Just a rant for a second.... drummer content following

[Analogeezer]

At first it was the rattling on his snare, then it was a strange low hum coming through every thing. Snare rattle was the guitar amp, hum was open strings (not mine). We are locked well enough, it's just anything weird like that happens he looks first to my rig, and specifically the Bergantino cabinet. I think he honestly just hates for god knows what reason. Also annoying because that is literally the first new and expensive thing I ever bought, tried explaining that it's not the cabinet man which leads to us chasing rabbits around. Ultimately I just need to ignore it.

Is getting your sister to divorce him an option? Cuz he sounds like a ****.

If the guy is ragging on a Bergantino well he has no idea of what he is talking about.

I say cut his ass loose and tell the sis to file for divorce LOL; she'll thank you later.

Analogeezer

 

[madmarvin]

I told the guy to get a dedicated, programmable delay, TC and Eventide made some excellent stompboxes for this back then which did exactly that.
Analogeezer

I'd be fine with this. Not the I just don't know it's something in your area, maybe a little more oomph or something? He has asked me to slap multiple times, which I can do, and I have politely declined. We are a mostly original band with covers from Elle King, Leonard Cohen, and the Black Keys. So yeah.

 

[madmarvin]

Is getting your sister to divorce him an option? Cuz he sounds like a ****.

If the guy is ragging on a Bergantino well he has no idea of what he is talking about.

I say cut his ass loose and tell the sis to file for divorce LOL; she'll thank you later.

Analogeezer

Nah he is a great dude and a great drummer, he just has to constantly tinker. It's just this one area that's super annoying. All I really needed was validation I should be annoyed, which I seemed to have gotten. With that I'll let it be his problem not mine.

 

[Jazzkuma]

If he is not paying you and/or is not the band leader then I dont think its cool if he brings it up constantly.

volume is different though. If a drummer tells me to turn up or down then thats understandable…. But i dont see how tone would affect him.

now, if he is the BL or is paying you in some way or another to play bass then that changes things up a bit.

 

[Analogeezer]

At first it was the rattling on his snare, then it was a strange low hum coming through every thing. Snare rattle was the guitar amp, hum was open strings (not mine). We are locked well enough, it's just anything weird like that happens he looks first to my rig, and specifically the Bergantino cabinet. I think he honestly just hates for god knows what reason. Also annoying because that is literally the first new and expensive thing I ever bought, tried explaining that it's not the cabinet man which leads to us chasing rabbits around. Ultimately I just need to ignore it.

So is this mysterious snare rattle happening while people are just standing around, making noise? Not sure how he would hear it with the band playing.

Snare drums do that if you play bass or guitar in a room with the snare drum nearby.

Tell him there is this magic lever on his snare drum that "releases the strainer" and like magic the buzz goes away.

My experience is if the snare is rattling too much, the strainer is too loose or he's using a really crappy snare drum with too much resonance (like one of those gawdawful steel shell ones)

Analogeezer

 

[Koshchei]

Drummers. Just.

Anyway, I'm just looking for support or maybe to just whine like a baby, but I love my drummer. He's my brother in law, great dude great player. But for the two years we've played together he is constantly (at least once or twice a practice, and at gigs...) commenting on my tone and how I should do this or do that. Now to be fair in those two years I have switched things up a bit, but always on my terms. I've played bass for 25 years. I've been working on it since the day I got one, and recently I have finally entered my happy place. I just want to be left alone. For reference, I am playing through a Peavey VB-2 and into a Bergantino NXT212. EQ set mostly flat, premp gain down power tube gain up. Using a P bass with a jazz at the bottom. Nothing crazy. But I've also used 4-5 other basses and those have never gotten a comment.

Do other drummers do this? Does it make you mental? I am being too sensitive, or is this something that maybe the guy slapping stuff with sticks should not comment on? Anyway, felt good just to write it out. I just really want to be left alone in the pocket and focus on what's important.

Really it's just annoying and I was looking to see if this was an overall drummer thing or just this drummer thing, or maybe it's a me thing. Who knows.

