Stone Custom Koa kit

BillRayDrums

Gold Member
10x7, 12x8, 14x12, 16x14, 22x17... The snare is a 14x6 maple/poplar.
dvKqcjJ.jpg
 
Very nice! Koa works up a really nice finish. Good sizes too, especially the depths of the floor toms. Thickness, plies, bearing edges Bill?

Sizes:

7x10, 8x12, 12x14, 14x16 toms
17x22 Kick drum

6x14 snare

The toms are 3 ply Koa/Cherry/Koa with reinforcement rings top/bottom in 3ply same config.

The bass drum is 5ply Koa/Cherry/Koa/Cherry/Koa, no rerings.

The snare drum is a 6x14 Maple/Poplar, 3ply w/ 3ply rings.

Here's a bit of soundcheck. I don't have really great speakers on my laptop so let me know if it's got enough booty to it.

https://soundcloud.com/billraydrums/soundcheck-w-koa-kit
 
Sizes:

7x10, 8x12, 12x14, 14x16 toms
17x22 Kick drum

6x14 snare

The toms are 3 ply Koa/Cherry/Koa with reinforcement rings top/bottom in 3ply same config.

The bass drum is 5ply Koa/Cherry/Koa/Cherry/Koa, no rerings.

The snare drum is a 6x14 Maple/Poplar, 3ply w/ 3ply rings.

Here's a bit of soundcheck. I don't have really great speakers on my laptop so let me know if it's got enough booty to it.

https://soundcloud.com/billraydrums/soundcheck-w-koa-kit
Thanks Bill :) How is that recorded? Close mic's, just overheads & bass drum, EQ'd? From that I'll be able to give you an opinion if my input is welcome :)

Andy.
 
Thanks Bill :) How is that recorded? Close mic's, just overheads & bass drum, EQ'd? From that I'll be able to give you an opinion if my input is welcome :)

Andy.

We mic up the kit with a set of those NAD cheapy drum mics; the rack and floor toms are split with a Y adapter so they only use one channel each. We have two condenser overheads (the NAD cheapy things) and the kick drum mic... (yep...you guessed it!) The snare drum is an SM 57. We run everything into into a Zoom R16 recorder, bass and guitar as well.

It's nothing pretty, the mixes we're making. They are mostly for our reference and in the interest of growing the band and cultivating the music.But along the way, we allow people to listen in and dig what we're doing. The band is working and playing some great shows!

So when we do get in to record the "studio album" it's not really going to be that hard of an endeavor because we've been recording so much that it'll be like "ho hum, OK....we're recording an album today..." and chances are the tracking will be done in an afternoon!

Here's a tune I just got in from the guitarist. This is on the Koa kit from earlier and it's mixed pretty hot in the drums! https://soundcloud.com/billraydrums/free-rdg
 
Ok, now I get the picture. The reason for me asking for background info on the recordings was because first listen confused me. I was getting a close mic'd vibe, but without the breadth of response I would expect. That's the limitations of the mic's, & the overall affect is fairly flat & compressed, not in a good way. This is me commenting from a drum demo POV, not a band recording POV. As a band recording, these are great. Clear, very well played, & with enough detail to hear what's going on. As a recording to feature the unique sound of the drums, they fall well short.

Of course, when you do your "studio" album. you should be able to manage a much more dynamic capture, although I assume it will be mixed & EQ'd as a band recording, not a drum demo. Using that recording as an example of what the drums sound like in a band context is great, but IMHO, to really demonstrate the ability of the drums, a dedicated drums only recording should be considered. Even better, if you were to arrange such a recording as a natural capture (two overheads + bass drum mic only) with no EQ or processing, that would really allow your potential customers to hear the drums in a transparent setting. That means good tuning, & a good room to make the best of it. Maybe offer a close mic capture as a comparison too, & you'll already have your (EQ'd & processed) band recording as a further comparison of what you can do with the kit.

Non of this is easy or cheap, but if you truly want to demonstrate the qualities the drums have to offer, it's a great way to go. The major manufacturers mostly process the hell out of their promo videos, whether they admit it or not. There's a growing appetite for truly honest captures. Customers appreciate it, & it puts you ahead of the curve IMO.

Anyhow, sorry that got a bit wordy, & I hope it helps in some small way.

Andy.
 
Yeah, thanks! I'm just happy that someone listens to the music we do. I'm no stranger to the studio and it's just a matter of time, budget, and "when it's time". Right now we're just focused on developing this band and getting some road time in.

I'll be getting a proper demo recording of these drums pretty soon, but as you can see I'm not one to waste time in making this stuff active. :D


Ok, now I get the picture. The reason for me asking for background info on the recordings was because first listen confused me. I was getting a close mic'd vibe, but without the breadth of response I would expect. That's the limitations of the mic's, & the overall affect is fairly flat & compressed, not in a good way. This is me commenting from a drum demo POV, not a band recording POV. As a band recording, these are great. Clear, very well played, & with enough detail to hear what's going on. As a recording to feature the unique sound of the drums, they fall well short.

Of course, when you do your "studio" album. you should be able to manage a much more dynamic capture, although I assume it will be mixed & EQ'd as a band recording, not a drum demo. Using that recording as an example of what the drums sound like in a band context is great, but IMHO, to really demonstrate the ability of the drums, a dedicated drums only recording should be considered. Even better, if you were to arrange such a recording as a natural capture (two overheads + bass drum mic only) with no EQ or processing, that would really allow your potential customers to hear the drums in a transparent setting. That means good tuning, & a good room to make the best of it. Maybe offer a close mic capture as a comparison too, & you'll already have your (EQ'd & processed) band recording as a further comparison of what you can do with the kit.

Non of this is easy or cheap, but if you truly want to demonstrate the qualities the drums have to offer, it's a great way to go. The major manufacturers mostly process the hell out of their promo videos, whether they admit it or not. There's a growing appetite for truly honest captures. Customers appreciate it, & it puts you ahead of the curve IMO.

Anyhow, sorry that got a bit wordy, & I hope it helps in some small way.

Andy.
 
nice kit, can I ask, how did you take the photo? like the effect.
 
nice kit, can I ask, how did you take the photo? like the effect.

I took it with my iPhone and since they can sometimes come out just a touch grainy I will use an old trick where you sharpen the subject by blurring the background. I clone the area I want to sharpen then drop about 6% gaussian blur on the original image.
 
fantastic Billy Ray drums. Im really dig the music. This is your personal kit or at stone? I remember you mentioning that you were friends with them
 
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