digitalDrummer may 2014

Edition 18 - MAY 2014 US$10

In theNickof time

The global electronic drumming e-zine

XM Busker kit Antoine Fadavi Parsons knows

©2014 Avedis Zildjian Com

pany

SOUND LEGACYVisit gen-16.com for more information.

OF rEDUCED vOLUmE CYmbALSTHE NEXT GENErATION

Introducing the NEW Gen16 Buffed Bronze series Zildjian has created the next generation of reduced volume cymbals. Zildjian craftsman used their expertise to make subtle but important changes to the Gen16 cymbal which increases the lower fundamental overtone structure. The most noticeable change is the stunning, buffed bronze finish that produces a warmer tone.

WELCOME TO OUR people and prizes edition.

We feature interviews with some very big names in music inthis edition – Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and producer andrecording artist Alan Parsons. Neither is an e-drummer, butboth have made significant contributions to electronicpercussion. Co-incidentally, both are associated with a newVST pack which we hope to review in a future edition.

Mason is an inspiration to many drummers worldwide, withmany enthusiasts spending hours on end trying to learn someof his signature drum parts. In our interview, we hear abouthis background, his motivations and views on drum technique.He also talks about his own e-drum journey, dating back to theearly Simmonds days.

Parsons, whose musical heritage goes back to the early daysof Abbey Road, is a mixing master, and he shares someinsight into the role of drums in music production. You canread his take on appropriate volume levels and tools likecompression.

Finally, on the personality front, we hear how French teenageYouTube sensation Antoine Fadavi uses e-drums in hispractice and performance regime.

The prize component of the magazine includes a chance towin a pair of DW9002 double pedals, simply by subscribing orconfirming your email details. The reason we’re doing this isbecause a number of subscribers were understandablysuspicious when signing up, and provided bogus emails just togain access. So, while they can read the current edition, theywon’t be alerted when the next one goes live. For that tohappen, we need a legitimate email address.

We’re also giving away some of the new Gen16 Buffed Bronzecymbals. Zildjian has chipped in a 368 Box Set (13" hats, 16”crash and 18" ride – all in Buffed Bronze, together with thenew DS Pickups and a DCP loaded with the new "NATURAL"Tone Shapes).

Finally, to share the experience of the 682Drums t-Rigg auxtrigger, we have three samples on offer to the first readerswho enter via the email link in this magazine.

As you can see, digitalDrummer keeps giving – information,entertainment, prizes and the opportunity to interact with thee-drum community through our Facebook Group. All we ask inreturn is that you support us by spreading the word and bysupporting our advertisers who make this magazine possible.You don’t have to purchase anything, but we’d all be grateful ifyou could follow the links and check out their stuff. You maynot need it now, but some day it could come in handy.

Thanks again for your interest and we hope you enjoy thismonth’s offering.

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Editor & Publisher

Allan Leibowitz

Sub-Editor

Solana da Silva

Contributors

Antoine FadaviAnders Grönlund

Scott HolderDave Kerzner

Joseph W. NebistinskyWolfgang Stölzle

Cover Photo

Mick Mason

Design and layout

‘talking business’

Support digitalDrummer

If you like what you’re reading,please make a donation.

Copyright or wrong:Forget the legalese and justplay fair! We work hard toproduce digitalDrummer.Please respect that and don’trip off our content. In this ageof electronic publishing, it’sobviously tempting to “borrow”other people’s work, and weare happy to share our stuff —but please ask first and besure to include a link back toour website on anythingpublished elsewhere.

--from-the-editor--

digitalDRUMMER, MAY 2014 3

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Edition 18 May 2014

Good vibrationsWe hear the complaints about e-drums not being real, butwhat about the compliments? Members of thedigitalDrummer Facebook Group recently chimed in ...

Mobility at MesseMobility was the big trend at Musikmesse, Europe’sbiggest music instrument expo in Frankfurt in March.Buffed and boldZildjian’s Gen16 AE cymbals have had a make-over, andAllan Leibowitz found the changes are not just cosmetic.XMplary hardware outperforms brainNeed a compact kit that’s easy to set up and straight-forward to operate? Allan Leibowitz looks at the B18-8SRkit from XM’s Busker Series. Aux options expandLast year this time, digitalDrummer tested its eighth andninth auxiliary triggers in an ongoing head2head in thecategory. Allan Leibowitz follows up with a new offeringfrom 682Drums.iPad gets more connectedA year ago, when digitalDrummer put a toe in the iPaddrumming waters, there were a handful of viableMIDI/iPad interfaces. Now, there are more choices.

GEAR

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81216

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The global electronic drumming e-zine

4 www.digitaldrummermag.com

TALKING-POINT

Win with digitalDrummerClick here for more details of the competitions in this issue


http://digitaldrummermag.com/Win.html

Parsons knowsAlan Parsons started as an assistant recording engineer atAbbey Road at the age of 18 and has left his mark on hitsby Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney and many, many others. Hediscusses the role of drums in music withdigitalDrummer’s Scott Holder.

In the Nick of timeNick Mason’s signature drumming was an essential part ofevery Pink Floyd album since 1965. Far more than adrummer, Mason wrote a number of Floyd songs andcollaborated on some of their biggest hits. He spoke todigitalDrummer editor Allan Leibowitz after wrapping uphis first VST offering with Sonic Reality.

How I use e-drumsAs the poster boy for KAT Percussion, drummer AntoineFadavi represents the next generation of e-drummers.

Product review: DrumdropsDrumdrops is best known for its drum tracks and loops, butnow has begun packaging its wares for e-drummers, withtwo sample packs for the Kontakt 5 engine.

Tech-savvy teachingFor those drummers supplementing their income throughteaching, technology can be a valuable investment. JoeNebistinsky explains

Thinking inside the boxTake one of the oldest percussion instruments, add someingenuity – and a few piezos – and, if you’re AndersGrönlund, you end up with an e-cajon.

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46digitalDRUMMER, MAY 2014 5

TRAINING

PERFORMANCE

profile

VST

DIY


Good vibrationsWe hear the complaints about e-drums not being real, butwhat about the compliments? Members of thedigitalDrummer Facebook Group recently chimed in:

Rob Duggan: That they look great! A-E conversion..... And they'reversatile. Always a plus.

Michael Camplin: I posted a video on Facebook and I had a comment "Ithought you had an electronic kit"...the video was me playing myTD30KV...made me laugh.

In a second example, I took my TD30 and PA (2x 12" Mackie DLMs) to arehearsal with some metal guitarists, they were blown away by how bigand good the e-kit sounded. I didn't even take the sub along to thatrehearsal....

Jeremy Hoyle: That it looks cool, sounds pretty realistic, plays surprisinglywell and would be worth it just to play any time of the day or night. But Idon't have a low-end, plasticky set-up. My hardware's all heavy dutyGibraltar stuff, so it looks a little more serious. And I have a TD-30, whichhelps a lot, too!

Dave Chetwynd: Trumpet man strolled into our third rehearsal and askedif they were electronic. Acoustic side snare was voted out by the band.

Alexis Beattie: People are always impressed how many sounds comefrom my small set-up using an SPD-30 and a few extra pads. Also,because the style of music is electronic, it seems to fit the look. It's stillsurprising how few audio engineers have dealt with electronic kits before!

Aaron Bradford: How about not having to shell out hundreds of dollars fordifferent cymbals and all? Get tired of a sound and you can just change it!Or the fact that I can play in my second floor apartment and have zerocomplaints!

Sören Köstel: Never had a problem with acceptance or sound, playing inan electronic music/synth pop range.

You can join the discussion here.

--TALKING-POINT--



https://www.facebook.com/groups/digitaldrummer/

Mobilityat Messe

Mobility was the big trend atMusikmesse, Europe’s biggest musicinstrument expo in Frankfurt in March.

--GeAR--

PHOTO

: MUSIK

MESSE



ACCORDING TO ORGANISERS, the showdemonstrated the growing influence ofsmartphones and tablets in music productionand performance.

Around 110,000 visitors from 142 countriesattended the event, demonstrating the stronginterest in music.

All the major e-drum names were representedat the show, but there were very few productdebuts. Nevertheless, there was plenty ofinterest for electronic percussion enthusiasts.

