For most working class drummers – and even practicing ones – we have to compartmentalize our various sized drum kits to fit the intended stage dimensions. Having a 12X12 stage dimension is gravy for bands these days. More often than not, however, we face strange L-shaped stages situated flat against bar walls, no stages at all leaving us to create one around tables and chairs, or an actual elevated stage that a ventriloquist could barely fit on.

So how do we adapt to ever-changing stage sizes? First, Gibraltar Hardware and other drum hardware companies got smart years ago and innovated the use of drum rack systems, which saves tons of space and lessens set-up time and energy. If you don’t own one and play out regularly, you should definitely at least consider purchasing one.

Before anything else, don’t screw yourself over to accommodate guitar amps. What I mean is if you don’t fight for your rights as a musician, you will lose them. Guitarists sometimes forget that drummers also need to hear the music in order to play well. Unless you have a sound man who understands how to mix all the instruments and vocals into a good monitor for you and you alone, then setting your drum kit up behind everyone else is a mistake.
I have yet to meet a sound man who can mix everything together effectively that way.

My point is guitarists rarely stop to adjust control knobs on their amplifiers while playing songs. Most use their effects pedals and guitar dials to control and change sound. So why must guitarists and bassists set up their amps in front of the drums? The audience will still hear everything fine if the amps are placed against the wall to the left and right beside your drum throne.

My advice is for drummers to get to shows and new practice spaces early and own your space first. Your carpet is king. Let the band build their gear around you, and strongly encourage them not to fear placing amps back in alignment with the rear of your drum set. It will help the mix immensely and provide more actual playing space for musicians. If you are unsure of the stage size, call the club or venue earlier in the week to inquire or go check it out ahead of time.

Enough of my drummer discrimination rant, though I’ll conclude by adding that stringed instrument players should leave their cases and back-up guitars back stage or in the cars just like drummers do. Big space saver. And there’s no need to display five guitars on stage unless you intend to play them all.

Then there’s actual stage sound variations to consider. I’m no soundman, but have found better success with my own band setting up our amps somewhat blowing across stage at each other rather than directly pointing out into the audience. You can control the mix better that way. In very small venues, I have even seen a band leader turn all the amps inward toward the stage to control maximum sound output decibels. Obviously, in that case setting up amps behind the drum kit would be a moot point.

Some bands also run everything through the PA system regardless of stage or venue size. I can’t advise you one way or the other on that front; I only add that for most small to mid-sized clubs – unless you are live recording -you can get away with having only three mics on the drums for your kick, snare and an ambient overhead. That will save a lot of on-stage clutter and time. In many cases, you don’t need any mics and neither do guitarists.

The very worst thing you can do as a drummer is to try to cram a 12-piece Gretsch Renown series into a space not made for it. For one, it will take you twice the amount of time as normal to re-configure your cymbal stand spans, and you’ll end up with too tight an area in which to play. Less is more in that case. Leave half the kit in your car and go basic.

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• November 17, 2011 -- Getting The Biggest Bang Out Of Your Bass Drum Pedal
• August 2, 2011 -- Gibraltar Rack Supports 200 lb. “Drum”
• December 20, 2011 -- Rack it up with NO LEG hi-hat and cymbal boom stands

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Younger drummers are playing louder and more intricate kick drum/pedal patterns than ever before in today’s age of speed metal-driven music. Even the older players are rediscovering the wanders of double kick playing versus the traditional bass drum-hi-hat pairings. First, though most of us should already know this, it is imperative that drummers never take their feet off the pedal board while playing. I recommend a heel-up on pedal board approach for younger players, using only the ball and toes of their feet to power pedal strikes. More advanced drummers tend to use both heel down and up methods to achieve a full range of different dynamic stylings. Heel up for younger drummers, at least in my opinion, allows for more volume and ability to develop long-term muscle memory.

I primarily play flat-footed, and go heel up for speed. But there are subtle differences to the heel up style that drummers should also understand. Heel up with leg thrust strikes creates maximum sound while pedal pivots powered by your ankles are more reserved for faster patterns. Generally, the after strike goal is to get a good bounce off of the bass drum head as the beater positions back to its original resting place – unless of course when you are going for that extra punch enabled by pushing the beater into the head with no initial rebound. A good tip I give my students is to play paradiddles with both their feet. They don’t like it because it’s hard to do RLRR-LRLL with only two feet for five minutes straight at 110 BPM tempo, but the reward is quicker development of bass drum pedal skills.

