< PreviousModern Drummer May 2021 58 DW MFG Extended Footboard Models DW recently added new XF extended footboard options for the entire range of MFG pedals and hi-hat stands. The pedals are machined from aircraft-grade aluminum in California, and are offered as single and double pedals with direct-drive or chain-drive systems. Matching hi-hat stands are available in two- and three-leg options. The 1"-longer XF footboard delivers additional throw and power. The extra length allows more room for players who employ a sliding technique. The new XF MFG base plate’s overall size remains the same as a standard model, due to a modified Mini Contour Heel Plate. The footboard and heel retrofit to existing MFG pedals and hi-hat stands via an XF conversion kit that consists of a preassembled XF footboard, an Interlocking Delta Ball-Bearing Hinge, and a Mini Contour Heel Plate. $TBA. dwdrums.com WFLIII New Lugs and Finishes WFLIII drums are now available in a range of standard and premium wraps and sparkles for clean and bright finishes. They’re also available with standard and premium paint and stain finishes, including fades and bursts. Also new is the Custom Deco lug, which has an imperial look that harkens back to the 1930s. $TBA. wfliiidrums.comModern Drummer May 2021 60 Yamaha DTX6K3-X Electronic Drumset A simple, powerful, and compact solution to keep you playing when acoustic drums aren’t an option. By Michael Dawson Y amaha makes great gear. Period. When it comes to drums— specifically electronics—the company always succeeds in delivering high-quality products to keep you inspired to practice and play to your maximum potential. The DTX6 series of electronic drumsets comprises three different configurations that serve drummers at every level with an easy-to- use, professional-quality instrument for quiet practice, rehearsal, recording, or performance. The kit we received for review—the DTX6K3-X—is the flagship model in this series. Let’s take a closer look at what this drumset has to offer. The Module The centerpiece of all three DTX6 drumsets is the DTX-PRO module. This module comes loaded with natural and electronic drum sounds, including acoustic samples recorded by top studio drummers in world- famous studios. These samples include authentic room ambience that provides a more realistic playing experience. There is room to store up to 230 kits, and the module contains 30 presets that range from perfectly mixed acoustic sets to highly processed electronics and ethnic percussion. For me, the natural rock sounds of the first preset and the bop kit’s ambient jazz tones are all I need for daily practice, while the electronic kits provided a great starting point for building live loops based on classic drum-machine samples. The DTX-PRO module has a simplified control panel with dedicated knobs for three Kit Modifiers: Ambience, Comp, and Effects. The Ambience knob controls reverb. The Comp knob applies compression to the entire kit, and the Effects knob dials in whatever special effects (delay, modulation, distortion, etc.) are assigned to that particular kit. Below the Kit Modifiers sit three volume controls. One is for the master output, one is for auxiliary audio (backing tracks, loops, etc.), and one is for the metronome. Next to the volume controls sit all of the editing buttons for adjusting pad settings, changing instruments, adjusting the mix and effects levels, enabling the internal recorder, and entering the training mode. The control panel’s far-right side includes the on/off power button and the metronome controls, which have a twist knob for tempo and a start/ stop button. I found the layout of the DTX-PRO module to be intuitive and easy to navigate for essential functions. If you prefer an e-kit that you can just turn on, scroll through a few presets, and start jamming right away, you’ll love this thing. If you’re very particular about setting the perfect headphone mix, trigger sensitivities, and so on (like me), you’ll have to dig a bit into the menu to get everything dialed. But, all in all, I had this module tweaked to near perfection in a matter of minutes. Then I was off and running. The back panel of the DTX-PRO module includes a USB port for connecting a flash drive, another USB port for connecting to a computer, a pair of L/R mono 1/4" outputs, a MIDI output, and 1/4" inputs for the drum and cymbal pads. Again, the layout is simple, elegant, and practical. The Hardware The DTX6K3-X comes with the compact RS6 rack, partially assembled out of the box for quicker setup. The frame includes extension arms for the module and cymbals, sturdy plastic brackets and L-arm mounts for the toms, a highly adjustable ball- and-socket mount for the snare, and metal cymbal booms. The cymbal booms have angle-adjustable tilters and a proprietary locking seat that prevents the cymbal pads from rotating out of alignment as you play. The kit comes with an acoustic hi-hat stand and a super-sturdy kick pad