New Era Drum Tracks

I want to look back at my recording sessions, and share some of my thoughts about my drum tracks in our New Era album.

I played drums on four tracks in our album - Sweetest Thing, Don't Ever Let Go, Your Smile, and Pangako.

Sweetest Thing

"My bandmates and I were in the studio, working on "Sweetest Thing", which is the last song we finished for our upcoming album. This is an original song written for us by our dear friend Mike Luis of Freestyle. Mike is a genius when it comes to songwriting, and the song is sooo good that it gave my bandmate Paolo quite a headache while he was working on it in his computer haha, figuring out some of the notes Mike used (because Mighty Mike wasn't able to chart the notes, I think). It's a groovy, bouncy, and catchy tune. Anyway, the vocal parts were recorded on Wednesday night. Earlier that day, we had a last-minute decision to have my drum parts recorded live. At first, we thought of programming the drum parts. But I thought that I should play the drum parts live. I like the song, I like Paolo's drum ideas for it, and I was determined to put my mark in that song. And so, we booked a recording date at Blue Door Studio in Quezon City (the same studio where I recorded my drum parts for 'Pangako'). I was scheduled the next evening."

"In the studio, I set up a small kit which I felt would fit the song just right. My drumming inspiration for this song is Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, drummer and producer of Philadelphia-based hip-hop band The Roots. I went for the less-is-more approach. For this track, I want my drums to sound crisp and tight, almost like a toy, but still "realistic" enough for listeners to say, 'Hey, those are live drums!' I used three drums - an 18"x 20" kick and a 14" tom, which are both from my Tama Superstar kit, and my 5.5"x10" Black Panther Premium Maple, my choice snare drum for this track. I set up a few Zildjian cymbals - a pair of 12" A Special Recording Hi-Hats and a 16" K Dark Thin Crash (the said cymbals belong to my drummer friend Marco Katigbak), and my 20" K Custom Medium Ride. I thought of using my 8" A Custom Splash, but I find it too bright-sounding for the song, so I decided to remove it on my studio set-up. Paolo thought of using flammed cross-sticks for the backbeats on some of the verses, which is why I had my 13" Tama Artwood Maple snare drum on standby for that purpose (since I won't be able to play cross-sticks on a 10" snare). But later on during the session, we decided not to play cross-sticks anymore. And so, it was the 10" Black Panther all the way."

--- excerpts from my October 29, 2008 blog


I am pretty much happy with the outcome of this track, as I was somehow able to estimate the sound and feel I envisioned for the song. We got the tight, snappy, toy-like sound out of the drums, plus the bouncy & playful feel. The 10" Black Panther snare was the star of the drum set-up I used in that track. I remember feeling quite loose during this session, so it enabled me to become more playful behind the kit. Yet, I was having that "?uestlove-ish", less-is-more vibe, and I was making sure that my parts would still serve the music right. The tricky part in this track is the bridge part, where the groove shifts to a tight 16th note feel, against the shuffle grooves played through the verses and choruses.

This is one fun song to play, and drummers who'll play to this song can go loose. I look forward to playing this tune live.

Don't Ever Let Go

"I just recorded some of my drum tracks this week at SoundsRite Recording Studio in Makati, which is operated by drummer Boyet Aquino (who is best-known for his work with Francis M's band Hardware Syndrome). The studio has a good reputation for its high-end equipment and facility & quality recording results, and its clients include a good number of big names in the music biz. Though Boyet has an impressive collection of high-end drums, I still chose to use my Tama Superstar kit."

"On the Monday night session, I recorded Don't Ever Let Go, which was written by Paolo. This is quite a difficult track for me because of the crafty drum parts Paolo envisioned for the song. This was the old song which we recorded at Blue Door Studio a couple of years ago, but had some bad luck. I'm already through with that unfortunate experience, and I'm glad that I'm able to perform better in the studio this time, without any technical problems."

"I can't remember what I ate that time, or if the stars were aligned during those nights. But for some reason, I feel good with recording my drum tracks at SoundsRite."

