Cheap vs expensive drums: Can you hear the difference?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2018
- Can a $600 drumset stand up against a $6000 kit in the studio?
We shoot these out back to back. Tell us what you think!
Check out the newest version where we try the $6000 kit against a $240 kit!
• Cheap vs Expensive dru...
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DW sounds better but not 10X better
I agree. The issue isn't whether the DW set was better (it was.) The question is...is the DW worth $5400 more? My answer: Hell no!
Diminishing Returns
I Agree. Not worth it, ive got maple drums and have change The heads many many times B4 i found The sound i want. Now when i found them i just love the sound of it, and if i could choose I would put my $$ on a tama starclassic bubinga instead of the dw set any day of the week. But thats just "my" way 2 see on it tho. Great vid btw.
ii'd say it sounds 20x better.
Agree
Honestly, no matter what kit you have, be it an entry level kit or a high end pro kit, you can get any kit to sound good with the right heads and tuning
True
The problem is, that you cant realy tune 50$ snare like you want to.
@@mr.dizini5586 you might not get it perfectly how you want it, but you can get it at (at least) and decent sound
True for the toms and kick, the snare drum you really need a good quality one, theres no way around it
@@mr.dizini5586 If you know what you are doing you can. The problem here is it is a wooden snare, versus a Steel snare.
The only drastic difference was the snare. Honestly, the affordable drums didn't sound bad. Minus the share tho. The snare was super dead sounding, had no foundation and lacked beef to it
order the kit w/o the snare, perhaps an extra tom or two and upgrade to a maple snare..good to go!
Sounded like the compression on the cheaper snare was different than the Ludwig as well. But thats besides the point.
was thinking the same thing, put the ludwig snare in there and not bad at all
I disagree. I think the bass drums too was drasticly better on the DW. On the cheapkit the bass is noticibly muffled
ale mutasa sounds like trigger to me. Or at least I hate both bass drum sound
Having 20 years of drumming, and kit maintenance in my background... Cheaper drums can sound very good. Usually it's the lugs and hardware that make them a bit more challenging to get in tune, and keep in tune. If you are on a tight budget, it's still plausible to get acceptable performance from budget drums.
And with $5 of cotton balls you can pack those lugs.
No stray harmonics.
And with a piece of glass you can true the bearing edges.
Ultimately it isn't what you play, it's how you play it. A 6000$ kit can sound like garbage if you can't tune the drums or hit the skins with a weak wrist. I played with an 800 Tama kit for a decade before I could actually afford a new/better kit. Spent 3000$ on a Mapex kit and I found that I just couldn't hit anything with force for fear of breaking something I wouldn't be able to afford to replace. But between these 2 kits in this video, the differences are so negligible to me that honestly, the slight increase in tom resonance isn't worth 6000$.
@@XMorbidReignX I agree 💯
As a famous drummer once told me “It’s not necessarily how much you spend on a drum kit, it’s about what heads you get, how you tune it and how much time you invest in the drums” -Garey Williams: Studio Drummer
He's right
you can spend a lot an not like the sound. as long as there of a good enough standard with good hardwear u can get on with any kit imo
Studied with Gary many times over the years. Great drummer and even better person. Passed up the chance to be a household name - in order to raise his family and serve his community. Amazing!
I thought the cheaper drum set sounded a bit plasticky, so I guess that is due to the drum heads. The more expensive ones did seem to sound more impactful or harder sounding. I’m sure that a person with enough time could upgrade the cheaper ones to sound like the more expensive ones. When it comes to expensive drums it’s all about the wood, then after that it’s upgrading the heads and other things on the drums. No one ever likes the stock sound, even if it is a really expensive drum set
1:28 *Fart*
10,000 Subscribers without any Videos Challenge great ear lol
That's the "Brown Sound"!
That’s him snorting
Oh my god im eating pudding RN fuck off
Ahhhh the Brown Noise of Stench!
600$ is cheap?
My budget is like 15 bucks
go watch rdavidr if you're not already, he understands us
It’s cheap for a full drum set
@@jakeseitz I missed the part where that's the problem
Both sound awesome, the snare is the difference. That Supraphonic sounds absolutely beautiful.
And the winner and best sounding was ......the LUDWIG SUPRAPHONIC SNARE !!!
@Rusty Blades - That's the only real difference I heard, too! :-)
@@mightyV444 That's because you're a smart guy and have got a good ear for quality sounding Drums! 👍😊
@@rustyblades2566 - Thank you! And of course you are right! And like-wise! :-))
@Warren Roberts - To be fair, though: Without knowing what the Ludwig sounds like, the cheapo one would actually still sound decent enough! ;-)
@Warren Roberts - Both very good points! To the "brands" one: I like certain brands more than others mostly because of their design, like, as an example, I've always loved the look of Tama's hardware and lugs on their 70's/80's Imperialstar and Superstar series; Same with Yamaha's 9000 Recording series; I never was much of a fan of Pearl's designs, like their BD-mounted tom arms, neither of DW's round lugs.