tower. I’m usually an outspoken critic of drum racks—especially on electronic kits— but the Yamaha RS6 won me over. I had the kit set up within ten minutes of getting everything out of the box, and it felt very stable without taking up very much real estate in my crowded drum studio. The Pads and Playing Experience The DTX6K3-X kit includes three 13" PCY135 three-zone cymbal pads. They feel reasonably soft, and provide a bit of sway when you strike them for a more authentic playing experience. The 13" RHH135 hi-hat pad has two zones, and it includes a specialized clutch and bottom cup to allow it to play and move naturally on the hi-hat stand. It was easy for me to transfer my acoustic hi-hat techniques to the RHH135, because the feel and response were May 2021 Modern Drummer 61 nearly identical. The 7" XP70 tom pads are single zone. They have a rubber- coated rim and the innovative TCS (Textured Cellular Silicone) head, which provides a soft feel that’s very similar to acoustic toms. The snare is an 8" XP80 three-zone version that provides triggering capabilities for the head, rimshot, and rimclick. This pad performed exceptionally well—even responding to buzz rolls and ghost notes with an accurate response and feel. The kick drum tower features a 7.5" rubber head with multilayer cushioning that feels true to a medium-tuning acoustic drum. It also provides excellent response at all dynamic levels. In total, the playing experience on the DTX6K3-X was very comfortable and familiar. I could sit down and play just like I do on acoustic drums without adjusting my technique in any way. That’s a massive win in my book. The DTX6K3-X retails for $2,420. usa.yamaha.comModern Drummer May 2021 62 Doc Sweeney Drums Legend Series M22 Drumset A divine steam-bent beech setup that’ll make you want to retire your vintage kit for good. By Michael Dawson I n case you haven’t been paying attention, Doc Sweeney Drums is straight killing it with its creative, innovative, and inspiring approach to the solid-shell snare and drumset. We have reviewed many of their drums over the years, and we continue to be blown away by the craftsmanship and the massive-yet-musical sounds. This month, we got our hands on one of the first Legend series drumsets. This new line consists of two different three-piece shell packs that expand the very popular Legends series snares modeled after coveted Slingerland and Leedy solid-shell drums of the 1920s to 1940s. While the Legend series snares come in maple, walnut, and myrtle, the kits come in maple, walnut, and European beech. (Matching beech snares now exist, too.) The Specs We received the M22 configuration, which comprises a 14x22 bass drum, a 9x13 tom, a 15x16 floor tom, and a matching 6.5x14 snare in European beech. Each drum features a sleek Dark Matter finish that gives the drums a striking and timeless look, while allowing the gorgeous woodgrain to peak through the black stain. Hardware appointments include classic triple-flange hoops, heavy-duty spurs, easy-to-adjust floor-tom legs and brackets, and sturdy bass-drum claws. The rack tom comes without a mount, so you’ll need to place it in a snare basket or add a suspension system later. (Spoiler: You won’t need a suspension system to get the maximum tone from this bad boy.) The matching beech snare has eight lugs and Doc Sweeney’s proprietary DS1 rotary throw-off. We’ve talked about the DS1 in previous reviews, but to put it simply: It works…well. Drumheads include Remo Ambassador Vintage Coated batters on the toms and snare, and Ambassador Clear and Hazy Snare Side on the bottoms. The bass drum features a Remo Powerstroke P4 batter and a Fiberskyn front. Sweet Sounds In the accompanying literature, Doc Sweeney states, “Our focus was to build a kit with a big, fat, warm sound.” (Check, check, check!) To achieve that, they incorporated a special 30-degree round-over bearing edge that puts more of the drumhead in direct contact with the steam-bent shell. (For anyone wondering, steam-bent shells consist of a single plank of wood that’s wettened and then softened in a steamer so it can be curved into a circle and glued into place at the joint.) In my experience, steam-bent drums often exhibit punchier and denser tones than their plywood counterparts, but they sometimes succumb to choking out and sounding boxy. That’s not the case with the Legends series kit. These suckers sing! My usual approach to testing a drumset involves balancing and seating the drumheads at a tight tension, and then settling the tuning at intervals that make the most sense for the provided sizes. To sort out resonance, I often tune the batter and resonant heads identically. This approach offers maximum sustain. Once the drums are balanced and singing harmoniously at a high tuning, I’ll then explore every possible tension, from cranked to slack. However, once I got this Legends series kit dialed at medium tight, I simply didn’t want to change a thing. Even with the