Busting Drum Myths ...sorta...

[@rdavidr]

Do you all agree with these myths? 🤔🥁

[@KoiYokan]

maybe

[@GrandpaConners]

Kinda

[@hazyredeyes]

no surprises here actually. But that vibes slap…. 🤯

[@Stefano-Choza]

great video man, but I got you a question. Can you do a video combining all of your most strange cymbals toms snares and bass drums?

[@specialkonacid6574]

i think your conclusions about these myths are right on. i have an 18" wuhan china, 8" and 10" splashes. I love them especially the splashes. do you know if they are B8 or something else?

[@descantinginsalubrious]

I feel like this is the most honest information about drums and cymbals to ever come out of the mouths of brand reps.

[@holymonke2703]

its funny to see how honest drum brands are when comparing them to guitar companies. might need to switch instruments, so i wont need to argue about tonewood and pickups

[@riddmkidd]

to a point, but they're still in the business of selling drums and cymbals so their answers aren't going to be 100% objective.

[@webstercat]

The “blind fold” tests reveals the truth. Over at Drumeo they did that & Jarred & another guy were 50% correct at best. Even with their own drums. Marketing appeals to those who just need to spend some money.

[@MikeSmith-xj6jc]

Not really, bought an Alesis pro mesh head kit, a few years back. It was junk. The brain fried in 3 months and cost almost as much as the entire kit did. $2500 in the toilet!!!

[@descantinginsalubrious]

Replying to myself..."MOST" honest is relative here isn't it?..I'm omparing this to all the hype and marketing babble we've all heard before. "Most" honest doesn't mean 100% honest in this case.

[@kikibeemer5100]

Cooper goes: “it works wat better when you do it correctly!” Cracks me up 😂

[@b.p.879]

2 things: I had a 12 inch Premier Soprano snare that people used to try to buy off of me all the time until I finally got an offer I couldn't refuse. Also, the Pearl guy's voice is smooth and soft, and I could listen to him speak all day.

[@rdavidr]

There was probably about 15-20 people in the room just quietly listening during his part. It was very calming haha

[@kryptoniterazor]

Man that pearl guy has a great voice. Could listen to him ramble about drums all day.

[@MichaelDionneDrummer]

The most underrated piece of gear is definitely the throne for me. I invested in a great Tama throne almost 10 years ago and it's a life changer! Makes the gigs much more bearable when you're comfortable!

[@johnhanes4442]

I'd go further and say it's the most important piece of gear and the one that gets used more than anything else.

[@vukjovanovicofficial]

Absolutely one THE best drum channels on the platform.

[@rdavidr]

🤘

[@nashurbina]

We’re so driven by marketing and branding I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of gear you’re “supposed” to buy in order to sound “great”. These answers were amazing and made me investigate and experiment with my kit and gear in general. Thank you

[@ulisseslopez3738]

I have that same Pearl Sensitone Aluminum Alloy in a 6.5 inch depth. It's an EXCELLENT snare, my best one ever.

[@BayouMaccabee]

My suggestion for underrated cymbals is the 14" Zildjian Trashformer. Been playing mine for over 20 years...I love that thing.

[@theghostdrummer99]

As an employee at a drum shop, thank you for this video. All of this info is great to keep in mind when talking drums and cymbals with customers.

[@stevebrown3955]

Love love love your microphone!!!!!! Thanks for the video!!😊

[@shala_shashka]

9:15 The way that guy explains things is the most relaxing thing I've ever heard

[@hotdoghoagie1646]

I used to hear Cake use the vibra slap in their music all the time and I could never explain to my friends what it was. Thanks to this video now I know what it's called. Thanks!

[@poofygoof]

immediately came to my mind when mentioned as well... John always had one in his hand when I saw them live.

[@CesarVesvre]

Great underrated pieces of gear: old pearls mmx and blx

[@atopermusic]

This was super insightful thanks. Love the drum stick interview mic too lol 🎤

[@phelipehulk]

This is interesting. All the answers here are level-headed and thoughtful, they explain well their answers too. Meanwhile in the guitar industry "yes, you need a vintage guitar for vintage tone, because yes. You need a custom shop guitar if you want better quality, everything is else trash." Not even entering the tonewood argument (PRS im staring at you).

[@steevidrums]

I gotta say, Tama make the best Microphone stands I’ve ever used. I’ve had Hurcules, Sennheiser, Beyer Dynamic and the usual run of the mill basic stands you’d get from any store or Amazon. Most if not all have broken and needed to be repaired or thrown out. But in 2003 we bought 3 tama stage star (I think they’re called) stands from a shop in Abu Dhabi while out there on a residency, and here we are 20 years later, so so many gigs played and they’re holding up as good as the day they were bought.