Their job is literally to backseat drive for the band. It's only natural that it would spill over into other things. Just tell him you were going the speed limit, you DID signal at that last turn, and no, it wasn't a rolling stop just then.

 

[madmarvin]

If he is not paying you and/or is not the band leader then I dont think its cool if he brings it up constantly.

volume is different though. If a drummer tells me to turn up or down then thats understandable…. But i dont see how tone would affect him.

now, if he is the BL or is paying you in some way or another to play bass then that changes things up a bit.

He is not

 

[Pings Bass]

IME the only complaint I've heard from drummers is they can't hear the bass. Maybe that's what your guy's issue is? Maybe something a better monitor mix can help, or if you're not putting bass in the mons, angling the bass amp toward the drummer?

 

[Steadfast]

I require my drummer to tune his drums and to play in time. If he questions me I turn all my knobs to eleven and incinerate him with acoustic 360/361 with two fender rumble 500 combos slaved to the 360. Nuff said.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

if you get along with this person normally, then just try whatever they say, what's the harm ?
Then they can never say you didn't even try. Twiddle some knobs, ask if he likes that better.
My current bands we all talk about each other's sound. I'll tell guitar to turn down his treble, drums will ask for heavier sound maybe, I will always talk about drum tuning and technique. they ask me to try a different line, maybe they hum their ideas to me and I will try it. Sometimes it is good! Heck, when I see guitar messing around too much with effects and knobs, I might just go over and ask if I can mess with the settings to see if I can help.

Point is, be open, don't be offended, try it out, and develop something where you can tell each other what's up without anyone getting offended. It will only make things more fun.

 

[nickpc]

At first it was the rattling on his snare, then it was a strange low hum coming through every thing. Snare rattle was the guitar amp, hum was open strings (not mine). We are locked well enough, it's just anything weird like that happens he looks first to my rig, and specifically the Bergantino cabinet. I think he honestly just hates for god knows what reason. Also annoying because that is literally the first new and expensive thing I ever bought, tried explaining that it's not the cabinet man which leads to us chasing rabbits around. Ultimately I just need to ignore it.

Does he say anything else to the others in the band? Is he comfortable saying anything to the guitarist(s)?

He might just be most comfortable bringing this stuff up to you, because he's your BIL and you're cool when he does it, and/or you then help resolve the issue and he doesn't know where to start.

But yeah, that sounds like it would get annoying.

 

[MattZilla]

there's the weird humming and I think it's your cabinet,

That’s not a critique. I hope this doesn’t upset you, but I’m certain that you’re taking him noticing a distracting & unwelcome noise noise 1000x too personal. You didn’t design the amp, the cab, or that one bass which seems to bring the hum.

Using a P bass with a jazz at the bottom. Nothing crazy. But I've also used 4-5 other basses and those have never gotten a comment.

That one P bass probably could benefit from being shielded. It’s nothing personal against you.

he was asking me to do something whacky and then looked at me and said what do you think? I said well... if that's what you want then go find another bass player.

I’m very curious what that whacky thing was.

The OP in this thread is something you may find interesting Peavey VB-2 vs. The World

 

[lfmn16]

Drummers. Just.

Anyway, I'm just looking for support or maybe to just whine like a baby, but I love my drummer. He's my brother in law, great dude great player. But for the two years we've played together he is constantly (at least once or twice a practice, and at gigs...) commenting on my tone and how I should do this or do that. Now to be fair in those two years I have switched things up a bit, but always on my terms. I've played bass for 25 years. I've been working on it since the day I got one, and recently I have finally entered my happy place. I just want to be left alone. For reference, I am playing through a Peavey VB-2 and into a Bergantino NXT212. EQ set mostly flat, premp gain down power tube gain up. Using a P bass with a jazz at the bottom. Nothing crazy. But I've also used 4-5 other basses and those have never gotten a comment.

Do other drummers do this? Does it make you mental? I am being too sensitive, or is this something that maybe the guy slapping stuff with sticks should not comment on? Anyway, felt good just to write it out. I just really want to be left alone in the pocket and focus on what's important.