heads tensioned higher than usual, the drums put out a ton of beefy, thick, and musical tones that had me exploring classic rock beats for hours on end. The only tuning adjustment I ended up making involved backing off the batter heads a quarter turn, which fattened up the sound a bit without losing any response or resonance. These Legend series drums produce a lot of sound, so you don’t have to wallop them to get the walls shaking. And microphones love them, whether you go for a sparse two- or three-mic setup, or a super- detailed multimic configuration. No muffling, no futzing, and no funky overtones are present—just big, juicy, beefy awesome sauce. Also, European beech rules. The M22 shell pack retails for $4,500. An M20 shell pack (8x12, 13x14, and 14x20) is available for $4,350 retail. docsweeneydrums.comModern Drummer May 2021 64 Earthworks Audio DK7 Drum Mic Kit An ideal multi-mic package for capturing the purest essence of your drumset. By Michael Dawson T he DK7 seven-piece microphone set by Earthworks provides everything you need for detailed and accurate multichannel drum recordings and live-performance amplification. This kit includes four DM20 clip-on gooseneck condensers for snare and toms, two SR25mp condensers for overheads, and one SR20LS for a bass drum. The mics and clips fit neatly in a custom, foam-lined hard case for easy and safe storage and transport. Let’s take a closer look at each mic in the DK7. SR25mp Overheads Earthworks made its mark in the drum industry with its small- diaphragm condensers, which excel as overheads onstage or in the studio. The two SR25mp mics included in this pack feature a wide cardioid pattern with a 140-degree sweet spot for an even, balanced picture of the kit. The frequency range is 20 Hz-25 kHz, ensuring that every detail you hear from your instrument live in the room gets captured accurately. The SR25mp mics also withstand up to 145 dB of sound, which means your hardest rimshots won’t distort the recording. These mics also feature more than 30 dB of off-axis rejection, so they won’t pick up much of anything that isn’t within their intended target. This results in a much crisper, more precise sound with minimal ambient bleed from other instruments, stage monitors, or room noise. We tested the SR25mp mics positioned in the recommended X-Y configuration, centered over the kit and 3’ from the snare. The results were downright staggering. The cymbals sounded crisp and clean with a natural stereo spread among the hi-hat, ride, and crashes. The snare sounded full and punchy, and the toms sang just as beautifully as they did acoustically in the room. Frankly, you could get away with using only these two mics and a kick mic for any situations where you want an organic, drums-in-a-room sound. The sound of the SR25mp is pretty neutral. They’re not hyped up and bright, nor are they dark and muddy. This means you can sculpt the final sound to your liking with a little (or a lot) of EQ. I was able to push the ultra-highs more than I can with typical small-diaphragm condensers without the sound becoming harsh or shrill. Likewise, I could bump up the low mids to emphasize the fundamentals of the toms and snare without the mix becoming cloudy or muffled. My drum room is mainly untreated, so some hard reflections sometimes lead to a harsh and smeary overhead sound. That wasn’t the case with the SR25mp mics. They pick up only what you point them at, which resulted in a pristine, detailed, and nuanced sound with minimal mixing. DM20 Drum Mics Even though you could get away with miking your kit with just the SR25mp and a kick mic, there will be times when you need more reinforcement for your snare and toms. The DM20 is a clip-on cardioid condenser mic that features a flexible gooseneck so you can get an ideal position between drums May 2021 Modern Drummer 65 and in other hard-to- reach places. These mics have a frequency response of 20 Hz-20 kHz, and a maximum input level of 150 dB. Again, that’s plenty of headroom for even the hardest rimshots imaginable. The DM20’s RM1 rim- mount clip is made with sturdy metal parts, and it has a notched hoop lock that ensures that the mic stays in position once it’s tightened in place. Even though I love the crispness and detail that small-diaphragm condensers provide when used as close mics on drums, I often forgo them for duller- sounding dynamic mics to minimize cymbal bleed and other sympathetic resonances. The DM20 may have changed my mind. These mics had such exemplary off-axis and rear rejection that all sounds other than those made by the target drums were practically non-existent. The DM20 on the snare was especially impressive for minimizing dreaded hi-hat bleed. As for the quality of snare and tom sounds that the DM20 mics captured, they were about as accurate as you could ever want. Of course, this means you need to make sure your drums sound great at the source. If you have a great-sounding drum, the DM20 is going