drumming secrets

"How do I get to sound like Travis Barker?"

Hi Juan

My question is very concrete. Answers to questions about tuning drums are never easy to give, but having seen what you are capable of concerning tuning at your 'It's Tuning Time'  workshops, I think you can help me out.

I have been adoring a certain drum sound of a certain drummer called Travis Barker. Could you tell me in average, how to get that sound out of my drumkit. This is a link to a clip sample so you can hear what sound I am talking about:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKQgDY0pZ68

My drumset is a Yamaha DP. Could you tell me for instance what drum skins I need to buy on top and bottom to get a sound like that? And also how do I tune it; tight, loose, bottom skins lower or higher than top skins?

And how do I get to adjust the wires of my snare so I don't hear them that much, just like on the video clip.

And how do I get a deep kick sound, even if my bass drum isn't that deep as his.

Looking forward to hear your answers,

Maxim

Hello Maxim!

Ha,ha,ha,....I just watched the clip of Travis.....Jee oh jeee...that would be a GREAT customer  for a shop like Drumworld (NL); every week a new crash set up and what about a dozen of drum sticks? Travis really kills his drums....what an energy and power, unbelievable!!

To get the right answers on your questions, I need to draw your attention for the following subjects: if you really play this loud and use so much fysical energy, it's VERY important to get the right drum heads and the right sticks to be able to controll this power!

Travis probably uses Evans drumheads on toms, double ply and then higher pitched than you would normally expect for toms. As you already might know, I use Aquarian Respons 2 on toms with a higher pitch on toms, if I need to play Rock. The sound becomes shorter and you will get more body, because you will be reaching the upper volume level within your dynamic territory; i.e. anything played softer won't survive! I would tune the bottom heads a semi tone higher  than the top heads.

Oh, and never forget that sound of drums on recordings, both CD or clip, is always manipulated......it's hardly ever exactly what the drums really sound like if you would stand in that room!

Your snare: just tighten the 'strainers' a bit more so they sound as  short as possible. If you play loud as Travis does, it simply doesn't make any sense to have loose strainers; your sound will be muddy and not tight enough.Make shure you tune the snare to the best pitch; your skin will survive a few gigs more and it's better for the rebound and therefor more comfortable to play.

Bassdrum: this needs your full  attention. Don't use damping material, but get a set of proper bass drum heads, both front and back batter. Preferably Evans or Aquarian; these both brands are very much Rock oriented anyway and they know how to combine kick drumheads for rock purposes. Tuning the kick will take a bit more time, because you want a great sound as well as a playable batter surface. Don't tune it too low; it will give no sound and not enough volume.

In overall tuning will eat time and you will have to throw in your patience to get close to the sound you would like to achieve; also your way of playing will have a big influence on what you will sound like!

Ok, for now: enjoy your loud playing and last but certainly not least: get a good pair of hearing protectors.....playing this loud and fysical is great fun!! But it will do a lot of harm to your hearing. And the worse thing about it is that it will show only after a few years when you get older! You do want to enjoy hearing music for the rest of your life, don't you? Please take this advise seriously, ok?

Have fun, and play loud & clear.....

Greetz,

Juan