Gearhead Thoughts: Back to Double Bass, and My Studio H Experience

I have just survived playing without a double bass pedal for almost a year.  October last year, I decided to take a vacation on double bass and return to single bass drumming, as documented in this October 2009 blog.  Now, I am happy to say that I'm back to playing double bass.

I got myself a second-hand DW 5002AH Delta 2 double bass pedal two weeks ago.  I bought it from a friend, and I think I'm the third or fourth owner of this pedal.  It's an old model, but it's still in great mechanical condition.  I just needed to clean it up a bit after I got it.  I made some research on this particular model, and I reckon that this particular DW model was built circa 2002, judging from the footboards with the words "chain drive" casted above the distinct 5000 trademark.  This model must be the first to have DW's Delta ball bearing hinges, with its distinct red finish.  Plus, this model was the first to be featured with optional accessories such as pedal weights and stacking Elevator heels.  The DWs I got have the weights, which are those round things screwed at the top end of the footboards.

Back in the day, when I was still starting out, DW's 5000 line of pedals were the most sought-after drum pedals, and these were the benchmark and cutting edge in terms of design, technology, and playability.  In fact, they were my dream pedals.  Until, the Japanese came out with their Iron Cobras (Tama) and Powershifter Eliminators (Pearl), which offer plenty of high tech features and player customization.  Then, American pedal manufacturers such as Axis and Trick took pedal innovations notches higher.  Nowadays, there are so many great drum pedals to choose from, and I guess we somehow owe it all to DW.  As far as I'm concerned, the DW 5000 pedals are the pioneers of the modern bass drum pedal.

It's cool that I now have a DW 5002 double pedal.  Though second-hand, I can still say that I'm able to get my dream pedal.  Though it doesn't offer as much customization as the Cobras and Elims which I used to have, the DW still has that great feel, which is what matters the most.  I don't know if it comes with maturity, but I'm probably getting less techy when it comes to pedals.  I would still love to have a high-tech set of pedals someday, once it's time for me to upgrade.  But for now, I'm enjoying these good old 5000's, which still feels great even with all its mileage and battle scars.  And now, I have to shed off some of my double bass rust.  Better get my footwork back on track.

***


It's great timing that I got back to double bass.  Recently, I was called to do this recording session.  We recorded an original progressive rock composition, so it was an opportunity for me to go back to my rock roots and play some double bass.

It's a privilege for me to do a recording session at Hit Productions' Studio H last Sunday afternoon.  It was my first time to do a session there, and it was a treat for me.  Hit Productions is among the best audio production houses in the country, and their flagship Studio H reflects their quality, innovation, and their knack for the latest technology.  For me, Studio H is like the 19 East of local recording studios.  The studio is so well-equipped.  The house kit is a Mapex Saturn, which sounded sweet.  They have a stable of over a dozen snare drums of different shells and sizes, some of it are custom-made models from companies which I never get to read about in my drum magazines.  Plus they have a wide selection of cymbals.  I am particularly impressed with the set of Paiste Twenty cymbals, which I was able to try for the first time.  If I were to use Paistes, the Twenty would be my line of cymbals.  However, for the recording, I need brighter, heavier cymbals.  Plus, they have enough drum hardware for drummers who need to improvise with their set-ups.

Studio H also has a baby grand piano, and plenty of high-tech recording tools and gadgets.  The recording facility is also a haven for guitar and bass players, for there's an impressive collection of electric and acoustic guitars & bass guitars lined up along the walls of the mixing room.  It's simply topnotch, and by far it's the most impressive recording studio I've ever visited.

Going back to the recording session, one of the bosses from Hit has this original progressive rock composition.  For me, the song's got an old-school feel in it, with a twist of Frank Zappa & Black Sabbath.  The song is funny.  It is about this fictional superhero, who will be revealed as a homosexual later in the middle of the tune.  There's some straight-ahead parts in 4/4, then the tricky odd-time pre-chorus, which I counted out was in 19/8.  It was a challenging session for me because first, it's been a long time since I last played heavy progressive rock music.  Second, I have to learn the song on the fly (while the people I worked with already knew the song).  And third, I am recording with complete strangers!  It sure took me some time to learn the track on the spot, particularly the transitions and the different grooves.  Yet, at the end of the day, I thought it's a great challenge for me, and I hope that I'm able to satisfy the songwriter & my fellow sessionists.  Though I wish I had more time, I think I could have done a much better job.

