Everything You Need To Know About Stacking Cymbals | Finding Your Own Drum Sound

Stacks have gained popularity over the last years and have become an essential part of many drummer's setups. But when do you use them and what cymbals are best for creating your own stacks?
Those questions will be answered during this video. Andi Polke is one of the drummers behind ArtOfDrumming and shares his personal thoughts on this topic. Learn about his favorite ways to implement stack sounds in grooves and fills and get inspired by his ways of stacking cymbals to create unique sounds.

00:00 Introduction
00:40 Using Stacks In Grooves And Fills
02:28 Auxiliary Hi-Hats
03:46 Splash Stacks
04:58 China Stacks
06:13 Modifying the Hi-Hat

Cymbal Setup:
14" K Custom Special Dry Hats
14" Trashformer
12" FX Stack
10" A Custom EFX
10" Spiral Stacker
10" K Custom Special Dry Splash
18" K Custom Special Dry Trash China
10" A Splash

Kit:
Yamaha Stage Custom Hip

Miking Setup:
Beyerdynamic

Bassdrum: MC 840
Snare 1 top: M201
Snare 1 bot: TG D57
Snare 2 top: M88
Snare 2 bot: TG D57
Overheads: M160
(All Beyerdynamic)

Don't miss any new videos.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE and hit the notification bell!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Art Of Drumming is the number one platform for learning all about drums!
Sign up and get access to world class drum lessons from international top artists.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

#stacks
#cymbals
#drumlesson
#trash
#drumsound
#drums
#artofdrumming

[boomerguy]

I've been playing over 60 years and I'm still learning, thanks to ArtOfDrumming.
Although I don't care for stacking, I do respect it as another way of playing. Thank you for trying to cover all areas of drumming without showing any favoritism.
The nice thing about playing drums is the fact that there are thousands of combinations of ways and equipment to make your favorite sound.
Thank you.

[TheDayisMineTrebeck]

Stacks are great. Started using them about 5 years ago. Make great quick accents to alone or incorporate with splashes.

[Serjument]

1) İstanbul Agop Xist 10” Dry Dark Splash on top and İstanbul Agop Xist 10” Natural Splash bottom like hihat.
2) İstanbul Agop Xist 17” Ion Dark Crash on top and İstanbul Agop Xist 16” Brilliant China bottom.
3) İstanbul Agop Xist 17” Ion Dark Crash on top and İstanbul Agop Xist 17” Natural Crash Bottom like hihat.

Incredible sound!

[PatoDelgadoSilva]

I really missed a mention to Bozzio as a truly stack forefather. He has been playing those combinations since the 80's or even before. For example he uses a lot of these sounds in the Polytown album.

PD: Please excuse my english xD

[jcdrums]

I get nervous about hitting edges as well, but for larger stacks, my favorite is probably the smaller China over larger crash stack that Dave Weckl and Sonny Emory use. Terry Bozzio used to use a similar stack but with two 18" cymbals that I really liked as well.

[juancarlosgutierrez]

Low volume cymbals are good for making more washy/static sounds in stacks while not being too loud. I'm using 14 inch low volume hats with a 10 inch low volume splash underneath and ankle bells on top.

[bravepart]

So many great aspects to this video, great stuff! Had to rewind some of those grooves ✌️

[kerimtoker]

Nice one, love that spiral/ozone/splash hat stack!

[pascal_thielen]

Nice Video, and cool to see you in front of the camera, Andi!

[paradigmshiftz]

Mike Portnoy got me into the stack world, along with Terry Bozzio and Brooks Wackerman

[ChrisHoffmannTube]

I need the Spiral Stacker. Very nice video!

[dennisdegen]

Great Video again, but i can also Highly recommend a bigger Crash with holes on Top of a smaller crash with holes mounted on a x-hat stand like a pair of hihats. A lot of air can Come in then and you have More volume than with splashes. In my case in Works Great with the paiste pstx

[ludoinspire]

I started stacking cymbals 5 years ago to repurpose broken ones. Now I have a 18" Classic Custom Extreme China under a 18" AAXplosion Crash. Out of the box stacks are most of the time too expensive for what it is in my opinion.

[themysteriousoa]

My favorite stack cymbal is a Trash Stack! I use two Trash Stack cymbals so that I can provide some sort of skipping sound.
Example: 1 2, 1 2, 1 2, 1 2, 1 2, 1 2.

[RyoCanCan]

I love using stacks in beats where a china might be too much but a hihat just doesn't cut it. A small stack is also a great add with a splash as an accent on fills etc.

[timvivoda]

That was a fantastic video wow that's awesome Tim from Australia .

[KyleCastroTheDrummerBoy]

Thanks for that useful tips Sir Andi.. You're Awesome😊🥁🇵🇭

[Jonathan-djry]

Great video guys! Also, the drums sound awesome - of course Andy is a big part of that too

[dilsonluiz]

amazing helpful content, i liked and probably will be using all the ideas apart from the hi hat, really good stuff, cheers man.

[cbasbwoyETP]

Oh shit cuz!! The ft/stack on 2+4 was hype. China stack was deadly too