Really it's just annoying and I was looking to see if this was an overall drummer thing or just this drummer thing, or maybe it's a me thing. Who knows.

What does he say when you talk to HIM about this?

Reminds me of an audition I held once. Drummer shows up, everything is going smoothly, the guitar player and I are talking and I didn't hear what the harp player said, but the drummer stands ups and says, "Why don't you play your effing harp and don't tell me how to play my effing drums?" Awkward!

The funny part is that the guitar player wanted to have him back over so I said OK and the first thing he did was apologize. Apparently he was having an Apocalyptically bad day. He joined the band and I never heard a cross word out of him the whole time he was with us. The Harp player was kind of a Richard Cranium so he probably deserved it.

 

[madmarvin]

That’s not a critique. I hope this doesn’t upset you, but I’m certain that you’re taking him noticing a distracting & unwelcome noise noise 1000x too personal. You didn’t design the amp, the cab, or that one bass which seems to bring the hum.

That one P bass probably could benefit from being shielded. It’s nothing personal against you.

I’m very curious what that whacky thing was.

The OP in this thread is something you may find interesting Peavey VB-2 vs. The World

On the P probably, the jazz pickup is not humbucking. That's a very recognizable hum. It's a little crammed in there right now, but that hum was not the single coil variety, more like a rumble. It was discordent notes between the key and the bass, mostly. Something similar came up a couple times at other venues, it helped when I elevated the cab. The whacky thing was just some really, IMHO, out of place bass part. Just didn't fit.

I don't think I am taking it personally, it's just really annoying. Especially when there are other obvious areas where the issue are coming from, not the Bergantino cab.

I actually did read that article a while back, and I have two Peavey 215 cabs, one loaded with BW and one with the Scorpions. They sound good but a pain to move, and the Berg sounds light years better. Does it have as much thunder as those, especially when I run them both at 2ohms? No. No they don't. That Peavey head is freaking dynamite man, I guess maybe I love it so much, but I've played so much gear and there is nothing tube that weighs 50lbs that can do what that amp can. I'd play my SVT every show but it weighs 120lbs.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Have you made any suggestions about his tone or technique recently?

^^This^^
Next time he does it, tell him how is snare is to flat sounding, or his other drums or cymbals just don't sound right. Hopefully he'll get the message.

 

[madmarvin]

What does he say when you talk to HIM about this?

Reminds me of an audition I held once. Drummer shows up, everything is going smoothly, the guitar player and I are talking and I didn't hear what the harp player said, but the drummer stands ups and says, "Why don't you play your effing harp and don't tell me how to play my effing drums?" Awkward!

The funny part is that the guitar player wanted to have him back over so I said OK and the first thing he did was apologize. Apparently he was having an Apocalyptically bad day. He joined the band and I never heard a cross word out of him the whole time he was with us. The Harp player was kind of a Richard Cranium so he probably deserved it.

This whole post cracked me up.

I have talked to him about it, but you are right I need to more forceful, or less? Eh not sure which. Either way, it's something I can work out, I just didn't know if I was crazy for being like enough dude.... but we are there. I had to use someone else rig last show and all he said all night was how great it sounded and I know what I am probably walking into next practice. But I also know I could go out, buy that exact rig, and in two practices it would be an issue.....plus the stage enforcement at that show was tremendous and I was running direct so..... yeah. Anyway.... I just wish I could explain this, or more importantly not have to.

 

[madmarvin]

It's not the critique, it's the never ending critique.

 

[johnnynitro]

Most Drummers I have played with seem to be Bass Critics. Style/Tone Great Players vs Bad. They Know it All. !!

 

[OOD]

^^This^^
Next time he does it, tell him how is snare is to flat sounding, or his other drums or cymbals just don't sound right. Hopefully he'll get the message.

Passive-aggressive or snarky comebacks are not the answer. That’s likely to make the situation worse.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Passive-aggressive or snarky comebacks are not the answer. That’s likely to make the situation worse.

If it does, fire the drummer.