@@panqueque445 it's amazing just how much good, well-tuned heads and good cymbals can make a dirt cheap kit sound. His talent and expertise make a set of Jin Baos sound like Pearl References!
I've played drums a number of years and I can say your tuning ability is top notch; to make that abomination of a kit sound remotely like a Pearl Reference is a feat, well done.
I'm almost convinced the sound you were hearing was a plug in. They sounded exact. And what I mean by exact is that the tuning was not even in the slightest different. Even the snare sounds the same. Cheap snares sound like trash no matter how well you tune them.
@@joetroutt7425 He used the same snare for both kits, and it's not an expensive one. As long as the shell is round and the hardware isn't noisy you can get great sound out of it with nice heads, a quality set of wires and tuning skills
any tips for tuning?? I've been playing for 12 years, I feel like I should know how to tune now but I kinda don't know what I'm doing. Like, other than the alternating my rods like a star and having the resos looser and the batter's higher (i like tighter rebound), I don't know what I'm doing. I've tried looking at tutorials for tips and tricks, most I've ever gotten is "just do it more" Anyway, so do you guys have any practical tips for tuning? How can I look for overtones and are tuning gizmos worth the investment?
@@doofs I have an idea. Go to a music store. Preferably a drum shop and play on some drums that sound really good to you and record the sound of each drum individually and try to tune your drums to that tune. Another thing you can do is (it will take two ppl unless you take the tom off and set it on the floor) mute the bottom head and record the sound of the top head and do the same with the bottom. Just mute the top. It will take time to develop an ear for a great tune. It took me years to learn how to tune my drums but now I've got a pretty good ear for what sounds good and other ppl tell me the same thing. When I let other ppl play my drums I like to sit back and enjoy the sound of them and maybe think of what could use tweaking.
@@joetroutt7425 thanks for pratical advice!!! most of my music stores nearby only have electrics on display, but I'll absolutely do this whenever I hang with other drummers. I usually try tuning my kits by recreating sounds from my favourite albums, so I guess I'll keep doing that for now at least. thanks friend! 🤘
When I was a kid (self taught) and didn’t know any better once the batter head was beat to death I just flipped the drum over and beat up the other side… man I cringe when I think about that today ha ha 🤦♂️
Actually, the whole head IS useful. These folks who insist you can only hit dead center have never played hand percussion. There are so many tones available in a single drum
@@Gk2003m of course, and Wade CLEARLY knows that, but still the overwhelming majority of use-and therefore ware-is going to be in one single area, or a few small areas
The fact you were able to examine the 16's wear patterns and determine that somehow a complete drum novice got their hands on some of the best drum shells ever made only for them to end up being abandoned at Bendigo Cashies tells an utterly insane story that I wish I could get the full details on.
Its trust fund kids this happens all the time They wanna try out some new hobby so they just buy whatever the most expensive thing is and then get bored off it after a couple months and buy something else They have so much money that reselling things is a waste of time so they just abandon whatever it is, extremely expensive instruments, expensive sporting equipment, backpacking/hiking/camping equipment Really anything that has a high barrier to entry
I worked at Cash Converters in the US and you would be absolutely amazed at the type of high end products that people buy when they get that bIg pRoMoTiOn or tax return, then turn around and have to sell the shiny new toy when the money runs out. It happened during the pandemic when everyone got their enhanced unemployment and finally decided to get that nice Gretsch guitar or Pearl Reference set they always wanted, and now they're broke trying to survive under record high inflation.
My youngest son is a year into lessons. Got him a used Ludwig Accent kit from the 90s with serious power toms (12,13,16). But I spent on good heads and cymbals and he has that kit banging.
I’m a music teacher, and I love learning about all this stuff because we didn’t get it in percussion techniques! The hardness of the wood and how different rim shapes seem like such nitty gritty details (they are) but it’s the little things that make big differences in music! I also liked that you talked about how for the most part it’s the tuning that makes the biggest difference. Have you done a video on different heads? I would be interested in watching that
agree! I am the manufacturer of cheap Musical Instruments in China. In fact, the highest quality drums in the world and the cheapest drums are all made by the same group of people, such as Yamaha's top drumset model, hybrid maple custom and this cheap Jinbao drum. Low-cost hardware and wood, just to race to control the beginner's low end market, deindustrialization makes Westerners forget that a high level of technology comes from long years of job training and production experience, those nitty gritty details are just business...
Rick: If you are looking for more drum resources, check out SoundsLikeADrum on UA-cam. They have certainly gone down some deep rabbit holes recently, but they have a very solid primer for different approaches to tuning and a lot of head comparisons. The biggest takeaway I’ve gotten from drumming is that to tune well, you have to spend a lot of time practicing. It really is an art.
Yeah, materials tend to be a detail when it comes to music, but there is interesting stuff out there, like for drum heads, I've heard some folks used to take X-ray acetates and use them for making drum head! Or natural rawhide, was and still is a classic for drums...and if you talk hides you have to talk about the animals too, because deer hides are different from cow, are different from goffers, are different from goat! Or in stings...the first violin metallic strings where gut wrapped in silver wire! The reason is gut strings are low tension strings, and the metal wire add mass meaning better low end. Some modern very high end strings are silk core and silver wire wrap I personally really really want a set of bronze strings for my violin, but there is only one company making them, and they don't sell in Canada.
Remo Weather King heads are the best - bar none. For tuning I always crank up the resonant (bottom) head as tight as I can get it, and try to get the batter head to sound good at the least amount of tightness. You can always crank it up later as it wears. The final point - get rid of all of the baffling and mutes and play your drums wide open. I have no idea how Alex Van Halen can get his snare sound with a whole roll of duct tape on the batter head.
I'm assuming it would be less of a different from the preferences than the preferences were to the Jin Baos. I bet it wouldn't even be perceptible. I'm a guitarist so take that assumption with a grain of salt.
I'll probably never start drumming for real, but these videos have inspired me to just practice making beats on whatever I have laying around the house "Stomp" style. It's a lot of fun!
Do it! Drum! Everyone thinks they don't got time, and one thing I've learned is "There's a little time for literally everything." It's fun, consider it!
I'll admit it, my untrained ears pretty much can't tell the difference (unlike the cymbals). But hearing your description of how different they sound to you only reinforces how dedicated to your craft you are!
A non-trivial confounding variable is the recording process itself, I've discovered. Differences in acoustics between drum sets stand out most strongly in person, but like Wade says, it really just comes down to vibe, and even mediocre/outright junk sets, properly prepared and set up, can sound fairly acceptable with judicious recording technique and the skill of the drummer themselves
The difference is noticeable on the toms, the reference ones have more resonance, more sustain, while the the jim baos are more muffled. But yeah, if I weren't paying attention probably would go unnoticed
@@gralha_ I believe the harder the wood the more the sound reflects off of it rather than being absorbed by a softer wood in a cheaper kit. That is what makes tone resonate more.
In woodshop, when wood ended up getting dented, we would get a piece of damp paper towel and a clothes iron, and run the pair over the dents. As long as the wood fiber wasn't damaged, it'd usually bounce back into shape. We didn't really use super hard woods, though, so it might not be as effective.
Ive saved many guitar necks with this! Best is a flat edge attachment on a soldering iron, cotton cloth, and a spray bottle to rehydrate the cloth. Learn it on scrap pieces of several types of wood first!!!