And to the "listeners" point: Hence why I personally believe you don't really need more than 2 Crashes; One with higher pitch and shorter sustain than the other. Add a China, a Splash, a Ride and of course a hi-hat, and that's enough sound variety for me :-)
Thank you Glenn! I've been drumming for over 30 years and you've confirmed what I've been explaining to students for years. The DW sounds better but there's not much in it in the mix. The most important things for a good drum sound (in order):
1. The drummer
2. The cymbals
3. The tuning
4. The heads
Everything else is entirely subjective. Great vid dude.
Yes, I agree 100% Andy, I don't however agree with the order of your list. I would include the room they are played in to the equation too!
So my interpretation of your list would go as follow.....
1. The Drummer
2. The Room
3. The Heads
4. The Tuning
5. The Cymbals
What do you think?
The room always should be in any acoustic equation. Everything and anything might sound good played in a Gothic cathedral, but I wouldn't want to hear bagpipes or screaming children in a cathedral.
That's because you're not a priest.
Mine (a little more detailed) would be
1. The room
2. The mics (and engineering skill)
3. The player
4. The cymbals
5. The tuning
6. The heads
7. The kit (as long as the bearing edges are intact)
The reasoning is that no recording will sound good in a bad untreated room, 8k of mics will make sabian b8s sound like magic, bad timekeeping will make a song unlistenable, and you cant eq cymbals to the same extent as drums. from there, eq can make up for small tuning issues (still very important), heads are about even with tuning but have a little more wiggle room, and good tuning can make nearly any intact drumkit sound great.
I was going to put the room in my list but took it out 😀, again because it's so subjective. With a close-mic'd kit the room makes very little difference in the final mix. Yes, you can defo use a nice room to effect but very little you can't do in post these days to the point of using plugins to replicate the live-rooms of various big studios around the globe (as long as you start with a relatively dry sound). It's also pretty easy to treat most 'bad rooms' to kill nasty reflections etc. even just with heavy blankets / duvets on a temporary basis. If you've got a bad drummer, bad cymbals, bad heads or bad tuning the kit will always sound bad. Mics - yes and no. You can get a pretty decent kit sound just with a bunch of 57's - even on the kick. You can certainly change the character of the sound with nice mics but you're fighting a losing battle if any of my 4 points are missing. Agree on tuning vs heads - struggled on the order of those two. I ended up putting tuning ahead of heads since you *can* tune yourself out of problems with bad heads (worst case)... whereas the best heads in the world will always sound rubbish if they're tuned badly. Would be interesting to hear Glenn's take on this! 👍🤘
There was a huge difference in the snares, not as huge of a difference in the toms, and absolutely not worth 10x more.Thanks for another great video!
You can put a great drummer on a cheap drumset and it would sound good.and vice versa.amazing drumset horrible drummer.
@@garyconner6151 Yeah cause you are SOOOO FUCKIN AWESOME THAT NO ONE HAS NEVER HEARD OF YOU.
@@ExpatZ266 lmao chill out dude. Hes just pointing out that the person behind the kit and mixer is more important. Did he strike something about you?
That Ludwig snare made all the difference.
The expensive set had a much thicker sound. The cheap set was a little more pingy and flat sounding, but both sets sounded good.
i agree..the maple is definitely more resonant and deep...but cheap sets are always laminated birch or some such less expensive wood
@@humb1s3rvant , as of Feb 14, a board foot of select hard maple is $3, select birch is $3.60. Hope this is helpful info next time you shop for drums. Two of the top names in drums, Sonor and Premier, have used birch in their top-of-the-line kits for many years. Cheers!
Well said.
If you would use a better snare on the cheap kit, the difference would not be significant in my opinion, especially for that kind of music. However, with a good drummer (the guy in the vid is awesome), the cheap kit would not prevent from making a good record as you can hear there.
Agreed
I'd say the the HUGE difference is the supraphonic snare! What a difference! The rest is okay for me, the DW has lots of body on it sound, but the cheap one has a good and functional sound in my opinion. Great video Glenn, thanks!
Totally agree.
agreed. Snare drum was muffled, I would say. Not that much audible.
What's interesting is that it's not uncommon to buy a multi-piece kit and quickly replace the snare. Usually cheap kits come with perfectly usable toms, cymbals, and bass, but the snare is almost always subpar (in my experience at least)
Yeah that's exactly what I was going to say. I think the kicks are also noticably fuller on the expensive kit too, but it doesn't come through as much in the full mix as the snare.
It makes sense, dw collectors kits (or really any dw, its their tone) just sound MASSIVE. That said, all the brands have their tone, to my ear Tama sound fat without taking up as much sonic space and gretsch sound attacky at the expense of fatness, but while being extremely versatile. Pearl is kinda the compromise (Own a Pearl, not a dig at them). Ludwig make amazing snares. again though, that's just what my ears hear, comparing each companies high end kits. With great tuning and great mics, any kit in with good bearing edges will sound great.
1:28 that was a sloppy one
Not a tremendous difference, but playing thrash metal is *not* the music to use for the comparison.
Thank you lol
That’s not thrash
@@RobbyRhea well no, but the point still stands.
This type of music is very forgiving to cheap drum sets
100% what he said. You need somthing with some longer notes.
It was kind of strange to see him without Teller.
At first I thought it was weird al then I was like wait that's penn?
#savage
even sounds like him
Except this guy doesn''t seem to be an asspipe.