to replicate it beautifully. SR20LS Bass Drum Mic While the DM20 and SR25mp mics won me over for any and all drum-miking situations, the SR20LS took a little more convincing that it would have what it takes to deliver a punchy, snappy sound for most modern music. Like the DM20s, this cardioid mic has a frequency range of 20 Hz-20 kHz, and it can withstand up to 150 dB of sound-pressure levels. The obvious application for the SR20LS is positioned outside of a medium or high-tuned bass drum for a more organic tone. Earthworks suggest placing the mic near the hoop and angling it 45 degrees towards the center of the head. I also tried my favorite position, which is 4.5" away from the head, and 1.5" off-center. I angled the mic 45 degrees to ensure that the air coming off the drum didn’t overwhelm the mic and distort the sound. Both positions provided exemplary results. The drum sounded punchy, but not overly so, and the tone, sustain, and decay matched what I heard from the drum acoustically in the room. The SR20LS picked up a bit more ambient bleed than the DM20s, but not so much to cause any phasing or balance issues when mixing all the mics. As the SR20LS sounds fantastic on the outside of a bass drum, if you’re a jazz player—or just looking to capture your kick as authentically as possible—this mic is the ticket. But how does it sound when stuffed inside the shell and heavily treated to achieve the pronounced click needed in most modern applications? Well, true to form, the SR20LS captures what it hears. And what it hears inside a bass drum isn’t necessarily the most beautiful sound in the world. But once I started applying some fairly aggressive EQ, everything cleaned up quickly. And I could easily transform the sound from subtly articulate to ultra-hyped without losing a sense of balance or realness. Now, if you only need a kick mic that delivers extreme attack and beefy low end, then there are cheaper options. However, if you want a versatile mic that can do the modern aggressive thing when needed, while also being a stellar choice for capturing very natural and pure bass-drum tones, the SR20LS will check all the boxes. Ultimately, I’d probably flesh out the DK7 mic kit with a cheap dynamic bass mic that I could toss inside the kick for extra attack, while leaning on the rich, full sound of the SR20LS on the outside of the drum. Retail price is $2,999. earthworksaudio.com.Modern Drummer May 2021 66 I t’s almost impossible to talk about drums in Los Angeles without Paul Jamieson’s name coming up. “Jamo”—as he is known to virtually every top drummer and producer in L.A.—has been a first-call drum tech for nearly 50 years. When he began working in the early 1970s, it was before the term “drum tech” had even been coined, and he was an early pioneer of the Los Angeles drum- cartage industry. He also had a knack for making drums sound great. He soon discovered he could earn more for delivering an immaculately tuned drumset to another drummer’s recording session than he could earn actually playing the session. He founded Paul Jamieson Studio Rentals with just himself, a van, a few snare drums, and his own set of Ludwig drums. From those humble beginnings, Jamo’s drum inventory grew to more than 25 sets, 100 snares, and countless cymbals and percussion items. The collection was housed in his warehouse in North Hollywood, along with his rather impressive car collection that includes a staggering number of vintage Detroit muscle cars, Corvettes, and Porsches. Talk about a candy store! Demand for Jamo’s services skyrocketed as Los Angeles became the hottest recording destination in the world, and he worked closely with all the top drummers, including Jeff Porcaro, Tony Williams, Gerry Brown, Steve Smith, Russ Kunkel, Mick Fleetwood, Steven Adler, Phil Collins, Alex Van Halen, and Steve Jordan. Some of the artists he has supported include Toto, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Heart, and John Mayer. In addition, top producers and engineers such as David Foster, Mark Ronson, Al Schmitt, Ron Nevison, and Niko Bolas all consider Jamo as part of their studio “A-Team.” While this is a pretty impressive list, it barely scratches the surface of the countless artists he has supported. I’ve been talking with Jamo for years about selling his drum inventory, but it wasn’t until he finally decided to retire last year that I was able to fly to Los Angeles to get a first-hand look at this truly amazing collection. Our plan was to inventory and photograph all of his drums, and eventually list them for sale on my website. Jamo is a great storyteller, and after 50 years in this business, Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault The Paul “Jamo” Jamieson Collection An extremely rare 1920s Ludwig Black Beauty. This drum, with its left- leaning engraved logo, is one of only two known to exist. PlayThe Rolling Stones rented this vintage Gretsch set for its 1997 “Saint of Me” video shoot.Next >