Carlock's bass drum sound

[littlegrooves]

What a trip to click on your link and see that it was me who asked that question on his forum in so many years ago....surreal coincidence even.

That is weird! Good thing you aren't schizophrenic or that might really mess you up

[patdrums]

I caught him several years ago at the 55 Bar doing an off night pick-up gig. It was just before he exploded on the scene with Steely Dan and he was telling me about tracking the stuff and really excited about it's release. He was using a Yamaha kit then and it was the first time I had ever heard him play. His kick sounded positively HORRENDOUS although his touch was amazing. The kick was a 20" or 22" (I don't remember) but it sounded like it was wide open, flappy and completely unmuffled. It had an awful, long, drop-off BARRRGGGGH tone that made me think he just threw the heads on it and didn't even bother to tune them. Almost like 3 or four lugs were so loose that they rattled and made the whole drum sound flappy and untensioned. It was a unique sound but it tended to get really annoying in that small room. I've recorded on kits that sounded that way acoustically but in the playback they were incredible. I still have a hard time making that connection in the recording process but some people know how to do it and it works. Maybe that's what he was going for, I don't know. All the Rudder or Dan gigs I've seen him on and recordings of him I've heard since then sounded spectacular so I'm at a loss as to how he makes it work. Regardless, he played amazingly well and I just chalked that sound up to "that's what he does and it works for him". He's a really odd player to my eyes and ears but I can't argue with his success. He's a frickin monster.

I've always heard that monster Bonham bass drum sound we all love was a product of the same approach. In the room, standing next to the kit it sounded out of control, ringy, rattly, and nothing at ALL like you hear on the recordings. But on tape it was huge, thick, and fat like a puffy marshmallow and it worked perfectly. Weird but definitely effective.

[Lucas Ives]

Stock resonant head on the Phoenix kick is actually a PowerStroke 3.

[YamahaPlayer]

Stock resonant head on the Phoenix kick is actually a PowerStroke 3.

Good call, just checked my newer ones to old ones.

[Clint Hopkins]

I've seen Keith a few times with Oz Noy and once with Krantz, all at the same club. Definitely a 20' with Oz (I always get to the place early enough to see him load his kit in from his car) and I'm almost sure a 20' PHX with Wayne. It blows me away with how he's able to play with that sound but like a few have mentioned, it just works. Again, like others have correctly observed, he is in TOTAL control of his sound but sounds loose and energetic at the same time. His touch is a true testament to the hours he's put behind the kit both in the practice room and in real playing situations.

[deseipel]

its funny to me that some kits that sound like shit live actually track very well. Makes you wonder what the point of spending thousands of dollars on a kit is vs. buying something that's half ass and it sounding great mic'd up & gated. I'm sure that's just the cheapskate in me, rationalizing ...

[DSOP]

Makes you wonder what the point of spending thousands of dollars on a kit is vs. buying something that's half ass and it sounding great mic'd up & gated.

It can also go the other way. You can have a great sounding instrument acoustically, and then have a bad sound engineer make it sound like garbage.

[deseipel]

that's what happens most of the time in my experience. Another reason I'm gonna start running my own drum sub-mix.

[YamahaPlayer]

its funny to me that some kits that sound like shit live actually track very well. Makes you wonder what the point of spending thousands of dollars on a kit is vs. buying something that's half ass and it sounding great mic'd up & gated. I'm sure that's just the cheapskate in me, rationalizing ...

By that logic why even use acoustic drums right?

You don't always have mic's, or gates (for instance carlock obvious does not use gates). Any small venue and the acoustics of the drums are what's making the sound.

Besides, there is that awesome physical pleasure that comes from hitting a great sounding, well tuned drum. Don't know if there is a term or name for that, but I'm sure people know what I mean.

[bored at work]

Besides, there is that awesome physical pleasure that comes from hitting a great sounding, well tuned drum. Don't know if there is a term or name for that, but I'm sure people know what I mean.

Is it like an Orgasm?