Post-Punk drum info

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I hate my beater of a drum set and want to start replacing pieces to get a 1979-1981 post-punky sound a la Gang of Four/Kleenex-Liliput/ESG/Essential Logic/The Fall/A Certain Ratio/Bauhaus etc.

I want to know exactly what kind of drums and what pieces from what makers these bands were using when they were recording during this period. I love that sound

Does anybody know of any websites or archives or forums where I might be able to find out exactly the make of the drums any of these drummers were using?

Thanks much.

― Alex Black (uncle alex), Sunday, 9 July 2006 22:49 (nineteen years ago)

Well, godspeed, but I can't help you.

― Lenny Koggins (Bimble...), Sunday, 9 July 2006 23:21 (nineteen years ago)

I think the size of the drums and the way they are tuned is going to determine the sound more than the brand or make.

Get a skilled drummer to listen to some recordings and give you some direction.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Sunday, 9 July 2006 23:39 (nineteen years ago)

put a foam ring in your snare fer shur

― sublime frequency (sublime frequency), Monday, 10 July 2006 00:48 (nineteen years ago)

Most of those bands had people that "fell into" drumming. Read: they just used whatever was available.

Use whatever's around and you'll be REAL post-punk, not Franz Ferdinand.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 10 July 2006 01:04 (nineteen years ago)

Franz gets the punitive injunction for wanting to sound good!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 10 July 2006 01:41 (nineteen years ago)

ivw achieved some post punk sounds by sleepugn ubder my syths. dont knwo if this wors for drums

― kephm (kephm), Monday, 10 July 2006 02:09 (nineteen years ago)

Franz gets the punitive injunction for wanting to sound good!

One of the many reasons that Lightning Bolt will be remembered much more fondly that Franz Ferdinand in 10 years.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 10 July 2006 02:38 (nineteen years ago)

The main characteristic of post-punk drum sound seems to be that it's relatively dead and dry. You probably want to tune your heads a little on the tight side and use a bit of muffling.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 10 July 2006 02:54 (nineteen years ago)

But some of what you're hearing is compression and you won't be able to replicate it in the drums themselves.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 10 July 2006 02:54 (nineteen years ago)

Whiney, that is NOT a poptimist sentiment.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 10 July 2006 03:13 (nineteen years ago)

Size and tuning yes.

Foam ring yes.

Dead and dry yes.

Drums won't sound quite like recordings of mentioned bands yes.

Thanks everyone.

― Alex Black (uncle alex), Monday, 10 July 2006 05:34 (nineteen years ago)

Clearly what you must do is reanimate Martin Hannett (with dark and forbidden science).

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Monday, 10 July 2006 05:52 (nineteen years ago)

dark and forbidden science=

ihttp://www.proaudioeurope.com/images/products/Outboard%20From%20June%2004/A/ams_rmx16.jpg

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 10 July 2006 13:23 (nineteen years ago)

doh- pix too big. see photo is AMS Delay.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 10 July 2006 13:24 (nineteen years ago)

Dunno exactly which records you are liking but all those suggestions are pretty good. It also helps if you have real "rock" drums, for instance my big oversized Tama kit (14 / 18 /24) will sound a lot more effective that my 60s Ludwig kit (12 / 16 /22) no matter how tight and damped the heads.

As mentioned before compression + also recording in a very live room with gating eg the early Steve Lillywhite stuff is recorded in a stone room, close miked, and heavily gated.

And now for my favorite rant. TUNE YOUR DRUMS. Tune your drums before you rehearse, tune your drums before you perform, and for f*cks sake, tune your drums before you record. As a matter of fact tune your drums before the gig/recording, and then tweak them on stage or in the space where you are going to play. This is an acoustic instrument. If your instrument doesn't sound good in the space it's being played in, it won't sound good when miked through a PA or recorded.

End rant.

PS. Dan nice AMS! Is that yours (lucky) Sorry I never replied to your question a month or so ago, now I can't remember what it was. Email me if you remember.

― factcheckr (factcheckr), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:16 (nineteen years ago)

Be like ACR and get a whistle. That's the key, son.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:17 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know what question you're talking about...and no that's not my AMS. I have a used vintage memory man and a Lexicon Alex I bought for 20 bucks at a stoop sale.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

@ Dan

It was something about Ron Hardy records, maybe. Members Only edits? Did you check out that Marcus Mixx reissue on Let's Pet Puppies?

@ Alex

Check the other thread about the Flaming Lips drum sound.

― factcheckr (factcheckr), Monday, 10 July 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

Abbadavid OTM, also instead of/in addition to muffling I would taking the front head off the bass drum (maybe toms too?) and hit the snare dead center, no rimshots.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 10 July 2006 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

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