a good gig. He put his skins back on and we set up as normal. We didnt get any adverse comments on the sound so we are doing something right

Whether the sound was better because it was a longer room than we are used to I dont know. I think we need to start realising that some pubs are a funny shape and we will need to pay more attention at sound check. A couple of our mates are in bands or were in bands so they should be letting us know if it sounds too loud.

Anyway I liked the drummer cage. Even if the volume problem gets solved I like the idea of keeping him in a cage!