For that session, I set up the Mapex house kit with 3 toms (10"-12"-14").  My cymbals were a mix of Zildjians, Sabians & Paistes.  My ride cymbal was a 22" Sabian Neil Peart Paragon Ride, which sounded big yet crisp.  My effects cymbals were a Paiste Twenty splash & China, which sounded well on the mix.  The hats and the crashes were all Zildjian.  I also used my Old Faithful 14" Tama Starclassic Maple snare drum.  No disrespect meant to Studio H's snare drum collection, but I thought of using my own drum so that I can hear how it sounds on recording.  And finally, I hooked in my DW 5000 double bass pedal, which I got to use on a few fills & some straight-ahead passages.

I hope to have another opportunity to work again at Studio H.  I had a blast.

The Pearl Demon Drive: Another Ideal Pedal Choice

I mentioned in this blog which I wrote a couple of months ago about my aspiration of acquiring a very good double bass pedal, in particular, the Axis A Longboard model which I was able to try out at The Drum Shop. Like what I said, I admire its design and mechanical simplicity, and it works and feels like a dream. However, adding to its high costs (because it's made in the US), I have heard and read reviews & comments regarding reliability issues & how hard it can be to get hold of its spare parts. These concerns are huge factors for working musicians like me.

I still dig the Axis. But, as a strong alternative, I am now considering this product: The Pearl Demon Drive double bass pedal.

The Demon Drive is Pearl's latest pedal creation. Actually, it was introduced early last year, and it has become a hit among many drummers all over the world, especially to most double bass shredders out there. This is Pearl's most advanced pedal design. It's got direct link drive, Ninja ball bearings (which are used on skateboards), Zero Latency U-Joints, and a host of other convenience and performance features. The most impressive part is its ability to be converted from a split-type footboard pedal into a longboard pedal, and back. By far, this is the only pedal out of the market with that capability. Plus, it's an added bonus that it looks cool too.

But for me, the best things about the Demon Drive are: it's sold a bit cheaper than the Axis (and most high-end US-brand double pedals), it's Japanese (i find the Japanese brands more reliable), and spare parts are more accessible (thanks to Pearl's local distributor, JB Music).

I've already tried a single pedal version of the Demon Drive recently at a session gig in 19 East, where they have it on standby. It was easy on the foot and I like how it felt. And that pedal was on its stock splitboard mode. I wish I had the time to convert it in longboard mode & tinker with some of its settings.

I am now giving the Demon Drive a strong consideration.

Pearl ePro Live Electronic Drumset

Just when I thought that innovative electronic percussion manufacturing giants like Roland, Yamaha, and ddrum have already created the ultimate in electronic percussion gear & have done everything to push design advancements and technologies to its highest peak, major acoustic drum manufacturer Pearl just took it to another level and slapped it silly! Pearl's new ePro Live electronic drumset was recently introduced, and it's beginning to make waves among drumming circles and the drum & percussion industry.

The video explains and demonstrates it in full audio-visual detail. This is very promising stuff.

Witnessing A Master At Work

I have a good number of musical mentors and inspirations. This past year, I've blogged a number of times about Benjie Mendez, one of my local drumming idols and one of the best Filipino drummers ever. And it's a privilege that I've become good friends with Bagets, and got to know the man better as a person, beyond his status as a Pinoy drumming icon. It's an honor and a blessing.

Last Monday, Jason Reyes (K24/7 road manager) and I accompanied Bagets to his recording session. The night before, Bagets asked me a favor; requesting if I could help him take his drum equipment to Asiatec Pink Noise Studio (along Roces Avenue, QC) for his recording date, since he knows that I have a van. Good thing there's nothing scheduled to do during the day, so I agreed on helping him transport his gear.

Jason and I made it at Bagets' home (in QC) at 9am. Bagets' calltime at Pink Noise is 10am. When we arrived, Bagets was still in his pambahay clothes. He just woke up, had a smoke, then talked about his drummer visitors the night before, going to sleep at around 4am, and the Heroes TV series which he's currently crazy about.

Bagets' personal drumkit was used for the recording session. His drumkit is the Pearl Session Birch SBX, and this recording was the first time these drums were actually used! Bagets bought this drumkit brand new over a year ago. And he never actually set it up and played on it! It was in its box all this time! Bagets is quite obsessive-compulsive with equipment, and he claimed that he doesn't want to take out this drumkit until his new house is fixed or until he's got complete equipment or something like that. In fact, he almost sold this beautiful drumkit! But I'm glad he did not. And the recording is a nice opportunity to hear the potential of these birch drums.

