Why does people tend to say that we only need to mic the kick in smaller venues because the drums are so loud anyway?
For me it is all about the sonic balance and not about the spl of the drumkit.
Btw, once I learned an important lesson about cymbals and room interaction. I was setting up my drums in a small pub that had brick walls and hit my normal goto ride. It sounded awefull and uncontrolled! I had to pick another ride to remedy the issue.
Stick control on someone elses drumkit can be difficult as well depending on how it is tuned and the responsivness of the cymbals.
I also see quite a few drummers tune their snare drum very highly pitched, almost like a piccolo snare. Why not just get a piccolo snare instead?
I had the pleasure of working with the drummer Baby Face (ah, the old days) used on most all his recordings and tours, and this drummer carried multiple cymbal sets. Our show played a variety of venues and he almost never used an identical cymbal selection from show to show. Sometimes he'd set up his kit with fewer drums, too. He was a professional that picked his instrumentation based on multiple criteria and after about a week I quit asking him why. His kit and playing were impeccable and always appropriate to the music and venue.
I mention that because the vast majority of drummers I see on bus-and-trailer tours only carry 1 set of cymbals and couldn't make a change if they wanted or needed to and I'm not certain that many of them would perceive any need for changes.
The primary issue here, though, is human behavior. As JR points out from time to time, it's difficult enough to change ourselves - changing others is nearly impossible.
How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has to WANT to change....