[@vortexbandfinland]

I've had that 12" x 8" PDP Dry maple snare for 2 years. It's so awesome and very affordable! You can muffle it and make it sound super fat or you can crank it and have that piccolo snap with extra body due to the depth. I love it! Best snare I've ever had!

[@johnhanes4442]

Unfortunately, the "B8 sounds bad" myth partially comes from other cymbal makers not knowing how to properly work it and relegating it to their lower, student lines. Yes, a Sabian B8 is the same alloy as a Paiste 2002, but that's where the comparisons end. Great video David!

[@jondoenut2476]

You rock, David, Always excited to see a new video from this channel. Thank you for your service!

[@PatrickMullenDrums]

I have the 14x6.5 of the Pearl sensitone elite aluminum snare, that man wasn't lying. PHENOMENAL. Got it after finding out it was on a periphery record and LOVING the tone

[@StephenSpivack]

rip ndugu he was my old jazz summer teacher before he passed... absolute legend

[@Noteven0]

Cymbal size, material and processing is everything in determining the sound quality. You can re-lathe, hammer and port cheap B8 symbols and make them sound amazing, if you know what you’re doing!

[@doublestrokeroll]

Or you could just buy a good one from the start. ;)

[@jono_jpg]

"I'm gonna be France on this". Yes, the French, with their famously objective stances and opinions on things.

[@MikesBakes]

The stick microphone is incredible attention to detail

[@alsdrumhang]

Myth: Cooper knows what he's doing... BUSTED 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@shapeshifter8986]

For me dw drums are the best representation of a modern drum sound. No vintage kit or even modern kit I ever played sounded this clear and beautiful like dw does. The richness in the tone especially in the low end blows me away every time I play a dw set. I recommend every starter who wants to play drums seriously buying a dw right away. Maybe it hurts financially at first but you will never look back.

[@intradibles]

Or even Ludwigs. 🥁

[@markmullen1852]

I think Tama drums sound 100x better than any DW kit. I think most DW owners are like Rolex owners. They think because they're expensive and popular, they're the best. I listen to RDR's DW video and cringe. His $4,000 DW kit sounded worse than my Pearl Export kit I bought 38 years ago. IMO my Gretsch kit runs circles around DW.

[@shapeshifter8986]

@@markmullen1852 I played several tama drums over the years. For me tama is hyped all over the place but sounds poor in comparsion to dw. Too much harsh overtones. Playing it without any signal processing and heavy ear protection was always and is always a pain to my ears because of the harshness in the mid range frequencies. Even when played softly this noise does not go away. I tried damping of the drum heads and lower the tuning but nothing really helped...I remember playing a dw kit the first time: I joined a funk band some years ago and the band leader there thought it was a good idea to buy me a dw set because of his high expectations regarding the band´s potential. This was the beginning of a love affair with dw drums. It cut through every song we played with it´s full tone spectrum. Something I never experienced before. The low end of the kick drum and the toms was there without any amplification or studio trickery. This was the time when my search for a perfect modern drum sound was over.

[@Madchad6969]

Also using drum stick as a mic is hilarious 😂

[@ErickC]

I love B8 cymbals - 2002s are my favourite.

[@johnhanes4442]

Another fellow Paiste nut😃

[@handidrummed]

The vintage VS modern is more about how the drum is constructed, and the edges as was mentioned. A 6 ply maple kit with 45 degree edges is going to sound different than a 3 ply mahogany kit with re-rings and rounder edges. The latter is a vintage approach to shell building, but a new shell built to those specs would sound close IMO. Then again, the kit I use is made out of single tension mahogany marching drums with re-rings and wood hoops, so I won't get that tone from modern drums. And while it's actually pretty versatile, I'm not going to get a modern tone from it either.

[@blakesbeatscolie]

What I agree with is your microphone that’s used in all these interviews👏🏻

[@DaveDaHunt3R]

For the throne thing, i have to say that it's something lots of drummers don't care about. i've owned a Tama Hydraulic throne ( TAMA HT750BC 1st Chair Ergo Rider Hydraulix ) and I would never change it for any other drum throne in the world. The most comfrortable ,robust and easy to set up drum throne in the world! ❤

[@johnhanes4442]

The drum throne is the most important piece of gear and most used. I cringe when I see drummers skimp on buying a good throne.