So, Bagets prepared himself, then we loaded all the drum gear in my van, then left for Pink Noise at around 945am. Around 20 minutes later, we arrived at Pink Noise. This is a first-class, state-of-the-art recording studio which has made quite a big name in the local music biz. Pink Noise recently moved from their old site (which was also within the QC area), so the facility is pretty much brand new. The studio is at the second floor of the building, so it was quite a chore carrying the gear from my van at the front parking lot, then to a hallway, up a flight of stairs, and finally inside the spacious studio. The studio facility is very impressive, with all its high-end equipment and well-designed studio rooms. Studio engineer Dominic Benedicto welcomed us.

After moving Bagets' drum gear in a studio room, the three of us had brunch at a nearby KFC resto, since we only had coffee for breakfast and we were all hungry. Of course, the meal became more enjoyable because of the kwentuhan, mostly about music and fellow musicians. After that, we went back to the studio. This was a great opportunity for me, because this was my first time witnessing Bagets work on a recording session. Actually, it was my first time to witness a topnotch drummer work on a recording.

Bagets was called to do drum tracks for a number of songs, which will eventually become part of an album planned to be released in Australia. First thing he did was listen to the first track which he'll be working on. After a few minutes, he moved to the drum room and began setting up his drumkit. Here I witnessed certain examples of how obsessive-compulsive the man is... His drums and hardware neatly wrapped with cloth and plastic, holding every gear with cloth (so that there wouldn't be any dirt or finger marks left on it), all memory locks already set in place, folded plastic bags separating multi-clamps from the stands (to avoid possible scratches)... Man, I think he's even more OC than me!

Bagets has these distinct drum sounds in most of his recordings. So I was keeping an eye (and ear) on how he tunes the drums. His drums were still mounted with stock Pearl Protone drumheads, which are pretty decent heads, though not as good as the high-end and tried-and-tested Remo or Evans skins. Bagets wished that he had single-ply heads for his toms such as Remo Ambassadors. Though the Protone skins projected a decent sound, he wasn't really contented with it. So he kept tuning until he found a decent sound on each drum.

The drums sounded really lively in the studio, thanks to its recording-friendly birch shells. Bagets began doing his warm-ups, and he was already burning then. He even shared to me some of his personal tricks, which I consider as a gold mine of understanding his distinct drumming style. Later on, he let me play the drumkit so that he can hear the drum sounds from the mixing room. There he realized that the drums indeed sounded wonderful. By the way, Bagets' drumkit sounded and felt really good when I played on it. After a coffee break and another batch of kwento, Bagets went on and began working.

The demos were quite a pain in the ass. Imagine... These are digitally-prepared play-along tracks; yet for some freaking reason, the notes were not quantized, the instruments were not on the dot with each other, and tempo was off in various parts! Bagets was scratching his bald head all day, shouting out all his classic hirit. Being a drummer, I know how it feels when we are playing along to a track with an awkward tempo and feel. And Dominic found ways to make it easier for Bagets, by somehow making the click tracks much clearer for him to play along. Besides, Dominic said that it is why he called Bagets for the job, because he believes he can pull it off.

And Bagets did pull it off! That day, he nailed down four tracks. And each track was a challenge to lay down. There were certain moments where in we were watching Bagets from the mixing room, and Dominic, Jason, and I were just laughing, shaking our heads, and just can't believe it. Bagets has once again done his magic. Dominic was at awe with Bagets' time sense. The phenom was so on the dot with the click track, we can't even hear it anymore; instead, we felt it. It's like the man was born with a metronome in his body. And of course, Bagets made it feel oh so good! There was one moment where in he was beginning to feel tired of one song, he made this incredible one-bar drum fill to end the track! Ah, the magic of spontaneity.

Besides witnessing Bagets do his recording work, it was fun hanging out with the guys, cracking jokes in between takes and laughing at Bagets' famous one-liners. One realization... Despite the challenging session, Bagets was somehow able to keep his cool. He's a true professional recording artist. And another... Even seasoned pros and masters can still have a difficult time at the studio. It's about confidence and composure, and being on top of your game.

I feel very privileged to witness a master at work in the recording studio. It's so inspiring. The next time I lay down my drum tracks for our recordings (hopefully very soon), I now have an added arsenal of ideas, tricks, and inspiration.

Bubinga!

I had a blast last night. We had a gig at the Manila Pavilion, and it's for this school event of ISHRM. It was a great gig because the crowd was really wonderful, most of them were up on their feet and responded well, and we played well despite the absence of one of our singers Kim Madridejos (rest in peace to Kim's grandmother).

But what really made my day is sound system provider Ricky Ramos' new drumkit... A spanking brand new Tama Starclassic Bubinga drumkit!! Oh my God... This is one of my dream drumkits! It was my first time to play on a full Starclassic drumset. And what's more... It's a bubinga wood kit!