...fugg, caught me on that one...that's funny
Definitely think the DW's sound better, but the other kit is totally serviceable and usable in a mix! The snare was the biggest difference for me, and that's easy to swap different ones in and out. I don't think its worth 10x the price though.
I'm working on getting mics, interface, equipment to be able to record my own live drums soon. Mostly from watching these types of videos and feeling how much more vibe and feel you get from an actual drumming performance.
Completely agree, the snare was the biggest difference. Also noticable how a great musician makes any gear sound good
Total agreement :)
@john p definitely, I think if anything this video show how important a good snare is to a mix haha
Exactly. The snare was way better. Other than that the kick had less presence in the cheap one but the toms were fine.
Yeah. A few good builders in North America could really hook you with that budget. But $500 hard to "beat". Snares. Got 8. The cheapest one and the most expensive one sound the best. Go figure.
I didn't see that much of a difference to be honest. I feel that what makes the most difference in a metal mix is the drummer's skills and the engineer's as well. Good job on the mix Glenn!
Cheers from Montreal 🍻
As a drummer of 47 years (yes, I started when I was 7 years old, I'm 54, play in a "weekend warrior" classic rock band, and I've never stopped playing any time that I can...and won't until I can't hold sticks any more), I just have a couple of observations that you might find interesting and, I'm hoping, will lead to a re-test at a later date.
This is not really a fair comparison for the simple reason that you did not re-head the cheap kit with the same heads as the expensive kit. I could not see what you used on both kits, but I could see that you had Remo heads on the cheap kit and something else (Aquarian maybe...very nice heads and probably about twice the price) on the DW kit. I don't know if the Remo heads were single ply Ambassadors or double ply Emperors nor do I know what ply heads are on the DW kit. Finally, unless the DW kit comes with that Ludwig Supraphonic snare, the snare comparison is void. Try it with the wood shell DW snare, that probably came with the kit originally, and I think that you would find that it would have a similar "woody" sound (not as bright and cutting nor as loud). Either way, any drummer worth his salt will have several snares, that all sound very different, and he would use them all for playing different styles. Having said all of that, it's not necessarily the sound that makes the DW kit worth the extra money.
Expensive drums are expensive because of the quality of the craftsmanship in making the shells and hardware. In real life, a gigging drummer is looking for a good sounding, looking, and DEPENDABLE kit. That means that shells, finish, and hardware all need to hold up well under constant use. You should not have to re-tune every other song. You should not have anything failing when you need it to work. That is where the cost is and, yes, you have to pay for it. That really well made kit is security in knowing that if your dumb ass guitar player drops your ride tom, it can take it and be ok (this has happened to me a few times...sorry if I sound bitter).
Personally, I play a 1985 Sonor Horst LInk signature series kit, that took me half my life to get a hold of, and I expect to be playing it until I die. Nothing bothers these drums. They are magnificent (very heavy shells of beautiful looking and sounding bubinga wood) and they sound good even when the heads are getting a bit old and tired. I play every style of music under the sun with them and they can be re headed and tuned to fit pretty much anything (the only thing that I think could be better is their Big Band sound...I have a 1958 Gretsch Broadcaster "stick eater" kit, with the big kick, for that).
So, in short, please re head both kits with the same heads, put the DW wood shell snare back on the expensive kit, and re test. Next...have someone play on the cheap snare for an hour...record the sound for the first 30 seconds and the last 30 seconds. Then do the same with the DW snare. THERE you will see the difference. I guarantee that the cheap snare will drop pitch wayyyy faster and further than the DW snare.
I saw him using all Aquarians (looks to be single ply clear) on the DW kit and the cheap kit was using USA made Remos on the batter side and evans on the resonant heads on the rack toms and an aquarian batter on the floor tom. I would assume the remos are single ply ambassadors by the size of the word under "Remo" and with the Remo Weatherking logos on those heads and I would like to assume both the snare drum heads are the same. I know it wasn't mentioned, but I would think Glenn would have the brains (and the wallet) to replace all the heads on the cheap kit and at least make the heads comparable. There's such a small difference between Remo ambassador's (single ply) and emperor's (double ply) that the difference is barely noticeable on the same drums with no EQ done. There's so much post processing that unless the heads were vastly different, the sound difference wont be noticeable over TH-cam after the video has been compressed. I'm not trying to defend him here, just explain what I think he has done.
Finally, some technical perspective! May I ask if 30 or 40-year-old drum sets have anything special for being aged?
I agree that USA Remo heads are decent heads, but I don’t think the quality is the same as the Aquarian heads. Just my opinion. My big point, though, was that the real difference between the two kits, at least the difference that I think makes it worth it to get a high quality higher priced kit, is the wearability and, most importantly, the dependability. Like with cars, the Chevy will get you there just as well, but the Cadillac (or Lexus, Volvo, Audi, etc.) will get you there in comfort and style and probably last longer in the end.
I don’t fault him for this test. In fact it’s a great idea in my mind, but I think it’s only far to level the field. I mean, if one team has wooden bats and the other has aluminum...you get my point I’m sure.
@@diegoambrosio5718, yes, older drum have a much clearer sound as wood ages.
