Allan Speers Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 I seem to be posting an awful lot lately, shouldn't I be off making music? Well, i had to share this idea with you all: In the studio, on ballads especially, I'm a big fan of overdubbing mallet swells. Sometimes with the white felt mallets, but more typically with the "ball of yarn" mallets. I recently saw that Zildian makes a regular hickory-stick with a mallet end, for drummers that don't like the springi-ness of the standard mallets. this got me thinking: I could then use these as normal sticks by turning them around (I almost always play with the butt-end anyway) and so be able to add washes while laying down a groove. this got me thinking: How cool would it be to not even have to spin the sticks around? So, I cut my (regular) mallets so there was oly a few inches of plastic handle, and mounted them to regular stick, with the balls about six inches from the wooden tips. (using plastic ties.) Oh mama! This leaves enough stick to hit hats with the wooden side, but now I can just lean-in a little and do my crash swells. In addition, you can actually play the whole kit this way, just using the balls as if they were sticks. It's a GREAT sound, sort of like a bata. This is just the coolest thing for ballads, and even for hard grooves where you want a quick, softer accent. (deadly on a china) ---------------- Here's another tip, well anyway it's news to me: Have you realized that cymbals sound different as you turn them? -That is, if you take you ride, and rotate it 180 degrees, it sounds slightly different. Seems obvious, but I never thought about it before. While the difference is subtle, it's definitely ther on rides and hats. I now have a little dot of white-out (easily removeable) on each cymbals "sweet spot" -the only problem is that, on my favorite ride, the best ping-sound is 180 degrees oposite the best bell-sound, so now I try to reach over the wingnut when I lay the bell. Does everyone already know about this, and I'm just a dummy beginning drummer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reachjkh Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 I just noticed that last week on my splash! I thought "nah, must be imagining it". I was afraid I was getting like those guys who say they can hear the difference between two types of batteries in their guitar stomp boxes...crazy. But I guess it is true. Whoda thunk? Hey you white boy there Go play that funky music "ok...what's it pay?" first smoke, then silence your very expensive rig dies so gracefully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelance Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 Allen, If I'm understanding - your makeshift mallet in now located 6" below the bead, which would place in near the end of the taper (not quite the middle of the stick). While I assume it must not cahnge the weight or balance of the stick enough to cause you problems (or you wouldn't be using it) I do wonder how it effects using the shoulder of the stick for rim shots, croos sticking or meatering cymbal hits. I suspect you may only do this with your right stick (assuming you plau right handed) - leaving the left stick free for cross sticking or rim shots. Given that you specifically reference ballads (and recording) perhaps the meatier right hand cymbal hits would not apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayvel Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 The fuzz box/battery thing is actually true. Different batteries and how old they are affect the way the voltage sags when the units are driven hard, which affects their clipping chacteristics. It's not a subtle effect either; it's pretty easy to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reachjkh Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 I agree that as my batteries get older my Fulldrive II reacts differently, but I don't know if I can actually hear the difference in brands. I may have to try that to keep as a neat trick for parties. As far as cymbals...wow, there is such a sweet spot on this one little splash I've got... Hey you white boy there Go play that funky music "ok...what's it pay?" first smoke, then silence your very expensive rig dies so gracefully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmt Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 About the fuzzbox/battery thing, it's mainly that the old carbon types sound different (smoother/more pleasant) than the akaline batteries (which are the standard battery in stores today since they last much longer). The difference is kind of subtle, but I agree that it's definite with certaian effects (overdrive and wah). A power supply that lets you switch back and forth between the two at a flick of a toggle switch makes it abundantly clear. Sorry, back to drums! I wonder if the differences between different sounds on different spots on the cymbals are more pronounced on cheaper (less well-made) cymbals? A cymbal manufactured with loose tolerances might have a lot of different sounds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Speers Posted November 19, 2003 Author Share Posted November 19, 2003 Freelance, I put the mallets on both heads. No problem with using the shoulder of the stick for rim shots, hats, or crash-edges. I positioned the mallets JUST below the lowest used part of the shoulder. because the ball sticks out a lot, it's actually still easy to play "on the yarn" both for hits and rolls. You have to concentrate a bit, though. As for the weight, well it doesn't bother ME. Does it bother you to switch to batas? they're also a different weight. It's just a mental shift. The one problem might be cross-stick, though I suppose with a little effort you could just turn your thumb under thus twisting the ball out of the way. It's really cool to so a pattern on your ride with the ball. VERY soft and full. Surprisingly, he rest of the cybals, including the hats, sound almost as if you hit with a nylon tip. -just a little fatter, almost like hitting with your fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Speers Posted November 19, 2003 Author Share Posted November 19, 2003 Hey, new trick! This one's not quite as useful as the above, but: Just before making that big crash statement, if you can get a hand free for a second, give the cymbal a hard spin. It's best if you also induce a lot of vertical wobble. When you hit it, it creates a cool thang. No need to desribe it, just try it. This works REALLY well for overdubs, where you can hit two crashes at once. yowsa. Now how do I spin my snare? Anyone else have some of these simple, dumb, but actually useful tips? (pretend you're the first guy to ever use rivets, or chains, or mount two cymbals on top of each other.) Gimmee some love.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Speers Posted November 21, 2003 Author Share Posted November 21, 2003 Now c'mon people! I love this forum, but am I to believe that no-one has ANY cool tricks to share? Gimme some luv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt.Hepworth Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Originally posted by dayvel: The fuzz box/battery thing is actually true. Different batteries and how old they are affect the way the voltage sags when the units are driven hard, which affects their clipping chacteristics. It's not a subtle effect either; it's pretty easy to hear.True. Also the AC power will sound different than running with batteries. Back to topic, interesting idea on the stick mod, I'll pass it around. No matter how good something is, there will always be someone blasting away on a forum somewhere about how much they hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt.Hepworth Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Here's a little recording trick that involves duct tape (shocker, eh?). On kick drum if you're mic'ing both sides of kick you're going to pick up plenty of beater noise centered around the cam. Take off the beater and press the pedal down firmly and apply a bit of duct tape to the back of the cam where the chain will roll down over after release. Nearly all cam noise will dissapear. No matter how good something is, there will always be someone blasting away on a forum somewhere about how much they hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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