Remo Rototoms - an overview of the weirdest drums
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- Опубліковано 16 гру 2019
- Roto toms. Every drummer has either had a set or knows someone who does. But we almost never use them for anything. The coolest waste of space ever. If you somehow don't know about them here's a video showing them off. 6/8/10/12/16 set in a few different tunings.
This is the best video on Roto Toms on the internet. Could you please do a follow up on alternative methods of mounting the roto toms? I've got that black rail, but I hate using it. How are you mounting the two largest roto toms? Could you show the mechanism in close up? Thanks, great video!
Yeah I maybe could do that. The big ones are individually mounted to normal cymbal stand bases using a little black clamp. It has a hole to accept the threaded rod and a clamp that goes over a normal stand tube. Not 100% sure but I don’t think they tilt easily with this setup pretty sure it’s just flat or nothing.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom Any chance you can show the black clamp in a video? Thanks for the reply!
This is exactly what I use.
I tap the inspection hole and install a set screw to keep the threads from loosening up.
It then fits into a multi-clamp that can be mounted off cymbal stands for small toms, and snare stands for the floor tom configuration.
Hope that helps.
Bill Bruford's use of these on UK's first album in 1978' is really great !!
For those who don't know Bruford is the HOF Drummer of Yes, King Crimson and played in many other Prog and Jazz Fusion Acts !
I was taking drum lessons as a teenager when my teacher brought out these things.. Pretty cool and decades ago.... Thanks for sharing this!
Loved it! I knew about them but you really added interesting information. The timpani comparison was great.
Chocolate Chip Trip on the newest Tool album uses mostly rototoms in the composition along with his cast bronze snare with the snares off before it really kicks in. It looks like Danny Carey’s current setup is one rack Tom, 2 floor toms and 2 rototoms. It’s nice to see such an established drummer use rototoms as a major part of his setup.
How do you know he used mostly roto toms for that specific song?
@@eddyrocksu You can hear them if you listen to the song. Rototoms have a very distinctive one dimensional sound. Plus Danys recording kit has several rototoms in the setup which is not much different from his live setup which uses several rototoms.
Great video and info on these. I had some way back in like 1990 or so. At the time it was the cheapest way to turn a 5 piece kit into an 8 piece kit and a lot of fun.
I got the 3 smaller ones from a pawn shop in like 1996 or 97. Never figured out a really good place on my kit for them. But I can’t get rid of them.
Ryan Alexander Bloom yeah, I think I put mine actually above my 2 rack toms which probably made no sense but main purpose I think was to recreate some Van Halen drum fills I was into.
Awesome video straight to the point you got it on the Mart keep it up the awesome job
Very helpful, thank you, Ryan!
Bozio used the shells at a drum clinic i went to and he called them spokes. I didnt realize thats what they were??? Interesting
I always loved the sound of Rototoms and have owned the whole set...then sold them, and re-bought some again, then sold them again. The real issue for me has been how to mount them in a useful way on a drum kit (over the bass drum) and then storing and transporting them. I've also had a few where spokes on the bottom "wheel" of the larger ones have cracked....which is not really repairable since it's made of pot-metal. Love how Bruford, Bozzio and others used them. One thing I would love to get is the tympani pedal setup...never seen one in person though. Would be a great "talking drum" effect. Thanks for the video!
I’ve never seen the pedals in person either. Very rare. My problem with mounting them is that I, as with most people, don’t care for my toms to be perfectly straight across. A natural curve would be better. One way to around this would be to mount them all individually so they can move relative to one another, but that’s a lot of stands. Some people find ways to clamp them onto normal rack systems, but I don’t own a rack... so I don’t use them on my kit very often.
Nicely explained. I have used 12 rotos set above my main set in clinics the past 15 years. rotos I use are 6,6,8,8,10,10, 10,12,12,14,16,18. The 18 is a beast. It really growls, but the problem is it doesn't carry well and sounds like a deep thud. I'm sure that is why Remo discontinued them. The 12 and 14 are special, sound really good.
Cool. I have the 18” now, since I made this. I did a side by side sound test with a regular tom of the same diameter at the same pitch with the same head. I think the 10”. The rotos are quieter and have less power for sure. People often think they cut well because they have some weird overtones… but they don’t. It’s a myth.
A great video thanks for sharing 👍🏻🇬🇧
I know this has nothing to do with the video, but I have a request for the drum kit ergonomics playlist: a case study of Rick Allen’s kit. He’s one of my favorite drummers of all time, and his determination to keep playing even after his accident is inspiring to me.
Great video! You are on point. I own a 6,8,10. Will be purchasing more but it is a want thing not a need thing. Now a space issue as well. I would set the 8 and 10 next to my Pearl toms and it was always cool and fun. People still love them and they look very cool. Not much to chip compared to wood and the expensive finishes of regular drums.