@@TheProgGuy, it’s a “response” 2 ply head on top and a “classic clear” 1 ply on bottom
I can't say one sounds cheaper than the other. They just sound different and both usable.
I'd say the Dimavery snare definitely sounded cheap, but that was the only thing. With a good snare, especially in the mix where details get covered up, it would be brilliant.
Vozka BUT, even with that sound of a cheap snare, if the band/artist/drummer want’s that kind of sound, then it’s perfect. Of course the expensive one sounds sooo much better, and with a great body :3
But again, the cheaper can be better if the band/artist/drummer want’s that sound.
Does this makes any sence? Or am I loosing it here? XD
Tune this snare drum differently, put a different head on it, record it with different mics, play a different thing, and you'll get sounds out of it which you could never get from this Supraphonic.
I would immediately change hoops on both snares, the reason both snares sound like "something's wrong" with them is bad hoops.
It's apples n oranges. The ludwig is a deep metal snare. Look at it's depth. The other one's a standard size wood snare.
So the sounds are more from drum type than drum quality. I happen to use a snare that's exactly the same dimensions (albeit 40 years old lol) and metal. That's how I know the sound difference without doubt has more to do with that oversized metal ludwig snare.
That's the problem with all of the comparisons on youtube. They are f-n compressed that you can't tell if it's the drums or your neighbor banging a goat...
This was so fun to drum on! Personally they both felt great! With some nice cymbals and new skins you could totally bring these to a session!
Awesome playing, man!
I'll second that. VERY well played.
Rainer Kraus hey thanks for watching! Appreciate it. 🤘🤓🤘
Adam L more very well played content on my channel 😉 Thanks man!
Yea, I was like "forget the drums, this drummer is killing it"
The cheap kit sounded very good. Liked the tighter Kick better than the DW.
Bucket head sounds better on a fender squire then I do on a 15k le$ Paul.
Dave weckle sounds better on to garbage cans then I do on a 10.000 dollar drumset.
In the mix the Supraphonic was a lot better, but the other one was still perfectly usable. Solo'd the difference in the whole kit was more obvious, the DW was bigger and had more meat. That being said, I'd give a bollock if I could get a drum sound as good as the cheap kit!
Yup, the DW kit sounded perhaps a little bit richer. But at the same time the difference is so minor that most people probably wouldn't hear it if they didn't know. It's not like the wast majority would listen to a song recorded with the cheap drum kit and say "gosh, those drums sound a bit thin, I really wish that they would have spent ten times as much on the drum kit, now the whole song is ruined for me".
Escwire
Well. .. I heard the difference on a mono telephone speaker.
That said... the cheap drums aren't too shabby...
different tones from two completely different drum kits is expected, but in all honesty, both of them sounded equally good, even the snares. You could switch out each individual drum and interchange them piece by piece on either kit and not notice much difference. In other words, if you switched out the floor tom on the dw and played the track for somebody they wouldn't sit there and say "oh man what a great drum tone, but that floor tom sounds like shit" they'd just assume its all pieces from the same kit. AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, high end studios mix and match kits more often than they use a singular kit anyway, so many of the songs you hear on records have drum kits made from different sources. So there's that.
Completely agree, totally wish I could get a drum sound like either of those lol
Collin McClutchy there's always Superior Drummer 1, 2, or 3 with a midi/usb drum set.... I'm dirt poor
In my experience (as a drummer, not an engineer) cheap kits with new, decent skins and proper tuning tend to sound surprisingly good. A little more empty and less alive than the expensive ones. On sound alone I wouldn't say it's worth it to pay ten times more for a drum kit, but a properly maintained expensive kit will last you a lifetime instead of breaking apart after a couple years of heavy use.
Yeah, I feel like the durability of the drums is what would set apart expensive drums from cheap ones, since the instrument is struck. Cheap guitars and basses don't break down in the same way
However, the vast majority of cheap modern kits are made with multiple plys of a hardwood. More expensive kits are made with more expensive hardwoods, which are not by any means more durable (they're more expensive simply because they're more rare). I've had a mid line, sub professional Pearl World kit for 31 years, a little bass drum hoop rust but no less durable than a more expensive Pearl kit from that era. Lugs and hoops can easily be replaced, and cheap drum kits rarely fall apart unless they're made of particleboard.
Not just the durability, but also the consistency, and their ability to hold tuning.
My most common issue with cheap drums is a tom holder (technical term, for sure) giving up in the middle of a song and the tom just hanging there. Usually it means I have to replace the whole piece (the thing that goes into the kick drum and holds up both toms). Sorry for not knowing the actual names of stuff, I know all of it in Spanish and Swedish, but in English I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to technical terms.
I'm with you on this. It's not the shells that break down on cheaper kits. It's the hardware that needs to be replaced (and the finishes (the wraps) aren't as nice).
All I got was "wish my double strokes sounded that good" haha
You know, I am not at all interested in sound engineering or anything like that, but man, I love this guy's videos so much that it's really just growing on me.
Keep cranking out content, fam.
A levelheaded, experienced, yet open-minded man who knows what he is doing and does it well. We need more of these people in the world. Keep it up Glenn.
I prefer the cheaper one because it sounds amazing, and I can afford it.