When I arrived at the Manila Pavilion, some of my bandmates were already there and were telling me that Ricky Ramos has a new drumkit. When I entered the Coral Ballroom, I can't believe what I was seeing. What a beautiful sight! I was speechless, and I was close to tears (yeah, I'm that shallow when it comes to things like this). I commended Sir Ricky for his choice of new drumkit, and I kept on saying to him and to everyone around me that this is one of my dream drumkits. And I was at awe with the fact that I'm going to play that kit.

The new drumkit is so beautiful, I needed to stand back, stare at it, and admire its beauty. When I was setting up and adding some of my personal gear to the kit, there were moments when I just have to pause for awhile and admire the drumkit once again.

Pardon the photo. The spotlight was too strong. I'll take better pics next time.

The Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit has a white finish with a diamond strip inlay around the middle of each drumshell. The outer ply is actually maple wood, for finishing purpose (Note: Tama offers the top-of-the-class Starclassic Bubinga Omni-Tune kit, which is 100% bubinga wood and has this high-tech tuning system). This baby just came out early this year, so it has all the latest specs offered on Starclassic drums, such as the re-designed Star-Cast tom mounting system, which is now finished in chrome (or black nickel, or brushed nickel; depending on the drum's hardware finish) and is more streamlined (its shape contours with the die-cast hoop's shape).

It's a 6-piece set-up: 10" and 12" toms, 14" and 16" floor toms, 22" kick, and a matching 5.5"x14" snare drum. I played on them... And it was drummer heaven. The news about bubinga is definitely true. The toms were singing and the kick drum was downright thunderous. I love the toms! It's very responsive to dynamics and the notes are so clear. I don't need to forcefully wallop the drums in order to make its presence felt. But when I did, wow it responded with authority! It has that in-your-face sound. One can definitely feel the power of these drums. The 10" tom has that timbale-like crack, and the 16" floor tom sounded really huge (I tuned it as low as possible)! The Starclassic Bubinga snare drum also sounded incredible, and produced the same sound qualities which I just described.

It was my first time to play on a full bubinga kit. My verdict on a bubinga drum's sound? It's like a maple drum on steroids. The guys from Tama are right... You need to hear it to believe it. I'm a believer now.
Tama is the first drum company to utilize bubinga wood as a primary shell material. Before, bubinga (also known as African rosewood) is used as an exterior ply on drums because of its beautiful grain and deep, dark, exotic look. Bubinga is also used on other musical instruments, most commonly on bass guitars.

Though the Starclassic Bubinga snare drum sounded great after I got its tuning right, I still set up and played my trusty 5"x13" Tama Artwood snare drum. The latter's sound is a much better fit to my band's style of music. The new kit also came with Tama's Iron Cobra double pedal and hi-hat stand. I used to own an Iron Cobra double pedal. I was feeling nostalgic, so I decided to use it and give my current Pearl Eliminator double pedal its day off. Though heavier in feel, it worked nicely.

Our one-and-a-half hour-long set last night was one of our best gigs this year. Ricky Ramos is one of the best in the business, and the sound and the equipment were topnotch. And thanks to my joy and excitement of playing on a beautiful set of high-quality drums, I was really on top of my game. It was probably one of my best performances this year. I was really wailing on the toms. I played a bunch of multi-tom fills and licks which caught the attention of my bandmates at times. The toms were really singing, I just had to play them more! I love doing some of those wild drum licks from time to time. And it's such a satisfying feeling when I'm able to nail those chops on a great-sounding set of drums.

It's true... Great-sounding, high-quality musical instruments can really help a musician express himself/herself much better. And every passionate and dedicated musician is deserving of such quality gear.

I'm home, still wide awake, drinking hot choco, listening to music, and writing this blog entry... and I'm still having the Bubinga hangover! I wish I can have my own Bubinga kit someday. I'm looking forward to playing that drumkit again. See you later, Bubinga!!

Gear Review: Pearl Powershifter Eliminator Double Bass Drum Pedal

It's almost a month since I got my brand new Pearl Powershifter Eliminator double bass drum pedal. Despite the few weeks of use on gigs, rehearsals and recording, I think all that time (and work) is good enough to make a review of these nice top-of-the-line pedals from Pearl.

First of all, I used to be a Tama Iron Cobra double pedal user (I used to have the Rolling Glide model). Second, the reason I got this new pedal is because I'm having the urge to improve my foot technique. And I thought that a great way to inspire myself is to get a better set of pedals. I was thinking about getting the Power Glide (offset cam) version of the Iron Cobra. Then, I read and heard a lot of raves about Pearl's Eliminator pedals. Out of curiosity, I decided to check out these pedals.

