Cheap vs expensive drums: Can you hear the difference?
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Can a $600 drumset stand up against a $6000 kit in the studio?
We shoot these out back to back. Tell us what you think!
Check out the newest version where we try the $6000 kit against a $240 kit!
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As a famous drummer once told me “It’s not necessarily how much you spend on a drum kit, it’s about what heads you get, how you tune it and how much time you invest in the drums” -Garey Williams: Studio Drummer
He's right
you can spend a lot an not like the sound. as long as there of a good enough standard with good hardwear u can get on with any kit imo
Studied with Gary many times over the years. Great drummer and even better person. Passed up the chance to be a household name - in order to raise his family and serve his community. Amazing!
I thought the cheaper drum set sounded a bit plasticky, so I guess that is due to the drum heads. The more expensive ones did seem to sound more impactful or harder sounding. I’m sure that a person with enough time could upgrade the cheaper ones to sound like the more expensive ones. When it comes to expensive drums it’s all about the wood, then after that it’s upgrading the heads and other things on the drums. No one ever likes the stock sound, even if it is a really expensive drum set
Honestly, no matter what kit you have, be it an entry level kit or a high end pro kit, you can get any kit to sound good with the right heads and tuning
True
The problem is, that you cant realy tune 50$ snare like you want to.
@@mr.dizini5586 you might not get it perfectly how you want it, but you can get it at (at least) and decent sound
True for the toms and kick, the snare drum you really need a good quality one, theres no way around it
@@mr.dizini5586 If you know what you are doing you can. The problem here is it is a wooden snare, versus a Steel snare.
The only drastic difference was the snare. Honestly, the affordable drums didn't sound bad. Minus the share tho. The snare was super dead sounding, had no foundation and lacked beef to it
order the kit w/o the snare, perhaps an extra tom or two and upgrade to a maple snare..good to go!
Sounded like the compression on the cheaper snare was different than the Ludwig as well. But thats besides the point.
was thinking the same thing, put the ludwig snare in there and not bad at all
I disagree. I think the bass drums too was drasticly better on the DW. On the cheapkit the bass is noticibly muffled
ale mutasa sounds like trigger to me. Or at least I hate both bass drum sound
Having 20 years of drumming, and kit maintenance in my background... Cheaper drums can sound very good. Usually it's the lugs and hardware that make them a bit more challenging to get in tune, and keep in tune. If you are on a tight budget, it's still plausible to get acceptable performance from budget drums.
And with $5 of cotton balls you can pack those lugs.
No stray harmonics.
And with a piece of glass you can true the bearing edges.
Ultimately it isn't what you play, it's how you play it. A 6000$ kit can sound like garbage if you can't tune the drums or hit the skins with a weak wrist. I played with an 800 Tama kit for a decade before I could actually afford a new/better kit. Spent 3000$ on a Mapex kit and I found that I just couldn't hit anything with force for fear of breaking something I wouldn't be able to afford to replace. But between these 2 kits in this video, the differences are so negligible to me that honestly, the slight increase in tom resonance isn't worth 6000$.
@@XMorbidReignX I agree 💯
DW sounds better but not 10X better
I agree. The issue isn't whether the DW set was better (it was.) The question is...is the DW worth $5400 more? My answer: Hell no!
Diminishing Returns
I Agree. Not worth it, ive got maple drums and have change The heads many many times B4 i found The sound i want. Now when i found them i just love the sound of it, and if i could choose I would put my $$ on a tama starclassic bubinga instead of the dw set any day of the week. But thats just "my" way 2 see on it tho. Great vid btw.
ii'd say it sounds 20x better.
Agree
Definitely think the DW's sound better, but the other kit is totally serviceable and usable in a mix! The snare was the biggest difference for me, and that's easy to swap different ones in and out. I don't think its worth 10x the price though.
I'm working on getting mics, interface, equipment to be able to record my own live drums soon. Mostly from watching these types of videos and feeling how much more vibe and feel you get from an actual drumming performance.
Completely agree, the snare was the biggest difference. Also noticable how a great musician makes any gear sound good
Total agreement :)
@john p definitely, I think if anything this video show how important a good snare is to a mix haha
Exactly. The snare was way better. Other than that the kick had less presence in the cheap one but the toms were fine.
Yeah. A few good builders in North America could really hook you with that budget. But $500 hard to "beat". Snares. Got 8. The cheapest one and the most expensive one sound the best. Go figure.
And the winner and best sounding was ......the LUDWIG SUPRAPHONIC SNARE !!!
@Rusty Blades - That's the only real difference I heard, too! :-)
@@mightyV444 That's because you're a smart guy and have got a good ear for quality sounding Drums! 👍😊
@@rustyblades2566 - Thank you! And of course you are right! And like-wise! :-))
@Warren Roberts - To be fair, though: Without knowing what the Ludwig sounds like, the cheapo one would actually still sound decent enough! ;-)
@Warren Roberts - Both very good points! To the "brands" one: I like certain brands more than others mostly because of their design, like, as an example, I've always loved the look of Tama's hardware and lugs on their 70's/80's Imperialstar and Superstar series; Same with Yamaha's 9000 Recording series; I never was much of a fan of Pearl's designs, like their BD-mounted tom arms, neither of DW's round lugs.
And to the "listeners" point: Hence why I personally believe you don't really need more than 2 Crashes; One with higher pitch and shorter sustain than the other. Add a China, a Splash, a Ride and of course a hi-hat, and that's enough sound variety for me :-)
Both sound awesome, the snare is the difference. That Supraphonic sounds absolutely beautiful.