I can afford the kit, but the mic and preamp are way out of budget... I'd rather end up with a mid-range combo
I can’t afford it rip
oooh man! i can't believe you shared the multitrack witch raw files, man... this is the best thing happened to me in my life. it really helped you don't know how much.. thanks so much, you are the best!.
Ohh thanks for the drum files.
1:28 Oh My ...
Holy shit I'm dying. ex dee
?
He was clearing his throat or something 😂
That was a sexy sound
Dat shart doe
It's hard to tell when Glenn makes all drums sound sick
Will Scrowther I was actually thinking that myself I feel Glenn has a way of just pulling great tunes out of everything
Will Scrowther except the Pod or Spyder
tru
Ive drummed for 20 years. They both sound great.
So nicely miked!
Besides the snare, I could only really notice the difference on my monitor headphones, the regular speakers sounded pretty similar.
Same. The snare jumped out at me as being very different. But the rest were pretty close.
***I take that back. Spoke too soon. When you hear them on their own without the rest of the mix, the cheaper kit sounds all around weaker. In the full mix though, I don't think it would make nearly as much of a difference.
For this genre, the cheap kit with the supraphonic subbed in would be fine.
I agree, get a cheaper kit, but spend you money upgrading the snare.
I noticed a huge difference in both the bass drum and snare drum.
The DWs were far more resonant while soloed, but the cheap kit was still totally usable in the full mix. I'm definitely impressed!
The winner is the Ludwig snare here ! DW are expensive but haven't any special sound signature, very commun in fact. Try old Gretsch or Yamaha recording custom : These drums have a special grain, a fantstic touch and dynamic, and with these, there will be a great difference with your chinese kit !
I don't think you would be able to tell it with this style of playing to be honest. I love the sound of dw, but on metal you can get away with a lot. Put someone like Dave Weckl on them and you will see the difference quick IMO
You are an awesome Engineer!!!!!
Owning a set of drums is a comprehensive experience. I have been playing drums 35 years as of 2019. The DW kit here sounded 20-25% better than the kit that was 1/10 the cost. (You may feel that this is a diminishing returns situation) It's true you can get a half decent sound out of a cheaper set of drums as they have clearly proven here. What about the experience of owning a cheaper kit over the years? In my experience, while you can get half decent sound out of an entry level kit, the effort you have to put into it to make it that way is extensive. Cheaper drums don't have the quality control or attention to detail in the manufacturing process, the quality of the hardware, the lugs, the rims, the tension rods, the tension rod receivers, the mounting brackets, the suspension components are ALL compromised vs. the more expensive instruments. As I have experienced, the cheaper kits always have issues, shells and rims aren't completely round, and edge profiles are not completely flat or consistent resulting in poor or downright awful head contact. The hardware breaks or wears out prematurely, the tension rods don't stay put. All these things mean that you may have difficulty tuning the toms to a pleasing interval between the drums, or that one or more of the drums regularly creep out of tune, and have to constantly be fiddled with. If you play with higher tunings (for other styles of music besides metal/rock) the issues are exacerbated because everything is under more tension. Cheap hardware looks like it is and lasts like it is, the chrome pits or flakes off, leaving you with a cheap kit that looks and plays like junk. He did mention that the DW kit used in this demo was from 2001, DW has added so much innovation to their kits in the past 18 years! Specialized Shell Construction, pure tone woods and other tone wood options as well as the option to add or omit reinforcing rings, True Pitch 50 tension rods, etc. There's a good chance that a 2019 DW Collectors series kit (which he was quoting prices for for the sake of comparison) is arguably an even better kit than the 2001 kit used for the demo. The other factor is resale value. A $600 kit after a few years of playing and being lugged around might bring $200 used. I bought a DW Collectors series, much like the one in the video (but it was natural Maple finish) owned and played it for 17 years, took immaculate care of it, transported it in ATA cases, and cleaned it regularly. I sold it in 2018 on Craigslist for $600 less than I bought it for (partly due to inflation and the cost of new kits rising, but). I got the experience of playing one of the worlds best and most renowned set of drums for 17 years for about the same money as the cheap kit. Granted I had to have thousands of dollars to spend initially and to have that money tied up in an instrument. Finally, the experience of playing a truly legendary set is inspirational. You want to spend more time playing it, because it is so nice and sounds so good and you get even better as an artist. I appreciate a quality instrument, and I believe that long-term they are worth the cost.
O
@@martinward6200 haha
Damn write a book :0
Yep.. save your Penny's and buy the bad ass porcelain coated Tama kit.. you won't replace hardware and the drums have killer tone... That is what I noticed here is the cheaper.set was.obviously not as dense wood.. the.richness.and tone there was.just poor sustain from the cheaper.kit.. even good.heads can't make the tone as full..
I pretty much buy things I know will improve my quality of life. Including that I can count on them to last. The cheap set's snare sounded sharp and lacked resonance and sustain. However, otherwise, nothing stood out. For about $700 with better skins it's definitely a good buy. If you spend lots of time playing and/or you're making money at it, or you have money to burn, I'd say go for the good stuff. If not, what the heck, the cheap set may be all you need for hours of fun. Works kind of like lower shelf liquor or drugs.
It would be nice to hear a few words from the drummer himself, what he felt were the main differences between the kits.
