Brian McConnon

Man of mystery... 🤔😂 The L-80's work great for a practice setup like this. Miked in stereo and with a little EQ, they sound pretty decent when mixed with the kit and whatever I'm practicing along with. They are waaaay closer to playing real cymbals than rubber, but of course don't quite sound and feel like the full monty.

I'm mainly using electronics on a practice kit so I can be quiet in the house and still have as close to an acoustic experience as possible. I don't record much, but play live in two bands with acoustic kits that I take out - Gretch and DW. I sometimes use a multipad for electronic sounds, sound FX, or an occasional loop. Here is my practice setup: A Gretch Catalina Club kit with mesh heads and Roland triggers on the toms, and Alesis SE Pro snare and a Roland KT-10 kick pedal. These all trigger custom multilayer kits I built in an Alesis Strike Multipad. I don't like hitting rubber so I use Zildjian L-80 cymbals with a dual capsule Austrian Audio mic (seen above the kit sideways to pick up L and R) and run everything through a mixer and headphones. Feels great, sounds great and I can play anytime day or night and not disturb family and neighbors.

How so? I can't see it failing from a financial perspective as both companies have strong core businesses and solid reputations. Plenty of acquisitions operate as separate entities. As far as co-product development, who knows? But I'm excited to see what they come up with.

That's exactly what we're hoping to get to. With drums, 4 horns, guitar, bass and keys the stage volume is high naturally so we want to eliminate wedges to cut it down, not to mention sound-checking that many players takes forever! If we can get everyone on IEMs and roll in 90% there, great! Another question: have you run into any FOH guys that were reluctant or outright refused this method? I've heard some don't want to unpatch/patch their stage snake on multi-band bills.

Thank you! Really helpful. We've looked at Seismic and were wondering about durability at that price point. How do you find the build quality? I guess if it's in a rack rather than on the floor it's out of harms way. I've read some accounts of loose-fitting XLR connections - have you experienced that? Most importantly, have you lost any channels over the 80-90 gigs?

Thanks, Craig. The band is using a Soundcraft Ui24R and players control their own monitor mix from their phone. Works great. In small venues with no FOH, a stereo out is fed to the house and mixed from the same Ui24R via an iPad. Pretty much set and forget. I'm trying to make it easy for FOH in larger venues or festival set-ups to patch in and mix the band while the band maintains their familiar monitor setup, hence a splitter snake.

Fender owned Gretsch Drums, which it sold to DW in 2015 along with Ovation, LP Percussion, Toca, Gibraltar and KAT.

A question for the “stage” portion of the forum (live sound engineers): Has anyone had any issues using a NON-TRANSORMER-ISOLATED splitter snake to send signals from the stage to both a monitor mixer and FOH mixer? I’m not looking for theory, but real-world experiences in venues or tours that use separate monitor/FOH positions. It seems the internet is full of “potential/theoretical” issues using phantom power with a direct wired split, but I can’t find any actual examples of mixers, mics, or equipment being damaged by doing so. I have found a few cases of ground loop hum, but it seems to be rare and easily fixed with in-line lifts or running both mixers off the same circuit. In my case, the band wants to control their own in-ear monitor mixes and simply provide the venue with a tail for the FOH mix. This is for three reasons: consistency, lower stage volume, and to cut down sound-check time (it’s 7-8 piece band). The cost differential between direct wired and transformer-isolated splitters is substantial and I’m trying to determine if it’s worth the expense.

https://www.dwdrums.com/roland As a drummer who at times plays acoustic drums, electronic drums, and a hybrid set - I love this!!! What do you think (or hope) they will come out with??? Oh, where the imagination can go... 🤗

🤯 Gotta post a pic - I must see this of what you speak!!!

If you're looking for a dry ride cymbal with great definition, check out the Zildjian Uptown Ride. At only 18", I think this one gets overlooked a lot. This thing has got something... different. I love Phil Selway's (Radiohead) cymbal sound and saw he used an 18" Breakbeat Ride on a lot of their recordings and live. The Uptown Ride is based on that model which is now discontinued. Very similar look and sound. It cuts nicely on live gigs and the dry sound works great for the type of music I'm using it for (punk-ska). I also love my 21" Sweet Ride for a more traditional sound, but it's nice to have a different tonal option.

I've found racks work great for home/studio setups that mainly stay in place. They keep floor clutter down and leave room for mic stands, etc. I don't like racks live, mainly because they aren't easy to transport. Sure there is less to assemble, but you gotta get that thing to the gig. Currently, I use 4 cymbals and one rack tom live - all mounted on just 2 heavy-duty stands. Tom/crash/splash on one to the left of the kick and ride/crash on one to my right. The stands are partially assembles in the rack case and my setup is pretty efficient. If you have more toms, maybe a rack would be better?