It was kind of strange to see him without Teller.
At first I thought it was weird al then I was like wait that's penn?
#savage
even sounds like him
Except this guy doesn''t seem to be an asspipe.
...fugg, caught me on that one...that's funny
There was a huge difference in the snares, not as huge of a difference in the toms, and absolutely not worth 10x more.Thanks for another great video!
You can put a great drummer on a cheap drumset and it would sound good.and vice versa.amazing drumset horrible drummer.
@@garyconner6151 Yeah cause you are SOOOO FUCKIN AWESOME THAT NO ONE HAS NEVER HEARD OF YOU.
@@ExpatZ266 lmao chill out dude. Hes just pointing out that the person behind the kit and mixer is more important. Did he strike something about you?
The expensive set had a much thicker sound. The cheap set was a little more pingy and flat sounding, but both sets sounded good.
i agree..the maple is definitely more resonant and deep...but cheap sets are always laminated birch or some such less expensive wood
@@humb1s3rvant , as of Feb 14, a board foot of select hard maple is $3, select birch is $3.60. Hope this is helpful info next time you shop for drums. Two of the top names in drums, Sonor and Premier, have used birch in their top-of-the-line kits for many years. Cheers!
Well said.
If you would use a better snare on the cheap kit, the difference would not be significant in my opinion, especially for that kind of music. However, with a good drummer (the guy in the vid is awesome), the cheap kit would not prevent from making a good record as you can hear there.
Agreed
Not a tremendous difference, but playing thrash metal is *not* the music to use for the comparison.
Thank you lol
That’s not thrash
@@RobbyRhea well no, but the point still stands.
This type of music is very forgiving to cheap drum sets
100% what he said. You need somthing with some longer notes.
In my experience (as a drummer, not an engineer) cheap kits with new, decent skins and proper tuning tend to sound surprisingly good. A little more empty and less alive than the expensive ones. On sound alone I wouldn't say it's worth it to pay ten times more for a drum kit, but a properly maintained expensive kit will last you a lifetime instead of breaking apart after a couple years of heavy use.
Yeah, I feel like the durability of the drums is what would set apart expensive drums from cheap ones, since the instrument is struck. Cheap guitars and basses don't break down in the same way
However, the vast majority of cheap modern kits are made with multiple plys of a hardwood. More expensive kits are made with more expensive hardwoods, which are not by any means more durable (they're more expensive simply because they're more rare). I've had a mid line, sub professional Pearl World kit for 31 years, a little bass drum hoop rust but no less durable than a more expensive Pearl kit from that era. Lugs and hoops can easily be replaced, and cheap drum kits rarely fall apart unless they're made of particleboard.
Not just the durability, but also the consistency, and their ability to hold tuning.
My most common issue with cheap drums is a tom holder (technical term, for sure) giving up in the middle of a song and the tom just hanging there. Usually it means I have to replace the whole piece (the thing that goes into the kick drum and holds up both toms). Sorry for not knowing the actual names of stuff, I know all of it in Spanish and Swedish, but in English I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to technical terms.
I'm with you on this. It's not the shells that break down on cheaper kits. It's the hardware that needs to be replaced (and the finishes (the wraps) aren't as nice).
This was so fun to drum on! Personally they both felt great! With some nice cymbals and new skins you could totally bring these to a session!
Awesome playing, man!
I'll second that. VERY well played.
Rainer Kraus hey thanks for watching! Appreciate it. 🤘🤓🤘
Adam L more very well played content on my channel 😉 Thanks man!
Yea, I was like "forget the drums, this drummer is killing it"
As a drummer of 47 years (yes, I started when I was 7 years old, I'm 54, play in a "weekend warrior" classic rock band, and I've never stopped playing any time that I can...and won't until I can't hold sticks any more), I just have a couple of observations that you might find interesting and, I'm hoping, will lead to a re-test at a later date.
This is not really a fair comparison for the simple reason that you did not re-head the cheap kit with the same heads as the expensive kit. I could not see what you used on both kits, but I could see that you had Remo heads on the cheap kit and something else (Aquarian maybe...very nice heads and probably about twice the price) on the DW kit. I don't know if the Remo heads were single ply Ambassadors or double ply Emperors nor do I know what ply heads are on the DW kit. Finally, unless the DW kit comes with that Ludwig Supraphonic snare, the snare comparison is void. Try it with the wood shell DW snare, that probably came with the kit originally, and I think that you would find that it would have a similar "woody" sound (not as bright and cutting nor as loud). Either way, any drummer worth his salt will have several snares, that all sound very different, and he would use them all for playing different styles. Having said all of that, it's not necessarily the sound that makes the DW kit worth the extra money.
Expensive drums are expensive because of the quality of the craftsmanship in making the shells and hardware. In real life, a gigging drummer is looking for a good sounding, looking, and DEPENDABLE kit. That means that shells, finish, and hardware all need to hold up well under constant use. You should not have to re-tune every other song. You should not have anything failing when you need it to work. That is where the cost is and, yes, you have to pay for it. That really well made kit is security in knowing that if your dumb ass guitar player drops your ride tom, it can take it and be ok (this has happened to me a few times...sorry if I sound bitter).