2Box embraced the hybrid move, exemplifiedby Roland’s TM-2 launch at NAMM in January,with its two-zone external triggers. These havehad a conservative make-over since theirprototype a couple of years back, now sportinga black exterior instead of the original orange.

Alesis had some of the few new offerings, twomesh head kits. The DM10 Studio Kit Meshand the DM10 X Kit Mesh expand on theirpredecessors’ design with mesh drum headsfor “unprecedented response, reducedacoustic noise, and dynamic playability”,according to the company.

The kits will be available in the northernsummer, but not in the US or Japan.

Also on show at Alesis were the SamplepadPro which has had a bit of a make-over sinceits NAMM debut, the Sample Rack (SamplePad Pro minus pads), the Pro X two-piece hi-hat and the Transactive 400 wedge.

German drum maker and retailer Drum-Tecwas on hand to show its new reduced-reboundReal Feel three-layer mesh heads. The head is



OPPOSITE: 2Boxtrigger, Drum-TecReal Feel meshhead and AlesisSamplepad Pro.

THIS PAGE:ePiccolo EE-20module, Pearl eProLive, white MarkDrum pads andYamaha’s DTX502-based kit.digitalDRUMMER, MAY 2014 9


now part of the Diablo kit series on show, andthere were also two new snare drums: a DiabloHand Hammered 13” and a Chrome DeluxePro 14”.

Italy’s Mark Drum, which was not representedat NAMM, was on show with new white padsas an alternative to the original black finish.

Roland trotted out the gear it had first shownin Anaheim: the TM-2 module for hybridacoustic kits and the new compact, KT-10 basspedal. And from last year’s crop, there werealso examples of the NE-10 Noise Eater matand the NE-1 pad as well as the flagshippercussion controller, the HPD-20 Handsonicpad.

ePiccolo, which made its debut last year, hada new module, the EE-20 with the same specsas the EE-100 device shown last year, but in acompact format.

Pearl showed its version of the Alesis two-piece hi-hat, which it calls the EHH-1.

There was nothing new at Yamaha, whichshowed its DTX502 module and new app forDTX400 editing, the DTX400 Touch.

Zildjian aroused some interest with the newBuffed Bronze Gen16 AE cymbals covered onpage 12.

Location reporting and photographyby Wolfgang Stölzle

KAT Percussion’s KT2 kit, Zildjian Gen16Buffed Bronze and Roland’s hybrid array.



8


http://www.xm-world.com

Zildjian’s Gen16 AE cymbals havehad a make-over, and AllanLeibowitz found the changes are notjust cosmetic.

Buffedand bold


--Gear--


THE FIRST VERSION had nickel alloycymbals and acoustic pick-ups. Then camedirect pick-ups which eliminated feedback andprovided a stronger, cleaner signal.

However, for some players, Zildjian’s Gen16AE cymbals still lacked body and sounded a bitthin.

Some of that was addressed with a new batchof sound shapes which beefed up the tones,but the cymbal masters realised they couldpush it further.

Zildjian R&D chief Paul Francis went back tothe drawing board and the results of his toilwere debuted at Winter NAMM in January.

Tasked with developing “a fuller, warmer tone”,Francis came up with three vital steps: leavingoff the nickel plating and going with just thebronze alloy, revising the bell contours anddoing some lathing on the bigger cymbals.

According to Zildjian, the first step created awarmer tone, the second reduced some of thehigh-pitch overtones and the last lowered thefundamental pitch.

Not only that, but the new range lookssensational and more cymbal-like, anotheradvantage in the growing hybridacoustic/electronic percussion world.

The ear testOf course, looks alone don’t guaranteesuccess in the musical instrument businessand products stand or fall on their sound.

I first heard the Buffed Bronze range atNAMM, where they were put throughtheir paces by sound shaper ChrisRyan in live demos with backingtracks. I was impressed, but whatreally brought it home was thedisbelief among some at the boothwhen they found out that Ryan wasplaying AE cymbals.

To test the new range, I set up ahead-to-head comparison of thenew and old. In previouscomparisons, I would route twoinstruments into the same moduleinput using a splitter, but becausethe Gen16 DCP also powers thepick-up preamp and its light show,this was not possible. Instead, Iused two identical DCPs, routedthrough a Yamaha mixer with flatEQ. The results were captured onvideo and can be seen here.

Raw acousticsThe first step was testing the cymbalsacoustically.

There was very little difference between the oldnickel and the new bronze 14” hats. Thefundamental tone was similar, the bell andedge response identical and the onlydifference was perhaps a slightly moreaggressive attack on the bronze stock. But thiswas quite subtle and very subjective.

On the 20” ride, again the fundamentals weresimilar. The most noticeable difference was aclearer, more defined bell on the bronzecymbal.

Where Francis’ handiwork really stood out wasin the crashes. The extra body, lowerfundamental tone and improvedsustain were instantly evident.This was even morepronounced on the 16”china, which left itsnickel counterpartsounding like acoffee tinlid.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQPFGSn4-8E

Amplified soundThe initial plan was to compare the samplesusing one of the latest sound shapes for thenickel version and one of Ryan’s speciallydeveloped shapes for the bronze cymbals, butit became instantly clear that the comparisonwould just be misleading since so much of theprocessed sound is dependent on the shapingin the DCP.

Instead, I selected a tone that I liked for thenickel and used the same shape on thebronze. The difference, therefore, is purely inthe metal.

I found very little difference between the nickeland buffed bronze hats, and the slight variationwhich was evident acoustically was not reallyaudible after processing.

This, of course, is not a bad thing as almostevery Gen16 user instantly embraces the hatsounds.

On the 20” ride, again the difference wassubtle. Playing on the bow and edge wasalmost indistinguishable between the twovariants, but the bell performance on thebronze sample was clearer thanks to the subtlereshaping of the profile.

So, onto the crashes, which were, arguably,the weakest points of the nickel cymbals. And

here – drumroll please – the results weredramatic.

The crashes were more full-bodied andcertainly warmer. In fact, they were moreZildjian-like. And that was using electronicprocessing designed for the nickel stock.

There was more sustain, more impact andmore colour in the bronze cymbals, and thetones actually get even better with some of theyet-to-be-released DCP settings.

By far, the most dramatic improvement was inthe 16” china, a cymbal that seldom came outof its packet among my nickel collection.Switching to bronze was like adding a jolt froma defibrillator – the cymbal just comes alivewith an enhanced sonic range and greatdynamics.

And it’s not just the cymbalsWhile Francis and Ryan were working on thecymbal stock and the sound shapes, thehardware team have also been busy. Theyhave come up with new mounting bits andpieces, the most impressive of which is a newhi-hat mount that sees the pre-amp nowpositioned under the bottom hat. This allowsaccess to the controls for the light display,meaning that, at last, you can change thecolour and pattern after the cymbal is


Chris Ryan showing off the new cymbals at NAMM


positioned on the stand (something youcouldn’t do previously). There are also newlocking mounts for the ride and crash cymbalpreamps which securely fasten the assemblyonto the cymbal tilter shaft and preventmovement which could see the pick-up beingunplugged. And there are anti-spin sleeveswhich eliminate the need for the foam washersthat were previously included.

And the downside?Of course, there is some additional cost in thenew line. But the price jump is not as much assome feared. For example, one large retailercurrently has the 368 starter packs (consistingof a DCP, 13” hats, 16” crash and 18” ride plusDS pick-ups) for $800 for the nickel and $900for the bronze version.

Current Zildjian recommended retail prices arevirtually identical between the two ranges, butsome retailers are discounting the originalnickel models, so there is a price difference onthe streets.

The bottom lineAs the Beatles sang, “it’s getting better all thetime”. It’s clear that the Gen16 team arestriving for the excellence associated with their

acoustic products, and the Buffed Bronzerange is another step up for the Gen16 AEcymbals.

The new incarnation is without doubt gigable,with any weakness in the original line-up nowsquarely addressed in a range of cymbals thatsound as good as they look. The rangeincludes articulate hats and ride and, at last,deep, warm and resonant crashes and a chinathat really impresses. I’d go as far as sayingthe bronze versions are playable as acousticinstruments in intimate, low-volume situations,perhaps paired with a cocktail kit and somebrushes or rods.

The only question now is: what will they comeup with next?

