NAMM show 2012

Now the dust has settled on this year's NAMM show, I thought it was about time to write about my experience.

As usual, the background noise level was incredible.  One friend of mine was playing guitar through an amp and the "Noise Police" arrived with a decibel meter.  They told him he would have to turn down because his volume was 80db.  So he asked them to take a second reading, during which time he didn't play a note!  Guess what?  Still 80db! DOH!

I was on the NATAL drum stand for most of the show, which was incorporated with Marshall this year.  2012 being Jim Marshall's 50th anniversary of being in the Biz, this was quite a big deal.  In fact Natal had made a 50th Anniversary (limited edition of 50) drum kit, comprising the Marshall black Tolex covering and gold hardware.  It was a focal point on the booth.  I must say, from a personal point of view, I am loving these drums! I have a maple kit and I am continually amazed at its versatility and great sound, not to mention the hardware. The snare stand is the most versatile I have ever encountered. The hi-hat stands are responsive and adjustable, and the cymbal stands are solid & well finished.

I was put to work conducting interviews with various publications (both on line and printed). Music Radar just uploaded their NAMM report. All in all, Natal created quite a stir at the show.

One of the busiest stands in the drums & percussion section was that of my old friends Big Bang Distribution. Apart from the Ahead sticks (which I have been playing for some time, and love), the new Ahead Armor cymbal bag range (very exciting), their low-cost (and yet great sounding) Kasza cymbal line, they have a huge variety of great accessories for drummers.  But the most exciting new product was a collapsable cajon!  This full-size cajon, made in Barcelona, Spain, fits into a flat bag that is easily carryable, and yet sounds as good as any of the best cajons on the market!  Watch their web site for updates.

Brady drums were present with their usual selection of high-end, no compromise drums.  I managed to spend a few minutes chatting with Kelly Brady.

I was also able to visit with Axis Percussion's founder and innovator: Darell Johnson. He and I go back a way, and he was in his usual high spirits when I arrived at the stand.  I love his endless enthusiasm and keen mind.  He is truly one of the great engineering innovators of new drum ideas. Check out what they have to offer:  again, drum engineering without compromise or equal. I am still using a set of Axis pedals (double kick and hihat) from the early 1990's!

On Saturday afternoon I managed to meet with my old friend John Steven, who is with Behringer. He was very interested in what I thought of their latest foray into the drumming world: their electronic drum kit: the XD70 (and their entry level XD60LE).  I played the kit for a while, and found the response to be extremely "realistic."  They have separate drum & cymbal pads, each with their own unique feel. The controller is very logically laid out and sounds are easy to access.  The best part is it all packs away into an extremely compact space, making it easy to store, or (for my needs) transport to a gig.

Behringer are also about to announce a new range of high-end consoles, which include the ability to interface & record live shows direct from the console itself.  I'm very excited to see these when they become available.

I'll post more reviews as my brain gets to digest the enormous amount of data from the show.

drum machines vs real drums

My early session career spanned the era of the first drum machines: LinnDrum, Oberheim DMX etc...  In fact I was involved with Simmons Electronics on the development of their drum sequencer she SDS6.  For quite a large part of the 1980's I programmed drums almost as much as I played them.  I remember all kinds of dire predictions that "drums were dead" and "the age of the drum machine is here" and other such omens of disaster for drummer everywhere.  The funny thing is, we didn't disappear!

As with any new fad, it eventually reached an equilibrium.  In fact I would say things started to come back the other way.  In an attempt to stop everything from sounding the same (which was the case with a lot of 80's Synth-driven Pop music), people started adding real drums on top of synth sequences.

In fact there was a lot of work for those of us who were able to play in time with clicks and sequences,  and I really started to get a lot of session work, overdubbing drums onto existing tracks. Nik Kershaw's first album, Human Racing,  was almost entirely finished (using an Oberheim DMX as "drummer") before the producer (Peter Collins) and engineer (Julian Mendelsohn) decided it was feeling a bit "stodgy" and Julian persuaded Peter to draft me in to play drums on top of the existing tracks.  This somehow breathed a new lease of life into the album. At one point in the sessions, they were curious as to WHY real drums 'felt' better than the beautifully programmed drum machine.  So Julian ran a few tests, and this is what he discovered.

While the drum machine kept perfect time, and was totally locked with the sequenced synths, there were also a number of guitar parts, as well as real bass on a lot of the tracks.  These were played by humans (mostly Nik, actually), and had a natural tendency to push ahead of the sequenced instruments in places (like going into choruses, for instance).  When Julian analyzed my drums, he discovered I was subconsciously going with the minute timing differences:  I would play behind the beat in the verse, then push slightly into the chorus, falling back in the next verse.  Now we are talking milliseconds here,  but it made all the difference.  In fact the real drums became the interface between the (unmovable) sequences and the ever-shifting human beings on each track.

Even today, with all the amazing advances that have occurred in drum machines and sequencers, I maintain there's still nothing quite as dynamic or inventive as a REAL drummer.  And I STILL get lots of work "replacing" sequenced drums.  Until artificial intelligence is perfected, I reckon I still have a gig!
So all you aspiring programmers out there,  Have at IT!  But keep my web site  address on hand, in case you need me to add some inspiration!

Essential
Wouldn't It Be Good
Human Racing

Drum Programming Basics (Ultimate Beginner Tech Start Series)
Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines

Alesis SR16 Drum Machine
iDrum 1.7
Toontrack EZdrummer Multi Layer Drum Sampler