Personally, I play a 1985 Sonor Horst LInk signature series kit, that took me half my life to get a hold of, and I expect to be playing it until I die. Nothing bothers these drums. They are magnificent (very heavy shells of beautiful looking and sounding bubinga wood) and they sound good even when the heads are getting a bit old and tired. I play every style of music under the sun with them and they can be re headed and tuned to fit pretty much anything (the only thing that I think could be better is their Big Band sound...I have a 1958 Gretsch Broadcaster "stick eater" kit, with the big kick, for that).
So, in short, please re head both kits with the same heads, put the DW wood shell snare back on the expensive kit, and re test. Next...have someone play on the cheap snare for an hour...record the sound for the first 30 seconds and the last 30 seconds. Then do the same with the DW snare. THERE you will see the difference. I guarantee that the cheap snare will drop pitch wayyyy faster and further than the DW snare.
I saw him using all Aquarians (looks to be single ply clear) on the DW kit and the cheap kit was using USA made Remos on the batter side and evans on the resonant heads on the rack toms and an aquarian batter on the floor tom. I would assume the remos are single ply ambassadors by the size of the word under "Remo" and with the Remo Weatherking logos on those heads and I would like to assume both the snare drum heads are the same. I know it wasn't mentioned, but I would think Glenn would have the brains (and the wallet) to replace all the heads on the cheap kit and at least make the heads comparable. There's such a small difference between Remo ambassador's (single ply) and emperor's (double ply) that the difference is barely noticeable on the same drums with no EQ done. There's so much post processing that unless the heads were vastly different, the sound difference wont be noticeable over UA-cam after the video has been compressed. I'm not trying to defend him here, just explain what I think he has done.
Finally, some technical perspective! May I ask if 30 or 40-year-old drum sets have anything special for being aged?
I agree that USA Remo heads are decent heads, but I don’t think the quality is the same as the Aquarian heads. Just my opinion. My big point, though, was that the real difference between the two kits, at least the difference that I think makes it worth it to get a high quality higher priced kit, is the wearability and, most importantly, the dependability. Like with cars, the Chevy will get you there just as well, but the Cadillac (or Lexus, Volvo, Audi, etc.) will get you there in comfort and style and probably last longer in the end.
I don’t fault him for this test. In fact it’s a great idea in my mind, but I think it’s only far to level the field. I mean, if one team has wooden bats and the other has aluminum...you get my point I’m sure.
@@diegoambrosio5718, yes, older drum have a much clearer sound as wood ages.
@@TheProgGuy, it’s a “response” 2 ply head on top and a “classic clear” 1 ply on bottom
That Ludwig snare made all the difference.
1:28 that was a sloppy one
I didn't see that much of a difference to be honest. I feel that what makes the most difference in a metal mix is the drummer's skills and the engineer's as well. Good job on the mix Glenn!
Cheers from Montreal 🍻
1:28 Oh My ...
Holy shit I'm dying. ex dee
?
He was clearing his throat or something 😂
That was a sexy sound
Dat shart doe
Not sure anyone has mentioned the room, and how much that contributes to getting even a cheap instrument sounding decent (way good enough for a mix at least). Glenn's room is extremely well balanced and that makes a massive difference. Either way, it's amazing how good you've got a cheap kit sounding by doing all the steps if the process well!
Setup, tuning, mic'ing, recording and of course playing! :) Good vid man.
The room, and the drum's position in that room, can make more difference than cheap vs expensive drums. I tune my drums to perfection at home, but at the gig they may sometimes sound different. The tuning hasn't changed, the room has. There is one room where my rack tom always sounds dead. If I stand up and hit it, it sounds good. If I stand in front of the stage and let someone else smack it, it sounds great. It's just where I'm sitting in relation to the room and drum.
oooh man! i can't believe you shared the multitrack witch raw files, man... this is the best thing happened to me in my life. it really helped you don't know how much.. thanks so much, you are the best!.
It's hard to tell when Glenn makes all drums sound sick
Will Scrowther I was actually thinking that myself I feel Glenn has a way of just pulling great tunes out of everything
Will Scrowther except the Pod or Spyder
tru
Just add whisky, my drums always sound better
Haha. Same for me with my guitar. Get the ear goggles on and I sound awesome on guitar.
hell yeah! i drink a glass before i play and it works perfect..
**Well then, you've offered a solution that will save band members lots of money, while making you sound more skilled, all while not spending a second on additional practice time! Here's how it works: LONG before you spend huge sums of money on equipment, and before your band takes ANY stage, you adopt the policy of requiring a 2-4 mixed drink minimum for ALL potential audience members, before your band ever takes the stage & plays a single note!**
This way you can buy cheap equipment, saving lots of money that can be better spent on more trivial things like expensive mixed drinks at clubs, or on new rims! But at the same time, your band, with its half-assed equipment will sound phenomenal to your pre-liquored up audience! Now you're on your way up!
@@patrickmcleod111 Despite the hint of sarcasm, I'm not opposed to this idea. :)
It would be nice to hear a few words from the drummer himself, what he felt were the main differences between the kits.
Tritonus Seitan I say many words on my channel! Stop by!
Many words, you say? Let's do this!
Bucket head sounds better on a fender squire then I do on a 15k le$ Paul.
Dave weckle sounds better on to garbage cans then I do on a 10.000 dollar drumset.
Without good tuning and heads a $6000 drum kit can sound like crap.
Cr8zyH common sense.
Cr8zyH like saying “a $6,000 gun without bullets can’t kill people.”
Jdb87002_2 it’s actually a good one...
@Default User Stop calling Captain Obvious an idiot!