Ok as a middle school percussionist from a very small and under budget backwater cesspool that passed for a school, I can probably say that was a high school or elementary school drum set- it was probably funded by a teacher a hot minute ago who knew what they could get and have all the kids they taughr sound good on, and hence the all-over-the-place amateur thrashing. I know my school drumsets, heads, sticks and cymbals were the exact same way and the treatment only got more violent the more people try to play, esp. coming over from other instruments. Still a hell of a find and man, even though my bamd director can suck me sideways (she's the reason I have horrible instrument performance anxiety that I'm still working over) goddamn do your videos wanna make me get back into fucking around on a set. Like, you're bringing up bone memories I don't even recall making, and your energy is doing me so many favors here I love it 💜
My favorite thing about this is that a kit's sound can change so violently with just a small change in the drum heads and everyone still gets all caught up on the nuance of shell quality
Same as guitars where people go over the top using all kinds of different expensive woods and veneers and whatnot, then put it all through the same distorted electronics and it all sounds the same anyway
@@AfferbeckBeats for guitars the differences are there but are so minuscule you wont even bother. No one can tell just by listening that a guitar was made of alder instead of basswood. I would say its just looks more than anything
@@AfferbeckBeats yeah, wood type/quality only truly matters with acoustic guitars; the primary thing that matters the most for electrics is the construction quality of the pickups/electronics and the speaker in the amp
As a trumpet player I can say these two drum kits sound identical to each other, though I imagine my 1923 custom built Holton Jazz-hound and 1956 Holton Super Collegiate probably sound the same to a non-trumpeter too despite the laundry list of differences between the 2.
Thank you for not watering down your videos with self promo and sponsorships. Thank you for you're genuinely amazing outros. And thank YOU for being you. Rock on mate!
You have explained almost every hobby/professional tool everywhere. From paintbrushes to kitchen knives. I and happy for you that you got a nice score from Cashies its good to get a win.
To me, it's amazing how utterly consistent you and other master drummers are with your physical timing. Like, I have really good hand eye coordination for throwing a ball or drawing complex repeated strokes - but whenever I try to idly tap out the beat while I'm listening to music, it's like my hand/foot hiccups every dozen or so taps and is wildly off. Feels weird since I have excellent command of my movements in virtually every other scenario. Its so cool to see a master make something look effortless!
As a drummer who mainly uses an electric kit, the by far biggest reason I haven't gotten into acoustics is tuning, I have a nice electric one (and I payed through the nose for it, td50ksomething or others are pricey), and I can say that when I sit in an orchestra pit or go to record with a band there is something unique about acoustics, but then I remember the 4 hours I spent tuning them and firmly decide that I made a good choice in buying my rolands
As someone who plays both, I personally find acoustics worth it since I can just get more definition and uniqueness to the playing. Ghost notes just don't work as good with electric kits, and you can never get certain unique sounds from electric that you can acoustic. Also, it isn't even a competition between acoustic cymbals and electric haha.
I got nothing against electric drums. They definitely have their place and some major productions are now using them. But that visceral connection to acoustics, especially cymbals keeps me coming back. I’ve heard and played some incredible expansion packs for the td50 and mimic modules. But I don’t think they’ll ever get that same feel.
drum tunning is an overrated issue among drummers. It's always the player- always. Some of the jazz greats played kits that made no sense tunning wise, but they're great. Some people obsess over the tunning and can't diddle over 4, probably because it's something to worry about that isn't tangentially related to "can't really play". Anyway, the drums aren't a guitar. They go thump. Make sure the tumps have some relation from one tom to the next. That's about it.
Its always nice to put in the reps with other less good tools then when you get a nice version it lets your skill shine and it becomes a pleasurable experience to simply use.
Fellow drummer here! This is pretty interesting to me because I’ve been looking to upgrade to a new shell pack for a while and I love that you describe the differences between low-end and high-end drums and you make it very concise and easy to understand! Keep doing what you’re doing, The Drum Thing is becoming one of my favorite channels
My homie who drums in my little band just swapped out the practice rims we were using for his proper Birch Pearl set, and the difference was immense! It's amazing how the little things all add up to huge differences, and thanks to your channel I actually have some knowledge and reference as a layman when asking about stuff. Keep rocking from the American Midwest!
No. I am tone deaf as anything xD Teaching myself guitar is an interesting experience. Certainly couldn't hear any difference between the drums which must make people sad.
with the cymbals, i know what to expect and i can tell a difference, with drums... i was waiting for a pause and the repetition of the beat, but then i realized that it already happened and it's indistinguishable (at least on youtube on my crappy iems)
I play (with) drums. They sound very similar. As the video states, this is _possible,_ but it's absolutely a testament to his ability to tune a drum. I've been through this myself, upgrading from a Tama Whatever ($350 kit) to a set of Pearl VBX shells I chose piece-by-piece. I never got the Tama to sound very good. The Pearl kit sang right away. Same amateur tuning effort, better kit.
The Jin Bao toms absolutely sound more dead, no rich overtones or anything. I think it's kinda hard for the layman to hear the difference because of poor recording setup and youtube, etc... I think in real life it'd be way more obvious. But yah obviously you could get away with the Jin Bao, the drummer will always care more than the audience.
I have a Pearl Reference kit(a black one.. boring. Gonna switch it to a cooler finish). Compared to a cheap kit it has a lot bigger tuning range, it stays in tune regardless of pounding. You can also control overtones. You don’t get weird overtones. Only the beautiful ones you might want, and they can be controlled. This is very important in a studio setting. You pay for having this sound ensured + getting top of the line everything. As a pro(who these are actually made for), you don’t want to compromize. Also, remember: you can’t hear the big differences without a proper recording and soundcards + headphones when tuned great. But subtle differences are what makes a great kit useful. Clear and controllable overtones that stay in tune. That being said: a mid+ kit made today is of great quality! It’s insane what you get for money these days regarding drums. Pearl Masters is a great example of a pro sounding kit for a great price(they come in different ranges these days with different prices). But you can go a lot further down in price and get great sounding kits on a budget too! Going on gigs with a super expensive kit can be stressful and just not needed a lot of the time. Cymbals are harder.. you can’t go cheap that easily. You can get a great set for metal etc which does not cost that much. But that is mostly because the tones needed are not always that complex in a mix. But great cymbals with complex overtones do cost money if you want something special. Cheap hardware is useless.
This is sooo interesting to me. I also love how you explain tuning drums and the wonderful selection of songs you threw out there. Love blur and zeppelin. Never listened to them back to back totally going to do that now! Love the music class. Don’t think id ever be very good at drums but you always make it so appealing!
It feels like drums are somthing that will take a lifetime to even notice the differences in the overall sound quality and even then, I could never pick out which sounds "objectively" better. Thank God we can all still put the Dark Rides up against the painted steel abomination and be sure that we have some sense of a good sound.
Maybe this is irrelevant or unrelated, but the random bits of info you drop in about tuning drums actually has helped me get the sound I want out of some physical modelling drum synths. Super randomly helpful in an otherwise entertaining vid!
Daaamn; I picked up a used 3 piece reference shell pack in that exact same finish, for like $1500 CAD 10 years ago... I didn't know the kinds of prices these kits were fetching now. That's crazy... absolute hell of deal at the pawn shop! I think that reference kit is the only kit I'll ever really need. It's the ONLY floor tom I've ever owned that I've genuinely been able to consistently dial in at a wide range of tunings. And those 30 ply reference snares are absolute madness. Overengineered definitely, but the excess works; doesn't it! I realize this undermines the whole point of your video, but what a catch! Congrats!