Click here

Keen to try them?


digitalDrummer and Gen16 are giving away a368 Box Set (13" hats, 16” crash and 18" ride – allin Buffed Bronze, together with the new DSPickups and a DCP loaded with the new"NATURAL" Tone Shapes) to one lucky reader.To go into the running, just email us [email protected], withGen16 in the subject line.Winners will be announced in thenext issue and terms and conditionsare explained on our website.

ddmay2014v2_Layout 3 4/04/14 4:18 PM Page 15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQPFGSn4-8E


--Gear--

XMplary hardwareoutperforms brain

Need a compact kit that’s easy to set up andstraightforward to operate? Allan Leibowitzlooks at the B18-8SR kit from XM’s BuskerSeries.


THE TAIWANESE E-DRUM maker might notbe the best known, but it does have one of thewidest ranges of e-drum kits, from small starterset-ups to the huge C-MAX 100SR kit withtwin bass drums and five full-size toms.

The review kit was on the compact side of therange, the relatively new Busker Series whichhas two variants – one with a 10” bass drum -and the other with an 18” kick and bothpowered by the 8SR module. (The 9SRmodule, which was initially supplied with the18” version, has for some reason beendiscontinued).

What’s in the boxThe heart of the B18 kit is an 18”x11” bassdrum, mounted on a compact but sturdy two-leg rack.

The rack supports a single tom, a ride cymbaland the snare, which fits on a versatile ball-mount arm.

There’s also a separate, decent quality hi-hatstand.

The kit is very easy to assemble, and thehardware feels robust; even the plastic mountsare substantial and look hard-wearing.

Both drums – the 12” snare and 10” tom - aredual-zone, while the 13” ride has three zonesand a choke, with another 13” cymbal used inconjunction with a VH-11-style controller forthe hi-hat.

The 8SR module is compact and easy tonavigate, with a large touch-screen display.

The kit ships with labelled cables (which are abit on the short side) and a basic, butcompetent kick pedal. Interestingly, the pedalcomes with a felt beater – a clear no-no withmesh heads – and no doubt XM will soon hearfrom disgruntled customers who have beatentheir way through the head.

Overall, the drums are attractive (the review kitwas clad in timber veneer with black hardware)and well finished, and everything fits togetherneatly.

Best of all, this is touted as a busking kit and ithas a tiny footprint. The main section (bassdrum, rack, drums and ride) can actually becarried with one hand, and you may evenmanage the hi-hat in the other. At most, you’dbe looking at two trips to move the kit.



The performanceThe drums all come with XM’s single-ply,heavy-duty mesh which you’ll either love orhate. It doesn’t have as much bounce as someof its thinner competitors, and also lacks a bitof sensitivity. But it’s sure to last a while.

Another omission is the lack of rim silencers,which means you get a combination of themodule’s rim sounds and the clack of wood onmetal. Of course, this can be tamed withaftermarket rim silencers.

We’ve previously reviewed the XM cymbalsand found them to be sensitive, responsiveand acoustically quiet.

The triggers and hardware are of a muchhigher standard than the module. Admittedly,the review module was lower spec than theoriginal brain.

In actionWhen your regular modules are a Roland TD-30, a Yamaha DTX 700 and a 2box, it’s alwaysa challenge to face a lower-end module andeasy to become fixated on what’s missing. So,let me first address the shortfalls:

There are only seven kits.

There is no recording functionality.

There are no inbuilt play-along tracks.

There is limited trigger tweaking.

But, on the plus side, the module has an easy-to-use touch-screen interface; the stocksounds are very, very good; and the seven kitscover a range of genres (the only glaringomissions from my set lists is the lack of Latinpercussion and brushes).

The cymbal sounds, in particular, are almostVST quality. The bell is relatively easilytriggered, but it does take some force andaccuracy to get the edge sound. And forgetabout crash rolls – they’re not going to happenfrom the ride edge and you’ll need a dedicatedcymbal with the crash input.

Most of the sounds are also tunable, with usersable to pitch them up or down four steps.

Another nifty feature is that XM has allocated asecond tom sound on the tom rim, effectivelygiving you two toms in one shell – which isvery useful on a kit this compact.

On the downside, the lack of deep triggertweaking means it’s impossible to avoidmachine-gunning, and I could not get decent-sounding rolls from the snare.

The hi-hat produced open, semi-open, closed,half-closed and foot splash variations – whichis probably enough for most applications.

In contrast to the discontinued 9S module,which changes tone as well as volume as youhit harder, the 8S was purely volume-variable –which also adds to the machine-gunning.



And while there are no built-in practice tracks,the 8S does have a fairly sophisticated andeasy-to-use metronome.

The bottom lineThe Busker kit looks fantastic, feels great andis very useful for drummers on the go or thosewith limited space for their kit at home.

It’s well designed, well built and fun to play,with excellent sounds – albeit with not a lot ofchoice.

In my view, the triggers and hardware are astep up from the module, and while the brain isprobably competent enough for the averageweekend warrior gig, I couldn’t help thinkinghow good this set would have been with abetter brain. In fact, when I connected a TD-6Vmodule, the little kit rocked. The triggering wasalmost spot-on – except the snare rim whichwas very hot, but would probably be cooled abit by the addition of a rim silencer. While theTD-6 sounds were less realistic, the dynamicswere excellent and it was possible to producegreat buzz rolls and ghost notes.

The other potential downside is the price tag.The Busker kits aren’t cheap, with the 18” bassversion retailing for $1,199 and the 10” varianta bit cheaper. This pricing puts it in the domainof Roland’s TD-11K, Yamaha’s DTX532K andthe new KT-3 kits, all of which offer morecapable modules and more pads and cymbals- but without the acoustic looks and ‘cute”factor.

SpecificationsDrum module: XSM-8STrigger inputs: 9 x 6.3 mm stereo input Aux input: 3.5 mm stereo Main out: 6.3 mm stereo Headphone out: 3.5 mm stereo Connections: MIDI In and Out, USBThe kitDrum pads: 18” bass, 12” snare, 10” tomCymbals: 13” ride, 13” hi-hatHi-hat controller: XH7



Last year this time, digitalDrummer tested itseighth and ninth auxiliary triggers in an ongoinghead2head in the category. Allan Leibowitzfollows up with a new offering from682Drums.The trigger: 682Drums t-Rigg ($59)

Form and size: A 4.5 cm diameter, 20 cm tubewith a 14 cm rubber-covered strike surface.

Zones: Single

Performance: This device triggers perfectly inalmost any trigger setting on a Roland TD-30module, even producing rim notes in some settings –but that’s not recommended. It’s happiest as a mono trigger, set as PAD1.It also triggered well out of the box on a 2box module. The t-Rigg wasalso one of the few triggers to accommodate a DTX700 module withouthaving to tweak the settings.

Response was even across the strike surface, and the rebound wascontrolled and comfortable. The t-Rigg was very quiet, registering around65 dB, and has a dull thud tone.

The neat design has rubber over the whole surface, reducing the risk ofcrosstalk.

It comes in either neutral grey or less neutral green.

What we liked: Plug and play, great sensitivity, rugged build and a neatdesign that fits any standard 38mm mount.

What we didn’t like: It is supplied without any mounting hardware orcable.

digitalDrummer and 682Drums have t-Riggs and mounts togive away to three subscribers. To go into the running for one ofthese, email us now with the subject line “t-Rigg competition”.

Aux options expand--GEAR--

Our greatest hits ... in one volumeNow you can find all the digitalDrummer Head2Head reviews in one place. Mesh heads? All in one PDF. Looking for information on internal, externaland aux triggers? Again, one click and you getit all. And the same with e-cymbals.And much more...

Everything you need - just a click away.


[email protected]

https://www.distribly.com/product/2001

More sounds, more features, more drumming

Introducing the KATSix-piece drum pad configuration with 4 cymbals

550 studio-grade drum, cymbal, DJ, EFX and percussion sounds

USB, MIDI connectivity

Hi-hat pedal can be programmed to simulate a double pedal

25 programmable and 45 pre-configured drum sets

New, larger 11-inch snare and floor tom pads

14-inch ride cymbal with a new advanced bell trigger

Bass drum pedal is optional on some models.