🤣🤣🤣 u mad
The cheap kit sounded very good. Liked the tighter Kick better than the DW.
How about playing lighter? Or with some dynamic range?... How about less cymbals the whole time because that isn't the point of what you are supposed to be demoing? What about the bass drum muting what did you guys use on the kicks set up? While I'm at it...what about not just the same beat for metal.. like just demo the drums a bit individually too? Idk, my opinion doesn't really matter either, but I CAN'T be the only person asking these logical questions, right??
-In one sentence though, the DWs are definitely not worth their price at all, though I don't like the cheap plasticy sound of the other Chinese drums either.
But really, I think my questions/suggestions above are valid...only posing it like this because I see you guys don't seem to read the comments anyway!! If you do, thank you for the video still! It is a good idea, but I think executed, where it matters, kind of poorly.
Feel free to download the tracks and mix as you see fit
no need for me to post, you said it, like trying to find a single piece of chicken in a veggie curry :-D
Ehm... This is a metal channel, dude! :)
I agree with you, the cymbals are irrelevant and something with dynamic range and subtlety would have been far more useful. Thrashing away at metal isn't helping demonstrate anything.
Hitting the drums hard gives you the best picture of the sound. Metal or not, if I'm trying to get a good sound out of any drum, from a micing/recording perspective, I'm going to need someone really laying into the drums and getting some air moving... " making the drum "sing" " is how I like to say it. Honestly, anything in the lower dynamic range on drums is very musical.. yes, but to me, it's just a sound, like tapping a pencil on a table. Softer drumming has less to do with the actual drum and more to do with the quality you can bring out of it with your stick choice, technique and tuning at the lower dynamic range. If I want to judge the characteristic of the actual shell (drum) I would need to hear it laid into with a stick 5A or larger, loud enough to pump some air out of the vent hole. (TIP: Tuning your drums at high impact will result in optimum sound and response at lower volume hits as well)
So yeah, to Jordan, I guess this is a more polite way to say..
#1 This is a metal channel... dude! :)
#2 Those questions really aren't all that logical, at least from the perspective of a jazz drummer. I have paid my bills with a set of brushes. So I have learned a lot about playing at lower dynamic levels. I would honestly be disappointed if Glenn had a drummer playing a full range artistic style to demo the drums. I would be thinking, "Dude stop showing me what a great musician/drummer you are just let me hear the drums!!!"
That being said, I hate it when drummers demo gear (especially cymbals) by isolated hits from soft to loud. This almost tells me nothing! Let me hear how the instrument performs!!! That's exactly what this video does. Great job Glenn, I love the how you always switch between cuts on the down beat!!!
Here is my take on this. I'm 51 years old. I've been playing music since 1977 when my dad bought me a "Lawsuit Les Paul" (Memphis brand) that looked exactly like Ace Frehley's LP, and a used 60-Watt Univox Tube amp. That was big shit for a 9 year old to start out on.
I immediately moved onto drums as soon as possible. I've been building and repairing drums since I was 16.
I have this thing about wooden snare drums. I have NEVER found a wooden snare that I liked - EVER. They just seem totally fucking lifeless, especially when you put them up against a quality Steel snare like a Ludwig. That said, rather than buying a new kit like this - you would be better off buying a decent Steel snare used via ebay, your favorite store, craigslist, wherever. name brand Pearl, Yamaha, Tama, Ludwig, brand really doesn't matter - none of them can afford to make a shitty drum - there is too much competition. The parts are all made in the same fucking factory anyway by some guy for a bowl of rice and a pickle each.
Then look for a decent used kit - Yamaha, Sonor, Pearl, Tama, Mapex
I have a 9"x14" Yamaha SFZ Indoor Marching snare that I bought for $700. You know where it is? It is sitting in the fucking case on a shelf in my garage. You know why? Because the used 5.5" x 14" Sonor Force 2001 Chinese snare that I got on e-bay for $25 eats that motherfucker for breakfast all day long - the same for my 8"x14" Pearl Brass FFS from 1988 - There is something about the 5.5" Steel snare shell that just kills, and I wouldn't touch anything smaller than an 8" x 14" metal snare for 30 years.
Cymbals - go directly to the Paiste PST5's and PST7's. These are the same metal as the 2002 and 3000 series cymbals. They simply don't match the master cymbals, so they get relegated to a "budget" line. They still sound great, I've bought about 30 of them once I realized what Paiste's game was. Still prefer the Signatures, but for general use, these are great cymbals. Go to Paiste's website and listen to them in the sound library.
Glenn apparently prefer's Sabians. I've been a Paiste guy since I switched over from Zildjians in 1987.
Don't buy any Crash cymbals with the words "Heavy", "Rock", or "Power" on them. That means thicker cymbals - which means more midrange. Get medium cymbals. 14", 16", and definitely at least one 18" crash (I'd opt for a pair of 18" crashes, myself, and 14"). 14" HH, 20" or 22" ride, and get an 18" China - trust me, it will be the best china you've heard.
As long as the drum is "in-round"(round, and not warped), the bearing edge is good, the hardware works, and it has good heads on it, you can make any drum sound good as far as kicks and toms. Again, I prefer metal snares.
But the cymbals really are important. The key is learning how to select them. Stay with thin ones from the big three, especially for recording.
I know Meinl are becoming more popular as time goes on, but they just seem kind of "Klangy" to me.