"In the studio, I brought with me my Tama Superstar kit, which has birch shells (birch drums are tried and tested in recording/studio situations). My toms are fitted with clear Evans G2 batters. My 18"x20" kick drum is fitted with an Evans EMAD batter and an Evans EQ3 Resonant black front head (with 5" offset hole). Though my drums are pretty much set up for live situations, I was eager to hear how it performs in the recording studio. At first, the drums sounded big and boomy. After some tweaking, we were able to get decent tom sounds which responded well in the mix and complimented the songs. I should try coated batter heads next time for the toms, for a warmer sound. The kick drum's heads needed to be loosened and Boyet placed some cloth inside in order to kill some of the overtones (because of the EMAD head, I don't have any muffling inside my kick drum). We were able to get a decent, thuddy, low-end sound from the kick."

"Opting to play simpler drum parts in the recording compared to what I would normally play on a gig, I only used the 10" and 14" toms, though I had the 12" tom set aside, in case it's needed. I was also able to use my 5"x13" Tama Artwood Maple and 5.5"x10" Black Panther Maple snare drums. I tried my Old Faithful 5.5"x14" Tama Starclassic Maple, but the Magic Drum and the Cat sounded more fitting for the songs. I was also able to use my two broken Zildjian K Custom Dark crash cymbals. Even if they had those cracks and were de-modified, they still retain that K Custom magic in their sound. It still has that complex, trashy & sophisticated character, while the damages dried up its decay. I kept these old cymbals because I felt that they'll work well in the studio. And gladly, they did."

--- excerpts from my April 26, 2008 blog


Don't Ever Let Go has become a favorite among most of our loyal friends and following. The story behind the making of this song is interesting. First of all, Paolo wrote this love song based on one bandmate's past relationship experience (guess who). Second, during the first couple of drum recording sessions for this song back in '07, the computer at Blue Door Studio crashed - twice! And during that time, never did that incident happened in that studio, which pretty much has a decent track record. And it's so funny and coincidental that the two gear crashes happened during the sessions for this one song. There's really something about this song.

Finally, we were able to record the drum parts at SoundsRite studio in the summer of '08. I think the delays on the drum recordings in '07 were destined to happen. Because during the SoundsRite sessions, I was more confident, I was more prepared, and I had my then-brand new Tama Superstar kit prepared for recording.

I think I finished the recording in a couple of hours, which surprised me because I never thought I'll finish that soon, considering the sensitivity of the song and some of the more specific drum parts Paolo wanted. Those drum fills during the bridge and the last chorus? I can't remember the number of times I did retakes! I would have played the drum parts differently in this track. But this was Paolo's composition, so with him being the composer and producer, I have to respect that.

I said this to most of our friends, and I'll say it again... Don't Ever Let Go is the most challenging song that I've recorded in our album. And it's even more challenging to play it live. Believe me, it's not as easy as it sounds.

In this song, my main snare drum is my workhorse "Magic Drum" 5"x13" Tama Artwood Maple. Plus, I have once again proven my theory on broken K Customs in this recording session. Despite the defects, they sounded lovely in the studio.

Your Smile

"I recorded Your Smile, which was a bit easier for me because of its groovier, more straight-ahead nature; yet we need to make sure that my parts feel and sound right for the songs."

--- excerpt from my April 26, 2008 blog

Many listeners would think that the drum parts in Your Smile are programmed. But no, the whole thing is 100% live recording. It might not sound obvious during the first half of the song, which is mostly straight-ahead cross-stick grooves. But once the snare drum comes in at the last chorus after the bridge, that would hint the use of real drums played by a real drummer. Listen to the dynamics of the snare drum backbeat. I was in my "drum machine" mode during this song's recording session, yet I still want it to feel like it's human. And I have to say, this is one of my favorite tracks in our album.

Two snare drums were set up for this track. The main snare is my "Old Faithful" 14" Tama Starclassic Maple. It has the die-cast hoops, so I played the cross-sticks on that drum. On the left side of the kit is the 10" Black Panther Maple, where I played the backbeats of the last chorus. In case you're wondering about the splash cymbal model I used for this track, it's a 12" Zildjian Extra Thin Splash, which my good friend Rommell Garcia lent to me.