Actually heard much more of a difference than I was expecting too. And those shells are gorgeous! As a drummer and a woodworker expensive drums are such a thing of beauty to me. I love beautiful instruments being made from beautiful wood. I have always wanted to try making my own snare drum and this video has me inspired. I want to try a steam bent solid wood drum instead of vaneer ply. Normally drums like that cost a fortune but I reckon I can do it for not a ton of money and get a good quality drum out of it!
broooooooo!!! I am thoroughly impressed at how well you were able to match the tuning between the two kits. I have never EVER seen two drum sets matched that well. Hats off to you, brother
Let's take a moment to appreciate how well you managed to tune the Jin Baos. I had to put on my headphones to hear the difference between the two kits.
I never thought I'd actually see another Jin Bao kit! There was one in the rehearsal room when i joined a band. Ended up slapping some better skins on it and it did the job for rehearsals for a little while, but when I think of how much of a pain it was to tune, I'm glad its gone
You did an absolutely incredible job tuning those Jin Baos so close to the References. It shows that a true professional can make anything sound good. That being said, as a sound engineer I thought you can only polish a turd this much. I like to EQ my toms tight and punchy and the Jin Baos would need a fair bit of corrective EQ to sound decent by my standards and even then they weren't resonant enough to sound pleasant and that's not something EQ can really fix. The References were almost there right out the gate, so they would be a joy to work with. In other words, the Jin Baos are hard to work with whether you are the drummer trying to tune them or the sound engineer trying to make them sound good and that's why it's worth getting a quality kit. It would be nice if we could hear the References against the Masters at some point. I reckon the differences will be very subtle.
I’ve been drumming and playing/teaching music for almost 2 decades. I’ve never been able to afford Pearls like that, best I’ve had is early 2000’s Pearl ELX. Not once in all this time has it occurred to me that super high ends kits use and blend different woods for each drum to achieve those banger sounds. You truly never stop learning
If you are not afraid, you can fix the bashes with a wet towel and a hot iron. Cover the mark with the towel and touch it with the iron directly to create steam. This method is frequently used to fix little bums and blemishes in wooden furniture, from 5k tables to gun stocks. The theory is that the fibers are there and not damaged, but compressed, so the steam brings them back up by swelling slightly. Be careful with the moisture, just be quick and let it dry sufficiently after you are done. Mark Novak has some great videos on it, I believe
I just want to say, not boring at all , I have no idea about drums and difference between one or another, I learn from you videos plus is really funny.
You can almost always remove dents from wood with steam, either with a handheld steamer or a damp cloth placed over the dent with an iron on top. It's an old woodworking technique, often used in repairing furniture, but it should work for the plywood in these too. Just avoid getting too much steam on the top layers of veneer, maybe test it on a cheaper kit first to make sure you won't risk delamination, but it's way easier and better for the piece than wood filler.
In the 90´s I had a cheap asian baswood drumkit that sounded better than ALL of Tama´s, Pearl´s or other drums that we shared in the stages. To the point that one drummer wanted to rent it thinking it was something special. In the end was just knowledge. I worked on smothing the bearing edges, instaled good heads and tuned with with passion for ever venue we´re playing. I rather prefer having a cheap kit like that, with a "better" snare (if needed) and good cymbals than an super expensive kit with so so cymbals. Hardware is a problem too. Had to change the snare drum stand and a good seat. But since the distorted guitars entered nobodyt ever noticed any bad sounds. Listen with your ears, guys. Cheers.
I am blind, a music producer, and a drummer. Though I say it myself, I have a darn good ear. I was waiting to hear you play the Perl kit then the comparison ended. I literally cannot hear the difference.
Honestly, I would avoid doing any repairs with wood filler. It's more for cosmetic repair, not structural, and I worry about how it would hold up long term on a bearing edge. It would be better to re-cut the bearing edge (or pay someone who knows what they're doing), or to just leave it as is. But that's just one dingus drummer's opinion!
As a trombone player with a $3500 instrument, I feel your pain for that floor tom. It's repairable though. Wood glue and hours of hand sanding. My King 3B was kinda twisted when I got it, but I took it to someone to get it straightened out and have the lacquer stripped and redone.
I have a kit very similar to the Jin Bao ones and yes the bearing edges are the main hassle but some sanding helped me fix it as much as I could and with new heads the kit sounds amazing, very close to what the pro kits sound like. It did take alot of experimentation. Tuning techniques were to be legit thrown down a window and done any way that worked. Since the pro or even the midrange kits in Pakistan are so expensive, I keep this kit as my main gig kit, and honestly it's now good enough to cut a proper drum sound that FOH sound engineers prefer too. The kit costed about 100$ in the current economy.
FYI 3/4 round bass drum Full round floor toms Guru bearing edge the toms They sound better than any 1000 per drum kit anywhere Thick lacquer the inside of the shell True studio work
Drum go boom boom, snek best part. I actually have no ability to hear the difference between these drum sets, but I am glad you find joy in these videos.
Finally I’ve been saying this since I had my first rogers kit for 150 US dollars Back in 88 I get those super cheap drums take them to a carpenter show them a few videos on bearing edges with top of the line heads and your golden
Not a drummer, but as someone who has done micing and live mixing for concerts with all manner of drum kits, and you can hear the difference in drum and tune pretty clearly in the monitors, very cool to see the reason for what I hear.
You can definitely make both sound good, the references do sound better over all, but you are a pro at tuning. Also boring time is the best time, absolutely love it!!!
next month i am scrapping this 3$ for a stream acces i hat streams but damn you're not only playing amazingly but also it gives of some vibe i can't describe but it makes me smile
My take, with years of experience with high- and low- end kits from all different brands: High-end drums have better fit and finish, and are so much easier to make sound amazing, and overall DO sound and play better. However, a decently made mid-range kit, and even a good low-end kit can sound great if good heads are used and they're tuned well. If you can afford high end drums, by all means, do so. They're worth it, and you really do get what you pay for. If you can only afford low- or mid- range, replace the stock heads with good quality heads and learn how to tune them. You won't have the playing feel of the high-end stuff, nor the tuning range and depth of tone, but you absolutely can have a great sounding kit to make your music on.
The emotional rollercoaster of being disappointed with myself at not hearing much of a difference between the kits and then you saying "they sound similar" the relief i felt, crazy
My first kit is a Pearl Rhythm Traveler. It's a small kit, easy to transport, and I needed that. Looks like a toy. Everyone's first reaction to seeing it was laughter. They were always blown away at how good it sounds when playing it
Nice! I've got a Dixon Little Roomer kick drum which is the same size at 20x8" and it sounds great! I love compact drums, especially those with wide heads but shallow bodies
Mate, I subscribed to this channel to hear you gush about weird and obscure drum and music stuff that I know nothing about. Don't worry about boring me, I know what I signed on for! Plus it has weird connections to stuff I DO know about, like wood hardnesses and metallurgy, and it's fun learning how those things effect instruments musically :D
I was really concerned there that I was just like totally unable to hear a difference between the two, glad that was what I was meant to hear more or less
So, I’ve been playing drums for 20 years and studying the philosophy of tuning for nearly as long. On my iPad speakers, these sounded exactly the same. I’m sure with some good headpahonies I could hear a difference, but so much of the sound is tuning, eq, effects, and head selection. Frankly (because I didn’t see her this time), I could see a huge difference in his playing from one kit to the other. The cheap kit was being played adequately. The good was being played with passion. I mean he was going for it. No spider kissing there.