Yeah I had some in the late 80s and pawned 'em off pretty quick sometime in the early 90s. 😂 The only gripe I have with them is their lack of projection. Not a problem if you mic them, but nothing BUT problems if you don't mic them. Cheers!
Yeah, I saw one on ebay that someone had put like a 12-14" deep PVC "Shell" below the lowest metal ring and then attached a Pearl style tom mount to the pvc. Made it sort of octobon-esque but still rapidly tunable. Probably slightly more useable that way. Mounting these things is the worst. The rail system is very hard to deal with.
Very nice, Ryan! I just installed a set of four roto toms on my drumset - two 8", one 10" and one 12". I already had a 6" and an 18", so now I have 6 rotos. However, I needed my rotos to sit at a more comfortable angle. And I wanted the ability to position them in any direction. Next, I got to work making some adjustable clamping hardware. I purchased some metal and repurposed some other metal. Did a bunch of cutting, bending, and welding. I attached my creation to a Gibraltar two post L Rod attachment, which I attached to a post on top of my bass drums. It took some thinking, some failed attempts, but I zeroed in and got what I wanted. Soon I'm going to post a video showing the 'before', the 'after', pictures of the process , and I'll be demonstrating how my awesome roto's have inspired me to bust out of my typical comfort zone. I've used rotos occasionally in the past, but I'm now going full blast roto-maniac. The roto tone and time duration depends on the type of head. To get the sound I was looking for I'm using Remo Emperors, and I'm getting great response and lots of nice resonating overtones. Plus, the dynamic response is huge. "Thunderous" is a good word to describe my new sound. Right now I have a picture of my roto tom setup on Facebook and Instagram. facebook.com/zarsukkoi and instagram.com/zarsukkoi.
Someone said they'd give me a 6th one recently, a "big one," in return for refurbishing/fixing/tuning a couple or orchestral snares they need worked on... but have yet to follow through on that. I'm hoping that comes back around eventually because the "big" ones are hard to find and are expensive when you do. I'm assuming he means bigger than 10" but I'll take anything. I think it would be awesome to have at least 8 eventually so I could have a diatonic octave and use it like a keyboard. Not practical or realistic, but awesome.
Excellent explanation
Will you do a video on how to tune these? I just bought a used 6-8-10” set and ordered some evans g2 clear heads. hope these will sound great when i get the heads in. I want to make sure I tune them properly though. Thanks
I don’t really know the best way or whether there’s a trick to it. I just try to tune them like any drum. Same pitch at each lug. It’s difficult. Especially if the heads are old or the drums are not in perfect shape. All mine are quite old and I haven’t changed the heads except for a few that have broken over the years.
How are you mounting the bigger ones? I need to find alternate methods of mounting. Mine came with horizontal bar but no stand but i want to mount my 8 and 10 alone on a different type of stand
I have a separate video on how they’re mounted. It should answer that question.
3:26 sounded really cool. I Demand a full drum solo in that tuning.
🤔 But can you lock them down once you get the tuning set, so that they don't rotate back out of tune as you play them, or when you move them from place to place?
They don’t move when you play them. They might move when you transport them but fixing the tuning at the next destination is pretty easy. They do not lock.
These were most commonly used with Remo black dot heads which is what they came stock with. They cut through and are very expressive. Nowadays, there are even more options to experiment with but I would say to start there.
No matter the head they don’t cut as well as a full double headed drum with a shell. The lack of a shell and reso head really just robs them of power. In trade you get tunability.
@UC39zIffRzupQfJjz0uxmv_Q Dude, when I tried to post that comment I got a warning for offensive language, violating our terms of service and such. I looked at my comment again trying to figure out what I might have said wrong and realized I said... Black dot heads!!! Hahahahahahahaha!!!!! Ahahahahagagaga!!!
That’s stupid. That’s a legit head type. Bots strike again. Thanks YT. 🤬
Thanks for this really comprehensive overview. When these arrived in the UK early 1980s they were considered a bit of a gimmick and were disproportianately expensive so didn't really catch on. Wish I had a full set now though... Cheers.
The larger ones are very expensive now.
I want to add a rototom (14') to my setup but I'm not sure how to mount it. Any suggestions? I'd really appreciate some help :)
AdogamerNTG ua-cam.com/video/lIbFHfInmoM/v-deo.html this should help
I have a set of 6'/8'/10' with an angle brace for the 10' that makes it easier to play..... and i will never sell mine great for playing Rush. Super cool!!!!
Roto Toms sound great with hydraulic heads. I used Evans loved mine. Nice grouping.
Dang I was thinking about hydraulics but was worried they would sound dead and thuddy. Got g2 clears instead.
Remo also made a pedal to change the pitch
Right, the timpanello.