Tritonus Seitan I say many words on my channel! Stop by!
Many words, you say? Let's do this!
The snare was sooo different! Kick pretty much sounded similar. The rest of the kit was not "in the spot light" so basically it was like just different sounding...
But that snare man!!!
The toms on the high end kit resonate better as well as having the better snare. However, the cheaper kit gets the job done. Add the high end snare to the cheap kit and it rocks.
My thoughts exactly too. The ludwig snare is the only big difference you need to hear
Thanks so much for including the raw tracks Glenn, great way to practice mixing.
Glad you found it useful!
Yes, that was super cool. Way easier to practise mixing when you have such great raw tracks. Thanks man, mighty cool of you.
If the shells are truly round
If the bearing edges are well cut and deliver good head seating
If the heads are in the mid to high bracket of quality
If you spend some time learning to tune drums
If you realize heads need changing more than once in your lifetime
The money aspect becomes academic.
BINGO!!!
If you use a capital at the beginning of a sentence and a period of the end at that sentence words becomes academic.
@@LudwigSC93 lol
I got a good kit.its just time to change the heads.thats all and presto great sounding drum set again.its a pdp double drive.got it for free.the thing sounds amazing.its dw baby.
Affordable drums sounded a bit thinner and less consistent but honestly they were pretty great and I wouldn't complain if I got them on a track. I would be worried that a lesser drummer would struggle with the cheaper kit if they had more trouble hitting the centre of the drum. I know the sweet spot on those DW drums is huge and they are really consistent.
I don’t know how anyone can thumbs down any of your videos, how can anyone hate on this great stuff??
Just add whisky, my drums always sound better
Haha. Same for me with my guitar. Get the ear goggles on and I sound awesome on guitar.
hell yeah! i drink a glass before i play and it works perfect..
**Well then, you've offered a solution that will save band members lots of money, while making you sound more skilled, all while not spending a second on additional practice time! Here's how it works: LONG before you spend huge sums of money on equipment, and before your band takes ANY stage, you adopt the policy of requiring a 2-4 mixed drink minimum for ALL potential audience members, before your band ever takes the stage & plays a single note!**
This way you can buy cheap equipment, saving lots of money that can be better spent on more trivial things like expensive mixed drinks at clubs, or on new rims! But at the same time, your band, with its half-assed equipment will sound phenomenal to your pre-liquored up audience! Now you're on your way up!
@@patrickmcleod111 Despite the hint of sarcasm, I'm not opposed to this idea. :)
The DW kit has a bit more of a dynamic sound but the DI kit sounds fine. Most people wouldn't know the difference if you didn't tell them. Just the experienced musicians. If I had to choose and could afford it, the DW kit all the way. If I could afford was the DI kit, I would content. A good drummer and properly working drums mic'd correctly will mean the most. Awesome video!
Nice! The snare is 100% worth the extra $$. But both shells sounds really good
I thought when they were only the drums playing, that there were two times more drums on the expensive kit... It just sounded so much more filled out and with more reverberation.
In a live situation no one will notice anything.
The cheap kit sounds just as badass in its own way.
Not sure anyone has mentioned the room, and how much that contributes to getting even a cheap instrument sounding decent (way good enough for a mix at least). Glenn's room is extremely well balanced and that makes a massive difference. Either way, it's amazing how good you've got a cheap kit sounding by doing all the steps if the process well!
Setup, tuning, mic'ing, recording and of course playing! :) Good vid man.
The room, and the drum's position in that room, can make more difference than cheap vs expensive drums. I tune my drums to perfection at home, but at the gig they may sometimes sound different. The tuning hasn't changed, the room has. There is one room where my rack tom always sounds dead. If I stand up and hit it, it sounds good. If I stand in front of the stage and let someone else smack it, it sounds great. It's just where I'm sitting in relation to the room and drum.
We record with a mid level Pearl kit. After tuning, proper mic placement, and head dampening we get an amazing recorded sound. The difference with the higher end kits is build materials and process. The better kits are easier and stay in tune better. Good job showing the potential with less expensive gear.
I have a DW Performance 3 up 2 down kit that I love so much. I can only salivate over those Collectors shells. Killer job on that cheap kit, sounds amazing!!
the toms don't sound all that much different, but the kicks and snares are night and day..... that Luddy snare is schweet
If I could play like him I'd never leave my room.
I agree a good drummer makes any set sound great
Thanx Glenn!! Its awesome!!! I do ear differences and still liked the result of both, shurely into diferent uses though!! awesome!!
Without good tuning and heads a $6000 drum kit can sound like crap.
Cr8zyH common sense.
Cr8zyH like saying “a $6,000 gun without bullets can’t kill people.”
Jdb87002_2 it’s actually a good one...
@Default User Stop calling Captain Obvious an idiot!
🤣🤣🤣 u mad
I did a blind listen at first and I had more trouble than I expected telling one drumkit from the other. They both sound sick. The biggest difference is the snare but for the price it's quite some value.
You know what I think? I think (know) you guys are super epic, wish I knew 1/32 of your talent!
huge difference. full, warm and rich vs thin. IMO when it comes to drums thats very important. cool video
Thanx Glenn!
Honestly I like cheap drums more for this kind of music, this kind of room, this kind of mixing.
