I’m a writer and Drums Merchandiser at zZounds. I enjoy fuzz pedals, house cats and Michigan history facts. I can be seen playing any variation of Telecaster.
Direct-Drive vs. Chain-Drive Kick Drum Pedals
In the world of professional drumming, “feel” is almost always the most important aspect of picking components and hardware for a drum kit. This is why online forums are set on fire when the discussion of direct-drive vs. chain-drive bass drum pedals comes up. Those who love chain-drive for its “solid and real feel” argue […]
Restoring a Thrift Store Snare Drum
If you’re someone who pinches every penny like me, or just someone who wants to wear other people’s used clothes, the thrift store is a great place to frequent when you’re in the buying mood. But short of an old church organ too big for your sub-compact car, there aren’t ever that many musical instruments […]
How to Use a SubKick on Studio Drums
The SubKick has been around for a long time, or at least the idea of it has. Using a reverse-polarity speaker as a dynamic microphone has been around since at least the ’60s as a recording technique, but didn’t popularize until the early 2000s when Yamaha released the SKRM-100. The SubKick uses the physical movement […]
How to Build a DIY SubKick
Yamaha made a splash in the drum miking game when their SKRM-100 SubKick collaboration with session drummer Russ Miller was released in 2004. The practice of wiring a speaker in reverse to act as a transducer has been around for a long time in production, but was made widely accessible with the SKRM-100 release. Ever […]
What to Consider When Buying a New Drum Kit
Trying to navigate the vast scope of drum companies, kit sizes and materials, it can get confusing and hard to make a choice for your first kit. Finding the perfect shell kit to base your entire drum sound on is incredibly important and there are many variables to keep in mind. From considering your drumming […]
TD-17KVXS Kit Demo
In this exclusive video, Roland’s own James Petercsak offers a full rundown of the TD-17KVXS kit and its key features. The included Roland TD-17 sound module boasts a sound engine inherited from the flagship TD-50 module — unlocking pro-quality, expressive sounds that can faithfully reproduce the playability of an acoustic kit. The TD-17 also has […]
How to Mix Voiceover Audio
Voiceover artists are often solely associated with cartoons, commercials or audiobooks by most average consumers. But in today’s content-driven world, voiceover or VO has become incredibly important for things like live streaming, general branding and broad marketing. If you’re creating content with voiceover, whether you do the read yourself, or you bring a professional VO […]
Why Drum Tonewood Matters
The shell kit is a drummer’s main weapon when fighting for a spot in the mix and drum tonewood has to be chosen to match a drummer’s mix desire. From punchy, attack-driven shells to low and slow, resonance-based ones, choosing the right drum tonewood is all about your taste. Though many tonewoods have cool aesthetic […]
Snare Drum Maintenance Guide
Few things in music have as profound an effect on tone as providing regular maintenance to your snare drum. By giving your drum a little T.L.C. every now and then, you can bring an old, dead-sounding snare back to showroom status and keep it up-and-running for years to come. By knowing the ins and outs […]