5:11 You can raise dented wood back up from dents like that by applying heat with a clothes iron. I've used it successfully on a maple guitar head. The ding came out to almost level, but the covering vinyl had chipped off.
This video is gold. The real takeaway point is that you can do almost whatever you want with the hi end drums. The low end drums you can make sound great, but you really have to fight for it, and they'll usually be a "one trick pony." Drum heads & tuning is everything.
No matter how the good kit is if you can’t match the right heads to the drums and know how the hell to tune you’re fuct. You can make a cardboard box sing with the right heads and tuning. Great job mate. New sub!!
This video kind of proves that more expensive drums are less about sound and more about usability. The references absolutely sound better, more defined attack, clearer resonance, etc. But they don't sound $5,000 better if that makes sense. Absolutely save your money for super nice hardware, that will affect your playing more than anything, and your choice in heads and how you actually play the drums are what affect the sound more than anything. Great cymbals are also important, but also can be had for great deals. The deals are out there for everything you just gotta look.
As a very VERY amateur guitarist (I.e. I’m impressing myself when I don’t fuck up 7 nation army) seeing these videos make me wonder if my $40 double humbucker guitar could do with an upgrade
This is just me personally I think, but whenever you say sit still and get ready for boring time I always get genuinely excited. I don’t know I don’t think you’re boring dude, you’re passionate about it and it always makes me smile. So long story short thanks for helping me on my drumming man. Also please listen to king gizzard
I trick I learned for getting dents out of wooden floors is a little bit of hot water will swell the wood back up then you want to let it dry for a couple weeks. I personally wouldn’t do it on an expensive drum kit but it could work.
very interesting comparison between the baos and the references- i expected them to sound much more different i had no interest in drums until i found you! thank you for sharing your wonderful passion and knowledge :D much love from a fellow aussie♥keep up the great content!
Anyone who thinks there is anything more than a very subtle difference in the kits needs to close their eyes while they watch. Seriously. Stop listening with your eyes. Love the video. I've been playing on a pearl kit I got for free for years. I've only bought new heads and some new hardware and cymbals.
Now, I ain't no drummer, but I can tell that the Reference's beats are "quicker" while the Jin Bao's are more drawn out. I love what I've managed to learn watching your channels, you wonderful Aussie goof.
That s crazy how you got a crappy set sounding almost as good as a high end kit, then again everything was mic'd, I'd still take a high end Peral kit any day. Great video!
Been playing drums for 28 years, the Pearl sounds fantastic, that bass drums and toms sounded great, nice on the snare mate! I also have an 80's Pearl that I have used in a few recordings. The Chinese kit, actually sounds great too, the bass drum lacks tone and punch but the difference, sound wise was not huge. The pearl however, looks incredible, the hardware is like a tank and is certainly a kit to keep for life
I was talking to a friend at work about the concept of diminishing returns in music gear just like a couple of hours ago. And then you drop this. I just clicked “forward this video”. Frank says nothing
When I went shopping for a new kit to use on the road, I went for a step down from my home kit, which is a 2003 Tama Starclassic Birch. I found a brand new 7 piece Superstar Classic maple kit, and after putting my favorite heads on and spending a couple weeks experimenting with tuning, I got them sounding amazing and they hold the tuning over several shows, with the 14 inch floor tom being the only "problem child", which usually has to be tuned before every show. Not bad for $750, though!
This is actually really refreshing to hear. I've recorded drums on pretty much every song I've ever released, but as someone whose drumming has fallen to the wayside in the past few years, I was wondering if I could justify upgrading my kit from the $300 kit my parents got my brother in 2004 that he played for all of six months. Mind you, no one has ever listened to any of my songs and commented on how the drums could sound better, but this is about what I already knew about guitars: sure, an expensive kit will probably be easier to work with, more versatile, and feel better, and if you can justify dropping the money on it, go for it. But in the right hands, with the right heads/mics/mix, and playing into the strengths and weaknesses, a cheap kit can absolutely work. Now cymbals though, yeah I need to upgrade those.
I heard trumpet player Bobby Shew once say that anything you can do with a "pro" level instrument can arguably be done with a "student" model. The difference is with a "pro" model, you wont have to think as much. Also, with reference to tuning, my philosophy is; if the drums do what you want, they're in tune. Great video
What I learned is that a true professional can make anything sound awesome
nah. st.anger snares. nuff said.
also true
@@KareemFloat Give Lars some credit. The drumming is 'okay', but the mixing was god awful.
@@KareemFloat Well, a professional can make anything sound awful as well. :-)
Case in point: ua-cam.com/video/VckvNIhl874/v-deo.html
As a bassist i can't understand anything this man says but goddam i can just watch this for hours
As a bassist, I can't understand most things people say
@@reddevil944 so true
@@reddevil944 me
He did say, "vibe" a couple of times. I reckon bass players recognize that word.
I’m a drummer and I don’t get half of it and I could still watch him for hours
You know you’re not a drummer when you can’t tell the difference between a $2,300 pearl kit and a $150 set of Jin Baos
yepp
When he did the comparison at the end I thought he'd reveal he was playing the same set both times. Literally sounded the same to me lmao
@@panqueque445 it's amazing just how much good, well-tuned heads and good cymbals can make a dirt cheap kit sound. His talent and expertise make a set of Jin Baos sound like Pearl References!
he tuned them well, and also youtube crushes audio stream
To be fair, I think that was sort of his point
I've played drums a number of years and I can say your tuning ability is top notch; to make that abomination of a kit sound remotely like a Pearl Reference is a feat, well done.
I'm almost convinced the sound you were hearing was a plug in. They sounded exact. And what I mean by exact is that the tuning was not even in the slightest different. Even the snare sounds the same. Cheap snares sound like trash no matter how well you tune them.
@@joetroutt7425 He used the same snare for both kits, and it's not an expensive one. As long as the shell is round and the hardware isn't noisy you can get great sound out of it with nice heads, a quality set of wires and tuning skills
any tips for tuning?? I've been playing for 12 years, I feel like I should know how to tune now but I kinda don't know what I'm doing.
Like, other than the alternating my rods like a star and having the resos looser and the batter's higher (i like tighter rebound), I don't know what I'm doing. I've tried looking at tutorials for tips and tricks, most I've ever gotten is "just do it more"
Anyway, so do you guys have any practical tips for tuning? How can I look for overtones and are tuning gizmos worth the investment?
@@doofs I have an idea. Go to a music store. Preferably a drum shop and play on some drums that sound really good to you and record the sound of each drum individually and try to tune your drums to that tune.
Another thing you can do is (it will take two ppl unless you take the tom off and set it on the floor) mute the bottom head and record the sound of the top head and do the same with the bottom. Just mute the top.
It will take time to develop an ear for a great tune. It took me years to learn how to tune my drums but now I've got a pretty good ear for what sounds good and other ppl tell me the same thing. When I let other ppl play my drums I like to sit back and enjoy the sound of them and maybe think of what could use tweaking.
@@joetroutt7425 thanks for pratical advice!!! most of my music stores nearby only have electrics on display, but I'll absolutely do this whenever I hang with other drummers.