Watch Antoine Fadavi demonstrate the incredible flexibility of the new kt3.

KATPERCUSSION.COM

Available at KAT Percussion Retailers worldwide.

KAT_DD_KT3.indd 1 4/2/14 11:05 AM

http://youtu.be/XO8xm0aJuII


A YEAR AGO, when digitalDrummer put a toein the iPad drumming waters, there were ahandful of viable MIDI/iPad interfaces. Most ofthem were extrapolated from the humble iPadcamera/USB interface and while they workedfine, they were small and not particularly road-ready.

Well, 12 months is a long time in the iPadlifecycle, and along with new iPad hardwareand an updated operating system, there arenow a range of interface options.

Behringer iStudioThe Behringer iStudio iPad Docking Station isone of the most substantial offerings around. Itis a large and robust unit into which the iPadslides (and fits snugly thanks to a spring-loaded backing plate).

While e-drummers will be interested in theiStudio as a MIDI interface which will enablethem to use e-drums to trigger apps likeGarageBand, it is so much more.

The docking station is powered by eitherbatteries or AC power, serving as power

source and charge station for the iPad. It alsoboasts two phantom-powered Mic/Line inputsand a stereo Aux Input, turning the iPad into afull recording rig which captures guitars,keyboards and vocals as well as recordedbacking tracks.

The unit is easy to operate, even withoutlooking at the instructions. After sliding theiPad in and switching on, one opens the appand selects the instrument one wants totrigger. In the case of GarageBand, it found thee-drum source in default setting.

Performance was flawless, and latency almostundetectable using the iStudio headphone out.

In short, it’s an elegant solution which powersthe iPad while it easily feeds a number ofsources for music apps. The connectors are allfull-size – regular MIDI In and Out jacks,combination XLR/stereo inputs and even anRCA composite connector or video out.

With a standard three-year warranty, theiStudio iS202 has a street price of around$150.

iPad gets more connected--Gear--


Griffin StudioConnectThe Griffin interface takes the form of an iPadstand which connects to the iPad via astandard dock connector. On the rear of thestand are a mono 1⁄4” instrument jack, a stereo3.5 mm input jack and RCA outputs, along withstandard MIDI In/Out jacks. There’s no XLRmic jack, nor phantom power, which can be adrawback for anyone wanting to record vocals.

As a MIDI interface, the StudioConnect wasflawless. It was instantly found by GarageBandand performed well with e-drum controllers,with imperceptible latency.

Monitoring is via a 3.5 mm headphone jack,conveniently located on the front of the unit,with a generous volume wheel for control.There’s also an input level control on the side.

The Griffin solution is elegant and compact, butsturdy and practical. If you’re only interested inMIDI and instrument input, this is an adequatesolution, but as a vocal recording, it ishampered by the lack of XLR connections andphantom power.

The StudioConnect has a street price of $100.

IK Multimedia iRig ProWe covered the iRig MIDI in our last round-upand the iRig Pro goes to the next level. Theinterface is a compact unit with a couple ofinputs and an output. The Pro accepts MIDI(via a supplied special MIDI to mini-jackconnection) and a combination XLR/¼” jack formics and instruments. The package alsoincludes a Lightening and a USB connector.

There’s a phantom power switch to enable theuse of condenser mics (provided youremember to insert the supplied 9v battery).

The unit has a gain control dial on its face, aswell as a couple of lights which indicatephantom power and line level (green is good).

The interface performs well as a MIDIinterface, instantly found by my music appsand easy to use, with minimal latency.

As a microphone interface, it is clear andaccurate – and as a bonus, you get a liteversion of the VocaLive app.

Unfortunately, there are no outputs on this unit,so you can neither monitor your playingdirectly, nor send to an amp. Instead, you haveto rely on your iPad’s headphone output.

Also, like most of these interfaces, you canonly use one input at a time – either e-drumsor vocals, for example. But since manyrecording apps only do one track at a time,that’s not a big deal.

While it has an impressive mic pre-amp, for e-drummers the iRig Pro is on the costly side, at$150 on the street.

In February 2013,digitalDrummer included aspecial report on iPaddrumming.The feature looked at interfacesand apps - and you can catchup on it by clicking here.



http://issuu.com/digitaldrummer/docs/digitaldrummer_february_2013_v3?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage

Parsonsknows


Alan Parsons started as an assistantrecording engineer at Abbey Road at the ageof 18 and has left his mark on hits by PinkFloyd, Paul McCartney and many, manyothers. He discusses the role of drums inmusic with digitalDrummer’s Scott Holder.

--recording--


digitalDrummer: How important is the drumtrack in setting the atmosphere and feel ofa song?

Alan Parsons: I think ever since “rock and roll”was coined, that meant drums. To a largedegree that meant loud drums, so I totally thinkto anything in rock music it’s incrediblyimportant. Take the drums away from anyclassic rock or pop record and you’ve gotnothing. The whole foundation is the drums.

dD: What was your approach to thatfoundation?

AP: I’ve been in this business long enough tosee how the recording process hasprogressed. When I first got into the businessin the late ‘60s, they’d really not figured outhow to record kick drum. Around that time, theysuddenly had this idea that it didn’t need tosound like a kick drum used to sound. Theyfigured out that by taking the front skin off andputting weights, blankets or damping inside toget a thump instead of a big boom, they got asound which was much easier to record. Thatstarted in 1969-1970, when I first started. Thatmade a huge difference in the very notion ofthe kick drum forming an integral part of thedrum track and that’s been my approach eversince. Before that, it had always been slightlyevident but it was this thumpy/boomy thing inthe background that blended into the bass end.

dD: When should you record drums? Firstor after a click track?

AP: I’m a bit of a traditionalist in that I don’tbelieve the drums should be recordedseparately. They should be recorded along withas many instruments as possible that are to bea part of the final track. There’s this newthought among modern record makers that“okay, first let’s do the drums, now let’s do thebass, now let’s do the guitars, now let’s do thekeyboards”. I come from the old school whereyou had four tracks or eight tracks at best andeverybody had to play together. You didn’thave the luxury of recording unlimited tracks orbeing able to separate everything. You had tomake decisions about mixing down. Even oneight-track, we would record an entireensemble of bass, drums, keyboards andguitars on one or two tracks.

dD: So how do you determine the correctlevel for drums? Does it need to beconstant?

AP: It boils down to the skill of the drummer togive any necessary dynamics. In the modernworld, we expect pretty much every hit on thedrum to be consistent, unless the song itselfdemands dynamics. I think there’s a tendencyto use compression … to achieve that dynamicor evenness. People will argue with me on this,but I do not like compression on drums. Thereare countless engineers and producers in theworld who will say “drums without compressionis like food without wine”. I’ve always believedthat drums sound better without compression.In a way, that’s why I’ve always liked the sound


When Parsons is on the desk, don’t look for compression on the drums


of digital recordings of drums sincethere was a certain element ofcompression when using tape. A lotof people record with tape purely forthe experience of hearing thatcompression that tape gives them. I’mnot one of them.

dD: How do you feel about usingloops?

AP: Loops have become a part ofmodern music. They were never reallyconsidered viable for anything when Istarted. I think it’s become a way peoplecompose these days. People will say “I’mgoing to base a song around this loop”. I thinkit’s perhaps a little short-sighted to do that. Inmy own case, I’d much rather sit down andwrite a song at a keyboard or a piano and thenhave everybody come in and actually play, notsay: “Oh I know a great loop that will work withthis composition”. It could be helpful for demopurposes, but the loops that I might have usedin the past for writing have now become aneveryday part of compositional life and it’salmost accepted that you can have a loop inthere somewhere, certainly in modern pop.

dD: Since it was a collaborative effort in “AValid Path” [2004 electronica CD featuringgroups like Shpongle, The Crystal Methodand others], how did the guys you wereworking with record their drums?

AP: That was an exception in my career sinceeverything was electronic. There wasn’t a drumkit in sight on that album. It was allprogrammed, but I’m not sure we resorted toloops that much. There were possibly musicalloops but not so much in the way of drumloops. If there were drum loops, they werecertainly not the foundation of what werecorded.

dD: What about drum tracks recordedremotely?