A couple of months ago, I got to test the Eliminators (thanks to Mr. JP Buduan of Yupangco Music, the local distributor of Pearl drum products). I tested both the chain-driven and the belt-driven versions. Straight out of the box, both pedals felt great. The chain-driven Elims have a great, direct response. But I fell in love with the smooth, floating feel of the belt-driven Elims. I was so impressed, I had one unit reserved for me. A month later and in time for Yupangco's summer sale, I finally got it.

The packaging and the bag that came with it are nicely made. The box is well-designed and printed, I decided to keep it aside instead of throwing it away for recycling. The double pedal bag is something that our p.a. Art really appreciates. It's a soft case, yet it is well-stitched and its fabric material is built for heavy-duty work.

The bag is compact, has a nice ergonomic handle & it can be used with a shoulder strap, which Art really likes because of its "wear-ability" (compared to the Iron Cobra's hard case, which is bulkier and doesn't have a shoulder strap). It even has outside and inside pockets for accessories and other gig essentials such as pencils, notes, metronome, cables, etc. The pedal's extra cams and accessories are even packaged in these nice "jewel box" plastic cases.

The Elims have plenty of hi-tech features which really give me plenty of custom adjustments, depending on my playing style and preferences. My favorite features are the interchangeable cams and the Traction Control Footboard.

With the interchangeable cams, I can choose from 6 different kinds of color-coded cams (4 cams are stocked; 2 are sold separately). The beauty of this system is it's like having many different kinds of pedals, all in one unit. I simply have the freedom to choose the cam that I prefer. Right now I'm using the more extreme red cam, which gives me the most power and the fastest response. I'm also experimenting with the blue cam, another offset cam which I find slightly more controllable than the red cam. I also tried the concentric black and white cams, where in I really felt its smooth, uniform response and balance (which reminded me of my good old Rolling Glide Cobras). The cams are also so easy to attach and detach, thanks to the aid of a push button.

The Traction Control Footboard is the feature that I truly appreciate. Since I have a sliding-style footwork, I took advantage of the footboard's adjustability. There are two sides - the grip side and the slide side. I mounted the slide side nearest to my foot. For maximum slip, I removed all the rubber Traction Dots. This set-up gives me the ultimate in bass drum sliding footwork. And if the time comes when I want my foot to stick to the pedal, I can easily adjust the Traction Control Footboard and re-mount the rubber Traction Dots. It's that easy; and I can't think of any other pedal which can give a drummer that kind of option.

In regards to its performance... To be honest, I'm still in the process of experimenting with various pedal set-ups. I'll hopefully find my best custom pedal set-up sooner or later. In the meantime, my current red cam, "all-slide" set-up is working really well for me. I find the Elims' overall feel to be somewhere between the lighter DW pedals and the slightly heavier, beefier Iron Cobra pedals. I feel like my footwork style is matched for the Elims. It's not too light, not too heavy; it's just right.

Oh yeah, another thing that I love about the Elims... the Quad Beater. It has 4 different beater surfaces (2 felt & 2 plastic, each with different surface area impacts), which gives me the option of 4 different kinds of bass drum sounds. Most of the time, I'm using the felt surface with the wider line contact.

On gigs and practices, I really feel comfortable and confident with the pedal. As long as the peds are well-maintained, everything's tight and in proper order, I'm not foreseeing any problems for this pedal. Speaking of tight, I always make sure that all of the pedal's screws and adjustments are always tightened up nicely before any performance. After a week of gigging, recording and rehearsals, I took the peds out for maintenance and noticed that a number of screws (in particular, from the belt drive's drumkey-head screw and the Traction Control Footboard's allen screws) loosened just a little bit. So, better keep those in check. I'm glad I'm not so lazy when it comes to maintenance.

I have a few cons on the Elims. First, I wish that the Elims' tension springs are similar to the Iron Cobra's, where in one can just pull out the ball bearings holding the spring tensions, for storage purposes. With that, set-up and tear-down is easier & there's no need to unscrew the beaters. It's an Iron Cobra feature that the Eliminators do not have, and I'm missing it. Another thing is, I hope that the Elims are built tough just like the Iron Cobras. My 3-year old Iron Cobras are so durable, when I sold it to its new owner, he was surprised because its feel was like brand-new. Only time can tell whether the Elims are built to last. I have a few friends who own 3-to-5-year old Elims, so I'm expecting that much life span for my pedals.

Overall, I'm enjoying the Eliminator pedals, I appreciate all its high-tech features, and I'm hoping that these peds can help me improve my footwork and be with me for a good number of years.