That means price doesn't rule.
Here is my take on this. I'm 51 years old. I've been playing music since 1977 when my dad bought me a "Lawsuit Les Paul" (Memphis brand) that looked exactly like Ace Frehley's LP, and a used 60-Watt Univox Tube amp. That was big shit for a 9 year old to start out on.
I immediately moved onto drums as soon as possible. I've been building and repairing drums since I was 16.
I have this thing about wooden snare drums. I have NEVER found a wooden snare that I liked - EVER. They just seem totally fucking lifeless, especially when you put them up against a quality Steel snare like a Ludwig. That said, rather than buying a new kit like this - you would be better off buying a decent Steel snare used via ebay, your favorite store, craigslist, wherever. name brand Pearl, Yamaha, Tama, Ludwig, brand really doesn't matter - none of them can afford to make a shitty drum - there is too much competition. The parts are all made in the same fucking factory anyway by some guy for a bowl of rice and a pickle each.
Then look for a decent used kit - Yamaha, Sonor, Pearl, Tama, Mapex
I have a 9"x14" Yamaha SFZ Indoor Marching snare that I bought for $700. You know where it is? It is sitting in the fucking case on a shelf in my garage. You know why? Because the used 5.5" x 14" Sonor Force 2001 Chinese snare that I got on e-bay for $25 eats that motherfucker for breakfast all day long - the same for my 8"x14" Pearl Brass FFS from 1988 - There is something about the 5.5" Steel snare shell that just kills, and I wouldn't touch anything smaller than an 8" x 14" metal snare for 30 years.
Cymbals - go directly to the Paiste PST5's and PST7's. These are the same metal as the 2002 and 3000 series cymbals. They simply don't match the master cymbals, so they get relegated to a "budget" line. They still sound great, I've bought about 30 of them once I realized what Paiste's game was. Still prefer the Signatures, but for general use, these are great cymbals. Go to Paiste's website and listen to them in the sound library.
Glenn apparently prefer's Sabians. I've been a Paiste guy since I switched over from Zildjians in 1987.
Don't buy any Crash cymbals with the words "Heavy", "Rock", or "Power" on them. That means thicker cymbals - which means more midrange. Get medium cymbals. 14", 16", and definitely at least one 18" crash (I'd opt for a pair of 18" crashes, myself, and 14"). 14" HH, 20" or 22" ride, and get an 18" China - trust me, it will be the best china you've heard.
As long as the drum is "in-round"(round, and not warped), the bearing edge is good, the hardware works, and it has good heads on it, you can make any drum sound good as far as kicks and toms. Again, I prefer metal snares.
But the cymbals really are important. The key is learning how to select them. Stay with thin ones from the big three, especially for recording.
I know Meinl are becoming more popular as time goes on, but they just seem kind of "Klangy" to me.
I know this is really late but thank you.I've just recently gotten back into drumming as I was able to get a set free of charge because of some amazing luck. It came with a 16-inch Paiste cymbal and a high hat that I can't find the brand for. I was able to swap in a silver Yamaha snare that I had from the past and bought some new Pearl Demonator double pedals andI've been wondering what cymbals to get that would be the most versatile as I don't have very much money right now LOL.
I took a couple of screenshots of some of what you said on this is going to help me out. Thanks again.
Edit: grammar and misspelling
finally a helpful advice. you helped me.mote than you can imagine, thanks a lot.
You made it cut and dry baby
Thank you.i feel the same also.just gotta change my drumheads. Got a pdp double drive kit.damn thing sounds amazing.im not into expensive im into sound.and this kit sounds really good.
@@dan-5678 for reasonably priced cymbals that punch above their weight try the Paiste 900 series. As well as a china and a couple of crashes I've got a set of 15" heavy hihats that sound sweeter 'n' tastier than some 3x the price.
@@emlix1 For reasonably priced cymbals go for Turkish or Impression, they're damn good
The more expensive snare was definitely the biggest difference. Followed by the toms.. cheaper ones sounded a little dead. But still good. And bass drum was the smallest difference. Both punch. In my opinion
That intro track is euphoric I wish it could be long same as that without changing notes
1:27 Glenn farts.
Its the chair
😂
Omg I can't unhear it now.
Wasn't it the throne??
Hey Glenn looking to increase the output of my butt trumpet. I am currently using the skid mark 5 microphone plugged into a breaking wind head, and going through an ass blaster cab by pull my finger audio.
Thanks, and fuck you Glenn.
@@TheLifelove123 OMG!! I am dying!!!! Thank you for the laugh!
The more expensive kit sounded better ...... but not ten times better. The quality snare really showed in the comparison. That said, with quality skins, proper tuning and a professional recording setup, the budget drums can sound really good.
Yes, the snare was the main difference, but the cheap snare wasn't that bad at all. The DW toms had more lower frequencies.
No, It wan't bad.
In fact, the snare indeed had the biggest difference in sound, but it was mostly a matter of taste than actually "so much better". Yes, the cheap snare sounded thinner, but sometimes in a busy mix this may even be desirable.