AP: Internet recording is now part of thebusiness, part of real life. Drummers like to have a permanent set-up in their own studioand send files knowing the sound of theirdrums is being exported in a way that they are

happywith. They can still get

screwed up at the other end but at least theyknow the source is valid. I’ve done that onprobably only one or two occasions ever. I’vealways felt the need to “be there” when drumsare being recorded. But, that’s the way it isnow, it’s just a fact of life that peopleessentially “phone in” their parts over theInternet.

dD: When you had just finished workingwith Steven Wilson [on Wilson’s latest soloCD, ‘The Raven That Refused to Sing’],there’s a video of you literally down on yourhands and knees doing something with thedrums. I assume that material was recordedthe way you’ve already discussed, namelyeverybody in the studio playing at the sametime.

AP: Yes, indeed. Steven’s album was theperfect example of how I feel it should bedone: all the instruments going down together.Even in the old days, if there was a mistake orsomething somebody wasn’t happy with, youcould edit or if they were on their own track youwould punch them in. The success of therecord is at least in part due to the wonderfulcoherence between the players and that is sooften lost in modern recording. It’s the way itused to be, everybody played together – theywent in and played until their job was done.Only solos and vocals would get added later.

dD: We’ve discussed this several yearsago, in the context of orchestral MIDI (VST)tracks, but now in terms of drum VSTs, canyou hear the difference between thosetracks and recorded acoustic drums?



PHOTO

: JER

EMY HOYL

EAP: If you had asked me that question 10years ago, I would have said that I’d always beable to spot programmed or sampled drums ina recording - but the science of drum samplingand recording has advanced. In terms of justthe pure audio quality of sounds, you can’t tellanymore. A really good hi-hat can be sampledin various stages of openness or closedness, asnare can be hit hard or soft or a tom can bewhacked hard or soft and so on. It’s thetechnical ability to record or sample a set ofdrums in a sophisticated way that now makes itindistinguishable. My question would be, ”Is areal drum performance better than an equallygood sounding computer performance?” I stillmaintain that drums should be recorded “forreal”. Okay, the technology exists to use MIDIfor the performance, but the human content ismuch more valuable than getting it exactly intime or exactly “on the grid”. That’s where feelcomes from.

dD: What advice do you have for drummersin their relationship with producers when itcomes to input or a “say” into the overallproduction of a song?

AP: Thankfully, there are still drummers outthere, rather than just people who programdrum sounds. There’s nothing better than a

guy who can sit at a drum kit and really make acontribution, do the right fills and get the rightfeel. A drummer can change or turn the feel ofa song around in milliseconds, whereas a drumprogrammer will have to press all the buttons,click lots of mouse boxes to make a change.Computers are still slower than humans. Ahuman will say, “Oh, let me try this fill on theverse or let me try this fill on the chorus”, and Ifeel that is so much more a vibrant and anexciting way to work rather than clicking amouse, deciding what loop works, whatprogram works or what sounds work. There’sstill something great about not only the soundof a drum kit but really hearing the talent of agreat drummer behind that kit.

dD: I assume that’s enhanced by having thedrummer there as opposed to ‘phoning theperformance in’ remotely as you put itearlier - there’s more of a dynamic back andforth. So it would help the drummer whowants that kind of production input to bephysically there?

AP: That’s right. Being there means using thiswonderful form of communication called“talking”. This is sadly somewhat lost incomputer terms. “Click this, click that” asopposed to “Hey, let’s talk about what works.


http://www.esoundz.com


Let’s talk about what kind of fills are suitablefor this song”. That whole premise is tending tobe lost by a lot of people in production thesedays.

dD: Now that you have an electronic kit ofyour own [Yamaha DTX900 series kit], whatprompted you to get it?

AP: It was purely a space consideration. Ididn’t want to have a full-blown kit in myrehearsal area because it would have drownedeverything else. I really like to rehearse at quitea sober, quiet level. Drummers have a habit ofalways wanting to hit pretty hard, so it’s a nicething about having an electronic kit, even ifhe’s playing hell for leather, I can at least turnhim down to a point where it doesn’t sound likehe’s playing at an earth-shattering level. Thatwas the main premise; it was just a rehearsalsituation.

The subject of an electronic kit has come upand I might ask Danny [Thompson, Alan’sdrummer for live shows] to play an electronickit at our next orchestral shows. The level of‘real’ drums against the rather feeble sound ofyour average violin is so great that we wouldhave to consider the separation issues. I thinkan electronic kit for an orchestral show solvesa whole lot of problems. I see electronic kits asan occasional interim measure for recording.I’m sure that will change. I’m sure they willbecome amazing and will be able to emulatethe sound of a real kit because technical

advances happen. Computers are getting morepowerful and it’s all related to digital science.Having said that, I still love to experience thesound of an acoustic kit along with a greatplayer.

dD: On the electronic drum side, westruggle with that very question: whether ornot you can get the same kind of acousticfeel up on stage with an electronic kitversus an acoustic kit.

AP: That’s a good question. I’m not sure I’vereally had enough experience with electronickits to answer that. Certainly, in terms of therandom timing a real drummer will come upwith, one drummer will play behind the beat,another ahead. With an electronic kit played bya real drummer, at least you preserve that: thereal human interaction.

I still have a problem when it’s programmed orlooped, or the computer saying, ”Here’s wherethe beat should fall, so that’s where I’ll put it.” Istill feel that’s the crux of what rock and rollreally is; it all started with a drum kit, a bigdouble bass that became an electric bass andan acoustic guitar that became an electricguitar. It’s really just about musical talent andthe interaction between people. I think that’s soimportant. Anybody can create a perfect drumtrack on a grid by punching this button or thatbutton but it’s not going to give you the sameresult as a real drummer playing with real feeland soul, playing his heart out.

Flashback: Parsons in the famed Abbey Road studios


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In theNickof time


--Profile--

Nick Mason’s signature drumming was an essential partof every Pink Floyd album since 1965. Far more than adrummer, Mason wrote a number of Floyd songs andcollaborated on some of their biggest hits. He spoke todigitalDrummer editor Allan Leibowitz after wrapping uphis first VST offering with Sonic Reality.


digitalDrummer: Tell us a bit about how yougot into drumming.Nick Mason: I got into drumming and hadfriends I played with when I was 13 or 14 and Iplayed a tiny bit. Someone had given mebrushes and I played on an African drum and Ithought that was all rather cool. Then, wedecided we’d start a band. None of us couldactually play, but one of the guys had alreadybought a guitar and I didn’t want to be the bassplayer. I thought that was dreadful. So I wentout and bought a drum kit. Then having got it, Idecided to try to learn how to play it.

dD: When did you realise that this is what youwere going to do for a living ... and how did youmake it happen?NM: It just happened. I had no idea it wasgoing to work. I actually left college with anunderstanding that I could go back after a year,but I never actually needed to. But I’m keepingthat place open. You never know, it could all gowrong!

dD: Drums were clearly a key part of PinkFloyd – not just a rhythmic tool, but anessential musical ingredient. Did you push forthat creative role, or was it thrust upon you?NM: It happened naturally. One of the greatthings about being in that particular band is

that everyone was just expected to dowhatever they thought was right.

dD: What’s the Floyd song in which you feelthe drumming and percussion really made thebiggest contribution?NM: Probably Comfortably Numb, because theopening verses probably have fewer drumbeats per bar than any other song I’ve everplayed. I really like Set The Controls from Piperjust because it’s played on wood mallets ratherthan sticks. Of course, the roto toms on Timefrom Dark Side have a certain role in that track.

dD: Listening back to the tracks now, wouldyou do anything differently?NM: When I listen to any of them, I alwayswish I’d done something differently. There’s notrack where I’ve said to myself “That is perfectNick. You are brilliant!” [laughs]

dD: Do you think that current technology wouldhave enabled you to do anything differently,had it been available then?NM: I don’t think Dark Side is the outcome ofjust having analogue technology. It’simponderable really because it is possible thatby having the ability to speed through elementsof it, that one would miss doing certain things.The fact that something takes an afternoon


Masons’ BFD snare line-up


means you have more time to think out how itshould go. So, I don’t think one could just go“we could just go quicker”, something wouldhave been lost in the process. But, in essence,from what was done 40 years ago, thetechnology has been trying to catch up to whatwe wanted to do and make it easier. That’swhere we’re at now, really. Systems ofoverdubbing, systems of dropping in soundeffects are much quicker now than they wereback then.