[@DaveDaHunt3R]

@@johnhanes4442 EXACTLY! I mean.. we have to stay on that throne for HOURS every day, it must be comfortable. When I rehearsed with some bands in some session rooms, stools were always those cheap 20$ round ones that were hard as hell and uncomfortable. A nightmare to play on.

[@viktormuerte]

A friend of mine had a vintage snare (not sure what brand). While tinkering with it, he noticed the lugs didn't have any fillers to dampen the lugs' vibrations like most modern snares. These and other details I'm sure help make vintage drums sound the way they do.

[@DougDrums]

I especially think that you get what you pay for UP TO A POINT. My Yamaha RCs cost half of what exotic wood DWs cost, but they sound just as good (maybe better? YMMV). But the exotic wood finishes on DWs are SOOOOO much more beautiful. After a certain point, you’re paying for looks, nicer/more usable hardware, and other things, but not sound necessarily. Head choice and tuning mean a lot as well. Thanks for doing this, Rdavidr! Quite interesting to hear the opinions of the professionals!

[@madmaxx010]

It was nice meeting you at Sweetwater that day. Love your channel!!!

[@mightymorphinconspiracythe5024]

The Eagle absolutely cracked me up

[@scottlowell493]

I wrapped a set of Keller maple shells with jammin sam gloss white. You could play the drum and hear the LONG sustain. The wrap didn't kill anything. Large Hayman/DW turret lugs dampen a LOT more than a wrap does.

[@Brosenbrose]

Very reasonable and predictable answers. Loved the underrated question and answers!

[@cdwizzerd]

bought a nice maple PDP kit this year, and the store was so awesome they threw in a hydrolic pearl throne. can't express how awesome it is

[@aakkoin]

I do own a vibra-slap... and also the absolutely essential flex-a-tone.

[@Noteven0]

Using felts and top-nuts is more of a style preference, with some minor safety features. It’s like playing drums barefoot vs wearing shoes. The idea that they choke the cymbal seems kind of silly, especially if you’re going to claim that wraps don’t choke the sound of the shell in any meaningful way. Have you ever tried to do a cymbal stop by grabbing the bell? … exactly!

[@-Ricky_Spanish-]

I love the drumstick mic.

[@garyrockwell5421]

Thanks for the insights from this show and the exhibitors. Great questions and myth busting!

[@jgerman5544]

This story changed my life. I'm a wing nut. I'll never look back.

[@buddhistpriest82]

The lav on the drumstick like it's a handheld mic 😂😂😂

[@lajeanette33]

I loved that format! 😊

[@RyTrapp0]

Love this video, would love to see more of these in the future! Also, PDP 12x8 dark snare test WHEN? I'm curious now... lol

[@williamperri3437]

Pearl guy was ON POINT!!! And I GOTTA find that Ndugu video 😮

[@Joethedrummer]

Conclusion - don't expect people working in any industry selling you stuff to give you a straight answer to any question 😀

[@CzarCustom]

Exactly, I feel there are some real tests that can be done to better demystify rather than asking a couple of dudes opinions, love David but this seems lazy

[@Joethedrummer]

@@CzarCustom not having a go at your man here.

[@vegadeth]

I feel like the majority of the questions were accurate. Some of it is opinion when you're talking about sound. I used to think I knew a lot and was super opinionated. Now I realize that we just like what we like. Someone's shit sound is someone else's perfect sound. Options are good!

[@Joethedrummer]

@@vegadeth St Anger had a great snare sound

[@vegadeth]

@@Joethedrummer ha!

[@paradigmshiftz7]

All answers from all sales reps were awesome, great explanations behind each answer

[@StandbyCymbalist]

My hot takes! (and clearly I am an expert. haha) Myth 1: Is a more complex topic than was addressed here. Wraps and adhesives were not all made equally. Vintage wraps were a much harder celluloid type material that was highly flammable, modern wraps are often a softer vinyl based material. Vtg glue/adhesives were also different and many now are banned due to high VOC contents. What era of wrap you have affects the tone because of the different physical characteristics inherent to different materials. As the entire drum vibrates when struck, everything you change on a drum - even mounting methods will change the sound. However, all of this considered - Wraps/paint is probably only 1-2 percent of the entire "tone" equation. Myth 2: Agreed Myth 3: Agreed Myth 4: China cymbal sizing is typically measured in inches which is based upon the Imperial Measurement System which was subjectively developed and has no basis on anything that would vary tonally with even numbers in ways that wouldn't also apply to odd number sizing. Myth 5: Subjective and subtle. But generally agree with people saying "heads and tuning." However, you just wont get vintage Broadkaster round tones with a sharp bearing edge no matter what you do. But you could still purchase a modern set of Broadkasters... That said, vintage wooden Ludwig shells were all made out-of-round with a "flat" portion at the scarf joint seam. This deadens overtones in a unique way that is specific to vintage drums, so it depends on how much of a tone-purist your are. I personally will be clutching my vintage drums with my cold dead hands in my coffin. Consider purchasing an original 1965 Stratocaster and it'll cost $28K, however a 1965 Ludwig drum set can easily be had for $2k. Vintage drums are one of the most accessible vintage instruments to get your hands on and I highly recommend it. Myth 6: Agreed Myth 7: Drums, like many other instruments, experience diminishing returns on investment after you surpass a median price point. However, sometimes people just want nice things cause they can afford them and it has more to do with user experience than tone. Have a nice day and I would love to hear your thoughts!

