I love key rods!! As for tuning for no mics I can do it, but it's darn near impossible to demonstrate the sound on video, b/c it requires mics to capture it! (mics don't hear drums like ears, even a binaural pair at head level doesn't really do it). Doesn't mean I won't attempt it though -- definitely a worthwhile subject. Thanks for chiming in!

Sounds Like A Drum has tons of stuff on that.

That was Dave's idea (my sidekick). Silly, but one shouldn't take themselves too seriously! Thanks for your kind words!

The inside of this drum is sealed, but not smooth. Lauan (a.k.a. Philippine Mahogany)is a very wide, open grain that isn't smooth. The interior is sealed with the same stain (and same faux grain) as the exterior. Though this drum uses the same shell used for Imperialstar drums it wasn't wrapped in plastic and it was coated with zolacoat on the interior. A unique drum line in Tama's history. I dig them (I wish they made more sizes -- I would love to have a 10" and an 18" to go with, but I love the kit just the same). Thanks for being here and for the kind words!

Awesome! So glad to hear. And thank you for the kind words!

Thanks. Cheers!

I love the original Brazilian Grain Royalstar drums. Lacquered Imperialstars, really (without the zolacoat interior -- it has clear coat and same faux grain on the inside). Tama didn't ever seem to know for sure what they were doing with the Royalstar line, so it went from pro to entry-level over the years, but some are real sleepers! I'm gonna do a video on this kit at some point soon, even if just for myself. Hopefully others will like it though! Thanks for chiming in!

Bass drums produce a much punchier and shorter sound in a mix than you might think listening to them in a room. It takes a LOT of sustain from the drum to become a problem in a rock/pop mix. I find short, muffled bass drums to translate in too staccato a fashion in a mix. Much easier to shorten the sound with processing than to lengthen it (and affect all the leakage from the mics in the process). Thanks for your comments!

Thanks so much!

I"m doing a video with that snare for next week. Stay tuned!!! (And thanks for being here!)

@@drumdotpizza yea. Keep shining your light into the darkness

I used to have a Beyer M380, which is figure 8. An odd microphone, but sounded great (and put out darn near line level!!). I have since made a figure 8 mic that sounds good too, but that is another whole thing that I may cover in a video on my recording channel (recordingdotpizza). Thanks for your comments!

@@drumdotpizza Thanks Joel! I have a cad live ribbon mic, i might try that, its supposed to be more sturdy than your usual ribbon, so it should sound great and be a fun experiment

This is generally my approach for all bass drums, but it goes faster (typically) with smaller diameters.

Great idea! Yeah, I think I can help (and will be happy to do such a video for my recording channel, RecordingDotPizza). Thank you for the suggestion!! Short version is this: people say there is no absolute polarity for a mono microphone, but this isn't so. For transient low frequencies you can sense if the sound is coming at you or away from you. Everybody knows drums can be tricky with polarity, because of so many mics in so little space. Whether I'm tracking or mixing I start first by listening to the internal kick mic (if there are two, or just the kick mic if there's only one). I flip the polarity while I audition it, solo'd. Almost always there is one position that FEELS stronger than the other. Put it through speakers and turn it up, so you can feel it. Choose the one you can feel more, then audition the outside mic and again flip polarity only on that mic to see which fits the first better. Then add the top snare mic, flipping the polarity (with the kick mics still open (bypass all processing while you do this, btw) and adjust levels to practical mix settings, auditioning the polarity settings of each new mic(s) added to the mix. From top of snare move to bottom of snare, then hi-hat (this one often causes problems with snare, making it feel indistinct or phased). Then overheads (yes, flipping polarity on overheads can make a HUGE difference in the snare tone). Then toms and room mics. Room mics aren't usually that picky, since they're so far away (usually), but sometimes you'll still be surprised. By starting with only one source and adding others (keeping each previous source in the mix as you build), flipping polarity on each new sources as you go you will solve most of your issues with phasey/odd sounding drums before you even start processing. Hope this helps! (And thank you for the video idea!!)

