Are DW Acrylic Drum Sets as Good as Their Wood Drums?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- IG: / davidraouf
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Shoutout to Lukes_Drum_Loot on ig for sending me the Pearl Snare I used in this video:
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Music used (background & playalongs)
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Gear:
DW Design Series Clear Acrylic:
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Zildjian Cymbals:
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Tama Hardware:
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Vic Firth Freestyle 5b:
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Not long ago I opened up a Donner acrylic drum set, so I wanted to check out an acrylic drum kit from another brand. This is a DW Design Series Acrylic in clear which is a little more pricey coming in at $2,200. The quality is miles ahead and the shells are different than the Donner acrylic drums. Another thing I wanted to see was how different acrylic shells are from wood shells. Lukes_Drum_Loot on Instagram sent me an old Pearl Free Floating Snare so I ordered an acrylic shell from RCI to swap out and do a wood vs acrylic drums comparison. Not super scientific by any means, but should give you a rough idea!
I Got an EXPENSIVE DW Acrylic Drum Set - เพลง
Wheres my acrylic gang at?
dw acrylic kit has always been my dream drum kit tbh, but im basically broke 😞
I wan one
Right here! Double 26" vistalite ludwig set!
Working acrylic gang hours to make acrylic gang payments 💀
Me, listening to Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare" Album which Mike Portnoy in place of the Rev (R.I.P), used his acrylic monster for the recording session.
Man today is one of the best days in my life, i just bought my beloved tama starclassic performer, it doesnt sound like a big thing but for me it is huge, i hope all of you guys can experience this kind of joy some day
congrats! I still remember the day I bought my first Tama, which was my first "real" drum set
@@rdavidr well, i had a tama rythm mate, it did good for the past 4 years, now i am a big boy and i deserve big boy drums, thank you for being one of the most influencial persons on my path, you are truly the man.
@@_defalt_8371 Serious toys for a big boys 😉
@@rdavidr David, do you think the Donner acrylics with the bearing edges cut would be a good kit!
@@rdavidr Do a DW vs donner drum compare
Probably one of the best videos you've created everything from your playing to the description of the drums very nicely done and those drums sound great actually
has he ever had a bad sounding kit on here?
I make better sounding kits on GarageBand
The ear tuned acrylic snare sounded beast
Great video, I’ve never been the biggest fan of acrylic but your vids have been changing my mind
I’d like to hear a comparison between the donner and the Dw, since I believe all acrylic shells are made by the same company. Also, it would be cool to see a recut of the donner bearing edges and comparison.
I wanted to get him to tell us how much better is the dw kit than the Donner, for $1000 more and I would like to see him recut the bearing edge on the Donners as close to the Dw before he compares. I think RCI Starlite was making the acrylic shells for several drum companies but I don't think Dw . I checked on Donners and they are not made by RCI Starlite
I also have a message into Foreach drums to see if they source from the same company as Donner does. Luddie Vistalites have seams, unlike the Dw , and others, but RCI could still make the acrylic shells and cut and glue them or even send them to Ludwig to cut and glue them!
yeah, it seems RCI doesn't make the Design series acrylic shells (they are made in China), but they do make the Collector ones.
@@briansturk8723 they only make the acrylic shells in the design series, I believe!
Yes,what you said
@@jeffhelmlinger7914 very possible, I was in correspondence with the folks at RCI (to get a replacement shell for my design series acrylic) and they said they only do collector series shells, maybe they aren't acrylic? My design series FT has developed 3 cracks around a lug. :( :(
Anything this man makes is top tier content. Lots of love David, your work is amazing!
Pozdrav Vuče
Anything DW is awesome. Really like those acrylics!🎉🎉🎉
This is my main kit and i LOVE it. It cuts through the mix live really nicely, but is admittedly a bit much for small venues. I've had multiple sound guys tell me they just shut off the mics lol
I love you papa
🤨
Ayo if you’re not his son then 💀
I love you too son
🤔
@Pierinhood aaaaaaaaaaa
One advantage I think an acrylic shell has over a wood shell is you can play them under the pouring rain and not worry about warping the following day. You might have to worry about lightning strikes though as you're playing. 😅
The rack toms are a lot more musical than I expected.... The pitch and resonance are great! Very distinct! Great playing as always.
