marching band sounding percussion

K.Hendriksen · Post by **K.Hendriksen** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:12 pm

so i am recording my album, i am not a drummer but i have basic rhymic sense. i am going to try to do most of the album myself. i am trying to get a tom waits style of percussion going on here but don't have much to work with. i have shakers, tambourines, pots, pans and loads of drum pieces lying around my rehearsal studio. i guess what i am trying to ask is, about my kick that i am somehow trying to make sound like a marching band bass drum. what i will use for this is a tama kick drum 22" ,hit with a large mallet. it only has one head on it, the other has a the sound hole. has anyone attempted to try to make this happen? obviously i am going to tune the drum very loose but i just need some feedback...types of recording techniques, have some dynamics mics i will use, maybe throw in a condenser above it and blend it in. i am broke, and trying to work with what i got.....thank you.

oldguitars · Post by **oldguitars** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:19 pm

Actually, you might want to tune it tighter than you think. That way it will have an actual tone. I would get 2 fiberskyn or at least coated heads on it (no hole). that will get you most of the way there. I think the tone you are looking for is more about the drum and less about the micing.

signorMars · Post by **signorMars** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:22 pm

also, look around at ads and maybe call a couple high schools if you have the space to store a marching bass drum. a lot of (wealthier) schools replace their drums on a regular basis and may have an old beat up drum they would sell you for $50 or so. same on ebay, but then you have to pay shipping.

percussion boy · Post by **percussion boy** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:23 pm

What oldguitar said.

And no internal muffling. You need sustain.

At least one distant mic?

A 22 is plenty big enough for this, so don't give up.

K.Hendriksen · Post by **K.Hendriksen** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:29 pm

thanks guys. it's great how fast people respond. i start tonight so i am gonna try my best at making this thing sound good. when i get some sounds i will post em.

The Real MC · Post by **The Real MC** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:25 pm

I used to play marching bass drum in school.

They don't have the punch and beater snap like the kick in the modern drum kit - marching bass drum is a totally different sound. The timbre varies not just with head size and tuning but with the beater you use, where you strike the head (major difference), and how hard you hit it.

And a large ambient room is VERY effective.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:02 pm

Probably not the best solution for you, but Garritan just put out a Marching Band sample library.

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:04 pm

Check out this drum kit from ezdrummer called twisted. I am not suggesting you buy it (you said you wanted to work with what you have), but maybe it will give you some more ideas if you look at the instrument list and check out the sound samples?

http://www.toontrack.com/ezx.asp#twisted

digitaldrummer · Post by **digitaldrummer** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 6:12 pm

...and don't strike the head dead center or at 90 deg. to the head. Hit it slightly off-center and with a slight angle so it ricochets off the head. this is not where you want a "bury the beater" sound. let it sustain. If you get too much attack from your mallet, try wrapping with an old sock or something to make it more like a fuzzy beater.

definitely try for a 2-headed drum if you can, fairly tight and it you get too much ring, try a couple pieces of weather-stripping on the head, near the edges to tame it or on the rim, but in contact with the head(if its thick/wide enough). most of the marching drums seem to use smooth white heads which is similar to a single-ply clear head. An EMAD or Super-Kick is probably not ideal here...

just some ideas from my past experience.

Mike

roscoenyc · Post by **roscoenyc** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 6:34 pm

chovie d wrote:Check out this drum kit from ezdrummer called twisted. I am not suggesting you buy it (you said you wanted to work with what you have), but maybe it will give you some more ideas if you look at the instrument list and check out the sound samples?

http://www.toontrack.com/ezx.asp#twisted

I've been having a blast with the Michael Blair/Twisted Kit.
EZ drummer is super ...well, uh.....easy to use.

Blair is a buddy of mine.

roscoenyc · Post by **roscoenyc** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 6:38 pm

try this beater too.....

fuzzy beater on your two headed kick will sound great

chovie d · Post by **chovie d** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:00 am

I've been having a blast with the Michael Blair/Twisted Kit.
EZ drummer is super ...well, uh.....easy to use.

Blair is a buddy of mine.

Its a really great sounding kit...really interesting. But I am having a hard time incorporating it into my music...best not to force anything. i cant stop playing with it tho.

Got any songs done wit it you'd care to share Roscoe? I am interested to see how others use this kit.
sorry for the off topic

roscoenyc · Post by **roscoenyc** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 11:24 am

chovie d wrote:
I've been having a blast with the Michael Blair/Twisted Kit.
EZ drummer is super ...well, uh.....easy to use.

Blair is a buddy of mine.
Its a really great sounding kit...really interesting. But I am having a hard time incorporating it into my music...best not to force anything. i cant stop playing with it tho.

Got any songs done wit it you'd care to share Roscoe? I am interested to see how others use this kit.
sorry for the off topic

I'll see if I can dig something up at home. I've also been using the grooves/sounds as a click. There is so much going on 'between the cracks' and the sounds are so different than traditional drums its really easy to 'hear' while tracking.

chorga1 · Post by **chorga1** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:09 pm

I played in drumlines for years - in high school and at LSU - where we had 6 basses, 5 tenors, 11 snares, 11 cymbals. It was a massive line with some amazing players!

Anyhoo - for bass drum you gotta have two heads, hard felt beaters - they must be heavy. There are some mallets out there that are made for bagpipe-type marching bass drums (softer felt, wimpy aluminum shafts). These will not produce the best tone from a modern marching bass drum.

You do want to dampen it a bit. 90% of drumlines use 1" foam stripping that is sticky on one side - tho you usually don't see it because it is placed inside the drum for aesthetic reasons. The bigger the drum, the greater the percentage of area must be covered.

Some other good advice already posted:

1. Call up local high schools. Chat up the band director. They'll either have some old gear they want to sell, or I'm sure they would rent you something for a donation to the band booster. The equipment is used mostly in the fall, with it being used occassionally in the spring for parades.

2. You definitely do not want double ply or dampened heads.

3. DO NOT bury the beater!

4. Beater angle/playing area is not super important - much less of an issue than if you were playing a large concert bass drum.

K.Hendriksen · Post by **K.Hendriksen** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:23 pm

thanks guys for all the input. i've been recording for the past week, and i must say that it is coming out better than i thought. maybe not the best, but i am kinda looking for a lo-fi sound that still gets the point across.

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marching band sounding percussion

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