dD: Let’s talk about your Sonic Reality BFDoffering. What was it like doing the recordings?It must have been a far cry from your usualstudio activities?NM: Yeah, definitely. Because we sort ofworked our way fairly rapidly througheverything. The issues were not about learninga new piece. It was very clear what the soundis that was looked for. So yeah, it was a verydifferent experience.

dD: How did the other people in the project,like Alan Parsons and Dave Kerzner, contributeto ensuring that the samples had thatdistinctive Floyd sound?NM: It was terrific working with Alan againbecause he was a very good engineer then

and an even better engineer now. We’vealways shared the same sort of memories ofthe period and the time. I enjoyed it. I’ve rarelyworked with engineers that I didn’t like. There’salways a sort of rapport, particularly withdrummers, because it’s one of the few acousticinstruments left, so to some extent, it’s anopportunity for the engineer to shine. Daveknows what he’s after for his purposes -making a Sonic Reality product out of it. I thinkit all went very well. Mission accomplished.

dD: I don’t suppose you have heard anyoneelse play your samples yet, but how do youthink you’ll feel when you hear “your sound”coming out of someone else’s kit?NM: Fine. I’d be flattered. I’ve certainlysampled other drum sounds myself. Quiteoften, one mixes drums with other soundswhich I think is good. It’s like having colours ina paint box.

dD: Besides the BFD project, are you exposedmuch to electronic percussion? I know youmessed around with Simmons kits early on, sohave you followed the progress of the gear?NM: Yes, initially I was quite involved in theSimmons SDX drums, you know sort of 20years ago I guess, and I still have it. Well, in



fact, it expired in a puff of smoke but actuallywe fired it up the other day to see if we couldmake it do anything. I also had a set of ddrumsthat were in some ways more practical, moreusable. The length of time to load sounds froma floppy disc made the Simmons prettyunwieldy. Plus, it was really rather early days.

dD: I gather you have done some stuff withRoland in the UK. What was that about?NM: I do have a Roland V-Drum kit and Ithink it’s a terrific thing. I don’tuse it live, but it’s greatfor workingthings out and abit of practice. Iimagine adrummer couldMIDI it up to acomputer runningthis product in BFDand have a niceexperience playing avirtual version of my kit,if that’s a sound thatinspires them.

dD: What’s your advice toour readers, many of whomare obsessed with electronicgear?

NM: It really is amazing what you can do withthe current technology and sounds. They canoffer inspiration and speed up your process ofmaking music. But one still needs to be able toplay their instrument and practice playing withothers to get anywhere with it. The technologywill almost do it for you, but your creativity isstill required to make a difference.

dD: What’s your view of the future ofelectronic percussion – and the“threat” or “promise” of drummerreplacement through samples andthings like Apple Logic X’sautomated drummer functions?NM: It’s certainly not a threat anymore than the electric guitar is athreat to the acoustic guitar.They both have a place andboth make it possible to dodifferent things. There’s areality to acousticinstruments that electricsstill can’t quite recreateand vice versa. It’ll give a

different experience, Isuppose. But none of these instruments

are threats. I remember everyone thinking theMellotron was going to destroy the orchestra.But it doesn’t work that way. It’s just anotheroption.

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WHEN WE SET out to do a project like NickMason Drums or any similar type of product atSonic Reality, I always do my best as producerto gather as many authentic elements as I canto capture an accurate and genuine characterin the sound. If it’s possible to use the originalengineer who recorded the drummer on aclassic album, then I collaborate with thembecause they were the ones who were thereand helped define the sound in the first place.

Then there’s the equipment and acoustics ofthe studio to consider. It’s important to find astudio that will get the right sound and that ithas the often very rare mixing console, micsand other recording equipment used on theoriginal - even if it was done 40 years ago,such as on an album like Dark Side of theMoon. We were fortunate to find a place likeState of the Ark studios in England, whichhappens to have the same equipment used onDark Side, including a beautiful EMI TG12345mixing desk and an array of rare vintage micsthat Alan Parsons used in 1973. Thatcombined with the original drummer and hisparticular vintage drums and it’s as real as itgets!

To capture the sound, we had Nick tune his kitand with Alan they dampened the snare andsome of the toms to get that vintage ‘70s Floyddrum sound. Alan used Coles 4038 ribbon

mics as overheads, which gives a very warmtop-end sound to the drums. Then, for directs,the less common vintage AKG D19 and D20mics were used – as they had been at AbbeyRoad in the ‘70s. Alan also liked to useNeumann KM86 mics for things like hi-hatsand other instruments.

We recorded some ambient room mics just tohave it and other extra channels in BFDbeyond what they would have used so wecould offer more user flexibility. Back then,when they recorded Nick with Pink Floyd,they’d all be recording live in the same room,so that made ambient mics for just the drumsimpossible. That’s part of the reason the drumsound is generally very dry.

In the mix process, Nick and Alan preferredthat some reverb was applied just to the tomsand not the kick and snare. That gave it aninteresting depth of an up-front dry sound anda big dramatic sound at the same time. Thesesorts of techniques are all possible to do withNick Mason Drums for BFD since you haveaccess to the individual mic channels recordedby Alan Parsons on Nick Mason’s awesomeLudwig Custom Black Kit. We even recordedsome extra snares and tom flams to give itsome additional flavour.

Dave Kerzner, Sonic Reality


Working with Nick Mason

Final touches: Kerzner, Parsons and Mason supervise the sample production

You don’t have to go looking for digitalDrummer.Simply sign up at www.digitaldrummermag.com andwe’ll email you each time a new edition goes live.And it’s totally free.So don’t wait until the magazine is archived here: read itas soon as it’s published.Just provide an email address and choose a passwordand you’ll never miss an issue.

Your definitive guide to e-drum gear

Found uson ISSUU?

dd_feb2015_Layout 3 11/02/15 1:20 PM Page 63

How I use e-drumsAs the poster boy for KAT Percussion, drummer AntoineFadavi represents the next generation of e-drummers.

--PErformance--


PHOTO

S: GREEN

WAVE R

ECORDS


LIKE A LOT of drummers these days, I startedout doing drum covers and posting them to myYouTube channel. In the beginning, playingalong with my favorite pop bands was a greatway to learn to play drums. But, as Iprogressed, I began to challenge myself toplay more advanced songs in moreprogressive styles. As thedrum parts got moreintense, I realised Ineeded to develop bettertechnique, become abetter musician and, ofcourse, play with otherpeople.

So, while I’m still doingcovers, I’m also workingon my hands and feet andlooking for opportunitiesto play in a band. Findingpeople to play with is notso easy for a 14- year-oldliving in Paris. In the meantime, my practicepad and I have become very close friends.

I also love producing videos. I started GreenWave Records, my unofficial, independentproduction company, as a side project. Filming,editing, mixing and mastering are also skillsthat I am working every day to improve on. Ithink they are skills that are becoming part ofevery modern drummer’s tool kit. We’re waypast the time where being a good drummerwas just about hitting things.

Through my connection with KAT electronicdrums, I had the opportunity to attend theNAMM Show in Los Angeles last January.Meeting, watching and listening to some of thegreatest drummers in the world was anincredible experience that inspired me to workeven harder and set my goals even higher.

Right now, my plan is to attend BerkleeCollege of Music after high school. That’s onlyfour years away!

GearI am currently playing a KAT KT3 drum kit. It’sawesome.

A good friend of mine introduced me to thepeople at KAT about a year ago. They liked myplaying and some of the videos I had done andthey invited me to help them road-test theirelectronic drums and promote them to youngdrummers. I am very lucky because working

with KAT has been like a dream come true forme.

I’ve also played KAT’s KT2 drum kit andKTMP1 multipad and the Roland TD9-KX2 inthe past. My first drum set was a Roland HD1.

I use Adobe Premiere Pro CC (Creative Cloud)for video editing, Pro Tools 10and Adobe Audition CC foraudio mixing and mastering andI use Superior Drummer 2.0 fordrum sound expansion. I haveGoPro Hero 3 and Canon RebelT5i video cameras plus I’m ableto borrow gear from friends andfamily when needed.