Camera nerd here for input on the bearing edges. Try this: Tripod, aputure around f/11-f/16, macro lens, lots of light , and manual focus 😁
Even after you re-tuned the acrylic shell by ear I thought the acrylic sounded so much better. I know that may be controversial, but wow, that acrylic snare sounded ideal to me.
Acrylic snares are super bright and can have a TON of crack. Some of my favorites.
Definitely a noticeable 'pang' to it compared to the wood shell - I won't say it's my preferred snare sound, but I definitely don't hate it. Good option to have in the arsenal.
Regarding 3:00 try waving a hand at your focus point or try using manual focus if your camera has this option ^^
Nice video though, love those crystal clear toms!
this is my dream set. i have a DW performance series which is the best set ive owned so far, i played a dw acrylic set at GC one day and was amazed.
I know nothing about drumming, but I'm in love with these videos.
I love your drumming. You have a great ear for tuning the drums
Yes, those DW tension rods, if you needed some, have been special order items since '96 because they changed the threading then to a finer one.
My Tama Star and Starclassic Maple kits had protection on the bearing edges when I received them. I was impressed by that too. Also shoutout to American Musical Supply and Zzounds; they're two different companies but they share inventory and warehouses. Both companies have gone out of their way for me on my journey building my studios. I most likely wouldn't have been able to create such a great facility without their help. Good people.
I've played these DW Acrylics & they sound Great! Definitely one of my next buys!
i think you just made me like acrylic drums. they sound really punchy and full. great for classic rock i think like bonzos used to. thanks!!
Never owned acrylic drum or set of them.My buddy's Dad's got set of blue vistalites.He said once there passed down him,there coming to me.David,you tune better by ear than the tension watch
Great job always 👍
Bought this exact kit a couple of months ago and I love it!
So are they about the same weight as a wood kit? Want to get one but I’m afraid they would be too heavy to gig with.
@@gabrielcortinas2521 I don't really notice a significant weight difference and I do gig with it.
Beautiful Dave, and thanks for sharing
For the bearing edge filming part: Something like the Laowa 100mm f2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO lens will let you focus super close and the lens is pretty cheap, too. You'll need a lot of light at its minimum focus distance though.
So if you're planning on playing every type of drum kit. When you assembling a rototom kit?
I love Thomas Lang's rototom kit.
funny you bring that up 😉
@@rdavidr I look forward to the vid.
Great sound
I'm getting an acrylic kit and you playing gave me the sound.
On the topic of shooting the bearing edge, it looks like your f setting on the camera might have been in the range of 2.0 and I would recommend something more like 4.... also you can create contrast with a spot fill light of a different color, a small 5 watt color changing bulb is only $5, you can point it at or past the shell and set the color to something that stands out from your key light which probably has a color temp in the range of 5k. Hope that helps! You're the best!
This channel is dope. You never know what rdavidr is going to find next.
I liked the six stroke roll fill at the end, very creative!
love hearing dave play bucket of fish
My DAW ostensibly has perfect pitch and shows the wooden shell at 136 Hz, which is just about a C# (+32 cents, so a quarter of the way to a D) and the acrylic shell at 92 Hz, which is just about an F# (+9 cents), assuming A=440 Hz. (I measured the tail on the samples because that's where the tone is.)
For filming bearing edges. Maybe move further away and zoom in, hopefully that works, if not Macro lenses are amazing and fun
I have the DW acrylic set with an additional 18" floor tom, and one of the first things I noticed after tuning it, was how much more punchy it was than my Yamaha Rock Tour kit.
Camera nerd here ✌️ You need a lot more light in your scene (or put a light source as close as possible) to be able to shoot macro shots at a higher aputure, shots like the one of the bearing edges. Compliment that with a 1:1 macro lens if you want to go closer.
I have perfect pitch and so the 10 by 8 collectors wooden shell wasn’t actually a C, it was a C sharp and the acrylic drum shell was a G sharp. Love your work!
the acrylic was an f sharp
@@artemismaximus3487Let the battle begin
i think it wasn't completely a C# but definitely higher than a C.
I these a more of a percussion sound going on with these? Like a more beefed up roto tom kit? (lower notes). Or am I just imagining that? .These kind of sound like cheesy 80's pop drums to me; for my taste. but who the f am I.
Actually, it’s Z sharp.
