I just started playing with a band (full electric guitars) and we got a chance to play a coffee shop. The guitarist said it's low volume and acoustic guitars. I about leaped out of my chair... I CAN PLAY MY COCKTAIL KIT! I have a cheapo Empire kit but it sounds pretty decent. I went out and bought the following heads for it:
Snare batter (16 inch) : Aquarian Studio-X coated
I have a Remo clear Powestroke in the bottom but I bought one of those Remo Muff'lers (those foam rings with the plastic tray) for the kick.
I'm really excited. We are only going to play about a 1/2 hour (opening act). Any tips about playing a gig for the first time with a cocker-kit?
Playing my first cocktial kit gig this saturday
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Bruce (the K)
Hi Jeff.
My only advice would be to be sure you have a pair of "cool rods" or other bundled-style sticks so you can keep your volume down, if necessary. The guitarist and bassist I play with complain about the volume of my kit when they're playing electric and I have a smaller kit than you (14 in rather than 16 in diameter main drum).
I find that "cool rods" are a nice "volume control" option for me when brushes aren't appropriate. (We play mostly vocals-heavy "classic rock" type stuff that brushes aren't appropriate for.)
Have fun!
Bruce (the K)
My only advice would be to be sure you have a pair of "cool rods" or other bundled-style sticks so you can keep your volume down, if necessary. The guitarist and bassist I play with complain about the volume of my kit when they're playing electric and I have a smaller kit than you (14 in rather than 16 in diameter main drum).
I find that "cool rods" are a nice "volume control" option for me when brushes aren't appropriate. (We play mostly vocals-heavy "classic rock" type stuff that brushes aren't appropriate for.)
Have fun!
Bruce (the K)
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fw
I think my biggest issue gigging my cocktail set in the prototype stages was that it sounded great in my basement and living room, but at the gig, it sounded like ass. If you know what kind of room you are playing in, see if you can find a room somewhere that simulates it and tune to that room. I found that nothing I could do at the gig made the drum sound good. I ended up playing tambourine sticks, brushes, or rim clicks to cover up the snare sound.
I think in my case, the baffling system and snare fan I used were the culprits--after I changed them, the drum worked in a wider variety of rooms. Also, I think I went for about a month playing only the cocktail set, working on tunings almost every day, and my ears kind of went dead to what drums usually sound like. When I got to the gig and played the set for the first time with the band, all of a sudden, the drum sounded weird because I'd only ever conceived of the band's sound with my 4-piece Slingerlands.
Hope that helps!
Will
I think in my case, the baffling system and snare fan I used were the culprits--after I changed them, the drum worked in a wider variety of rooms. Also, I think I went for about a month playing only the cocktail set, working on tunings almost every day, and my ears kind of went dead to what drums usually sound like. When I got to the gig and played the set for the first time with the band, all of a sudden, the drum sounded weird because I'd only ever conceived of the band's sound with my 4-piece Slingerlands.
Hope that helps!
Will
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Jeff
I put on the Studio-X coated on the snare side and the Remo Muff'l, Tray-Unit on the kick. What a great sound! The best I've gotten out of this thing since I've had it. I took off the old coated Ambassador I had on top and put it on the bottom with the Muff'l system. It sounds killer. I also snipped down the snares on the fan under the top head. Now I don't have that annoying buzz as much. You sacrafice a little in the full snarey sound department but the overall sound is killer.