Pangako

"Recording began at around 12am. I did a couple of practice takes then made adjustments such as fine tuning the drums, making sure that the drum sounds will fit nicely with the song. (Studio Assistant) Ian double-checked the microphone set-up and prepared a click track for me. Then we went on with the actual recording. I'm not aiming to finish quickly or become a one-take wonder. The most important thing for me is to serve the music by playing drum tracks which will compliment the song. But still, we need to be efficient and productive with our studio time."

"On my first take, I wasn't quite warmed up yet, and I was still absorbing the feel of the song, the drumkit, and the studio room. But I felt confident that I'll be able to do better takes as we progress. I think it was on my third or fourth take when I finally got in the zone. I was fully warmed up and my focus was on a high level at that point. I thought I made a couple of good takes. But we know the drum parts can still get better."
"Recording resumed at around 3am. I lost a bit of momentum, and my hands got cold because of the strong air conditioning. But good thing I regained focus, and I was able to do my best takes of the night. In order for me not to repeat the whole take, we just went back to the parts which needed refinement, such as cymbal crescendos and embellishments, some fill-ins, and some hits which will lock in with the bass guitar parts."

"My drumkit for this session is a Premier Artist Birch kit, which belongs to my good friend Ernest Ramos. I used two toms - an 8"x10" rack tom and a 14"x14" floor tom. Both toms are fitted with Evans G1 Coated batter heads. The kick is a 16"x18". Don't let its small size fool you. It's the biggest-sounding 18" bass drum that I've ever heard. It has a solid low-end thump, which often surprises those who hear it. The kick is fitted with an Aquarian Super Kick I Clear batter head, which contributes to that huge sound. The front head doesn't have a hole for the mic. I don't want to make a hole because the kit isn't mine and I don't want to ruin the nice white Aquarian coated front head. So we removed the front head and put a pillow in it (Ernest didn't put any muffling on his kick). The snare drum I used is my Old Faithful 5.5"x14" Tama Starclassic Maple, which is fitted with an Evans G1 Coated batter head and an Evans Snare Side 300 resonant head."

"I used my Zildjian cymbals. My hi-hats are a pair of 14" K Custom Dark Hats and my ride is a 20" K Custom Medium Ride. The two crash cymbals used are my semi-retired damaged cymbals, which I both acquired from my friend Bennii Obana sometime last year. On my left side was my freshly-cracked 17" K Custom Dark Crash, which I recently retired from gigging. On my right side was my de-modified 18" K Custom Dark Crash which had so many hairline cracks when I acquired it, I had it cut after I wounded my finger. Even if these crashes are damaged, they still have that spirit in their sound. I thought that I'd just save these cymbals for studio work, where I think they'll sound well. And they did sound exceptional in the studio."

--- excerpts from my November 16, 2007 blog


My drumming inspiration on Pangako is Jeff Porcaro. This is a love song with a pop arrangement and mass appeal, and I can't think of any other musical inspiration better than Jeff Porcaro, who was not only a groovy pop rock drummer with a solid foundation. He was a master of great feel and sensitivity. He had the knack for playing drum parts which fits best for the music, in relation to its theme and emotions. What mattered to Jeff the most is how the listeners feel the music. I recorded my drum parts for Pangako with Jeff Porcaro in mind. In fact, I think some of the drum fills I used reflected his huge influence on me. May this be my humble tribute to one of my favorite drummers. May God bless Jeff Porcaro's soul.

To fellow drummers who are curious about the accent cymbal I used during the bridge/guitar solo part, that was the broken 18" Zildjian K Custom Dark Crash on the right side of the set-up, which was trimmed down because of multiple hairline cracks. It sounded like a trashy china/crash hybrid, and it sounded great on recording. So, before disposing those broken cast cymbals, think about it first. You'll never know how they'll sound like in the studio. You'll never know if it's magic.

***


Final thoughts...