I know this is really late but thank you.I've just recently gotten back into drumming as I was able to get a set free of charge because of some amazing luck. It came with a 16-inch Paiste cymbal and a high hat that I can't find the brand for. I was able to swap in a silver Yamaha snare that I had from the past and bought some new Pearl Demonator double pedals andI've been wondering what cymbals to get that would be the most versatile as I don't have very much money right now LOL.
I took a couple of screenshots of some of what you said on this is going to help me out. Thanks again.
Edit: grammar and misspelling
finally a helpful advice. you helped me.mote than you can imagine, thanks a lot.
You made it cut and dry baby
Thank you.i feel the same also.just gotta change my drumheads. Got a pdp double drive kit.damn thing sounds amazing.im not into expensive im into sound.and this kit sounds really good.
@@dan-5678 for reasonably priced cymbals that punch above their weight try the Paiste 900 series. As well as a china and a couple of crashes I've got a set of 15" heavy hihats that sound sweeter 'n' tastier than some 3x the price.
@@emlix1 For reasonably priced cymbals go for Turkish or Impression, they're damn good
Tried mixing the recordings and gotta say I like the cheap kits toms, but overall the DW still stands out as a better. But they both sounded pretty great when mixed properly. Obviously the snare was a big difference and depends on multiple factors, for some songs the dead flat snare might fit better etc. But I guess this proves the point -> mic placement, DRUM TUNING, maybe heads, and the drummer is incredibly more important than the price tag of the kit.
The600 dollar one sounded way more present imo. But 600 dollar one was also pretty good and definitely usable. Great Video Glenn! Greetings from Germany
Great video Glenn Fucking Fricker Man!. After 15 years of drumming and recording in a few studios you've just shown without saying that the drummer and the engineer can sound good without the highest quality equipment. It's not a knock on good instruments but not many working folks can afford the kit of their dreams and have to start somewhere so this is proof that as long as you practice ur craft and at least have good tunes heads along side decent cymbals and can keep time everything will sound just fine!!! Thanks bro I love all the shit you do and you make drums actually sound alive to the point where I can feel the fuckers great work
Thanks, Keith!
All I got was "wish my double strokes sounded that good" haha
I did a blind listen at first and I had more trouble than I expected telling one drumkit from the other. They both sound sick. The biggest difference is the snare but for the price it's quite some value.
The winner is the Ludwig snare here ! DW are expensive but haven't any special sound signature, very commun in fact. Try old Gretsch or Yamaha recording custom : These drums have a special grain, a fantstic touch and dynamic, and with these, there will be a great difference with your chinese kit !
I don't think you would be able to tell it with this style of playing to be honest. I love the sound of dw, but on metal you can get away with a lot. Put someone like Dave Weckl on them and you will see the difference quick IMO
Why is no-one talking about the toms?! I'm just so amazed from the sound of those 6k toms. I know they're 6k... But they still sound amazing. The China kit is nothing compared to that.
Why is no one talking about the clipping on the snare on the drums only clip with the DW......
Agreed. For me, toms make or break a shell pack. Kicks can be made to sound a variety of ways so much easier but toms are their own thing.
Aaron Levy I know right. The china was clipping too.
All depends on your sound to be honest. I have 300 dollar kit that sounds amazing. How much work are you willing to put into your drums. Not money. That's what I believe.
dw as a brand just has huge sounding toms
The more expensive snare was definitely the biggest difference. Followed by the toms.. cheaper ones sounded a little dead. But still good. And bass drum was the smallest difference. Both punch. In my opinion
I am not a drummer. I'm a guitar player. The DW kit sounds better, but not $4400 better. From what I know, cheap drums and guitars can both benefit from upgrades, but longevity, dependability, and stability always costs more. That sweet percussive acoustic resonance that we all seek from our instruments comes from good materials and construction which always costs more. I tell people to buy the best you can afford.
u mean $5400 better
If I could play like him I'd never leave my room.
The toms on the high end kit resonate better as well as having the better snare. However, the cheaper kit gets the job done. Add the high end snare to the cheap kit and it rocks.
My thoughts exactly too. The ludwig snare is the only big difference you need to hear
Affordable drums sounded a bit thinner and less consistent but honestly they were pretty great and I wouldn't complain if I got them on a track. I would be worried that a lesser drummer would struggle with the cheaper kit if they had more trouble hitting the centre of the drum. I know the sweet spot on those DW drums is huge and they are really consistent.
You only listen to the difference about the two drumset in an acoustic music ensamble. Like jazz or unplugged pop or unplugged rock.
When you play very loud music you can not hear the difference between 1.000 and 4.000 dollars.
I have a 700 dollars Sonor Smart Force but I put Evans 360 Hydraulic Clear on top of the toms and Evans G1 Clear on bottom. Now my Sonor sound like I want. Nice video.
To the new drummers I say they can buy a 400 dollars drumset but they must change all the drumheads, the snare drum and the pedals maybe. So I think a 700 or 1.000 dollars setup like Sonor Smart Force or Pearl Export Kit or cheap Yamaha or cheap Tama is better. Because you only have to change all the drumheads.
Ostinato Drumming the point was can you notice a 10x more or less expensive price difference in a studio mix?
I don’t care just get good cymbals 🤣
It depends on the drummers skills.you can make a garbage can sound good.
Gary Conner this was my logic 9 months ago. I’m sorry about it lmaoo
Snare and cymbals are definitely the highest priority. Toms less so. You can pretty much make any kick sound decent, though having said that, a really good kick does help a lot.
