The Only Way to Find Your Sound | Season Five, Episode 19

Find your sound! Set the tone! Develop your voice!
These dramatic calls to action serve as brand slogans, motivational statements, and even the default text on the Guitar Center website search bar. It seems that brands want you to think that they can sell you "your sound". Most of us understand that this is but the tip of the iceberg, yet still - we chase after this concept of our own sound/voice/tone often without identifying what that really means and making a concerted effort to move toward the goal (whatever that is).

PATREON:

PRODUCTION PARTNERS:

Signal chain:
Mics - Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB & OctoPre - MacPro w/Pro Tools 2022.5
Recorded at 48kHz / 24bit
*No EQ or compression in use with drum demos unless otherwise noted*

Acoustic Treatment:

Drums:
Pearl Masters Maple Custom Extra

Cymbals:
22” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian A, 15" Zildjian Kerope Hihats

Drumheads:
Snare: Evans G12 / Snare Side 300
Toms: Evans G1 & G12 Coated / G1 Clear
Kick Drum: Evans UV EMAD / EQ3 Coated White Reso

Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production & Consulting: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media

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Leave your questions, comments, suggestions, requests down below and don't forget to subscribe!

*NOTE: Troll comments will be deleted. You're welcome to disagree with whatever you like but let's keep the conversation civilized and focused on drums.
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Sounds Like a Drum is a CADENCE INDEPENDENT MEDIA production

[urse]

Great video as usual. It is a very intersting topic for sure. I think of myself as "versatile" drummer and I like lots of different genres, but my technical limitations end up defining my sound and I'm probably more on the "This is the sound that I make" side of the spectrum 😅

[jonashellborg]

This is a very well timed video for me: I was recently thinking over what kind of drum sound I tend to like, how much low end, how punchy, how loud etc. And for a brief moment, I looked for which drum kits best matched my desired sound. Then I remembered, I live in a large city, and I get to bring my kit, over using a house kit, maybe once per year. :-) So instead, I’ve taken my preferences into a checklist for me at a gig, which typically means first checking the bass drum tuning and muffling. I’ve also sat on open mic nights, where all drummers play the same kit, same cymbals, same snare, same pedals - and every drummer sounds different on the same equipment.

For sure, manufacturers are trying to create a story for how they can help us define our sound and sound better. It’s up to us to develop our hands, feet and musical mind to sound our best, and develop our sound. And then, based on our environment and our needs pick the gear we need, or want.

Thanks for the video! It gave me additional points to consider on this “skill vs gear” journey.

[yonghengwu]

Thank you Cody!!! Your words in this episode was giving answers to those questions that I had for the past 3 decades... These constructional advices truly helped!!! Keep on exploring bro. I'll be following!

[immikedurrett]

Love this video. I'm fortunate enough to have joined a band full of guys who have much different music taste than me under the metal umbrella. I'm also fortunate enough to be to the point where I have diverted away from trying to sound like any one player I like, and it's been really cool to feel like I've become an individual player that amalgamates a wide variety of different players I look up to.

[sterlingprattles]

Seriously, there's not another drum channel that even comes CLOSE.

[BadChizzle]

You go deep, Cody. I’m almost always compelled to think in areas I may not have gone, when I listen to you. I realize Ben has a lot of input, I’m not forgetting you either, Buddy. Your show is just so far ahead of other things I see on the subject, I must give you guys mucho props!

By the way: one of my favorite all time jokes is when I guy asks another guy direction to a place ((inject your sound here))… and after thinking about it, he says: “ you know what… you can’t get there from here.” Classic! Monty Python, from my teens.

Point is… it’s never true．．．you’ve just gotta learn your way to where you’ve chosen to go. And there are many aspects/ways involved in doing just that thing. Super important side, point: Helps if you Love what you do! ! ! ! ! Then… … your “sound” comes in that process. Boom!!! Ya just can’t help it.



You guys inspire me… … … … thanks so very much! 🪄✨🧰🪛🥁

Your guitar guy, who’s learning drums,

Chuk

[instdjp]

Thank you for your well thought out, informative and lucidity presented videos. You’ve certainly taught this “old dog” some new tricks. I hope you will continue for many episodes to come and I wish you much success.

[florian]

Hi Cody! Love the excamples you bring in in this video. I truely see myself as a universal puzzle piece and servant to make people happy with music! I think the reason, we we sound, as we sound is also our soul, in other words, the information that is stored within us, that will eventually manifest through our consciousness, our logical thinking, into a physical action, which is the way this person plays the drums. Keep the wonderful work up! Thank you for every single video!

[buckjohnson]

Great video Cody. Having been lucky enough in the last few years to play kits from all sorts of manufactures (I am in the backline business) you quickly get to realize that a lot of people, myself included when I was younger, 'chase' a drum sound. All the major manufacturers of drums, cymbals, hardware etc make great drums at all price levels. Its technically impossible to chase a drum sound since like you say there are so many variables. A great drummer makes any kit sound good.

I think when you get to a certain level of play, its best to choose gear based upon how it feels when it comes to drums/heads and cymbals and how well it performs when it comes hardware. That connection with the instrument is what I think allows you to form 'your' sound. Its not the instrument itself.

[sterlingprattles]

I adore this channel, thank you SO MUCH.

[WillWombatNell]

You guys have been my favourite drum channel for ages now. Just one little question. How many grey shirts do you own?

[CraigShawCraigShaw]

You could sit Vinnie Colaiuta behind an entry level kit that he didn't tune, and he would still sound like Vinnie. Took me too many years to realise this. When I started out years ago I used to obsess over 'my' drum sound. I'm much more open now to different drum sounds.

[williamfotiou]

Whatever your sound, it always helps to have a 60's Supraphonic!!! Love mine. 😁🥁

[markielinhart]

Great video, thanks so much‼️As an emerging drummer I’m doing two things at the same time. Learning to play and finding a sound. It’s an interesting and pleasurable journey✌️🌻

[scottapthorpe]

Simon Phillips turns up to every gig and session with the same size kit tuning and heads and tunings....he actually said the reason he always sets up the whole kit even when he’s playing simply is because he says every piece of that kit contributes to his overall sound...and to me that’s one of the things love about him is he always sounds like himself.

[givedoll]

This was the best Lession ever. It goes to bassplayer to vocalist, its not the gear its YOU. But the gear may helps on the way.

[tomgroves]

Great video as ever, thanks. As an extension to this I’m wanting to get into cymbal set-ups - finding my sound, but also choosing cymbals that work well as a set (ie sympathetic relative perceived pitches?!). There isn’t really anything online about this (does Mel Lewis have about a 4th between cymbals?!) and I’d love to see you tackle the science of building a ‘cymbal set’!

[goodtimejohnny]

Yes you can adapt to anything. The tone of toms matters sometimes to your band mates. I normally play on 4 toms. I played on a house kit with only two, and the band struggled because the tonal shift wasn't there.

[carlupthegrove]

I don't know who said it but I remember a drummer long ago (perhaps Max Roach) saying.... It's not the drum, it's the drummer. I am a bit of a drum gear nerd but I know it's the drummer not the drum set. Well done

[erictorres]

I already found my sound and my own drums the Tama superstar classic 7 piece set is my sound from the heads I use to tuning Remo pine stripes and I like to have a open bass drum sound i dont like muffling my toms or my snare open sound on all of my drums