The music on Dry Your Eyes and Pangarap Ko'y Ikaw were arranged, programmed, and recorded by Jay Durias of South Border. So, if the songs are coming from a musical master, I wouldn't dare touch it! But if Jay would ask me to record the drum parts, I would have done it.

That Side Of Me and Prelude To Ecstasy might have been more slamming if we were able to record live drums for it. But it's alright, because it turned out just fine. Playing it live during our gigs would be a different story...

Come Back... It's the most perfect drum recording... Because there are no drums on it! ;)

I'm planning to play more live drums on our next album, and I would love to do something more refreshing and out of the box. I'm looking forward to that.

My Drumkit Set-Up Experiment, Part 2

Okay, so here's my drumkit set-up at our Off The Grill gig last night.

Added to my alternative set-up (as discussed a few days ago on this blog) is a Wuhan China cymbal on the right side, which is mounted on the same cymbal stand where my two low toms are suspended. I used the boom stand from OTG's house kit for my ride cymbal.
So, after the gig, I'm able to assess this set-up's pros and cons. I'll start with the cons...

CONS:

1. This set-up has a bigger footprint, which can be a concern on tight spaces and small stages.
2. I'm still pretty much used to my kit's more compact original set-up. On the old set-up, tom fills were easy because all the toms were lined up together, and it was compact. Now, I have to reach further, especially when crossing from the 10" tom going towards the lowest tom, and back. Because of that, I have to adjust the multi-tom rolls and fills that I often enjoy playing.
3. My cymbal boom stand's tripod doesn't completely fold because a tom holder's clamp is on the way (the tom mounts' clamps are both mounted on the same spot; see Part 1 blog for photo reference). So during tear-downs, I need to remove the lower clamp so that the tripod legs would fold neatly for transport, which is an annoyance for good old obsessive-compulsive me.

PROS:

1. I love grooving more than ever. And this set-up makes me groove even more. It must be psychological... The fact that I don't see all my toms all at once when I'm faced front & a closed pair of hats are directly in front of me, it somehow makes me focus more on grooving, which is a very good thing for me.
2. The closed hats set closer to me is such a huge convenience. Plus, it's allowing me to become creative, particularly with the use of both the main hats and the closed hats for grooving.
3. Visually, the set-up looks so cool.

SOLUTIONS AND APPLICATIONS:

1. In case I don't have enough space, I can go for a two-tom set-up (the 10" in front, and either the 12" or the 14" low on my right).
2. I'll be working more on adjusting my favorite tom fills.
3. I'm looking forward to having a second crash cymbal on my right side, just above the low toms, to help make things easier for me.
4. A dedicated double tom stand would also help make things easier for me.
5. When I already have an additional 8" tom, I'll place that next to where the 10" tom is right now. That would make me adjust my left-side crash and splash cymbals.
6. A few more cymbals and a tom, and that's it... It's my full drum set-up!

Okay, that's it for now. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Gear Review: Black Panther 5.5"x10" Natural Maple snare drum

"Good things do come in small packages... This little guy will give you added pop to every performance... Thin premium maple shells deliver superior crisp tone and the off-the-shell isolated mount provides maximum resonance."

This is how the 5.5"x10" Black Panther Natural Maple snare drum is described on Black Panther Drums' website. The marketing people from Black Panther (which is a subsidiary of Mapex Drums) sure said it right, but I have more to say. I got my own BP popcorn snare drum last December as a birthday gift to myself. It also serves as an upgrade to my previous 6"x10" PDP 805 snare drum. No disrespect to my old PDP popcorn drum, but this cat is waaay much better!

First of all, it's a high-end model, of course. Second, it's a Black Panther, so I get to enjoy its high-end specs, looks and sound. Here are the specs of this snare drum, copied from the website...

"SPECIFICATIONS: 5.1mm shell thickness, 2.3mm Chrome Powerhoops, fully adjustable throw-off and butt plate, 20-strand snappy snare."

