DRUMS
GETTING BIG DRUM SOUNDS IN SMALL ROOMS | Carl Albrecht
I know we all watch the worship videos from
our favorite ministries and think, “that sounds
and looks amazing.” How do I get my drums
to sound like that in our small room without the
big concert PA? Keep in mind most churches
around the world do not have concert level
technology. In fact half the churches in America
average about 75 people. What they call the
“mean size” of churches is about 184. So in
reality, most worship bands are challenged
by controlling the “db” level in their sanctuary.
Thinking of getting true concert sound is out
of the question. So let’s talk drum sound in this
“average” setting.
We’ve talking about muffling drums, tuning
adjustments, using smaller drums and cymbals,
and just playing softer in other articles. But
today I want to push you into the pool of drum
triggering technology. To really get big drum
sounds in small venues without playing too
loudly you have to resort to using drum triggers
and some kind of drum sampling device or
drum module. Sure, you could use any of
the great digital drum kits that are available
nowadays. But in most small venues the PA
systems are probably not able to reproduce
the sound quality of the drums you hear in
your headphones with those kits. You still need
some acoustic drum kit sound resonating in
the room without overpowering the rest of the
band.
Even in a very small room I would recommend
at least two microphones for the kit - a kick
drum mic and one overhead mic. Yes, that’s it!
You’re not trying to create a lot of volume, but
you do want to get a good blend of sounds
of the acoustic kit and the triggers. But you
could absolutely use only the drum-sampled
sounds from your module if you are limited with
channels in your audio mixer. In a small venue
the acoustic drums and cymbals will be picked
up by other microphones and naturally be
heard throughout the whole room.
I recommend the Yamaha DTX 502 module for
their great samples, dynamic expression, and
ease of use. It’s amazing how much technology
you can get for around $270. But the Roland
and ddrum modules are good options too. If
you’re a more advanced “techy” you could
go with some sampling library software in
your laptop with a trigger interface module.
For this discussion let’s keep things as
simple as possible. The drum module option
is still the easiest. By the way these are my
recommendations, but feel free to invest in
what inspires you the most.
literally a drum module that comes with a stereo
drum microphone and kick trigger combination
device that mounts on your kick drum rim. With
this set up you can combine the audio and
triggering technology all together in one device.
It’s a bit more of an investment (about $500)*,
but I believe it can make a huge difference
for drummers in small venues. I would still
recommend getting triggers for your snare and
toms to complete the set up. (Possible $300
more dollars) But you would already have the
kick drum trigger provided with the EAD10,
along with the stereo microphones built into the
unit.
In all of these situations muffling your kit is
crucial. You will be focusing on using the
samples in your module for the primary drum
sound. You can muffle with towels, gels, tape,
etc. to get the drums as quiet as possible. You’ll
want a little tone from the drums, but not as
much as what you want to hear from the drum
module. Make adjustments to the muffling and
the volume of the drum samples according to
how it sounds in your situation. Ask the other
players and singers how it sounds to them.
Yes, it needs to be a team effort.
This leap into triggering technology is easier
than ever. Give it a try and enjoy how good your
drums can sound in a small setting. Feel free
to contact me for questions or concerns about
your particular situation.
Blessings, Carl
You will also need a set of drum triggers for
your kit. Almost any of the modern drum
trigger kits will work with the Yamaha, Roland
and other manufacturers. *Special Note - You
could make the big leap into a Yamaha EAD10,
which is a stunning piece of technology. It is a
Carl Albrecht
Professional drummer for 30+ years, playing with
Paul Baloche, Don Moen, Ron Kenoly, Abe Laboriel,
LeAnn Rimes and others. He’s also a clinician,
author & pastor. Contact Carl for coaching, online
lessons, producing, or sessions. I’m still growing too..
www.CarlAlbrecht.com
[email protected]
110 July 2020
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