One other thing I’d like tomention is that I use hearingprotection whenever I play orlisten to music. Don’t get mewrong — I like loud music asmuch as anyone else, but

listening to it can lead to headaches, hearingloss and other problems. So, along with mysticks and cameras, I always have my earplugswith me. I think everyone else should, too.

The e-drum advantageI live in a very small apartment in Paris. Icouldn’t have an acoustic drum set because itwould be too big for our apartment and tooloud for my neighbours. For a long time,electronic drums were the only way I couldplay drums at all.

E-drums gave me the chance to be a drummerand learn about drumming: rhythms,techniques, type of drums, different sounds.And they allowed me to begin making videoslike some of the YouTube drummers who weremy heroes.

Today, I also have an acoustic kit and I’mworking to master it, as well. But even thoughI’m pretty comfortable with acoustic drums, Ilove electronic drums because I can just turnthem on, launch my interface, access a lot ofdifferent sounds and play and record as fast asthe electrons flow through the wires.

If you think about it, all drummers used to startout on acoustic drums and get into electronicdrums later but, for more and more drummersof my generation, electronic drums are comingfirst and acoustic drums second. This is a big,important change and I get to play a part in therevolution. How cool is that?



https://www.youtube.com/user/AntoineFadavi

BRITISH SAMPLE PRODUCER Drumdrops isbest known for its drum tracks and loops, butnow the “purveyors of the finest live drummulti-tracks, stems, drum loops, drum samplesand single hit kits” (according to the companyschtick) has begun packaging its wares for e-drummers, with two sample packs currently onoffer for the Kontakt 5 engine.

Drumdrops first released a 1970s Rogers BigR Dub Kit, and has followed it up with a 1963Premier Outfits 54 pack.

Both require a full version of Kontakt – not justthe free Player, so that might discourage abunch of potential users.

I’m not a huge fan of the Kontakt engine, but Ido like NI’s Studio Drummer, so I’ve stuck withKontakt just for that.

The Drumdrops packs are available bydownload only – the first one weighs in at amodest 1.2 GB; the second is much larger, at2.5 GB.

The packs are easy to install – simply unzipthem and ensure that you know where they’resaved so that you can access them withKontakt.

And that’s the first challenge. Unfortunately, thekits can’t be loaded as a library, so you’ll haveto use the host’s file tab to hunt for them. It’s abit tedious and time-consuming when you firstload the kits, but it soon becomes secondnature.

The kitsThe Rogers kit offers a fairly limited instrumentrange - a 24”x16” Rogers Big R bass, 14”x6.5”Ludwig Black Magic snare, 14”x5” LudwigBlack Acrolite snare, two Rogers Big R racktoms and a cannon-like 16”x16” 1963 Premierfloor tom.

The hats are Zildjian A Sweet 15” and there’s aZildjian Custom A 17” crash. If you’re more dubkit-savvy than me, you’ll know not to look for aride (seriously, a VST pack without a ride?).

Product review:Kontakt 5 packs by Drumdrops


--VST--


There are also some percussion bits – a 14”timbale, hi and lo bongos and a couple ofelectronic percussion pieces - a Boss PC-2Percussion Synthesizer and a Tama TechstarTC-204.

Despite the significantly larger download, thereare actually fewer kit pieces in the Premier kit.You’ll have to settle for just one snare in thisoffering – a 14”x5.5” Vintage Premier RoyalAce. The rest of the pieces are a 20”x16”Vintage 1963 Premier bass drum with a 12”x8”rack tom and a 16”x16” floor tom for the samekit.

The pies consist of 14” Zildjian New hats, a 22”Zildjian K Custom Medium Ride and twoZildjian crashes – an 18” K Dark Thin Crashand a 16” Zildjian Vintage Crash.

The interfaceThe Drumdrops interface consists of threetabs.

The Mixer tab is much like other Kontaktmixers where you control the volume of theindividual drums. You can also choose thebalance of overhead and room mics and applyvarious reverbs.

The Kit tab contains a realistic kit image, andthe ability to audition drums and cymbals byclicking on them – much more useful than NI’sinbuilt mini-keyboard. Here, you can also tuneall the instruments and select velocity curves.

The Settings tab could really be called theMIDI tab, because this panel allows you to

select MIDI maps and also to change notesand articulations, with an intuitive “learn”function. And it’s worth noting that there arepreset maps for most of the popular e-drumoptions - Yamaha DTX-900, 2box and Rolandas well as Addictive Drums, Superior Drummer,SSD and BFD.

And the MIDI mapping was spot-on for theoptions I tried – including very accurate hi-hatvariations (open, ¼, 1⁄2, ¾ and closed steps forbow and edge as well as open and closedsplash) and cymbal chokes.

But if you’re more interested in playing thanmixing, much of the work has been done foryou in the range of presets, accessed verysimply.

Both kits have 14 presets, with vastly differentsounds and feels and wonderful names likeSingle Malt and Bitches Brew. So despite thelimited kit pieces, these FX enhancements ineffect deliver 14 additional kits to each pack –besides the almost infinite possibilities if you’dlike to get down and dirty and start messingwith the various effects, buses and modulationoptions.

The SoundsMy first encounter was with the Dub Kit andwhile I recognised the quality of the samples,the clarity and the depth of the presets, I wasnot taken with the sounds. But Dub’s not mygenre, and I was too wrapped up in theabsence of a ride to really give the VST packmuch of a chance.


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The classic ‘60s kit was a different kettle offish. I was impressed with every kit piece andthe overall kit, and could certainly use many ofthe presets in a covers band environment.

My one regret is that there aren’t more kitpieces, but I did discover a work-around. Allthat’s needed is to open a second instance ofDrumdrops in Kontakt (I saved the kit with anew name), associate the toms with MIDInotes matching your additional triggers andthen retune the toms in the Kit pane. I tunedtwo toms down a few steps to create a fullharmonic complement of four. Just rememberto solo the toms on the second set or you’ll endup with duplicate hits on all your other drumsand cymbals.

If that sounds too much like hard work, thenjust remind yourself of what Ringo achievedwith a four-piece kit.

Overall, the packs are both very playable andvery listenable – and one can choose to runwith the presets or dig a lot deeper andunleash some creativity. The packs have a‘round robin’ option and various randomisationsettings to avoid machine-gunning and robot-like sticking.

Interestingly, despite Drumdrops’ loop heritage,no loops are provided with either pack. It’s notsomething I miss, but some buyers might bedisappointed by their absence.

Bottom LineDrumdrops has crafted some really usefulsamples and a batch of terrific and variedpresets in two small packs.

The packs are moderately priced (£40 for theDub Kit and £35 for the vintage Premier kit),but there are discounts if you buy more thanone pack at a time and free samples with somepurchases. At the time of writing, for example,Drumdrops was offering 20% off for anyonewho simply opened a free account.

And here’s another tip. If you’re not a Kontaktfan, consider the Multi-velocity Packs, whichare around a third of the price and can beloaded into some DAWs.

In short, these two compact kit packs providelots of tone and colour for some skilfullyproduced samples. They play well, soundgreat, offer tons of tweakability and won’t breakthe bank.


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Tech-savvy

teachingdigitalDRUMMER, MAY 2014 417

PHOTO

: ROLAND AUSTR

ALIA

--TRAINING--


TODAY WE HAVE technologies that were noteven dreamt of a few years ago. Most oftoday’s good teachers use technology in someway. Outstanding teachers stay up to date with– and benefit from - these important tools.

When we hear the term technology, manypeople think of just computers. Important ascomputers are, a number of other technologiesalso need to be considered. Some are cheapand others are more expensive. Also, someare very simple to use while others have alonger learning curve. Many are worth yourinvestment in time and resources.

Technology ChoicesEveryone is familiar with the metronome.Today’s metronomes are much moresophisticated than anything in the past. Youshould consider one of many choices availablethat can do far more than just keep time. Thereis a vast choice, many price points and severalonline and app options as well. Studentsshould also be required to purchase one ofthese great practice tools.

Many teachers and students have discoveredthe Roland Rhythm Coach. This electronicpractice pad is much more than a pad with abuilt-in metronome. It features several useful“coach modes” that help you see yourprogress. Using the Rhythm Coach – andsimilar functions now found in most modules -enhances the practising experience.