Adding to that, the drum was stocked with a Remo Ambassador Coated batter head and a Remo Ambassador Snare Side clear resonant head. The drum was neatly packaged in a box within an attractively printed Black Panther box, which has a built-in carrying handle. The Black Panther crew are also thoughtful for including a complimentary satchel (bag) for every Black Panther drum sold. It is not designed to be a heavy duty carrybag for the drum, but it's meant to protect the drum from dust, scratches and the elements during transport and storage.

Going back to the specs... Yes, it's a thin-shelled maple drum, which is well-crafted and flawless. It's in natural maple finish, which is understated yet classy (I prefer elegant-looking finishes), and it matches the natural finish of my 13" Tama Artwood Maple snare drum (they look good together). However, the BP has a matte finish, compared to my "magic drum" Artwood's glossy topcoat. Which is why me and our p.a. are careful of not touching the shell with dirty hands. Considering the neat freak in me, I'm handling this cat with extra care. I also like the mean-looking Black Panther badge and the "Premium Series" badge, which is neatly and elegantly positioned at the drum's vent hole.

It may be a thin-shelled drum, but its well-plated chrome hardware gives this drum some weight. The 2.3mm Powerhoops are what I would like to think of as the next best thing to die-cast hoops (I favor die-cast hoops), and it does its job pretty well, providing me with exceptional rimshot sounds. The snare throw-off is neatly designed, well-machined and tight enough for it not to turn off upon heavy impact. Its butt end also has a snare adjustment knob, for fine-tuning the snare wire setting. It says on the website that this drum has 20-strand snappy snare wires, but this drum is actually stocked with 16-strand standard snare wires, which isn't so bad at all.

The lugs used are Mapex's standard "oval tub" lugs, which are also neatly designed and well-machined (and kinda resembles Tama's Starclassic lugs). The drum is also fitted with Mapex's standard isolated mount, which is also used on Mapex rack toms. Thanks to this, I can mount this drum on an L-arm holder. Unlike my previous PDP popcorn drum, I feel more confident with mounting the BP on an L-arm. The Mapex isolated mount is a tried-and-tested design. It's well-machined, sturdier, and more stable. And because it's a suspension mount, I don't need to worry about ruining the drum shell after playing thousands of backbeats (because my old PDP's L-arm holder is mounted directly to the shell). The mount fits pretty much most of the L-arms available on the market, and included with the drum is a memory lock for the L-arm, which works well and fits nicely with the Mapex mount.

And now, regarding its sound... With its superior shell, excellent hardware, and professional-grade stock heads, this drum sounds great straight out of the box. When I first tried it, I quickly tuned it to my preferred snare drum tuning, which is a fairly moderate-to-tight tension on the batter head and moderate tension on the snare side head. Thanks to its quality elements, tuning was easy. And once I had it ready, I played... and played... and played... And I just don't want to stop! The sound is so crisp, and I can hear and feel the body, the warmth and the crack of maple. It's such a joy to play! And again, no disrespect, I forgot how my old 10" PDP popcorn sounded.

During its first few gigs with my band, it never failed to amaze my bandmates and some of my friends and fellow drummers who saw and heard it. Its sound is definitely high-end, and it just got better a few weeks later, when the batter head finally got stretched out. Playing this drum is almost effortless. It easily responds to the player's dynamics, from the softest touch to the biggest backbeat. Its tuning range is also very wide. Thanks to this and to the dual snare wire adjustment knobs, I can get various kinds of sounds from this drum. With the snares turned off, this drum can also simulate timbale sounds. I can get so much out of this small but terrible drum, it inspires me to become more creative.

I got this from Forerunner Tech, the local distributor of Mapex/Black Panther drums. It costs around Php12,500, which I think is a decent price for a high-end 10" snare drum. I think I got more than what I paid for. It has quality written all over it. I'm very satisfied with this drum, and I'm now more convinced with Mapex's Black Panther line of snare drums. You have to hear this cat to believe it.


*****

Special thanks to my buddy Mr. JP Buduan of Forerunner Tech for offering me this nice drum, plus the discount. Thank you also to Boggs Bautista (drummer of Nina) for witnessing this purchase and for hanging out with us.