The main three problems I see with bass drum pedal spring tensioning is my students want to position the beater too close to the head for some odd reason; turn the beater sideways for a heavier punch; and don’t have the beater’s height set in the most efficient location to realize the full tone and resonance of their bass drum. Here’s what I recommend as do most professionals: your beater should be about halfway between your leg shin and the bass drum head when the pedal is not pressed down; use only the front felt side of the beater or its back hard plastic end to strike the drum head – not the sides; and beaters when pressed against the bass drum should hit the exact center of the batter side head. Your pedal board also requires adjusting. Too low a height off the floor and you will lack agility; too high a setting and your beater will be too far back for any type of solid foot control.

A good trick to use when it comes to learning and further developing your bass drum technique is to use a pillow, blanket or damper system inside your shell or head so it is not too boomy and loud. That way, you can closely analyze all the above-mentioned tips on technique.

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• January 27, 2012 -- Size and equality matter when it comes to band stage set-ups
• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• November 4, 2011 -- Fuel your drumming technique instead of failing it

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Gibraltar Hardware is continuously innovating new products and upgrading current ones. These short videos highlight some of the products that can help drummers customize their set ups to achieve their own unique sound and style.

Possibly related posts:

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LEARN STICK CONTROL

If you as a drummer play your skins too loudly or softly, there are some practice techniques you can use to begin mastering stick control. First, the legendary instructional book “Stick Control” by George Lawrence Stone is a must-have for any serious drummer. I still practice from that book 30 years after hitting my first head. If teaching books don’t float your snare wires, try learning – or re-learning – traditional rudiments and paradiddles from a plethora of online resources until you can consistently accent each stick strike with both your left and right hands and feet fluently. Once mastered, you will be able to easily control your sound levels and become a much better drummer in the process.

RUN DIRECT INTO YOUR PA

If your guitarist and bassist are still cranking the volume, stick control mastery is a mute point. If you don’t have a sound guy hired to keep levels consistent without blowing eardrums, there are some techniques you can employ to get a good EQ. If your PA system allows, try miking all guitar and bass amps and running those signals through a pre-amp direct into your board. You will still use your on-stage amps at lower levels, but they will serve more as monitors than the only amplification devices for your stringed instruments. At larger venue gigs, the same theory really applies to miking at least your kick and snare drum – and one or two ambient overhead mics – if you are lucky. I know many bands that run everything through the PA – even at rehearsals – and “hide” their own amps on stage by pointing them inward or at different angles toward the band to reduce overall stage volume.
The PA system is your friend if you use it correctly and purchase one with at least 8 channels and proper wattage for your musical needs. If your guitar amp isn’t able to run directly into the PA, I have been in bands where the guitarist will use a smaller wattage amp, mic it through the PA and then run it at lower volume.
It all starts and ends with the amp’s volume knobs, however. More often than not, there is not enough PA gear to go around at gigs, so it usually results in a mix of amps running direct in and ones that are self amplified. My advice: Guitarists and bassists who play the loudest should run direct in and use on-stage monitors to control sound output.
Another option is to both mic and line out your amp into the PA. Beware of running too many things into on stage floor monitors, however, as they tend to muddy up the entire sound and confuse the overall leveling process. Another option is to try using in-ear monitors or headphones to beat the floor monitor balancing challenges. Bass carries more than any other instrument in a band so if you continue to have issues with volume, try EQing the bass amp so it is more mid-range highlighting attack and punch than its low end.

VOCALISTS SHOULD EAT THE MIC

Vocal levels also play a crucial role in your band’s overall sound integration. Whether your singer screams or whispers, vocals should have the low end rolled off quite a bit on the board. And technique plays a vital role, too. Vocalists should almost be eating the microphone while singing, thus reducing how much gain you apply to that channel and prevent leakage from other instruments to reduce feedback problems.