I usually try tuning my kits by recreating sounds from my favourite albums, so I guess I'll keep doing that for now at least. thanks friend! 🤘
4:16 is the embodiment of "I paid for the whole drum head, I'm gonna use the whole drum head"
When I was a kid (self taught) and didn’t know any better once the batter head was beat to death I just flipped the drum over and beat up the other side… man I cringe when I think about that today ha ha 🤦♂️
@@thekfool3522 i used to do that too, glad i learned sooner rather than later
Actually, the whole head IS useful. These folks who insist you can only hit dead center have never played hand percussion. There are so many tones available in a single drum
@@Gk2003m real shit
@@Gk2003m of course, and Wade CLEARLY knows that, but still the overwhelming majority of use-and therefore ware-is going to be in one single area, or a few small areas
The fact you were able to examine the 16's wear patterns and determine that somehow a complete drum novice got their hands on some of the best drum shells ever made only for them to end up being abandoned at Bendigo Cashies tells an utterly insane story that I wish I could get the full details on.
I think it was school kids a fancy private school, then some teacher thought they looked a bit ratty so they dropped them off at the local cashies
The answer is pretty simple. Rich kid/s.
Its trust fund kids this happens all the time
They wanna try out some new hobby so they just buy whatever the most expensive thing is and then get bored off it after a couple months and buy something else
They have so much money that reselling things is a waste of time so they just abandon whatever it is, extremely expensive instruments, expensive sporting equipment, backpacking/hiking/camping equipment
Really anything that has a high barrier to entry
I worked at Cash Converters in the US and you would be absolutely amazed at the type of high end products that people buy when they get that bIg pRoMoTiOn or tax return, then turn around and have to sell the shiny new toy when the money runs out. It happened during the pandemic when everyone got their enhanced unemployment and finally decided to get that nice Gretsch guitar or Pearl Reference set they always wanted, and now they're broke trying to survive under record high inflation.
My youngest son is a year into lessons. Got him a used Ludwig Accent kit from the 90s with serious power toms (12,13,16). But I spent on good heads and cymbals and he has that kit banging.
In this video I learned that a master never blames his tools
Ah said like a man who has never encountered a truly bad tool
@@DimT670my thought exactly. Consequences for using crappy drums is a lot less sever than flying a crappy plane or using a crappy car Jack
@@vexed_con well aware. I'm an industrial designer by trade, there are some awfully made things out there.
@@vexed_con a master would just not use something that was actively harmful, as they have the experience to know that.
I'm not a drummer. I'm not even a musician. It's just interesting to learn about all these cool things.
I’m a music teacher, and I love learning about all this stuff because we didn’t get it in percussion techniques! The hardness of the wood and how different rim shapes seem like such nitty gritty details (they are) but it’s the little things that make big differences in music! I also liked that you talked about how for the most part it’s the tuning that makes the biggest difference. Have you done a video on different heads? I would be interested in watching that
agree! I am the manufacturer of cheap Musical Instruments in China. In fact, the highest quality drums in the world and the cheapest drums are all made by the same group of people, such as Yamaha's top drumset model, hybrid maple custom and this cheap Jinbao drum. Low-cost hardware and wood, just to race to control the beginner's low end market, deindustrialization makes Westerners forget that a high level of technology comes from long years of job training and production experience, those nitty gritty details are just business...
Mate. If this man eats chicken nuggets off of the floor of his nugget car, I would still be interested in that.
Rick: If you are looking for more drum resources, check out SoundsLikeADrum on UA-cam. They have certainly gone down some deep rabbit holes recently, but they have a very solid primer for different approaches to tuning and a lot of head comparisons.
The biggest takeaway I’ve gotten from drumming is that to tune well, you have to spend a lot of time practicing. It really is an art.
Yeah, materials tend to be a detail when it comes to music, but there is interesting stuff out there, like for drum heads, I've heard some folks used to take X-ray acetates and use them for making drum head!
Or natural rawhide, was and still is a classic for drums...and if you talk hides you have to talk about the animals too, because deer hides are different from cow, are different from goffers, are different from goat!
Or in stings...the first violin metallic strings where gut wrapped in silver wire! The reason is gut strings are low tension strings, and the metal wire add mass meaning better low end.
Some modern very high end strings are silk core and silver wire wrap
I personally really really want a set of bronze strings for my violin, but there is only one company making them, and they don't sell in Canada.
Remo Weather King heads are the best - bar none. For tuning I always crank up the resonant (bottom) head as tight as I can get it, and try to get the batter head to sound good at the least amount of tightness. You can always crank it up later as it wears. The final point - get rid of all of the baffling and mutes and play your drums wide open. I have no idea how Alex Van Halen can get his snare sound with a whole roll of duct tape on the batter head.
Makes me wonder what a drum made of Australian Buloke would sound like, given how obscenely hard that is.
I was thinking the same thing about Lignum Vitae drums.
if its really hard it may become a pain in the butt to work with
I have to hope there's diminishing returns
I'm assuming it would be less of a different from the preferences than the preferences were to the Jin Baos. I bet it wouldn't even be perceptible.
I'm a guitarist so take that assumption with a grain of salt.
Got me wondering about carbon fibre, terracotta and concrete now.
I'll probably never start drumming for real, but these videos have inspired me to just practice making beats on whatever I have laying around the house "Stomp" style. It's a lot of fun!
"You're just like STOMP, only you should be called... 'STOP'."
Haha, I used the hot water in a mall toilet sink the other day and the pipes started banging; was hard not to start accompanying it 😅
@@maliciousbugman Don't yuck my yum. I'm having a good time.
@@gitsurfer27 That's a good idea! Thanks! :D
Do it! Drum! Everyone thinks they don't got time, and one thing I've learned is "There's a little time for literally everything." It's fun, consider it!
I'll admit it, my untrained ears pretty much can't tell the difference (unlike the cymbals). But hearing your description of how different they sound to you only reinforces how dedicated to your craft you are!
A non-trivial confounding variable is the recording process itself, I've discovered. Differences in acoustics between drum sets stand out most strongly in person, but like Wade says, it really just comes down to vibe, and even mediocre/outright junk sets, properly prepared and set up, can sound fairly acceptable with judicious recording technique and the skill of the drummer themselves
The difference is noticeable on the toms, the reference ones have more resonance, more sustain, while the the jim baos are more muffled. But yeah, if I weren't paying attention probably would go unnoticed
@@gralha_ I believe the harder the wood the more the sound reflects off of it rather than being absorbed by a softer wood in a cheaper kit. That is what makes tone resonate more.
actually it just means drum people are full of shit
I couldn't tell much difference at all. I attribute that to this guy being a master tuner with deep skills.
In woodshop, when wood ended up getting dented, we would get a piece of damp paper towel and a clothes iron, and run the pair over the dents. As long as the wood fiber wasn't damaged, it'd usually bounce back into shape. We didn't really use super hard woods, though, so it might not be as effective.
Kind of hard to use a clothes iron inside a curved piece of wood.
@@joetroutt7425 soldering iron works great on small areas
I wish this to be true, but, as you said, I'm also not sure it would work on hardwoods as the capillaries are denser
Ive saved many guitar necks with this! Best is a flat edge attachment on a soldering iron, cotton cloth, and a spray bottle to rehydrate the cloth. Learn it on scrap pieces of several types of wood first!!!
@@88funkymonkit works just fine. Damp cloth and a soldering iron will get those stick dents out.
I'm not even a drum fan but every time you say that it's boring time I get excited because I'm here for the weird technical bits or history.
