Can you tell? $6000 DW Kit vs $240 Tama Drums.

Many thanks to Aquarian Drumheads for sending us matching skins!

Get the RAW TRACKS we used in this demo & listen to the differences yourself!

Link to the original shootout video:

0:00 Intro
0:46 Why I bought an Expensive kit
2:05 A great deal?
2:36 Gear Breakdown
3:53 Full Mix Shootout
5:39 Drums Only
6:22 Observations
7:12 Sample Blend
8:28 About those Tamas....
10:16 Get the Tracks!
10:31 Thanks to Lewitt!

...and many, many thanks to the amazing @CameronFleury for the awesome drumming!

About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!

I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.

Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!

[The_Grimm_Riffer_x]

hey Glenn, WTF?!?!? i just watched your video on how to make bass traps... i was highly disappointed that it had nothing to do with trapping the bass player at all

[hde]

I hope this helps people realize that skills and technique are more important than top of the line gear. Great vid Glenn 😃.

[drakausdromgatti]

That punchy TAMA Rockstar bass drum...I grew up on that sound. Makes me smile

[Mariusss.]

Just a week ago I bought the exact same TAMA ROCKSTAR model for less than $300. It took me about 4-5 hours to clean it, I put new heads and, damn, it sounds so full! I am absolutely amazed!

I recently built my own studio in São Paulo, and found a used Japanese tama rockstar, killer sound, killer looks and dirty cheap... I couldn't be happier

[bergerdrum]

One has to keep in mind the context of the type of music. When you're constantly hitting hard, using 2-ply batter heads, tuning lower, and scooping the crap out of the midrange EQ, yes, both kits can be in the same ballpark. If you're talking a quieter type of music, though, and you have single ply heads, tuned higher, and played with some subtlety, the differences become more pronounced, and you'll get more tone/fullness/musicality out of the more expensive set. (Tom suspension mounts alone will make a difference.) I understand that this isn't the point of the video; this is geared toward project studio applications and getting the best bang for the buck (also, it's the fool, not the tool). It would just be a mistake to think that the results here translate for every style of music. Thank you for this video - it's very cool and a great lesson to be learned.

[ruddwoodstudios]

Spit out my drink at..."Playing for the other Bands and thier Girlfriends".... Holy Shit the truth lol.

[markboettcher]

What I'm getting from this is good heads and taking the time to tune the damn things is really what you need.

[mondragon]

The DW kick had more body to it. Both snares and toms sounded great, though.

[ippotsk]

The one major plus I really liked about the DWs is the much beefier kick sound, but other than that, the Tama really does the job well. Rock on.

[aleksanderdjuran]

with a drummer who knows how to play and an engineer who knows what he's doing, even a cheap drum set can end up sounding great and bring some character to a song. I'd rather hear the Tama kick over slate kick 5 anyday. Great vid Glenn!

[CameronFleury]

Great video Glenn! Thanks for having me 🤘

[dannyboystudios]

I was kinda anti-Tama for years until I worked in a music store. The Tama kits sounded amazing out of the box and their hardware was rock solid. The StarClassics walnut/birch shells projected clear across the store and sounded better than the DW maple kit that was more than twice the price.

[LoreAccurateHusky]

At the last second, I decided to listen to the full mix shootout with my eyes closed just to see if I could hear a difference and not be influenced by the brand or price. I was blown away when I opened my eyes to see the kit I thought sounded better was the Tama. The Tama was just sort of clear and snappy with this great attack while the DW was a bit too soft in the highs which didn't cut through the mix as well. That DW is a bit sweeter or richer, for lack of a better word, but that Tama just so clear and cuts through the mix so well.

[dimitrisloufakis]

As a non-expert, the kick of the Tama sounded much smaller to me and I didn't love it. The snares of both sounded amazing to me! Holy crap!

[musicshuttle]

I've owned & played several DW collectors sets, convincing myself that I was "going pro" by playing DW. I have also owned / played most styles of Tama sets. Tama has more character, the bass drums are better, and the hardware is as good as it gets. I currently play Tama Starclassic and I am done with DW. Keep up the great work and thanks for throwing us Drummers the love 💘

That Carcass-like mix was really good to be honest

[chadwagner]

That Supraphonic snare! Holy hell, it sounds like a cannon. Perfection.

[gilbertspader]

When I was a kid I played with a drummer who’s kit was built around lumber . Actual 2 by 4s and plywood. We even played a couple of Gigs with it . It’s the only time I got chased by dogs at a lumber yard stealing wood for a crash stand .

[derthlaf]

These Rockstars sounds unreal if we think about the price, awesome