The bits of Fred's playing I have heard sound like a double headed kick, not very hyped. Probably would use similar head combo as in this video (double ply batter, single ply reso) with a bit more muffling to limit the front head action. Probably would go a tad tighter on the batter too (don't need quite the depth of tone for a more middle of the road sound). Just enough tension on the front head to provide the desired tone inside the drum (an outside mic in front would be good too, though more just to get brief 'oomph' without actual resonance). Small packing blanket inside touching mostly batter, but enough o stifle the reso head beyond a few tens of milliseconds. Just my thoughts. I hope it is helpful. Thanks for chiming in!

It is ! thank you very much. I will absolutely try that. if i have to use a kickdrum with no reso head, would you go for a very loose batter or a tight one ?? @@drumdotpizza

Thank you so much!!

I've never been concerned about carting drums around (even when I was schlepping them around in a vintage mustang back in the 1990s!). The idea of smaller drums never really occurred to me then (though fewer drums did!). I don't like trying to make small drums sound like big drums, and for kicks I haven't found anything below 20" able to sound 'big' without some real tricks in processing. I do love 18" kicks too, but not for a 'big' sound. I always just took the size drums needed to get the sound I was wanting. All of the smaller, more portable drums companies are making now are outside my field of expertise.

For me the port is a practical way to get control over the attack of the drum (being able to put a microphone inside). Simon Phillips (among others) used unproved heads and wires up an internal mic using the vent as a port for the microphone cable, and I have considered doing so to see what difference it makes in the sound -- perhaps this would be an interesting video to do!? Nevertheless, the only miking of unsorted bass drums I have done is miking from the batter side of the drum for the attack (using dynamics processing to remove, as much as possible, the bottom of the snare drum from this mic), and have had fairly good results, but nothing so much as to make me want to do away with holes in the front head. I really should put this to the test.... all these years I've been recording drums and I really haven't ever tried internal miking with no hole in the head. Thanks for the comment!

Yeah, the higher tension on the front heads adds TONS of tone to the interior of the drum, and even a higher pitch than I prefer can translate quite well in a mix. The slight dissonance you might hear in the final example would be virtually indiscernible in a mix. But good ears!!!!

@@drumdotpizza thanks! For me the one mic thing is just live stuff or rehearsal recordings, and you’re right, no way that slight dissonance would be heard in a live setting. Live is always a compromise anyway. All my drums that use actual T-rods, they have to be in line with the hoop, partially for my OCD, but also to fit them in the cases, so the tuning isn’t “perfect” anyway. Once again, thanks for the videos. I appreciate all you hard work.

No zolacoating on the inside of this drum. Clearcoat with the same faux grain printed inside as out. Same shell as Imperialstar, however. 9-ply lauan (a.k.a. Philippine Mahogany), no wrap, no zolacoat. The 2nd Gen Brazilian Grain Royalstars used a 7-ply lauan shell with inner and outer plies of a soft wood called "Shina" (Tilia Japonica) which is similar to American Basswood -- it looks nice, but its softness makes it wear horribly (and not a good tone wood either). 2nd Gen were darker in color and extra deep dimensions only, fewer lugs, etc. Not particularly good drums. LOVE the 1st Gen though!! Gonna have to do a video on them at some point. Thanks for chiming in!!

Thanks for your answer.I've got a tama swing star from the 80's in this size,but with wrap and zola coating inside,8 lugs ,but the shell itself is pritty much the same i quess,that's why i asked so in detail.... i like it a lot,good made shell and good looking too,and a softer wood like those phillipine mahogany seems to be quite good for bass drums.

Well... the former... sort of. It's really wood (9-ply lauan shell) that is stained and lacquered (and also uniquely printed with a faux rosewood-esque grain). So a lacquered shell, no wrap. I really dig this kit!!

;)