Ok as a middle school percussionist from a very small and under budget backwater cesspool that passed for a school, I can probably say that was a high school or elementary school drum set- it was probably funded by a teacher a hot minute ago who knew what they could get and have all the kids they taughr sound good on, and hence the all-over-the-place amateur thrashing. I know my school drumsets, heads, sticks and cymbals were the exact same way and the treatment only got more violent the more people try to play, esp. coming over from other instruments. Still a hell of a find and man, even though my bamd director can suck me sideways (she's the reason I have horrible instrument performance anxiety that I'm still working over) goddamn do your videos wanna make me get back into fucking around on a set. Like, you're bringing up bone memories I don't even recall making, and your energy is doing me so many favors here I love it 💜
My favorite thing about this is that a kit's sound can change so violently with just a small change in the drum heads and everyone still gets all caught up on the nuance of shell quality
Same as guitars where people go over the top using all kinds of different expensive woods and veneers and whatnot, then put it all through the same distorted electronics and it all sounds the same anyway
@@AfferbeckBeats for guitars the differences are there but are so minuscule you wont even bother. No one can tell just by listening that a guitar was made of alder instead of basswood. I would say its just looks more than anything
@@AfferbeckBeats yeah, wood type/quality only truly matters with acoustic guitars; the primary thing that matters the most for electrics is the construction quality of the pickups/electronics and the speaker in the amp
As a trumpet player I can say these two drum kits sound identical to each other, though I imagine my 1923 custom built Holton Jazz-hound and 1956 Holton Super Collegiate probably sound the same to a non-trumpeter too despite the laundry list of differences between the 2.
Thank you for not watering down your videos with self promo and sponsorships. Thank you for you're genuinely amazing outros. And thank YOU for being you. Rock on mate!
You have explained almost every hobby/professional tool everywhere. From paintbrushes to kitchen knives. I and happy for you that you got a nice score from Cashies its good to get a win.
I love that he calls it boring time but it's the part I enjoy the most in the videos lol
"Save your money for nice cymbals and pedals" is an interesting and useful take!
To me, it's amazing how utterly consistent you and other master drummers are with your physical timing. Like, I have really good hand eye coordination for throwing a ball or drawing complex repeated strokes - but whenever I try to idly tap out the beat while I'm listening to music, it's like my hand/foot hiccups every dozen or so taps and is wildly off. Feels weird since I have excellent command of my movements in virtually every other scenario. Its so cool to see a master make something look effortless!
As a drummer who mainly uses an electric kit, the by far biggest reason I haven't gotten into acoustics is tuning, I have a nice electric one (and I payed through the nose for it, td50ksomething or others are pricey), and I can say that when I sit in an orchestra pit or go to record with a band there is something unique about acoustics, but then I remember the 4 hours I spent tuning them and firmly decide that I made a good choice in buying my rolands
As someone who plays both, I personally find acoustics worth it since I can just get more definition and uniqueness to the playing. Ghost notes just don't work as good with electric kits, and you can never get certain unique sounds from electric that you can acoustic. Also, it isn't even a competition between acoustic cymbals and electric haha.
Get a drum dial. it actually completely take away all the problems
I got nothing against electric drums. They definitely have their place and some major productions are now using them. But that visceral connection to acoustics, especially cymbals keeps me coming back. I’ve heard and played some incredible expansion packs for the td50 and mimic modules. But I don’t think they’ll ever get that same feel.
drum tunning is an overrated issue among drummers. It's always the player- always. Some of the jazz greats played kits that made no sense tunning wise, but they're great. Some people obsess over the tunning and can't diddle over 4, probably because it's something to worry about that isn't tangentially related to "can't really play". Anyway, the drums aren't a guitar. They go thump. Make sure the tumps have some relation from one tom to the next. That's about it.
@@colinburroughs9871 this is a dumb take. Listen to the st anger snare drum sound and then tell me again that tuning doesn't matter
Been drumming for over 9 years, Saved up and bought a Pearl Reference kit over summer. The sonic quality over my old 2002 pearl export kit was massive
Its always nice to put in the reps with other less good tools then when you get a nice version it lets your skill shine and it becomes a pleasurable experience to simply use.
Fellow drummer here! This is pretty interesting to me because I’ve been looking to upgrade to a new shell pack for a while and I love that you describe the differences between low-end and high-end drums and you make it very concise and easy to understand! Keep doing what you’re doing, The Drum Thing is becoming one of my favorite channels
My homie who drums in my little band just swapped out the practice rims we were using for his proper Birch Pearl set, and the difference was immense! It's amazing how the little things all add up to huge differences, and thanks to your channel I actually have some knowledge and reference as a layman when asking about stuff. Keep rocking from the American Midwest!
After they were tuned up the Jin Baos actually sounded half way decent, but the sustain on the References is a thing of beauty.
Am I the only one who can almost never tell the difference when people do comparisons like this?
No. I am tone deaf as anything xD Teaching myself guitar is an interesting experience. Certainly couldn't hear any difference between the drums which must make people sad.
with the cymbals, i know what to expect and i can tell a difference, with drums... i was waiting for a pause and the repetition of the beat, but then i realized that it already happened and it's indistinguishable (at least on youtube on my crappy iems)
They sound very similar. I know nothing of drums.
I play (with) drums. They sound very similar.
As the video states, this is _possible,_ but it's absolutely a testament to his ability to tune a drum. I've been through this myself, upgrading from a Tama Whatever ($350 kit) to a set of Pearl VBX shells I chose piece-by-piece. I never got the Tama to sound very good. The Pearl kit sang right away. Same amateur tuning effort, better kit.
The Jin Bao toms absolutely sound more dead, no rich overtones or anything. I think it's kinda hard for the layman to hear the difference because of poor recording setup and youtube, etc... I think in real life it'd be way more obvious. But yah obviously you could get away with the Jin Bao, the drummer will always care more than the audience.
I have a Pearl Reference kit(a black one.. boring. Gonna switch it to a cooler finish). Compared to a cheap kit it has a lot bigger tuning range, it stays in tune regardless of pounding. You can also control overtones. You don’t get weird overtones. Only the beautiful ones you might want, and they can be controlled. This is very important in a studio setting. You pay for having this sound ensured + getting top of the line everything. As a pro(who these are actually made for), you don’t want to compromize. Also, remember: you can’t hear the big differences without a proper recording and soundcards + headphones when tuned great. But subtle differences are what makes a great kit useful. Clear and controllable overtones that stay in tune.
That being said: a mid+ kit made today is of great quality! It’s insane what you get for money these days regarding drums. Pearl Masters is a great example of a pro sounding kit for a great price(they come in different ranges these days with different prices). But you can go a lot further down in price and get great sounding kits on a budget too! Going on gigs with a super expensive kit can be stressful and just not needed a lot of the time.
Cymbals are harder.. you can’t go cheap that easily. You can get a great set for metal etc which does not cost that much. But that is mostly because the tones needed are not always that complex in a mix. But great cymbals with complex overtones do cost money if you want something special. Cheap hardware is useless.
This is sooo interesting to me. I also love how you explain tuning drums and the wonderful selection of songs you threw out there. Love blur and zeppelin. Never listened to them back to back totally going to do that now! Love the music class. Don’t think id ever be very good at drums but you always make it so appealing!
The ambiguity and judgement in tuning would drive me NUTS. Props to you, dude.