GET SOFTER

The other tip bands regularly employ is just to not play so darn loud all the time. Dynamics are a fundamental ingredient of overall musicality and composition. You should talk regularly about dynamics as they apply to each song. Levels should rise and fall several times in any given tune to express and accentuate the different parts. If you find your ears ringing at the end of rehearsals or gigs, your band played too loudly all night.
Drum and guitar Plexiglas shields, which Gibraltar Hardware just released new products for, are also another good tool to use live to control on stage volume and capture the true essence of your drum shell and guitar amp sounds.
If all else fails, buy a decibel meter if your stage – and practice – volume continues to be an issue, and live by your desired settings – preferably 10db lower than your current maximum levels. Mount the meter so all bandmates can see it while playing.
Ultimately, if you as a drummer can’t hear the vocals or other instruments clearly, YOU are the one playing too loudly.

- Tim Kane is an independent drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• October 5, 2011 -- New Drum and Amplifier Sound Shields From Gibraltar
• August 12, 2011 -- It’s In The Bag

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• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• November 17, 2011 -- Getting The Biggest Bang Out Of Your Bass Drum Pedal
• October 17, 2011 -- How Drummers and Bands Can Manage Stage Volume

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In this video we are starting with the basic rack structure for a two tiered keyboard set up and from there you can build custom keyboard stands to suit your style. With our hardware you can customize to fit any style or set up you’re looking for. The rack is very sturdy offering maximum stability while still being extremely light weight. It also makes those fast stage changes easier as it’s quick to set up and break down as it’s just three parts.
Plus there are many accessories you can use to add a laptop, a mic or another rack for additional keyboards.

Possibly related posts:

• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• January 27, 2012 -- Size and equality matter when it comes to band stage set-ups
• December 20, 2011 -- Rack it up with NO LEG hi-hat and cymbal boom stands

Custom Drum Hardware Blog, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: clamps accessories, drum hardware, drum rack, Kevin Hastings, keyboards keyboardist, video

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With Gibraltar Hardware you can build custom and portable DJ racks to fit any set up. Here is the basic building block with a simple out of the box package from Gibraltar. From this starting point, if you can imagine it you can customize it and build your rack set up with style.

The drum set up photos include (in order) drummer Aquilles Preister from Brazil. The first Gibraltar rack created for the RCI Starfire Drum Kit 2009 and John Otto’s monster drum kit.

The music for the video is titled FTTKTBB and was created by LA based artist JLabs. This breakbeat track is 137 bpm and produced in Ableton Live.

JLabs has played several notable venues and festivals including: Vanguard, King King, PEX Summer Festival, Burning Man, Elysium Festival, Boogaloo Mountain Jam, Dialect Gallery at Lightning in A Bottle, Cinespace, Supperclub and Area 33.
Here is additional information for JLabs:

http://soundcloud.com/jlabs

http://facebook.com/jlabs

http://thegoodvibe.la

http://facebook.com/thegoodvibe

Here is the parts list for the basic DJ Rack.

Part # Description
1X GMPR GIB MULTI PURPOSE POWER RACK
3X SC-GEMC Electronic Mounting Arms w/ clamps pair
1X SC-EA100 Extension Arm
1X SC-GMBA Short Mic Boom Arm
1X GEMS-TTOP Top section of GEMS stand

Possibly related posts:

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• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• August 2, 2011 -- Gibraltar Rack Supports 200 lb. “Drum”

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This is part 2 demonstrating Gibraltar’s new rolling frame for Drum Corps. In this video we show how to set up a 1st tier and 2nd tier rack and how you can customize the design to fit your needs.

Gibraltar’s modular rack design works perfectly for Drum Corps multi-instrument stations giving unlimited mounting options.

A nine-inch regulation locking caster is mounted directly to the rack, making the entire station mobile. Rack stations break down small for storage, and with all Gibraltar mounting accessory options, your set-up can change as needed.

Most Commented Posts

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• May 1, 2009 -- How to Set Up a Clean Looking Custom Drum Rack

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Gibraltar’s Brent Barnett, all 200 lbs, performs pull ups on a Gibraltar rack and tom mount to prove that using memory locks correctly will prevent your toms from slipping. Brent demo’s how to use memory locks, in this case a combo of slip on and hinged, to prevent any movement on the bar or the clamp.
Pretty much this ends the discussion on slippage… unless your toms are over 200 lbs!

Possibly related posts:

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• September 15, 2011 -- Custom DJ Rack: Gibraltar Hardware

Custom Drum Hardware Blog, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: clamps accessories, drum hardware, drum kit, drummers, racks, video

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