I had an acrylic kit for 20 years. They were made by me, with TAMA lugs and hardware, and shells made by a guy from north Jersey who has since passed. Same manufacturer who makes them for Ludwig and several other makers. They were bright and LOUD. Eventually I put Evans hydraulic heads on them and got a pretty good DW-like sound. Great drums. I finally sold them (I didn't want the movers to f*ck them up), but they were pretty great looking and sounding. 7 - piece set - my only complaint was the Tama tom hardware could never support the weight of the 14" tom.
I have a Ludwig clear Vistalite kit in the big Bonham sizes. 26", 14", 16", and 18". Cannons!
The sound on the last take was fantastic. Can you do a video on how you typically mic and mix drums?
The acrylic snare insert definitely sounded like it had more of a “crack”. Liked it better than the wood.
You can use a macro lens for extreme close up shots.
Your videos are so dang entertaining, but that is just an offshoot of your personality. Thank you so much for all of your offerings.
Congrats on not stabbing the drumheads this time :D
What sucks about the price is they used to be 1700ish in the US like a year ago. Pandemic fallout really drove DWs prices up a good bit. The design is almost as much as the performance used to be. I paid 2200 for a performance(5 pc with out snare) last year. they are nearly 2800 usd now days. Crazy
I’ve got a Pearl Crystal Beats that use the same shell. I think I only paid about $900 for a 3 piece kit with 12”,14” and 20” kick. It’s got such great punch and tone compared to a wood kit, and everyone loves the way it looks, especially at a show when it’s all lit up.
I like the acrylic shells they sound more bouncy to me
I would definitely try that bearing edge shot with the camera on a tripod and using a large Fstop for a greater depth of field. You will have to crank up the studio lights to compensate. If that doesn’t work, using a macro lens would let you push in on the subject very close for detail shots. Also a polarizing filter is useful when shooting shiny things. They eliminate the reflections on surfaces.
^^^
This. All of this, right here. 👍
Love that sonic over tone so cool!!!
There's not one video on the internet comparing side by side an acryllic drums set against a wood one (like same tom size with same tuning and check if it has more or less body etc.
So do your magic rdavidr
0:35 I laughed so hard 😂
this is a dream kit to have for sure , oh well ... maybe one Day !!!
The fills in this were extra tasty 🔥🔥🔥
loved the ending groove👍🏻
Finer threads = more surface area so a stronger grip and will hold tuning better, still a pain though
I always wondered why these sets cost so much money. I assume they are made from a mold and much easier and cheaper to make. Thanks for the video.
The second I saw the “foot cam” it got my like 😂
Man I see this beautiful kit here and i think to myself.... damn i wish i had the money for that
Try putting a macro ring on your lens to film the bearing edges
Those drums/tuning sound really great, and especially good playing at the end there. This is coming from someone who thinks DW is overrated AF.
The finer threaded tuning rods allows for a more precise tuning...it's a good thing. I think the shell material matters least...the head type and tuning of the heads matters most.
Yp50 gives a lot more tuning options and I find it to be better specially for snares. other tension rods are harder to make small increment adjustments when tuning
For filming bearing edges, probably be a safe bet to step down the aperture of the lens so more of it is in focus
Great cymbal choices, sounds amazing. This kit sounds pretty good but I'm not a fan of how high pitched and different the rack toms sound. With those sizes 10/12/16 there is such a big gap that the BD/snare/FT sounds like 1 kit and the rack toms sound like another to me.
I know this is an older vid but never hurts
If you want more of the bearing edge to be In focus go to your camera setting and change your aperture to something like f8.0 or lower however you will need more light if your talking about image detail I would get a more expensive lens
Never had a desire to play one nor own a DW. Then again, had I an opportunity to do so, I'm sure I'd change my opinion.
Love the DW collectors tension rods. If I'm swapping heads, I just use a basic drill w/ a drum bit, and get it there like 85-90% of the way. Then w/ a tunebot, I can match all the lugs to the exact hz number.
With other drums, I'll always be a little nervous using the drill and I'll get variance between the lugs of 2-3 hz. It sounds pretty good, but DW is all about precision so it's no surprise that they have the tension rods that they do.
Honest question not trying to start a brawl. Firstly, love this channel and RDR you've inspired me to do many cool projects with my gear and have cleared up many mysteries for me.
The drums... If they're made in Taiwan with Taiqan hardware and generic acrylic shells, what's the sense in paying for the DW brand?