Crappy drums are easy since so much of the tone is from the heads and tuning. Crappy cymbals? Ohhhhh god no. The cheap drums sounded okay, not great or good, but serviceable. The problem is when drummers bring in Zildjian ZBTs or Sabian B8s or what have you.
The B8 20" china pro sound good though, it's the exception.
B8? AHHHGHHH!!!
anyway, the "Pro" B8 Ride is -only- good B8 series ua-cam.com/video/gRwaGUM7LqU/v-deo.html ... but sheez, ZXT/Titanium and B8 = not for recording
I have a Sabian B8 Pro 18" China and it is one of the best chinas I've ever heard... That being said, I'm not a serious player nor have really recorded. B8's in general are total dog shit though.
Cheap cymbals sound awesome in lo-fi punk rock. They come through the mix in a really abrasive way that fits the genre nicely.
Honestly preferred the cheaper kit. That kick drum was beast and the snare had a more pleasing tone, but the only difference between an expensive kit and a cheap kit are the heads and the drummer behind them.
the cheaper kit sounded slightly quieter, especially in the snare. but that by no means means the other kit is worth 10x as much
Imo, the expensive one sounds better, yeah, but the only thing I think I'd change from the cheap kit is the snare. Toms and kick sounded pretty similar, and yeah, expensive cymbals sound way better, but if they changed the snare from that cheap kit I think no one would notice the difference in a mix.
i like the way snrub thinks
it's the same snare! cymbals too!
Mr. Snrub exactly what I was thinking the entire time. It all depends on the drummer. For me, my favorite snare is the 5x12 pork pie little squealer. But that’s just me. I love the snap, crackle and pop of it. And it’s the perfect size so it won’t throw off my rudiments and shit. Again, just my style
Toms and kick were way different. Listen again. You can hear how cheap the shells are. Thin, reverberating, and hollow.
The snare was sooo different! Kick pretty much sounded similar. The rest of the kit was not "in the spot light" so basically it was like just different sounding...
But that snare man!!!
Beautiful! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Man I've said it for years and owned many high end kits and mid point kits! I tell many drummers starting out to save that money and invest into nice cymbals! And hardware!! But above even that learn to tune your drums! Love this video keep em coming!!!
I thought when they were only the drums playing, that there were two times more drums on the expensive kit... It just sounded so much more filled out and with more reverberation.
In a live situation no one will notice anything.
It's always the player who makes the sound. I'm not a drummer but I hear a resonating tone in the DW snare. The 600 has a more tight sound.
When soloed the diference is obvious but in the mix you can get away with it.
One thing I haven't seen anyone talk about is the kick.
On the cheaper kit it sounded bigger, but I think it might be more related to the kick track volume than the kit itself.
Interesting, to me the kick on the expensive kit sounded bigger (and better), because it has more low end (listening on good headphones).
Just to make it clearer, I was referring to the part between 2:26 and 2:50
The cheap one has definitely got a higher hump in the low registry, which might translate into 'louder' in many systems.
Personally, I think the bass breathed a lot more, and was allowed to fill the space more on the DW kit. The low bass is tighter.
For me the cheaper kick sounded more "natural" or "raw". For me its a good sound, but it may be harder to mix, still gotta check the multitracks
I've owned a SSC Dw collector kit for about 8 years and the one thing I dislike about it is the kick. Dw kick drums or at least the Maple ones just don't have the lunch of something like the Tama star series. But all in all I love my Dw kit. I switch between a 7x14 maple dw snare and a 6.5x14 black beauty and rarely find myself unprepared for a gig or session.
This confirms my understanding that the toms don't really matter as much as I used to think. Pearl export series, or DW collectors series. As long as you got good heads, the drums will sing. Just make sure you invest in a good snare, good cymbals, and have a good performance. If your drummer doesn't have a good snare, or good cymbals you're not ready to record, in my honest opinion. And I'm not saying recording drums is for the more fortunate, but what I'm saying is, if you're taking this art seriously, and not treating it like any old hobby, you're going to put forth the effort to upgrade your sound. And this should be accumulative, across the many years of playing that you should have done before you think about recording.
In this tune, sure, toms aren't as important...see if you notice the difference in some world-beat stuff like "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel.
Matthew Benavides agreed
If your gigging at clubs and being mic'ed very little diff, moreover, bottom level pro kits will allow pick up your kit up overhead and toss it at the rowdy shows with far cheaper replacement cost...mine was the Pearl Import series, and they were a lot thicker in the nineties.
Biggest difference was between the snare drums. The Ludwig sounded phenomenal
The cheaper bass drum wasn’t my favorite but the toms weren’t bad
The off brand snare drum has more punch to me, but the rest of the kit isn't half bad.
The DW is pretty good with the exception of the snare drum.
Overall, both seem to be okay for recording with.
I totally agree with this particular assessment. The cheap set's snare sounded sharp and lacked resonance and sustain. Otherwise, nothing stood out. For about $700 with better skins is definitely a good buy. If you spend lots of time playing and you're making money I'd say go for the good stuff. Or if you have money to burn. If not, what the heck!
I don’t know how anyone can thumbs down any of your videos, how can anyone hate on this great stuff??
$600 kit is perfectly acceptable for me if, and only if, accompanied by good quality cymbals.
as a non drummer, they sound about the same to me.
100% agree
I agree
Keep that opinion to yourself bro
The toms ok, kinda hard to hear.. but you can´t really tell me, that you're unable to hear the difference between the snare sounds?!
@@6theundead6one6 Yhea the DW sounds fuller.
We record with a mid level Pearl kit. After tuning, proper mic placement, and head dampening we get an amazing recorded sound. The difference with the higher end kits is build materials and process. The better kits are easier and stay in tune better. Good job showing the potential with less expensive gear.
The more expensive one makes everything sound grand and full while the cheap one kind leaves the sound less chunky
BUT
neither is completely unusable
Cheap vs expensive drumset: can you hear the shit ton of processing killing their natural sound and vibe ?
I prefer the richer tones of the DW's but the cheap kit is passable. Tuning is everything not to mention drum head choice and studio miking. Great topic for debate and well done demonstrating both kits!
BOTTOM LINE: If you are a professional drummer and you want to work, you better buy the DW whether you can hear the difference or not. If u can't hear a difference, don't admit it, because there is one & u don't want other pros know your hearing is limited. Is the DW 10x better? - of course not, but it is better. Like with most high quality goods, it's the Law of Diminishing Returns. And how the musician plays is always going to make the biggest difference.
I can hear a noticeable difference. I am a musician & I also worked in the High End audio/video business where hearing the difference & then educating others how to listen was my job. I can guarantee you that most professionals in the music industry have good hearing & know how to listen. So if you get a call for studio work or an audition to tour with a professional band, you better show up with the DW kit - because in a room full of professional drummers, you don't want to be the one with a cheap drum set.
I'm sorry Phillip, but you missed my point entirely. I'm NOT saying that drummers should buy a DW drum set. I am saying that all things being equal, the drummer with a good sounding drum set will have a better chance than the drummer with a cheap starter drum set that doesn't sound as good. I only mentioned the DW kit because that is what was being compared to in this example - NOT that you have to buy DW to get a good gig. I DON't own a DW kit. I have a couple of very old Ludwig 3-ply maple kits, a Yamaha Recording Custom and a Gretsch Renown set that I paid less than a $1000. and I would be confident in using any of them in a professional setting. So my point remains very valid - you won't make it as a professional drummer with a cheap sounding kit. If you don't believe me, try it and good luck. @@percussionforlife3195
If I were going to spend $6,000 on a kit - I'd get a Stainless Steel kit.
There's certainly something to be said about the placebo effect - I've talked with a lot of studio owners who all have commented on having a lot of expensive bells and whistles so that you could sell the studio, and that in the end, some of the most expensive rack gear that sold the session wasn't even used/needed.
Bill Brandt I agree with your points totally. Though I believe the the DW kit was not worth ten times more except in reliability while touring . And you will not get a professional gig bringing in a no name Taiwanese kit as you also referenced. I also believe the DW was probably easier to play even though Cameron said not.
I honestly really couldn't hear much of a difference. They both sound good to me. I guess much like guitars, the cost of gear doesn't matter as much as the skill of the player.
Exactly. I just think that more expensive gear makes it easier to play, and it will probably last you longer. If you have a good player and the instrument is set up correctly, the sound is really not going to be a problem. There are so many factors that go into the price except sound, and being aware of them is the only way you're going to get the best bang for your buck
Damjan Bujandric Oh, sure. It's always a good idea to invest in something you know is reliable. But the cool thing about music today is that a ton of budget stuff is really decent in quality. Some kid starting out doesn't have to resort to the shit assery of a First Act guitar any more.
Yeah, unless you're a lefty like me, then you just have to learn to live with shitty gear or dish out $2000 for an lefty guitar that is actually good :')
Harley Benton doesn't make lefty guitars? I thought they did?
Damjan Bujandric or buy a good cheap right handed guitar and reverse it
The Dimavery actually sounds really good tbh. I got an SPL budget kit and spent 2 weeks before I got it learning how to properly tune, even going as far as reaching out to my friend who is in a metal band and has played drums for a decade and consulting him as well.
But yeah, it is a pain in the ass to keep them tuned. Especially if your drum room has a wide array of varying temperatures frequently.
Didn’t know the magician of pen & teller was into rock
Both pen and Teller are magicians.
$600 drums sounded great to me
The Dw sounds great for sure... but, I stay with the other one.
I've had the opportunity to see the blindtests of drums made at Germany's leading Institute for Physics.
Instruments tuned by professionals and played behind a curtain. Result - one of Germany's drum Gurus could only guess!
1:28 wait... was that a fart I heard in there? Must have left the fart-limiter off on the mic preamp Glenn...!
I still play 1960 s maple shell Slingerland drums with a metal Pearl snare drums. Ziljian and Paiste cymbals. No complaints here. The skill of the drummer is what matters most.
give me a 60's 3-ply ludwig.
Great video. You can’t fake Cymbals but good heads and proper tuning can make a cheap set sound great. Of course I’d like the collectors series but touring is brutal on drums when you pay out of your own pocket. I would rather have top of the line hardware than shells.(renown instead of made in USA Gretsch) don’t skimp on snare, heads,cymbals, pedals and hardware. Mid level birch or maple shells ok. Entry level drums shells might have an issue staying in tune with bad shell hardware and rims.
Hi glenn
What do you think about electric drumsets? Do you think they are a viable choice for studios? if not, is a decent kit at least suitable for practice?
He covered that topic before. E-drums are useless in the studio: it has all the disadvantages of real player (lack of timing etc) and the disadvantages of samples (no feeling, electronic sound etc). For practice it might work out.
My opinion would be pretty much the same about studio usage, but for practice I'd use e-drums only if I really had to, since the feeling of hitting pads instead of skins is drastically different.
I had one in my home studio some time ago, the problem was the ghost notes it'd play at random. I sold it as it wasn't the thing for me, cleaning midi etc.
V'yell Gohl oh... Thanks... I kind of missed that
No problem
Roland V drums TD-20, TD-30, & TD-50 would be very useful in the studio. Those Roland kits are higher end Electronic drums and Excel in quality way above cheaper e-drums. The cymbals are realistic, mesh drum heads are more responsive than rubber pads. Dedicated outputs on the module alone make these kits stand out. As they have progressed the modules have been more tweakable and amazing sound quality. No expensive mics needed. Less noise, quiet to record anywhere.
i've recorded and played for almost 30 years and drums from pawn shop junk kits to high end kits and have to say it's mostly the tuneing of the kit and the drum if he can play well. about to get a $3200 5p classic ludwig to record the next 5 albums that will be the best all around kit and i'd say for the money for stage and studio.
the snare make huge different. I'm OK if I get that cheap kit but with DW snare :-D
Boy Aditya that’s not a dw snare. It a LUDWIG.
Boy Aditya The snare on the DW set was a Ludwig
Snare is Ludwig
Hey i dont know if someone said yet but I think the snare was a Ludwig
The only thing I thought was significantly different was the snare.
I have taken a $500 drum kit and packed the lugs, trude the bearing edges and in some cases taken off the cheap plastic wrap and stained and lacquered it.
New appropriate skins top and
bottom.
You would be surprised what you can get out of it.
As someone who can't even keep a rhythm whilst tapping their foot, I can't tell the difference, really.
I honestly didn’t realize you were switching back and forth and when the full mix was over I was waiting for the cheap version to play. Then I realized you were going A then B. I went back and listened again, I could tell they were different kits the 2nd time but that’s about it. Different . Nothing spectacular about the dw and nothing terrible about the cheap ones. They sound like drums surprise surprise
Good drums shouldn’t cost a fortune. Don’t know how DW justifies it.
Exclusivity
A slimy salesman owns the company.
That why I pli pdp drums.basicly it's the same drumset.half the price.
Let’s all define the term “Good sound”. Does “good” mean thick or if drums are cheap looking for they made us think they sound bad. Also does the name DW automatically mean “good sounding”.
All drums have a good sound only if you like the sound.
A true test is knowing the wood it’s made of and comparing the like. Science. As they say apples to apples not the price of a high cost fruit to any low cost fruit. Maple is always going to have a thicker, wider spread, and lower fundamental tone. Where as some others don’t and some do, but that wasn’t in the equation on this test.
To my ears the dw sounded fine. Nice and typical maple sounding. Way over rated per price point. And the cheaper set was thin with more highs with more attack but still a usable sound. None was better just different.
I have a DW Performance 3 up 2 down kit that I love so much. I can only salivate over those Collectors shells. Killer job on that cheap kit, sounds amazing!!
As a DW owner, I might be biased. And to my ear, the DW kit sounds deeper and has a bit more resonance.
i'd consider using the rack toms from the cheap kit for this jam. DW's had the punchy fundamental, but i liked the lively sound of the cheap one in that space
The mix as presented I couldn't tell the difference with just headphones on, though this may be completely different in a live performance setting, The almost $5,400.00 difference in price tells me DW is ripping everybody off, who are dumb enough to buy DW in the first place, I've been at it for quite some and use only vintage 60's era Rogers double bass kit, which blows DW away, The Penn Jillette clone hosting this video is frighting enough though....................
You know what I think? I think (know) you guys are super epic, wish I knew 1/32 of your talent!
I thought they both sounded great, but the cheap one somehow sounded more hollow or tinnier, at least to my lame-man's ear!
If you're not on your with rush at dream theater.your in your basement.cheap drumset and good heads
That Ludwig snare... holy crap it smokes probably many other, more expensive snares too. Not just that Dimavery soulless cheapo.
to t3r080:
The ludwig snare is tuned tighter that the dw. The dw snare needs to be tightened.
But that's my opinion. Some people like the snare looser like the dw snamre is.
Idk what you did but the cheap kits sounds like a pretty good live mix. I felt like i was at a concert, not the studio lol.
the more expensive kit sounds really really full compared to the other
I kinda feel poor after seeing the 600 dollar drum being cheap...
if all you are worried about is the sound, go dw performance series. they're made right alongside the collectors series. same quality, much lower price.
No way...DW is much better....but I was really impressed how better the Ludwig snare drum sounds......MUCH BETTER !!!!
First of all, great drummer and a great test!
Honestly, listening to the full mix I like the cheap drumset better!
Durability, playability, etc. is not a part of this test so let's keep it out of the discussion. Great video Glenn!
Any “real” drummer can make any kit sound good
Boom there it is.i can beat on garbage cans and make it sound good.its the skill of the drummer.period.
fresh skins and good tuning will always improve the overal sound imo!
Most importantly money does not pay: to be able to play well.
It's the drummer.not the drumset.im 55 and been playing drums since I was12.put some new heads on your kit.and presto there is your new drumset.
Thank you for the informative video. From an online search, I think the affordable drums are DiMavery DS-600, with 8-ply maple shells. They're probably Asian maple, where the DW's are likely North American maple, which I believe is more dense.
I didn’t know a cheap snare was 600 dollars