I gotta get some of these
Pretty interesting how they don't make the bigger rototoms anymore
I keep wondering why REMO doesn't produce the larger sizes (16" and 18"). Steve Weiss Music makes larger ones also but they are also hard to find, probably out of stock all the time.
Honestly I bet they don’t sell that many roto toms in any given year and the big ones probably aren’t economically viable to produce to sell like 20 or 50 sets per year worldwide. Compared to thousands upon thousands of drum heads and other products. Steve Weiss sells a set of 12/14 I think. I’m not sure there’s anywhere you can buy new 16/18. Maybe there is.... Steve Weiss as well? But they’re just not in high demand so they don’t keep up on them all the time. Especially at the prices they charge.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom They used to sell 16 and 18 but the cost was high and they are hard as hell to find now . I've had all 7 at one time for go go music in the DMV .
Thanks Ryan, I use Cubase and software, but I always appreciate 'real' instruments - especially because you get to move around - not stuck on a computer. This is important when doing rhythm which is mostly based on human physiology.
I was actually looking for what I think now are orchestral tympany. It's for the 'Hollywood Jungle' beat used in a big band swing version of 'Caravan', and is used a little in the George of the Jungle Theme. I love Indian Tabla and drums that can be pitched. Software makes that easy now. There's probably a large interface that can be used in lieu of hundreds of real drums instead of a keyboard or small set of electronic pads.
So now I know why they are called 'Roto', as they are rotated to change pitch. I'm into history, do you know when Rototoms were developed and first used, and the background leading up to them? I'm glad I stumbled on your site, thanks. Al
I think they were invented in the 1960s and were commercially available by the 1970s at the latest. They show up in the kits of prog rock drummers quite often. They’ve been made continuously since they were introduced, though Remo doesn’t appear to make sizes larger than 10” anymore. Other brands do sell the larger sizes as their technology has been used by several different companies. Probably because the patent expired.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom, thanks. I think it's tympani that were used in big band swing. It was decades ago that I heard it. I'll keep looking for a clip - probably recorded in the 40/50s.
It's good to know a range of tuned and non-tuned percussion. However, even so-called non-tuned can have its pitch changed for recording in software. I'm just starting to see how changing the pitch sounds with the scale or chords used in a music piece
Are you sure your not working for NASA ? !! Lol : D
Great video man !!
Do you know which Pink Floyd song used roto-toms with an EMT reverb plate with a little bit of delay through a tape machine?
If this is a test, I fail. I have no idea.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom 😂 Haha it wasn’t a test. I found a song called Time. I think it has roto toms?
Time.
@@originalvonster Nick Mason said that for him, the whole of Dark Side of the Moon was ' about the roto-toms ...' unquote
Bozzio had a whole set of these without the heads back in 87. Very cool.
Dude had 3 or 4 distinct roto setups back before he went off the deep end with all the DW stuff.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom Well yes of course but didn't want to type in all that.lol
His kit was all mic'd up through the stage monitors so they cut through just fine. Bozzio is awesome.
Back in the late 80's i had a snare drum that was a frankendrum of a marching snare with the top tuning lugs removed ,,a protective rubber molding over the bearing edge, and a 4-way bracket mounted inside the shell above the snare head that anchored the rototom. It was great for changing your snare sound from song to song , even within the song. The guy i had bought a Pearl kit from had made it and it came with the kit. It inspired me to take the 6-8-10 set i had, replace the center bolts with longer ones, get some pvc pipe coupleings in 6-8-&10(that also were as deep as they were in diameter)paint to match my kit, and attatched them to the bottom ring that spins on the center bolt via hoseclamps inserted thru some very thin holes i made with a drill. They sounded pretty damn good, like concert toms of the day, with a little extra ring that is the distinctive roto signature.
)adendum( I sparked my own curiousity and found out the roto snare was a pearl product back in the day
reverb.com/item/2303513-pearl-vari-pitch-snare-drum-roto-snare-rare-find-good-condition
dont know why i thought the seller told me he made it, probably too many shrooms, (it was in Hawaii), regardless I did make my pvc pipe roto concert toms!
Beethoven "Ode to Joy" can be playing with those drums 😊 you need C, D, E, F, G 🎹
So now it's time to start a prog band?
Awesome work playboy
75000$ for the rototoms ?? is pure gold 24k ??
I'm Looking for a Set If anybody knows of some for sale! Thanx
Check out Steve Weiss Music. He has all sizes. They're his, not Remo, but they are excellent.
@@johnsoos6907 Thanx Bro!
@ watch my roto drum solo as well
These are actually made to spin as you play I
i.e. 'solo'....changing the pitch as you strike it, I am very shocked you didn't demonstrate that....
Yeah, you're right that is an option. I'm not sure how practical that is in real life as you then lose the use of one of your hands, unlike timpani (or the pedal operated "timpanello" version of the rotos) where its a hands free process.
I bet Roto toms are the easiest drum to tune.
L
yeah, L