Gear Reviews
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
Doc Sweeney FOCUS Series Snares
Future Past….The Clean, Articulate, Sensitive, and the FOCUSED! The Past The 1928 catalogue for the Slingerland Banjo & Drum Company was quite possibly the first “real” catalogue for this “new” drum company. It was chock full of a plethora of…
New and Notable May 2024
LP 60th Anniversary Congas, Bongos, Timbales and Cajons, and “Dandy” Rodriguez Bongos Sixty years ago, it began with a simple set of bongos! Martin Cohen, founder of Latin Percussion (LP), fell in love with the infectious nature of Latin-Jazz and…
Mapex 600 Series Drum Thrones - Comfort Meets Endurance
Ask any seasoned drummer or percussionist what is the most important piece of equipment that you own, and most will resoundingly say that’s it’s the seat that they sit on. Why? Because sitting while drumming is a four-limb exercise in…
New and Notable April 2024
BFD Player 1.2 Update Offers More Drum Kits, Mix Presets and Grooves Pioneering drum software company BFD, announces BFD Player 1.2 – now available for purchase at bfddrums.com. The latest update in the BFD Player platform, originally launched in October…
1928 Ludwig “Ludwigold” The “Rajah-Supreme” Trap Set
Drum finishes are an interesting part of drum history. In 1926, Ludwig introduced a textured gold sparkle painted finish called “Stipelgold.” This was quickly replaced in 1927 with the “New Ludwigold Iridescent Display Finish.” In 1927, the Ludwig drum company…
Scorpion Percussion Immortal Series Drumsticks - A Venomous Mix of Style and Functionality
Though the company has been around since 2008, Scorpion Percussion has really made waves in the past few years. Maybe it’s the cool factor. The drumsticks with the green grip and the menacing scorpion logo keep popping up on-stage with…
Xvive PX Personal Mixing System
For drummers who use in-ear monitors, it can be challenging to get the right mix of instruments, click track and backing tracks in your ears. It’s nice when you can control the mix right from your seat. Traditionally, this involves…
New And Notable March 2024
Pearl’s Midtown Series All-In-One Drum Set With Giggable Hardware. At home on the street and stage, Pearl’s ultra-portable Midtown Kit has become a vital tool for the gigging drummer on the move. Pearl offers Midtown as a complete drum set…
What do Charlie Watts, Simon Phillips, and Thomas Lang All Have in Common?
There’s never been a more unlikely group of drummers corralled to record an album than the curious trio of Charlie Watts, Simon Phillips, and Thomas Lang. In 2009, Austrian producer Peter Viehweger assembled some of LA’s finest players to record…
SE Electronics BL8 Boundary Microphone - Get Your Kicks!
In 2023, SE Electronics introduced their BL8. It is a rugged, small condenser boundary microphone, great for kick drums, cajons, pianos, speech, conferencing, room micing / ambience, stage floor miking and more. For this month’s product close-up, I was provided…
Melodics - Now for Acoustic Drums
Melodics is a subscription-based software platform designed to help people develop their skills on various musical instruments. Like popular video games such as Rock Band, Melodics incorporates challenges, levels and points to gamify the process of learning and practicing. Melodics…
New And Notable February 2024
DW Launches New Expansion Pack for DW Soundworks™ Drum Workshop launches new expansion pack for its premium virtual studio instrument (VST) and drum sample library, DW Soundworks™: True-Cast™ Expansion Pack, featuring the limited edition DW MFG True-Cast 5 x14” Snare…
The Evolution of the Hi-Hat
The history of how the modern day hi-hat was invented is a subject that many drummers and drum historians will continue to debate. In this article, I am going to give you historical facts and present actual examples of the…
CTM CE220 IN-Ear Monitors
Founded by a drummer/sound engineer, Clear Tune Monitors (CTM) out of Orlando, Florida has been manufacturing high-quality custom in-ear monitors for over fifteen years. Their premium custom IEMs have accompanied many well-known touring and performing musicians around the world. CTM…
