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Why do live drums sound like crap?

#21
The biggest problem I ever hear is that the drums are just mixed wrong. The snare will literally be louder than anything else on the stage, with the kick a close second and everything else buried somewhere beneath the bass (and y'all know how they like to mix us ;))
 
#24
Y'all been raised on Sampled Drums' Sounds.

There is NOT a major release in the last 30 years that the drums weren't treated to some sort of sonic manipulation. Probably 99% of what's been "produced" since the Beat Detective/Drumagog/BFD birthday has been totally manipulated - that goes for the timing as well.
 
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#26
tjh said:
I ran across this a while back ... there is an extended version link of the same session also ...

Click to expand...

On another forum I asked if a cheap drum set I found on craigslist would be okay to start on... I was told to absolutely not get it, 'cuz a cheap drum set can never sound good.... This is a forum that countless users are using no name guitars and ect, raving about how cheap doesn't mean bad... I shouldn't have listened.
 
#33
In the OP's link, the first two songs have the drums too loud. The hihat is WAY too loud in comparison to the other drums.
In the last couple of songs, the drums are a bit muted but the mix is better so at least they don't sound like loud ugly crap.

Oh yeah, and the drummer in the recording has kind of crude technique. A really good drummer could make this set sound good simply with good dynamics and accurate rhythm.
 
#36
I play a lot of gigs with backline gear. Some of the crappiest kits I've ever seen, with heads that haven't been changed since Reagan was president. And what I've found is that some people know how to hit a drum and get a good tone, and some don't. I really can't explain it. I've done back to back gigs on the same stage, same kit, 2 different drummers, 5 minutes apart, and one guy made the kit sing like an angel, while the other guy sounded like a garbage truck falling down a fire escape. I guess it's the same with any instrument. You either have it or you don't.


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#37
lowfreq33 said:
I play a lot of gigs with backline gear. Some of the crappiest kits I've ever seen, with heads that haven't been changed since Reagan was president. And what I've found is that some people know how to hit a drum and get a good tone, and some don't. I really can't explain it. I've done back to back gigs on the same stage, same kit, 2 different drummers, 5 minutes apart, and one guy made the kit sing like an angel, while the other guy sounded like a garbage truck falling down a fire escape. I guess it's the same with any instrument. You either have it or you don't.


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Click to expand...
The other side of that is my current drummer usually sounds nice and tight, but when we shared gear at our last gig he sounded like he was playing a rattle. Just like bass, setup makes a difference.
 
#38
I believe that the drums need to be tuned for the situation. Purely acoustical? Just overheads? Close mic'd? Drums that are tuned to sound best acoustically (which seems to me all of them) will drone like crazy when close mic'd, and may also have weird overtones that aren't heard acoustically. This means mucking about with gates and EQ.
 
#39
lowfreq33 said:
I play a lot of gigs with backline gear. Some of the crappiest kits I've ever seen, with heads that haven't been changed since Reagan was president. And what I've found is that some people know how to hit a drum and get a good tone, and some don't. I really can't explain it. I've done back to back gigs on the same stage, same kit, 2 different drummers, 5 minutes apart, and one guy made the kit sing like an angel, while the other guy sounded like a garbage truck falling down a fire escape. I guess it's the same with any instrument. You either have it or you don't.


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Click to expand...
This Is a lot of it. Some guys are just good.

If I play drum it sounds like a stick hitting a drum. When my drummer does the same thing, with the same drum and the same stick, it sounds like music.


A lot guys don't really know how to tune a drumkit well.

Also, a lot of producers and soundguys, etc. like to eq and process them until they don't sound like natural drums anymore. Like heavily compressed/gated kicks that are just thud and click. Cymbals that are all sizzle and no body, etc.

Also a lot of shows I've seen, kick and snare are way hot in the mix. Nowhere near a blend with the other instruments.

They're also one of the more difficult instruments to mic and mix if they're not tuned well.
 
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#40
Good ( or at least decent ) shells, good heads, well tuned, played with consistent attack, nice technique and adequate quality mics for the venue should be no problem. A good sounding kit going into the board makes a sound man happy and his job much easier. Acoustic live drums should sound good, they should not always sound bad. If they do sound bad, something is not right.
Cymbals, there is definitely big differences in sound qualities. If a cymbal sounds like a pie plate or a trash can lid, no matter how you play it, it will sound like a pie plate or trash can lid. Good sounding cymbals are a must.
E-drums can sound good, if they sound like a good sounding acoustic kit. I'll take my good sounding, live acoustic set anyday.
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