[@stromghouls]

first time i heard a vibra slap was on a rush album in the seventies. Neil Peart always had all sorts of percussive instruments.

[@jlhitz35]

9:00 - timestamp for the greatest Pearl advertisement I've ever seen.

[@jwillydrums9982]

That TAMA rep scares me every time I see him, he got mad at me and a random guy for shedding together at PASIC, we were probably too loud. I'll never forget lol.

[@drummeralbertrivera9577]

John Palmer? He used to be with Gretsch for a very long time.

[@jwillydrums9982]

@@drummeralbertrivera9577 I think you're right

[@drummeralbertrivera9577]

@@jwillydrums9982 He traded spots with Terry Bissette, who now works for Ludwig.

[@westbrad6808]

While I don’t like marketing, I DO like that each company has its own approach. The differences do add up and give us so many more options

[@MoritaPerc]

When I saw the vibraslap played incorrectly I thought I was the one who didn't knew how to play it lol

[@MV-ot8kr]

That's Rob's cymbal ! lol He said he still plays and loves it ... the most musical cymbal he's ever played .

[@cDisturbed.]

New rdavidr vid? Yes please!😍🤘😥🥵🥲

[@rdavidr]

🤘

[@lupo5184]

How on earth did Pearl manage to hire John Malkovich?

[@scottlowell493]

We should agree that Yamaha Stage custom are NOT expensive. I've seen them in LOTS of studios. Mic, EQ and you have a kit that sounds as good as any high end kit.

[@pixll9045]

david is so cool. I wanna be like him when i grow uo

[@reubenk7331]

Fun stuff! Myth busting is always entertaining 🙂

[@timbrown6629]

You CAN make a wooden drum sound like a Vistalite. You have to COAT the inside of the drum with a shiny clear coat.

[@Assimilator702]

The most underrated gear in the drum world. Heads. Full stop. In the same way that cardboard drums would sound bad, try using paper or plastic wrap in place of drum heads. As much as us drummers get wrapped up in exotic shell compositions, the SOUND is in the heads. I would dare anyone to challenge that statement.

[@SabianCarthen]

As a marching percussionist, wraps, at least in a marching context, definitely choke the resonance of the drums a bit, and we sometimes tune or muffle differently to accommodate that. It's a lot more evident from a distance, which you're gonna notice better on a field when the drums are 100 feet away.

[@frankierandazzo1]

Great channel man, love what you produce. Thank you.

[@coreyw5981]

I like DW stands because you can adjust the height or tension from the bottom. So you could get as loose as can be but still have that wingnut protection or choke it if you wish

[@THE_BATLORD]

Clearly the most underrated piece of equipment is the Pearl tom arm. it's great at everything!

[@DeltonAdamsLEGO]

I've never been to a rdavidr video this early. It feels great

[@flaggdrummer]

Excellent video..., PDP dry 8x12... yes I want!

[@bonzoleum]

Outstanding!!!

[@Christopher-Baltimore]

This was soooooooo great. Thank you. Answered so many fundamental questions!!!

[@bobbarksofficial4335]

Ooooh

[@WalterBlomquist]

Vibraslap!! Yo, Crazy Train intro without it…. Forget it. Gotta have it 🤘🏻

[@ChimichangaGuy]

I think it's time to see Dave review a Tama star kit 😎

[@Mp5Drummer]

The Paiste rep was dying to be asked about B8 hahaha

[@lukefreeman970]

Hey the yellow free floater made it

[@dogmart]

Bill Stewart's (awesome) ride cymbal sound is in part from him using extra felts and clamping them down.

[@Ashlord]

Was super sick seeing Daniel and Rob here!

