Larry's Drums Discussion

[Pupack]

Vdrum for demo records and jaming (he used them in morocco if i remember vids from jamin´) when they creating songs (and maybe for some loops as backing) because you can use them fast and easy without carry microphones when comes to jaming...Companies often use known artist as marketing advert to sell their goods....Larry bought Vdrums and they hurry up with advert that he record with it :)
The truth is that Larry use real drums (yamaha phx series) for recording album in studio and so for live gigs. There is no reason to use fake drums for recording when you have a real drumset for 15.000+ dollars with Ludwig snare and paiste/zildjan cymbals.. Roland are great midi drums, no doubt. But real drums are still real drums.. its like real vox vs simulation..

For NLOFH micin´up of drums was:

Declan Gaffney (NLOFH engie): “ There was an [Electro-Voice] RE20 inside the bass drum, with an SE Electronics Titan on the outside, a [Shure] 57 underneath the snare, and Richard had his own Heil mic on top, which he alternated with a Beyer M201; the toms were [Sennheiser] 421, overheads Coles 4038; ride cymbal was sometimes a 57, sometimes a [AKG] 451. Everything went through the Neve 1091 or 1093 mic pres. The microphone on the bass cabinet was a Shure SM7 going into a Neve preamp into an LA2A; the DI wasn’t used. The SM7 was the only bass mic that was used on the whole record, it’s great for bass guitar!" (from SOS article about NLOFH recording sessions)

For those who are interested about recording NLOFH --> http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun09/articles/itu2.htm

[Edgewannabe]

I also read something about Larry's use of V-drums. It caused less fatigue for the band because it's a lot quieter than real drums. And possibly (maybe this is wrong) causes less problems for Larry's wrists?

[Pupack]

Yep could be the reason (volume) to jamming with Vdrums. lol no need to demolish house with kick drum when composing songs :D its enough when The Edge crank his Vox, lol. But for recording and live gigs its Yamaha phx with a great sound of Ludwig snare ;)

there are Vdrums when they jam in morocco http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IkV7elmVLo

and here real drums later in Dublin studio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hRxX3nQ2Ng

and here recording of Magnificent with yamaha and ludwig snare http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ieZX6xYEXA

[raoninery]

i dont think it is about his wrists. The mesh head technology from Roland is basicly the fell of a real drum. I think its more about easy to use. See, he could change snares, pitch, fx with just a click instead change the parts of the real drum.
I also read something about Larry's use of V-drums. It caused less fatigue for the band because it's a lot quieter than real drums. And possibly (maybe this is wrong) causes less problems for Larry's wrists?

[ChrisA]

Thanks for all the info on the picture.
I also tinker with drums and sold my accoustic set a couple years ago and picked up a used Yamaha DTXpress III special. So much fun completely contained in my headphones and great to record directly from. Mine does have rubber heads though which are brutal on you when playing a really fast song (God Part II comes to mind). I've played Roland sets at Guitar Center with mesh heads and they are a beautiful thing! Very easy to play quickly and accurately. If I were rich I'd buy a set in a heartbeat.

[Joe Black]

i got a yamaha dtxpress as well. I must say, I am very happy with the sound and it is really super convenient to play around without pissing of your whole street. but i have to admit, that the feel of it is terrible. +1 KWguitar about the fast songs. but what i hate most is the feel of the hihat. it just completely, utterly sux. so i guess, thats where a more significant investment in the higher end of electronic drums pays off.
sooner or later, I will have to go that route, i fear. :)

[Pupack]

Many drummers i know and who use midi drums also in studio, they use real cymbals and hihat together with midi drums. Good solution. So they use snare, toms and kick electronic and cymbals real. As you mentioned, electronic drums sounds good thesedays, because the sound is actually real drums recorded samples, but it is the feeling and possibility of dynamic range and the resonance what makes drummers use rather real drums. Its just about physics. But in future, they will be perfect i think. Roland goes right way and they are better and better. (and pricey and pricey)

[edge_orchestra]

The PHX series was not used until the tour.

During the promo shows, Larry was using his white beech absolute custom for shows in Europe, and a different silver sparkle kit for the US promo bits, such as the first Obama inauguration concert.

It's spoke to Yamaha around that time and was told:

The Kit Used for the "We Are One" show was a bit of a hybrid of drum models.
- Oak Custom (24") bass drum
- Oak Custom (16") floor tom
- Absolute Maple (14") rack tom


^ Was a loaner kit while they finalized the details on the PHX kit




That said, in most studio pics and footage from 2008-2009, Larry was playing a black oyster pearl finish Ludwig kit.

Used as early as the 2008 video if "I Believe In Father Christmas", comes to mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGrsQ7F-h5c

That is the kit in the Olympic pix. That is the one in most of the studio footage - of Larry playing an acoustic vs. the Roland V-Drums - from U2.com during the recording of NLOTH.