It feels like drums are somthing that will take a lifetime to even notice the differences in the overall sound quality and even then, I could never pick out which sounds "objectively" better. Thank God we can all still put the Dark Rides up against the painted steel abomination and be sure that we have some sense of a good sound.
Maybe this is irrelevant or unrelated, but the random bits of info you drop in about tuning drums actually has helped me get the sound I want out of some physical modelling drum synths. Super randomly helpful in an otherwise entertaining vid!
In my opinion as a touring/session drummer, this video reinforces my belief that the snare is the most important part of the drum kit.
Daaamn; I picked up a used 3 piece reference shell pack in that exact same finish, for like $1500 CAD 10 years ago... I didn't know the kinds of prices these kits were fetching now. That's crazy... absolute hell of deal at the pawn shop!
I think that reference kit is the only kit I'll ever really need. It's the ONLY floor tom I've ever owned that I've genuinely been able to consistently dial in at a wide range of tunings. And those 30 ply reference snares are absolute madness. Overengineered definitely, but the excess works; doesn't it! I realize this undermines the whole point of your video, but what a catch! Congrats!
Actually heard much more of a difference than I was expecting too. And those shells are gorgeous! As a drummer and a woodworker expensive drums are such a thing of beauty to me. I love beautiful instruments being made from beautiful wood. I have always wanted to try making my own snare drum and this video has me inspired. I want to try a steam bent solid wood drum instead of vaneer ply. Normally drums like that cost a fortune but I reckon I can do it for not a ton of money and get a good quality drum out of it!
broooooooo!!! I am thoroughly impressed at how well you were able to match the tuning between the two kits. I have never EVER seen two drum sets matched that well. Hats off to you, brother
I really think it was a trick
Let's take a moment to appreciate how well you managed to tune the Jin Baos. I had to put on my headphones to hear the difference between the two kits.
I started laughing out loud when I realized just how well you were able to tune those Jinbao drums. Great vid,Thanks
As a banjo player and someone fascinated by their building it’s awesome how much overlap there is with drums
I never thought I'd actually see another Jin Bao kit! There was one in the rehearsal room when i joined a band. Ended up slapping some better skins on it and it did the job for rehearsals for a little while, but when I think of how much of a pain it was to tune, I'm glad its gone
You did an absolutely incredible job tuning those Jin Baos so close to the References. It shows that a true professional can make anything sound good. That being said, as a sound engineer I thought you can only polish a turd this much. I like to EQ my toms tight and punchy and the Jin Baos would need a fair bit of corrective EQ to sound decent by my standards and even then they weren't resonant enough to sound pleasant and that's not something EQ can really fix. The References were almost there right out the gate, so they would be a joy to work with.
In other words, the Jin Baos are hard to work with whether you are the drummer trying to tune them or the sound engineer trying to make them sound good and that's why it's worth getting a quality kit. It would be nice if we could hear the References against the Masters at some point. I reckon the differences will be very subtle.
I’ve been drumming and playing/teaching music for almost 2 decades. I’ve never been able to afford Pearls like that, best I’ve had is early 2000’s Pearl ELX. Not once in all this time has it occurred to me that super high ends kits use and blend different woods for each drum to achieve those banger sounds. You truly never stop learning
If you are not afraid, you can fix the bashes with a wet towel and a hot iron. Cover the mark with the towel and touch it with the iron directly to create steam. This method is frequently used to fix little bums and blemishes in wooden furniture, from 5k tables to gun stocks. The theory is that the fibers are there and not damaged, but compressed, so the steam brings them back up by swelling slightly. Be careful with the moisture, just be quick and let it dry sufficiently after you are done. Mark Novak has some great videos on it, I believe
I just want to say, not boring at all , I have no idea about drums and difference between one or another, I learn from you videos plus is really funny.
You can almost always remove dents from wood with steam, either with a handheld steamer or a damp cloth placed over the dent with an iron on top. It's an old woodworking technique, often used in repairing furniture, but it should work for the plywood in these too. Just avoid getting too much steam on the top layers of veneer, maybe test it on a cheaper kit first to make sure you won't risk delamination, but it's way easier and better for the piece than wood filler.
I'm not a musician by any stretch, however I've always appreciated the drums and you mr pods deepens my my appreciation
I never even heard drums live once in my entire 29 years of life, what am I doing here.
In the 90´s I had a cheap asian baswood drumkit that sounded better than ALL of Tama´s, Pearl´s or other drums that we shared in the stages. To the point that one drummer wanted to rent it thinking it was something special. In the end was just knowledge. I worked on smothing the bearing edges, instaled good heads and tuned with with passion for ever venue we´re playing. I rather prefer having a cheap kit like that, with a "better" snare (if needed) and good cymbals than an super expensive kit with so so cymbals.
Hardware is a problem too. Had to change the snare drum stand and a good seat. But since the distorted guitars entered nobodyt ever noticed any bad sounds.
Listen with your ears, guys. Cheers.
Your test songs are always a vibe.
More cowbell please.
investing in pedals over shells. that's what iv been preaching for ages now.
a nice set of direct drives, absolute chef's kiss.
I am blind, a music producer, and a drummer. Though I say it myself, I have a darn good ear. I was waiting to hear you play the Perl kit then the comparison ended. I literally cannot hear the difference.
I don’t know anything about drums, you explain drums in a way that tickles my brain. Love it
Honestly, I would avoid doing any repairs with wood filler. It's more for cosmetic repair, not structural, and I worry about how it would hold up long term on a bearing edge. It would be better to re-cut the bearing edge (or pay someone who knows what they're doing), or to just leave it as is. But that's just one dingus drummer's opinion!
As a trombone player with a $3500 instrument, I feel your pain for that floor tom. It's repairable though. Wood glue and hours of hand sanding. My King 3B was kinda twisted when I got it, but I took it to someone to get it straightened out and have the lacquer stripped and redone.
Wow that was weird to see. I have the graphing calculator you showed as 'high end' at 0:05 xD
Livin' it fancy
I have a kit very similar to the Jin Bao ones and yes the bearing edges are the main hassle but some sanding helped me fix it as much as I could and with new heads the kit sounds amazing, very close to what the pro kits sound like. It did take alot of experimentation. Tuning techniques were to be legit thrown down a window and done any way that worked. Since the pro or even the midrange kits in Pakistan are so expensive, I keep this kit as my main gig kit, and honestly it's now good enough to cut a proper drum sound that FOH sound engineers prefer too. The kit costed about 100$ in the current economy.
I think the cowbell definitely sounds better on the reference kit.
Yeah but it needs more cowbell!
FYI 3/4 round bass drum
Full round floor toms
Guru bearing edge the toms
They sound better than any 1000 per drum kit anywhere
Thick lacquer the inside of the shell
True studio work
I’m abt to leave school and I want to watch it but I have to drive home then go to church after that. I hope everyone is having a amazing day!
Wot
i sure am having a great day, i hope you are too!
@@rat1819 I am, god let me live another day!
Drum go boom boom, snek best part.
I actually have no ability to hear the difference between these drum sets, but I am glad you find joy in these videos.
I can SEE the differences you showed. But I can’t hear the difference.
Finally I’ve been saying this since I had my first rogers kit for 150 US dollars
Back in 88
I get those super cheap drums take them to a carpenter show them a few videos on bearing edges with top of the line heads and your golden
Not a drummer, but as someone who has done micing and live mixing for concerts with all manner of drum kits, and you can hear the difference in drum and tune pretty clearly in the monitors, very cool to see the reason for what I hear.