When I was teaching, I had good results with grouping rudiments, beats or techniques that were complimentary to practice in blocks. This way, you don't get bored with one over and over, but have a little variety while working on a group of similar things. Then add the next group that builds on that, then another, then another... May ways to slice this pie.

Very cool!!! Nice playing and looks like a great gig - big stage, nice sound and a lively crowd. Congrats! 🥳

Yeah, I can see that. When I think about it, I've sought different cymbals, independent of brand, depending on the music I'm playing at the time.

I've never thought of myself as a brand loyalist as I've played various brands over the years, but as I look at my current lineup... its all Zildjian, a mix of Ks and As, save for one Dream stack. Sub-conscious brand loyalty maybe?

Ha! My first kit was also from Sears Roebuck, red sparkle (photo in profile pic). This was 1976 but it was a hand-me-down so it's probably a few years old! Favorite was probably a DW Custom, but I didn't own it - just got to record with it a few times. Sounded amazing. Owned Rogers, Ludwig, Pearl. Currently own a Gretch.

I saw this at NAMM as well. Judging by the review videos (Nick D at Sweetwater does a good one), I think it's more of a conversation piece than a great sounding kit. Also, not very versatile. However, if you play in a retro-period band, it might be just the thing. I just hope they keep making that bass drum head long after they stop making this kit - otherwise good luck finding a replacement.

A few years back I had the pleasure and honor of working with Bruce to promote his book: The Bruce Swedien Recording Method. He and his wife were the most warm and genuine people. RIP Bruce, your contributions to music will live on for many, many generations to enjoy!

If it's an instrument: will it inspire me to play or play differently than a current instrument I own? If it's a piece of production gear: will it save time or at least not add time to the recording process? Only so much time to spend playing/recording and can't get bogged down in complexity.

Stacks! Cymbal stacking is a great way to experiment with different sounds. There are lots of stack sets available or you can make your own. Get a few different types of 10" or 12" cymbals - crash, splash, mini china - and try them in different combinations. Two splashes in a hi-hat configuration for a high-pitched chick sound great for fast beats. Turn one over to stack them for a fast trash sound. Stack a splash with a mini-china for an even more trashy, cutting sound. Works best to mount them on a fixed hi-hat boom arm. Tighten them up for quick accents or loosen them up for some cut. Lot's of possibilities and tons of fun.

Cool! I've gotta try the Global Edition. I've used an older Wavedrum in the past and liked it. I don't see it replacing a kit, but a really good addition to it. Add it to the list! The bottom line for me is I've got to find a way to get better recordings. I used to have space to mic up and record my acoustic kit with decent results, but I'm currently in a very small room and try and record a much direct as I can. I mainly do production music which can range from orchestral to pop/rock tracks and everything in between - music used in commercials, videos, tv/film productions, so versatility is key.

I've bought and sold on Reverb. Used to do the same with Ebay. After using Reverb, Ebay is just... no.

I was watching Justin's (65 Drums) comparison of the Alesis Strike Pro SE and the Roland TD27KV ( ) as I specifically visited the Alesis and Roland booths at NAMM this year to play their new e-kits. I compared the strike Pro with the VAD306 since they are the same price point ($2,499) and I am after a kit with bigger drums (not pads) and an acoustic kit look. I pretty much had the same experience that he did: Alesis Strike Pro SE: pros: felt like sitting behind an acoustic kit real drum sizes good sounds (better IMO, but that's subjective) mesh heads felt great (upgraded from original strike pro) updated HH (like Roland's now) versatile rack value - you get more for the money cons: limited editing limited effects rubber cymbals Roland VAD306: pros: traditional hardware set-up more editing options more effects USB audio interface cons: smaller drums less drums less cymbals rubber cymbals sounds (again, subjective, but to me they sound kind of "linear" or compressed) bouncy mesh heads Conclusion: After playing both, I prefer the Alesis kit. It felt better to play, the rack gave it a solid base, heads felt better, sounds are great. The Roland kit felt a little small and still "electronic". The sounds were less inspiring to me, although if you like to tweak, there are more options to edit and come up with your own kits. I've owned both Alesis drum machines and modules as well as Roland drum modules. They sound... different. Depends on what you like. I will say that no matter the kit, I HATE RUBBER CYMBALS!!! If (ok, when) I buy a new e-kit, I'll be using my acoustic cymbals with it. I have a set of L80 low volume cymbals for practicing and a full set for recording/gigging. My ideal kit would be the Alesis Strike Pro SE with my acoustic cymbals.

Love Omar Hakim's intro on this Sting tune: