Dad3353

Good evening, @D0gS0litud3, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

The workshop area has been occupied lately with guitars being built or repaired, and other luthier nonsense, but we have a private concert to play this Saturday, so it's high time to turn this flat-pack into a combo. I've all the components ready and waiting (all except small screws for the corner protectors, but they should arrive Saturday morning, with any luck, and can be fitted later, anyway...). Here's some snaps of the last couple of days. First, the 'cube' gets clamped up, after having routed out the handle spaces ... The speaker baffle is used to check the installation of the shelf for the amp at the right height... 'Measure twice, cut once'; an excellent maxime... Nearly there; this is the 'port' being glued in. Not much space for the clamps..! The handles have been fitted, too, and the edges routed round, ready for the corner protectors.... Tomorrow should see the shelf fitted and the baffle glued in. It only then needs the back screwed on to make it functional, once we've passed the cable through to the amp, which will be bolted to the shelf. All that remains is to allow the glue to cure a little before testing. I may have time to paint it (well, a first coat, maybe...). If the corner screws arrive, it'll be complete, just in time..! Fingers crossed, then...

And the winner is... @Doctor J ..! Here, then, is your Winner's Certificate (download and save as pdf file, then proudly print and frame...) ... BC_Chal_Cert_2021_09.pdf ... which looks like this (but bigger, of course..!)...

Good evening, @Fat1975j, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Sorry, but there's no help for it; it's a whole subject, with much (or all..?) subjectivity. It depends on what sound you're aiming for. Do you have any reference examples, any tracks that have the sound you're after..? Could you post a sample or two of what you're already getting, with your comments as to why it doesn't 'float your boat'..? The basics for drums start, as with the bass, with tuning. If we leave aside the snare and toms (you seem to be content with those...), the bass drum has to be tuned to the sound you want, before getting into mics and stuff. If you've no resonant head, this makes things a little simpler, so lay it down on its reso side and tune the batter head to the sound you want. The short version is: loosen all the rods off, then tighten them each to just starting to move the head. Once they're all at this same point, go around in 'star' fashion, tightening one turn at a time, until the drum starts to 'sound'. from then on, tap lightly on the head (finger will do...) a couple of centimetres from the lug. Listen to the pitch, tap each lug and tighten each until they all sound the same pitch. This pitch can be altered to suit the resonance of the shell (there are several; take your pick...); you'll need to have the drum sat on its feet for this. Get the head to the tension you want, testing now with a beater, but making sure that each lug has the same pitch. That's the important part. Normally, a quarter turn of a rod will be quite enough to adjust finely, once you're 'in the zone'. I'm assuming, again, that, if you're no resonant head, you're looking for a 'thud' or 'thwack', rather than any 'boom'..? You may want to dampen the batter head, in that case, with a folded towel placed inside the drum, between the bottom and the head. Again, adjust to taste. Once all this is done, you can think of recording. If it's this 'dead, cardboard box' sound you want, any decent mic, inside the drum, aimed at the spot where the beater strikes, will get you started. No real concerns about placing in the room, as it's the 'dry' sound you want (no resonance, remember..?). For my taste and style, it's pretty much the exact opposite of how I go about drums in general (I'm not a fan of 'concert toms'; they had their use at the time, but Time marches on...), and consider the resonant head as being an essential part of the 'soul' of a drum, but that's just me. If you're playing without, then well-tuned, very close-mic'ed will be the entry point. Any special mic needed..? In theory, yes, but a lot can be done with any decent mic with enough resistance to sound pressure (so no ribbon mics up close...). A good mic recording a badly-set up drum won't help, though, so get the drum sounding at its best first. Any help..?

Not this time; I'm good, but not that good. These are Superior Drums 3, using a sound set called, appropriately enough, and by coincidence, 'Birds'. I do, on occasion, record 'live' drumming with my e-kit (usually, again, Superior Drums...) and, on even more rare occasions, my acoustic Camco kit. I tire very quickly these daze, so I tend more and more to opt for the 'armchair' solution, but it all depends on the inspiration of the moment.

You'll get on well with Mr Garcia, then. High quality stuff.

A difficult one, as their repertoire is so vast in styles, and evolves over time and concerts, so there's no 'definitive' GD album (nor concert...). If choosing for other than sentimental reasons, I'd recommend, for their musicality and 'ease of access', 'Music From The Mars Hotel' and 'Blues For Allah'. I'm constantly harking back to 'Anthem Of The Sun', but there's some 'experimental' stuff there that might deter those wanting a clear run. Of course 'American Beauty' and ... No, no point; the list would be too long. If neither 'Mars Hotel' nor 'Blues For Allah' hit any spots, try Abba. Hope this helps (but it probably doesn't ...).

Good afternoon, @DanutBlaga , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Someone has to keep the Lords and Masters supplied with cream crackers and bourbons. They don't grow on trees, y'know. Anyway, what's a few groats between friends..?

Do-able, but costs a fortune. Worth it..? Maybe. @Seashell2 : Welcome back...

Update: I received an email from Rod, at PineGrove Leather, advising me in friendly terms that, since the new EU set-up, it would cost me more to receive if posted by them directly. He offered me the option of cancelling the order, then going through their EU outlet (Etsy...), for which he'd create a special 'one off' sale for me to order. The result is lower postage costs, and no import fee from the French gumment. I've accepted this solution, and the original order has been cancelled, with the new one now gone through. I think this is worth mentioning as being Good Customer Service, for an item which is, let's face it, rather small beans for such a company. Other companies could take a leaf from their book in pro-active consideration of their clients. Well done, Rod, and thank you. Now I just have to be patient and wait for the post lady to stop by..!

Good call, thanks. Drumstick bag ordered, £50 instead of £150.

Good afternoon, @jay_owen, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good evening, @grendelkhan, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good evening, @Mark Petersen, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good morning, @Bearsohmy, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Any mention of perches will set off the fish puns. Be careful, folks.

That can't have been easy to play with the neck joined in the middle like that..! ... ...

Any of a multitude of Vst instruments and/or samples; tuba, euphonium, trombone, synths, Trillian, piano ...

Good evening, @Andy Morgan, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good afternoon, @Buddster, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.