The ability to record yourself and your studentsis very helpful. There are several optionsincluding using a computer and digital audiosoftware, built-in module recording, multitrackdigital recorders, or a stand-alone CD recorder.Even cellphones can make good qualityrecordings. When using these options, you canchange the tempo or the key of a songindependently, making accompanimentpossibilities endless. Making practice loops isalso easy. You can use recordings in manyways, including:

• Have a student make a recording athome. Then both of you can critique ittogether.

• Have a student record a part of a duet.Have them play the second part “live” atthe lesson.

• Record yourself playing something forthe student to use as a reference at home.

• Have a “mock” recording session at alesson.

• Get a good recording for the student toshare with the parents and family.

• You can even keep an audio record ofprogress on a particular piece. Thepossibilities are endless!

The next step in recording is video. They say apicture is worth a thousand words. I think avideo is worth even more. Relativelyinexpensive cameras are available and easy touse. Techniques for using video are similar toaudio recording:

• Make a video of a student performing ata lesson. When you show the video to thestudent, you won’t have to say much. Thestudent will be saying things like “I didn’trealise that I had my hand turned like thatwhen I went to the ride cymbal.” Theywould make observations about theirtechnique or their musicianship. The key isthat they will be making the observations.This is very effective and quite impressive.Having the student looking at and critiquingtheir own playing also helps them becomea better listener and observer.

• Send the student home with a recordingmade at a lesson and have them critique itat home.

• Make a “video portfolio” of the student’splaying in different styles.

My set-up includes a camera, a tripod and amonitor. If needed, I can edit on my computer.

For those drummers supplementing their incomethrough teaching, technology can be a valuableinvestment, according to Joe Nebistinsky.



We have many more mediaresources available than everbefore. Because there is so muchout there, we need to be selectiveabout what we get and what wehave our student invest in. Readthe reviews and make goodchoices. The number and qualityof online resources is alsoimpressive. But because noteverything on the web is good, Icaution my students about thesources they use. Be sure to useand recommend only qualitysources.

Other items that are sometimesan afterthought are high-qualityspeakers and headphones. Soundis our business, so these things are essentialfor good quality listening. Isolation headphonesare a great aid to practising. Severalcompanies make these headphones thatreduce the overall sound coming into yourears. They are great for playing along withrecorded music at safe sound levels. Theyhave excellent sound, good isolation, and theyare not too expensive. Parents like thembecause there is no loud music coming out ofspeakers and the volume in the headphonesthemselves does not have to be dangerouslyloud. Using them is a good way to help protectour hearing.

MP3 players and smartphones will save youlots of time in every lesson. You no longerneed to look for that one CD! All of your tracksare at your fingertips. Make play lists by groupsso that you can find what you need fast.

Teachers often write exercises for students touse when working on particular concepts.Having custom accompaniments to go withthese exercises works great. They motivatestudents to practise. GarageBand and Bandin a Box are the two of the easiest and fastestways to make your own accompaniments.These computer programs help you to createmusic to practise with. Make anaccompaniment and share it with your studentsto practise with at home. Having notationsoftware is also useful. Plan to spend sometime learning how these programs work.Whichever notation program you choose,consider your time learning it as an investment.

Other considerations whenplanning your budget shouldinclude getting good mics, stands,and acoustical treatment for yourroom. Invest in your teachingstudio. Just as your students needgood instruments, you shouldconsider putting some money intoupgrading your technologysituation.

Why do this?We live in a tech-savvy world.Students are familiar with usingtechnology for just abouteverything. Using it in yourteaching studio just makes sense.The rewards of your investment

are beneficial to you and your students:

• It sets you apart from other teachers.

• Using technology makes teaching andlearning innovative and fun. It helps makeroutine practising interesting.

• Students will advance more quicklybecause they are motivated.

• It will make you more successful in yourteaching.

Other suggestionsFind people who know more than you. Usethese people as resources. Other teachers,retailers and manufacturers can be very helpfulin making equipment choices and education.Check out Internet sources, and considertaking some classes. Many organisations andcolleges offer classes on music technology.Look at your own situation and recognise thevalue of staying current. You will find that usingtechnology is a valuable tool for helping yourstudents improve, while also making yourteaching studio more successful.

Percussionist JoeNebistinsky is a member ofthe Pennsylvania MusicEducators Association, theTechnology Institute forMusic Education, the JazzEducation Network and theProfessional DrumTeachers Guild.

Apps like Drumspeedmonitor progress



Thinkinginsidethe box

Take one of the oldest percussioninstruments, add some ingenuity – and afew piezos – and, if you’re AndersGrönlund, you end up with an e-cajon.


--DIY--


WHEN AFRICAN SLAVES were brought toSouth America, they were not allowed to playdrums. They started to use simple woodenboxes and shipping crates as substitutes. TheCajon (from the Spanish caja or box) was born.

My project started with a DIY cajon kit fromMeinl. It came with excellent instructions.

Playing on the cajon “as is” is actually real fun!My band, Powerhell, is currently rehearsing foran acoustic performance, and my new cajonwas perfect for this gig.

However, as an e-drummer, I wanted to addthe e-dimension to my new cajon – and do itwithout sacrificing the acoustic potential. So Ihave added a couple of piezo sensors to thecajon besides the already added Shure SM-58microphone.

Some online research revealed a 2006 post onvdrums.com about adding piezos to a cajon,but there was no indication of how it turnedout, especially because of the risk of crosstalk,since multiple piezos would be mounted on thesame surface.

I decided to use four sensors in my solution.Two of these sensors were bought from682drums.com, but I am guessing any piezosensors in the 3,000-5,000 Hz range wouldwork. I also bought a couple more fromConrad.se.

So, how and where should the piezo bemounted inside the cajon? The previouspioneer had set his in the upper corners (about4 cm from top/side) for the snare sound and hi-hat and in the middle for the kick. I also addeda fourth sensor on the side for cymbal/effectssound.

Some soldering of the cables with heatshrinktube, some double-sided tape to mount thepiezos, some hot glue to fix the cables andfinally some drilling for the connectors and itwas ready.

The old post described his efforts as “crosstalkhell”, which I assume resulted from traditionalhead and rim stereo connections. For myinstrument, the key to overcoming this was theuse of a MegaDRUM drum brain. To handle thecrosstalk, all sensors were placed in the samecrosstalk group and the crosstalk suppressionfunction value set to 7. Some tweaking of thehigh/low levels/threshold of the sensors wasnecessary, but otherwise near-default valueswere used. The configuration will be posted onthe MegaDRUM library of preset configurationsfor commonly used pads and cymbals.

I have the MegaDRUM triggering AddictiveDrums on a Windows 8.1-based MicrosoftSurface Pro computer. It also worked well witha Roland TD-6V module. And the results …well, click here to see for yourself!


The positioning of the piezos (above) and, in true hybrid style, the mic placement (above)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMlQlgPyh-E&feature=youtu.be

My

MONSTERMONSTERkit

The kit: Roland TD-30 KV with additionsDrum pads: 3 x PD-128S-BC (snare and toms)2 x PD-108-BC (rack toms)3 x CowPaddy e-cowbellsKD-140-BC (kick)Cymbals: VH-13-MG hi-hat, CY-15R-MGride and 5 x CY-14C-MG crashes plus 3modified Rock Band cymbalsModules: 2 x TD-30Rack: MDS-25 with a Gibraltar 40” curvedtube in the frontHardware:Trick Pro 1-V Bigfoot double pedals, DW9500TB hi-hat stand and a Roc-N-Soc drumthrone

Robert’s story:I am about to retire from the Army after 20years and have been drumming for aboutthree years.Growing up, a buddy of mine had a smallacoustic kit which I used to play on everyonce and a while. I grew up in CorpusChristi, TX and was surrounded andinfluenced by music. My dad always went toall the concerts and took me with him. I’ve seen so many bands in my time andalways wanted to be behind the big kits thatI’ve seen. I finally had saved up enough withall my army deployments to splurge on a kitthat wouldn’t take up a lot of room orbother the neighbours.

This month, we head over to Fort Riley, Kansas,to check out Robert Alaniz and his monster.

--gear--



Shareyour kit

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Robert (right), some views of toms galore and hisTD-60 stack (below).


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digitalDrummer may 2014