GEAR REVIEW
BULLET DRUM ENCLOSURE BY CINEMATION DESIGN | Mitch Bohannon
Do you ever get tired of having to explain to people that the volume in the room is loud because you have to mix to the drums ? I know I have had to explain that point multiple upon multiple times in the past .
But , one question I never really asked is … what am I missing out on because of having to mix to the drums ?
So , obviously , I ’ m here advocating for a drum enclosure since we just installed one . I am fully aware that there are two camps here … one being yes , one being absolutely no . I also know the argument of “ playing to the room ” and that can be noted as a splendid perspective and would be a great article for my friend ( and fellow
[ WM ] columnist ) Carl Albrecht to write .
Here ’ s my situation , I ’ ve been the Director of Live Production at Trinity Baptist in Lake Charles , LA since December . The church has two main venues … Central Venue is a blended service , the room seats 1,100 and we run 700- 800 each Sunday . North Venue is our more contemporary service , the room seats close to 600 and we run 450-500 each Sunday .
Central Venue was completing a 100 % remodel with a grand opening on my first week of work … so all of those decisions were made before my arrival . One of the last things to be installed was a large cube-shaped drum enclosure . It looks great , but more than that , the drums sound amazing in the room .
Let me back up a few weeks … prior to starting my job , my wife and I attended a couple of Sundays mainly because this would be our new fellowship , but also because I wanted to see how things were running . Attending the North Venue ( remember Central Venue was not open yet ), we sat six rows from the front . The worship leader had a beautiful Koa wood Taylor guitar and a fantastic voice … however , as soon as the drummer started playing , I could hear zero vocals and zero acoustic guitar . Truly nothing .
The drum kit had six drum baffles blocking the cymbals and even overlapping , but from where I was sitting , they just didn ’ t do the job .