Shy Baffles on Cymbals
they’ve been reserving that energy the whole
time. That leaves room. If you’re just a loud
drummer and you’re bashing on the cymbals
from the first note, when you get to that bridge
or second chorus when you really need to get
to business, you’ve already wasted out your
sound spectrum. I’d say communicate with
the sound engineer, let him know where you’re
coming from, how you hit the drums, what
you’re trying to achieve, and your dynamic
range. Have that be your starting place and
that frees you up to do what you do naturally
behind the kit.
[WM] Let’s flip the script. I mix FOH from time
to time and if there is someone who is playing
too loud, I’m inclined to mix them quieter and
quieter. Like worship leaders, some sound
techs lack the lingo for telling drummers how
to play to the room in a way that the drummer going to upset the drummer and make him vocal and stage mics, and it brings clarity to
will hear it, receive it, and actually play ‘to the insecure which might make him play at a lower the mix and that gives the sound engineer more
room’. Do you have any advice on how to level. Or it’s going to make him frustrated and control.
get this across without killing the vibe in the angry and have resentment. It’s only going to process? force a weird relationship if they’re not mature If there’s no cymbal bleed into the vocal mics
and they haven’t done it a lot and don’t know the engineer has more control to let them be
[Garrett] This happens all the time. You if they mean something bad by it. Someone a little more precise in the mix. If there are no
always hear, “Man, he’s blasting the room, I could just be like, “Hey man shut up, you’re baffles he has to compete the whole time to get
have no control because he’s too loud.” You too loud!” And I’d be like, “Okay I get it.” But if a good mix. It’s kind of killing two birds with one
can go about it in a kind way, but I almost it’s a newer drummer or a young drummer, just stone, it’s helping with the mix and it’s reducing
feel like there’s not a lot of different ways to communicate with them. Ask them to help you stage volume at the same time. Those are
communicate it rather than the sound guy just and be a team about it, tell them what you need incredible. Something gear wise on the cymbal
saying, “Hey man, you’re sounding great, but from them to achieve the best sound you can spectrum you can help your church out with
unfortunately with the sound system and room have. That’s how I would approach it. is… as we all know, different styles of music call
for different things… Jazz requires a different
that we have I don’t have a lot of control back
here, so it would really help me out if you were [WM] When it comes to getting a great Church sound, requires a different tuning of the drums
able to dial the cymbals back a little bit and drum sound there are lots of great tools that than Rock ‘n Roll does. Regardless of style you
have a little more control over the dynamics of drummers can use like drum dots, Shy Baffles, have to adjust the drums to what is needed. I
those…” and just treat it like it’s something that putting the right mic in the right place. Can you would say for Worship music in this day and
would really help you out. To me the biggest share some of your ‘go to’ approaches? age, the music calls for a little bit darker… and
bigger sounding cymbals. If you can pick your
thing, with anything in life, is communication.
encouraging [Garrett] Totally. I’d start with the Shy Baffles. cymbal setup to match that, that would really
communication is the greatest thing, from The point of the Shy Baffles is to reduce cymbal help with the baffles for your church.
relationships to business to anything. Always volume, not technically for the room, but for the communicating in a way that is encouraging vocal mics and all of the surrounding mics on For Drum Dots and drum dampening, my
and is team building I think is always going to stage as well as a little bit of stage volume. advice would be that if you are using any
benefit everyone. The last thing you want to do What the Shy Baffles do that is so awesome, form of drum dampening don’t put the drum
is yell “you’re too loud, you need to back up a is it allows the drums to still breathe and speak dampening on and then tune your drums.
little bit!” Because that’s going to frustrate the naturally with the mics that are on them, while That’s just putting a mask on what the drum
sound guy, and then on the contrary its either at the same time reducing bleed to all of the is actually doing. Spend some time and really
Valuable,
clear,
loving,
November 2018
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