I mean, a Supraphonic isn't exactly an "expensive snare" either. You can find that same drum in every city for
That ride sounded awesome
They were both awesome
I am not a drummer. I'm a guitar player. The DW kit sounds better, but not $4400 better. From what I know, cheap drums and guitars can both benefit from upgrades, but longevity, dependability, and stability always costs more. That sweet percussive acoustic resonance that we all seek from our instruments comes from good materials and construction which always costs more. I tell people to buy the best you can afford.
u mean $5400 better
The more expensive drums sounded brighter. I’m not a drummer. Tone wise I wouldn’t have noticed in the full mix. Great video.
imo expensive one costs each $ of the price, they sound more thicker, brighter, and "expensive"(LMAO)
Only just stumbled across this, can't wait to get these files into Reaper and play
I can't tell the difference between who's better than who.. In all honesty.... But it looks like u guys had fun with either drum kit... Love this channel
Killer straight to the point video!
Beautiful! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Man I've said it for years and owned many high end kits and mid point kits! I tell many drummers starting out to save that money and invest into nice cymbals! And hardware!! But above even that learn to tune your drums! Love this video keep em coming!!!
You can tell a big difference between the two. The more expensive set sound was so much more clean and bright. The other set was more flat and muddy at times. I appreciate this test, when it came to the drums only I move the video so I couldn't see which set was playing using only my ears and you could clearly hear the difference in sound quality.
I still love my 250bmapex kit been touring and recording forever with it
The600 dollar one sounded way more present imo. But 600 dollar one was also pretty good and definitely usable. Great Video Glenn! Greetings from Germany
Great video Glenn Fucking Fricker Man!. After 15 years of drumming and recording in a few studios you've just shown without saying that the drummer and the engineer can sound good without the highest quality equipment. It's not a knock on good instruments but not many working folks can afford the kit of their dreams and have to start somewhere so this is proof that as long as you practice ur craft and at least have good tunes heads along side decent cymbals and can keep time everything will sound just fine!!! Thanks bro I love all the shit you do and you make drums actually sound alive to the point where I can feel the fuckers great work
Thanks, Keith!
With $2000 of recording, interface, and software equipment, and a skilled player, anything can sound good.
More like 15000
No skilled drummers were used in this video 😁
I really like the kick from the cheap drum set
Not a $5000 difference IMHO. Nice demo btw.
I'm not a metal guy but I think the Supraphonic snare suits the song a bit more. The cheap snare sounds like it would work fine on other material. I would have liked to hear something slower to hear how the toms ring but in the fast-hit context of this material I didn't notice much of a difference in this track. I'm going to try the multi-tracks to find out a bit more. Can we post on Soundcloud?
I don’t care just get good cymbals 🤣
It depends on the drummers skills.you can make a garbage can sound good.
Gary Conner this was my logic 9 months ago. I’m sorry about it lmaoo
Snare and cymbals are definitely the highest priority. Toms less so. You can pretty much make any kick sound decent, though having said that, a really good kick does help a lot.
i did not get which mark is the second pair of drums, but they sounds MUCH better
the cheaper kit sounded slightly quieter, especially in the snare. but that by no means means the other kit is worth 10x as much
The DW kit had more going for it, but in the mix the difference is almost negligible.
Buying new drums, or new instruments in general, is almost like buying a new car. The instrument loses value the minute you walk out of the store with it. This is why I recommend buying used kits.
I've gotten used kits where there are a few cosmetic issues here and there, and those issues do not affect me at all. In fact, I no longer have to worry about dinging the finish myself.
What I DO look for in a used kit is good bearing edges that are not dinged or damaged in any way. There are a few different types of edges, and which one is better may be up to you. The main concern is that the edges do not require work, because that adds cost to the kit.
As you hear in the video, good heads and tuning are also important. Find the heads that deliver the performance you want.
Used drums are most definitely the way to go. You can get what you want and not break the bank.
You can hear the difference right away, even on my crappy cell phone speakers the Ludwig snare has so much more going on.
Tried mixing the recordings and gotta say I like the cheap kits toms, but overall the DW still stands out as a better. But they both sounded pretty great when mixed properly. Obviously the snare was a big difference and depends on multiple factors, for some songs the dead flat snare might fit better etc. But I guess this proves the point -> mic placement, DRUM TUNING, maybe heads, and the drummer is incredibly more important than the price tag of the kit.
Both sound great! I can hear more depth in the DW’s which to me gives it more life, but great heads and great tuning definitely makes the cheaper kit more comparable. Great video Glenn, and great playing Cam🤘🏼
The only thing I don't like about the cheap kit, is the snare. Sounds like the guy's hitting a cardboard box. The rest of it sounded decent enough for a recording. But the DWs are without question, the best out of the two.
The snare thing is totally fixable.
i like ur work,,,, thank u
you can clearly hear that the DW has a fuller tone. especially DW toms are sounding just awsome and for me i can hear that difference immediately comparing to other companies or even a different price range
Biggest difference was between the snare drums. The Ludwig sounded phenomenal
Kick drums on the DW are much more punchy & the sustain in the toms are longer. I'll say the floor tom on both sounded about equal. A good, deep tone with good bottom end.
I'll take the DW's if I'm doing studio work, but would rock the shit out of the DiMavery's live on stage as the drunk audience I usually play for could care less. :-D
So they both sounds great 👍
That DW collectors kit sounds killer.