[@fransiboy]

Wraps choke drumshells if they are made of metal. Back in the day I wrapped my metal shell of a Pearl World series snaredrum..And what the result was..a choked sound, but that was the thing I was looking for. Btw choked cymbals are ideal for keeping sustain out of the way when preferred in some recording sessions.

[@bijikedelai]

Nice Cooper cameo 😂

[@DanEdelen]

What would Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” be without vibraslap? Just emotion, man. No sweetness. Vibraslap slaps.

[@rdavidr]

😂

[@jhp4689]

Stick mic is such a brilliant hack idea

[@felixjones9198]

I love how you're using a drumstick as a microphone.

[@Noteven0]

Without a doubt more expensive has nothing to do with sounding better! One of the top five worst kits I’ve played was the DW 45th anniversary edition. At the time it was a $10,000 kit and it sounded like a $900 Gretsch Catalina maple. Sadly, it did not sound as good as a 1980’s Tama Swingstar. That being said, I would bet that in 30 years, that DW 45th anniversary edition kit will sound incredible!!

[@vegadeth]

That's what's funny about acoustic instruments: Sometimes they're like a fruit tree and need to sit a few years to "settle in" or "wake up". I friend of mine was not happy with his expensive kit. He stopped using it for a while. He decided he was going to sell it so he started prepping it. Suddenly it was his favorite kit.

[@Noteven0]

So shell material determines the sound quality of a drum, but the age of the shell doesn’t affect the sound? It’s a proven fact that wood dries and hardens over time. The harder the wood, the more resonant the shell, so… *Myth: Contradicted*

[@rdavidr]

🤯 very true... my mij kit is so old the wood is basically petrified at this point haha

[@EryichAra]

9:02 bro, those edits 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@_OopsieDaisies]

re: vibraslap the guy who plays guitar in that band cake used to come in to the coffee shop i work at and for a band that utilizes SO much vibraslap he seemed like a very humorless and serious dude. never really talked to him tho, maybe he carries one in his pocket and uses it to great comedic effect

[@istjimmyi4202]

"It works way better, when you do it correctly." This is literally what it means to be a drummer. I'm saying similar shit, almost every time on the journey.

[@djsusan00]

As an audio engineer I would like to see all of them on a spectral analyzer, thats the most accurate way for tone, acoustic instruments tonewood is real compared to an electric guitar, which does very little for it. Mic placement is always key also and treatment in the room recording said drum.

[@klegdixal3529]

try making an electric guitar out of styrofoam. "tonewood" is a dirty word but this doesn't change the fact that guitar construction and properties of materials used affect the tonal quality of an electric guitar.

[@besticouldget]

@@klegdixal3529 Burls Art is really interesting channel for this! (if you are interested in guitars, tone with different materials and the process of making them)

[@SoundcastStudios]

Jim lill made a guitar out of air and it sounded just like an electric guitar. Material plays little to no roll in solid body electric guitars.

[@floyz8]

Honestly everyone should own a vibraslap!

[@KnapfordMaster98]

The first myth answers are such a wild thing to hear as a guitarist. I hear so much BS about tonewood and how finish affects the tone, and to hear a drum industry professional so honestly say "maybe a little but I can't hear it" is SO refreshing!

[@diverdave4056]

i agree that a cheap kit that is tuned correctly can sound great ! and a very expensive kit can sound horrible if not tuned correctly ...

[@monae425]

I could have sworn the question you were going to ask the Paiste rep was so their cymbals desk more easily than other brands. It seemed like he was getting ready for it too… thoughts everyone??

[@adityadarmadi6303]

This video is Fun!!! Thank you

[@frank.l181]

Every manufacturer of acoustic drums has there own sound. It really come down to what tone you like and money you want to spend. I personally like Ludwig classic series drums, the snares drums- supraphonic and black beauty has no equal., Many have tried to duplicate it.

[@aaronrom6459]

That Pearl Sensitone Aluminum comes really close though.

[@CodyAF333voluntaryist]

Vibraslap is defiantly an underrated percussion piece, I bought one my freshman year of high school because of CrazyTrain. It probably does work better when you do it correctly but I got mine mounted.

[@hiptoalieu]

PST7 Cymbals sound really good IMHO!

[@Justamedic77]

I think a wrap improperly installed or lesser quality shell it will have an effect Vintage vs modern: I don't think one sounds better than the other but I cannot duplicate my vintage gretsch with my modern gretsch and vise versa. They're simply different drums. Not sure age has anything to do with it or not Price: I have a cheap set of gretsch Catalina birch that I would put against my DW collectors or my Gretsch USA customs. The more expensive ones do have a better finishes and better hardware though