Radio
Star Studios
We
have sent 10 questions regarding the performance of "Thumper"
Custom Drums in their individual studio settings. Here are some
answers.
What
are the primary elements you expect from any drum in your studio
& did Thumper Custom Drums meet those requirements?
For us, having good tone is very important, and Thumper Custom
Drums meets that requirement successfully.
When
recording with Thumper Custom Drums do you have to use studio
tricks such triggering, gating or digital editing?
We use lots of digital editing in our recording process at RadioStar.
Are
the drums easy to tune & keep in tune for the duration of
the session?
Yes, the drums are easy to tune and remain in tune for the duration
of our sessions.
Is
it necessary to use dampeners such as tape, gel or pillows when
working with Thumper Custom Drums, or do they sound good naturally?
When working with Thumper Custom Drums, we use tape and gel; they’re
great drums!
Can
you talk about microphone techniques & how they effect the
sound of Thumper Custom Drums?
At RadioStar, we like Sennheiser 421 on the kick.
We
have heard from a number of engineers that it's quick & easy
to dial in the sound of Thumper Custom Drums. Do you find that
to be true?
Oh yeah— good drums!
Do
Thumper Custom Drums sound good in the studio with different types
of drumheads? For example, do the rack toms sound better with
Emperor two ply or Ambassador single ply heads?
We use Ambassador and Emperor heads here at Radio Star, depending
on how hard the player hits.
What
artists have used Thumper Custom Drums at your studio lately?
& their comments, any web site info or links that they would
like to share with us.
The following artists have used Thumper Custom Drums at RadioStar
and were completely satisfied with them: Revision6, Ember, Furia,
and Supe.
Do
you have any new techniques or tricks that you would like to share
with us?
N/a
What
kind of new innovations would you like to see from a custom drum
manufacturer?
We are satisfied with Thumper Custom Drums and any new innovations
would only add to them being good drums!
Here's
some more from those who have actually recorded with our drums
& this drummer is a member of the staff at Radio Star
Studios!!!
What are the primary elements you expect from any drum
in your studio &
did Thumper Custom Drums meet those requirements?
On my recording I really like to capture the energy that
feeling of a huge sound. When I used the Thumper kit for the first
time, it was not only huge but really easy to get use to. It was
what I always wanted to hear on my record!
When recording with Thumper Custom Drums, do you have
to use studio tricks such triggering, gating or digital editing?
I never used triggers when I recorded with the Thumper
kit. One of the things I really liked was the raw sound of the
kit, it was just what I was going for. I've recorded with other
drums and I've always used some kind of tricks to make the them
sound better, with Thumper I never had to do that!
Are
the drums easy to tune & keep in tune for the duration of
the session?
So far I have not had a problems with the tuning.
I do tune my kit pretty low and Thumper is perfect for my taste.
Is it necessary to use dampeners such as tape, gel
or pillows when working with Thumper Custom Drums, or do they
sound good naturally?
They
sound great naturally. I did use tape to cut down the ring in
the studio, but live I usually don't need any dapeners for the
drums.
Can you talk about microphone techniques & how
they effect the sound of Thumper Custom Drums?
Mic placement is great to know for recording, I'm
learning about these now. I've found that you can really get the
true sound from the Thumper kits, another reason why I them.
We have heard from a number of engineers that it's
quick & easy to dial in the sound of Thumper Custom Drums.
Do you find that to be true?
I've alway found it easy to dial in the sound very
quickly from my kit. I was very suprised how easy it was to find
the sound I liked.
Do Thumper Custom Drums sound good in the studio with
different types of drumheads? For example, do the rack toms sound
better with Emperor two ply or Ambassador single ply heads?
I prefer to use single ply heads for recording.
I do use 2 ply heads live... somthing heavy to have the dark sound
I like!
What artists have used Thumper Custom Drums at your
studio lately? & their comments, any web site info or links
that they would like to share with us.
I've
seen alot of artists that use the Thumper kit at the studio. Some
of the more recent bands are, FURIA (Norway), 5 STAR IRIS (Georgia),
NORMA JEAN (Georgia), AGGRESSIVE PERSUAION (Colorado) and many
more...
Do you have any new techniques or tricks that you
would like to share with us?
Not
at the moment but I'm sure I'll be updating this as I get more
experienced with THUMPER.
What kind of new innovations would you like to see
from a custom drum manufacturer?
I would very much like to see the some signature
series drums from artists or players that have custom kits
or great ideas for drums.
How
about some testamonials from recording artists who have used "Thumper"?!
After
recording with the Thumper kit at Radiostar Studios,
I was amazed by how the sound of the recording came out. From
talking with John and lots of emails back and forth, I realized
this was the drum kit I needed. I was never able to get the power
that I feel from playing on record until I
used the Thumper kit. The toms were the fullest sounding toms
I had played, and the kit was easily one of the coolest. I'm very
proud to own a Thumpers! And, I'm glad I made the decision to
work with John. I'd highly recommend his drums to anyone and I'd
definately hold my kit up before any
other drum company.--Richard Valdez
My
band (Major Parkinson) & I travelled
all the way from Norway to record our album at Radio
Star Studios in Weed,
California with producer Sylvia Massy Shivy. Because of the great
travel distance I decided not to bring my own kit with me to the
studio as it would be a very exspensive and difficult undertaking.
Because of this I was naturally a little worried. I had recieved
information about what types of kits that was present in the studio.
Sylvia especially mentioned the Thumper Custom Drums maple kit
as a good choice for recording. When we arrived to the studio,
the first thing I did was to check out the selection of kits and
after playing the Thumper kit for a couple of
minutes I knew that this was the kit for the record! When it comes
to sound I would have to say that I have never heard ANY maple
drums sound that good before and that's saying a lot as I've gone
through about 7 kits from other big manufacturers in the last
5 years. The toms,12"x10", 14"x14", 16"x16",
with wood hoops and RIMS suspension has an incredible warm fullbodied
sound with just the right amount of projection and sustain. I
do not use any kind of muffling on my toms and that's when you
really can tell if a drum sounds good or not. The toms also have
a very wide tuning range, and are very versatile for any style
of music ranging from heavy metal to jazz. The bass drum, a 22"x18"
surprised me as well. I mainly use muffling by a bass drum pillow
for that fat, punchy low end rock sound, but it also sounds very
good with little or no muffling for a little more "boominess"
for amore vintage or jazzy sound.The snare, a 14"x6"
was also a pleasant surprise, with a wide tuning area and very
fullbodied sound, even with a very high pitch tuning. It never
chokes the sound, as some drums do at high pitches. I would have
to say that these drums have surpassed any drums I've previously
used both live and in the studio. And the fact that they are so
versatile, makes these kits a very valuable investment. Every
drummer should have a Thumper Custom Drums kit in their arsenal!!--Cato
Olaisen
If
you would like to talk to a professional from this studio Please
email contact@radiostarstudios.com.
Check
out this studios' web site & the artists who record there.
www.radiostarstudios.com