The kick sounds so good!
And you could see the beater through the floor tom. 😁
3:03 I'm no expert but you could try to get closer to the edge (and zoom less), and open up the aperture to like F8 or F10 to increase the amount of the scene that is in focus
Im not sure if I enjoy acrylic drums in general, but I do know I enjoy your videos!
that yellow snare isnt ugly its beautiful !
😐
Hey, rdavidr. Yes, the DW wood wrapped shell was pitched to the hey of C
Aye! Luke 's Drum loot! Dude is a great guy with great deals. Can't recommend him enough. Seriously go check him out
i love how you fiddle and took 2 sec to figure out where to grab the snare drum so fingerprints dont stick 4:24 🤣🤣
Beautiful and thanks for sharing
Random thought; i like the idea that you could completely submerge an acrylic kit in water and itll be fine after being dried. More realistically, it wont obsorb moisture from humid basements or spilled beer. Can tou please tell me how accurate the measurements are on the drums circumference of the toms? I really wanna find a set with perfect roundness. Every wood tom ive measured is off about 1/8th inch; which in my mind is messing with tuning. Anyway, thanks for the great video.
put something closer behind the drum when focusing on the bearing edge
They sound clear-mazing!!!
Great kit 💥
I wanted to see a sound comparison with the cheaper acrilic kit, but great video!!
Yes, the wood shell was exactly C. The Acrylic you banged on was F.
Nice playing and the set sounds great!!!
If you buy an acrylic kit, don't forget that SOME batches of acrylic deteriorate in strength with exposure to strong sunlight. They also have limited 'contractability' when exposed to extreme temperatures. I lost a Ludwig Vistalite bass drum by placing it too close to a radiator one winter. It cracked through near a hoop lug and never had the same sound quality again.
I have a bigly-sizely-hugely question regarding acrylic kits. How do you clean them? After they get that coat of life's grime and you wipe...don't they get all hazy/scratchy? I know my eyeglasses do. The best for glasses is hot water first to rinse away all the micro-gritties before wiping. Do tell!
That Tom timbre note was indeed a C
It was definitely more of a C sharp
Yeah that was c#.
Between C and C# actually. And it is because DW measures timbre note before adding wrap or lacquer and also vent still counts. That adds mass and it goes a little higher in pitch.
The only thing that could make this channel better would be if you lived somewhere that used the metric system.
Just so everyone knows. I just bought this kit!. It should be here in 2 days!!
I just can't get into drums that look like empty Pepsi bottles. 😮
Remember that more weight is not always a bad thing. To the contrary.
It's only bad if you're the one who has to lug it around a lot.
I've been playing a 12x8 for about 15 years but our sound guy at church gave me a Gretsch Catalina Maple kit so I was excited to use it, I put it together and was wondering why the rack tom was sitting so high 🤔, then I realized the rack is a 12x9 😢
Oh i forgot to mention this, my old church bough this acrylic DW but they had some kid playing drums he he never wanted to properly tune it so he might as have have just played the boxes they came in 🤦♂️. My son was our guitarist and that's how I know he never wanted to properly tune it 🤣
Kit sounds pretty good! Makes me want to buy an acrylic set. Maybe a green one?
I'd like to see a video of how you afford all this gear and tools and space so I can do it, too.
Sounds super good. I love the transients on acrylic drums ... very punchy!
The maple shell was actually a C#
I had the same drum set and it was great live and recording...I put two upgrades - light inside all shells and DW 3-way butt end on a snare ...the whole Design series is great, you don't need to spend extra money on Collectors
@user-tx4vc8em3r 👍 I'm from Croatia, Europe
the C shell was either a bit closer to C# or I need to tune my bass. (I do).
I have a DW Design Acrylic but I wrapped it in vinyl fabric because I don’t like the look of clear acrylic (only colors please) so I wrapped mine in vinyl fabric, but its completely removable since I just tacked the lucks through the fabric so they anchor it to the drum, then a little doublesided tape on the seam. Its sneaky, sounds acrylic but looks like sparkling tangerine 😅
Awesome kit with even better playing! That groove is something else!
So I don’t know if anyone has answered this or not because I have not gone through all the comments, but the reason why the threads are finer on the Collector series is to give you more tuning range. Hope you find this helpful and I absolutely love your videos!