I was just listening to you talking about drums and when I heard "you can go now" I didn't think I could actually go now
You can definitely make both sound good, the references do sound better over all, but you are a pro at tuning.
Also boring time is the best time, absolutely love it!!!
next month i am scrapping this 3$ for a stream acces
i hat streams
but damn you're not only playing amazingly but also
it gives of some vibe i can't describe but it makes me smile
My take, with years of experience with high- and low- end kits from all different brands: High-end drums have better fit and finish, and are so much easier to make sound amazing, and overall DO sound and play better. However, a decently made mid-range kit, and even a good low-end kit can sound great if good heads are used and they're tuned well.
If you can afford high end drums, by all means, do so. They're worth it, and you really do get what you pay for. If you can only afford low- or mid- range, replace the stock heads with good quality heads and learn how to tune them. You won't have the playing feel of the high-end stuff, nor the tuning range and depth of tone, but you absolutely can have a great sounding kit to make your music on.
The emotional rollercoaster of being disappointed with myself at not hearing much of a difference between the kits and then you saying "they sound similar" the relief i felt, crazy
My first kit is a Pearl Rhythm Traveler. It's a small kit, easy to transport, and I needed that. Looks like a toy. Everyone's first reaction to seeing it was laughter. They were always blown away at how good it sounds when playing it
Nice! I've got a Dixon Little Roomer kick drum which is the same size at 20x8" and it sounds great! I love compact drums, especially those with wide heads but shallow bodies
Mate, I subscribed to this channel to hear you gush about weird and obscure drum and music stuff that I know nothing about. Don't worry about boring me, I know what I signed on for!
Plus it has weird connections to stuff I DO know about, like wood hardnesses and metallurgy, and it's fun learning how those things effect instruments musically :D
I wonder what kind of audio processing was happening on the daw though, I’d love to hear the raw audio to see what those sound like uncompressed
I was really concerned there that I was just like totally unable to hear a difference between the two, glad that was what I was meant to hear more or less
This energy is AMAZING . . . "This is quite clearly an amateur's kind of doing, mate!"
New sub here!!
So, I’ve been playing drums for 20 years and studying the philosophy of tuning for nearly as long. On my iPad speakers, these sounded exactly the same. I’m sure with some good headpahonies I could hear a difference, but so much of the sound is tuning, eq, effects, and head selection. Frankly (because I didn’t see her this time), I could see a huge difference in his playing from one kit to the other. The cheap kit was being played adequately. The good was being played with passion. I mean he was going for it. No spider kissing there.
5:11 You can raise dented wood back up from dents like that by applying heat with a clothes iron.
I've used it successfully on a maple guitar head. The ding came out to almost level, but the covering vinyl had chipped off.
I've played on a Jarrah ply Brady kit once.
And heard that same kit numerous times, the tone in unbelievable.
Nothing sounds like a Brady
This video is gold.
The real takeaway point is that you can do almost whatever you want with the hi end drums.
The low end drums you can make sound great, but you really have to fight for it, and they'll usually be a "one trick pony."
Drum heads & tuning is everything.
No matter how the good kit is if you can’t match the right heads to the drums and know how the hell to tune you’re fuct. You can make a cardboard box sing with the right heads and tuning. Great job mate. New sub!!
This video kind of proves that more expensive drums are less about sound and more about usability. The references absolutely sound better, more defined attack, clearer resonance, etc. But they don't sound $5,000 better if that makes sense. Absolutely save your money for super nice hardware, that will affect your playing more than anything, and your choice in heads and how you actually play the drums are what affect the sound more than anything. Great cymbals are also important, but also can be had for great deals. The deals are out there for everything you just gotta look.
As a very VERY amateur guitarist (I.e. I’m impressing myself when I don’t fuck up 7 nation army) seeing these videos make me wonder if my $40 double humbucker guitar could do with an upgrade
This is just me personally I think, but whenever you say sit still and get ready for boring time I always get genuinely excited. I don’t know I don’t think you’re boring dude, you’re passionate about it and it always makes me smile. So long story short thanks for helping me on my drumming man. Also please listen to king gizzard
I trick I learned for getting dents out of wooden floors is a little bit of hot water will swell the wood back up then you want to let it dry for a couple weeks. I personally wouldn’t do it on an expensive drum kit but it could work.
very interesting comparison between the baos and the references- i expected them to sound much more different
i had no interest in drums until i found you! thank you for sharing your wonderful passion and knowledge :D
much love from a fellow aussie♥keep up the great content!
Anyone who thinks there is anything more than a very subtle difference in the kits needs to close their eyes while they watch. Seriously. Stop listening with your eyes.
Love the video. I've been playing on a pearl kit I got for free for years. I've only bought new heads and some new hardware and cymbals.
Now, I ain't no drummer, but I can tell that the Reference's beats are "quicker" while the Jin Bao's are more drawn out. I love what I've managed to learn watching your channels, you wonderful Aussie goof.
floor is just perfect! congratulations for your reference kit! i always wanted one!
That s crazy how you got a crappy set sounding almost as good as a high end kit, then again everything was mic'd, I'd still take a high end Peral kit any day. Great video!
Been playing drums for 28 years, the Pearl sounds fantastic, that bass drums and toms sounded great, nice on the snare mate! I also have an 80's Pearl that I have used in a few recordings. The Chinese kit, actually sounds great too, the bass drum lacks tone and punch but the difference, sound wise was not huge. The pearl however, looks incredible, the hardware is like a tank and is certainly a kit to keep for life
I have never touched a drum in my life and could not tell the difference between these drastically different sets, but damn I love this channel
Man how did you manage to get me interested in real drums and cymbals, you're awesome, brother
I was talking to a friend at work about the concept of diminishing returns in music gear just like a couple of hours ago. And then you drop this. I just clicked “forward this video”.
Frank says nothing
I love that you are talking philosophy in your trade. You have become a true artisan :)
You’re actually the funniest man I’ve ever watched. Love your channel 🤣
i can only really tell the difference between the drums with the floor tom, wade truly is a magician
When I went shopping for a new kit to use on the road, I went for a step down from my home kit, which is a 2003 Tama Starclassic Birch. I found a brand new 7 piece Superstar Classic maple kit, and after putting my favorite heads on and spending a couple weeks experimenting with tuning, I got them sounding amazing and they hold the tuning over several shows, with the 14 inch floor tom being the only "problem child", which usually has to be tuned before every show. Not bad for $750, though!
Man these videos are so goddamn interesting! Keep ‘em coming I can’t get enough!
This is actually really refreshing to hear. I've recorded drums on pretty much every song I've ever released, but as someone whose drumming has fallen to the wayside in the past few years, I was wondering if I could justify upgrading my kit from the $300 kit my parents got my brother in 2004 that he played for all of six months. Mind you, no one has ever listened to any of my songs and commented on how the drums could sound better, but this is about what I already knew about guitars: sure, an expensive kit will probably be easier to work with, more versatile, and feel better, and if you can justify dropping the money on it, go for it. But in the right hands, with the right heads/mics/mix, and playing into the strengths and weaknesses, a cheap kit can absolutely work.
Now cymbals though, yeah I need to upgrade those.
I heard trumpet player Bobby Shew once say that anything you can do with a "pro" level instrument can arguably be done with a "student" model. The difference is with a "pro" model, you wont have to think as much. Also, with reference to tuning, my philosophy is; if the drums do what you want, they're in tune. Great video