NLOTH footage / HQ:
http://media.u2.com/flash/highlights/larrydrumming_april08.swf

You can also see both the acoustic Ludwig (black oyster pearl) kit and the Roland V-Drum setup in this video:
http://media.u2.com/flash/highlights/larrystuff.swf

There also appears to be a vintage silver sparkle Ludwig kit at HQ:
http://media.u2.com/flash/highlights/larryinstudio.swf

that might have lead to his having Yamaha build him a silver sparkle finish kit.

[ChrisA]

but what i hate most is the feel of the hihat. it just completely, utterly sux. so i guess, thats where a more significant investment in the higher end of electronic drums pays off.
sooner or later, I will have to go that route, i fear. :)

i agree that the hi-hat is one of the toughest pieces of drum hardware to transition over to electronic. not sure which dtxpress you have, but i went from having the standard dtxpress iii with the pie shaped cymbals and the circle drum pad hi-hat with detatched pedal to the dtxpress iii special which has 3 round cymbals and the rhh130(?) hi-hat that goes on a regular hi-hat stand/pedal. the rhh130 still isn't as good as the real thing but it's one step closer. i still need to make very careful open and closes with the pedal to get consistent responses, unlike a real one which is so natural. my upgrade was a no brainer though. someone was selling a special in like new condition on Craigs List. i sold my standard version on Ebay for the same as he was asking for his special. all transactions done in 24 hours. love it when a plan comes together.

the idea of recording with real cymbals is a good one, especially if using mesh heads which make very little sound when you hit them. forget it with my rubber pads though. they make such a loud thud when you hit it would be tough not to pick that up with the mics (unless you were only actually hitting cymbals during the recording). after i got my electronic set my wife joked "great, now instead of real drums i get to hear THUD THUD THUD.... constantly when you play." lol.

the one upgrade i should probably make is getting a mesh snare, or even one made of softer rubber if there is one. not sure the cheapest way to do that is though. i think a Roland pad will work with the Yamaha set but it's been a while since i've researched. i think i would need to give up dual zone functionality, i forget. i like a dual zone snare for rim shots but thats about it. i could live without it.

[raoninery]

Well, did you guys listen to the new TD15 module fro Roland? The sound of hihat and cymbals are soooo good, IF i close my eyes is like the real deal, the hihat machine mounted pad is really good in feel. And the TD15 module is not so pricy.

I changed my bugged Yamaha DTX520k for this Roland TD15KV and i feel that i made a good investiment. I dont regret the extra $$$ that i spend, you pay what you get from Roland. My first contact with Roland products was with my 8track UA 1010 interface. Its so good, so well constructed. Roland is really thoughtfull in quality of details, small parts. top notch

[ChrisA]

Pulled up the TD15KV - beautiful set and pretty sure that is what I have tried at GC. I don't remember the hi-hat specifically but came away from it thinking "I need this some day." :)
For now I live on the cheap working my way up slowly so I don't set off my wife-$-radar.
If I could concentrate on pretending to play only one instrument, I could probably justify the investment. But currently I pretend to play several which spreads out the cashflow. :D


Well, did you guys listen to the new TD15 module fro Roland? The sound of hihat and cymbals are soooo good, IF i close my eyes is like the real deal, the hihat machine mounted pad is really good in feel. And the TD15 module is not so pricy.

I changed my bugged Yamaha DTX520k for this Roland TD15KV and i feel that i made a good investiment. I dont regret the extra $$$ that i spend, you pay what you get from Roland. My first contact with Roland products was with my 8track UA 1010 interface. Its so good, so well constructed. Roland is really thoughtfull in quality of details, small parts. top notch

[Edgewannabe]

Does anyone use a digital drumkit in an apartment where there's neighbours below? I have a TD-6 kit in storage. In my previous apartment there was just a basement under, now there's an old lady. I kind of imagine there will be some noise from the bass drum pedal. I have thought about getting a special mat, but I'm not sure. Any experiences?

[Joe Black]

good point EWB. I must say, the THUD, THUD, THUD as KW so precisely said, is actually much louder than I anticipated. I got very, very similar remarks from my wife. lol. still, of course nothing compared to real drums, so I have the impression, that it is quite confined to the room, you are in. My set stands on a thick carpet for exactly the reason EWB mentioned. Depending on the quality of your apartment walls of course, I think, that should be sufficient. having said that, i actually never checked the surrounding areas myself, as I am the only one who plays. will let my wife play some drumrolls tonight, while I walk around the house to check, how bad it really is :)

[Tim]

My friend is a drummer and he bought thick rubber mats to put under the kit in his house, as it was still noisy to his family. I think he bought mats that were designed to go under treadmills in gyms to prevent noise and vibration travelling. They are very thick (about 0.75 to 1 inch) and dense rubber. I guess the only way to find out is to try and demo the kit in a store and listen for how noisy the bass pedal is.