Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Tom Young]

I'll post my experience and let you draw your own conclusions.

My church has a low-quality acoustic drum kit which is played by two different musicians.  One musician is a professional with his own successful jazz trio.  He can play many styles, has a knack for playing just the right amount of notes (leaving plenty of space in between), and knows how to dial his volume down.  The other musician is thankfully beyond his teen years now but still plays much like a teen in a garage band:  not perfect timing, too many notes, and too loud.

I NEVER have a problem with the volume level of the pro and, in fact, often have to encourage him to let loose -- not just because he plays soft, but because he's worth listening to.  I ALWAYS have a problem with the non-pro and have to ask him to dial it back -- not just because he's the loudest thing on stage, but because the music would often be better without him.

I know it's easier to tell people to get a better drummer than it is to find one.  I'm just saying that a lot of the "drums are too loud" problem won't go away no matter what you do with the kit or the PA system.

Very good post. This matches my own experiences over the past 4+ decades and working with secular performers (all styles) and churches.

Over the years I have worked for various performers that were at the mercy of uncooperative "too loud" players ..... usually guitarists and drummers. But more often than not the problem was eventually resolved by changing personnel. 

Churches are more often "held hostage" due to their dependence on volunteers from within the church body.

No news. That's just the way it is.

[Scott Raymond]

Very good post. This matches my own experiences over the past 4+ decades and working with secular performers (all styles) and churches.

Over the years I have worked for various performers that were at the mercy of uncooperative "too loud" players ..... usually guitarists and drummers. But more often than not the problem was eventually resolved by changing personnel. 

Churches are more often "held hostage" due to their dependence on volunteers from within the church body.

No news. That's just the way it is.

Very good points Brian and Tom.  Very, very true.  To add another point, there are drummers that have grown up "a product of their environment".  We've been blessed in our small church to have an abundance of good drummers to draw from.  A couple of them play much harder then others.  One grew up playing in a family band that never mic'ed drums so I suspect he learned playing loud from the start.  Another grew up playing heavy metal.  Neither have any kind of attitude or ego, they literally just never learned playing "soft."  The latter is a good friend and I know he wishes he could play different but he said it affects his timing when he tries to play soft.  We use a full shield, I mix according to who is playing and it works out OK.  The Aviom for the band helps a lot as well.

Scott

[Michael Robertson]

Our church has is 4 years old. When we started we bought Roland's top of the line kit w/ a TD-20 module. We are still portable and our gear stays in a cold trailer, so we still have that kit. All of the tech team, vox, and instrumentalists can't wait to get a permanent home and acoustic drums.

Once the time was taken to drill down and get the kit set up well they sounded "pretty good", but now we are having issues with random volume changes, failing triggers, etc. The drummers dislike the feel. I like having complete control over the volume, but I dislike the sound. I would say that e-drums have their place. They have suited us pretty well in an environment that would have done in an acoustic set, but they just lack the tonal quality and the presence of an acoustic kit.

I guess what I'm saying is everything has it's place. My place for e-drums would be in the dumpster. 

[ProSoundWeb Community]