Gear Reviews
Detailed assessments of the latest drum kits and accessories
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…
Chicago Drum’s Solid Walnut Snare
Classic Vintage Sound with Time Honored Craftsmanship Chicago Drum was officially born in 2011, but the roots of this amazing drum company go back decades, in fact, generations! Three generations to be precise. Jim Moritz, Chicago Drum’s founder and…
New And Notable January 2024
DW Design Series Snares: Now In Aluminum The Drum Workshop Design Series® range has been expanded with the addition of two Aluminum snare drums. The new thin, beaded, matte aluminum snares are superbly versatile with a distinctive sound for classic…
Ringo Starr’s “Now and Then” WFL Set
By Donn Bennett Like most musicians of my generation, I was deeply influenced by The Beatles. For years I obsessively studied Ringo Starr’s playing and the minute intricacies of his various drum kits. By the mid-1980s my obsession led to…
Techra Black Diamond Carbon Fiber Sticks: The Ultimate Drumsticks
Techra is an Italian drumstick company that, among a few other music related products, manufactures a patented designed drumstick line made of carbon fiber. Techra says that these sticks could last up to ten times longer than comparable wood sticks…
DWe Drum Set: Acoustic-Electronic Drums with Ground-breaking Wireless Technology
As a reader of Modern Drummer, it’s probable that you are well-aware of DW’s venture into the realm of electronic drums, aptly named the DWe Drum Set. DW describes this product as the first-ever wireless acoustic-electronic convertible drumkit. Convertible, meaning…
New and Notable December
Pearl’s New GyroLock Tom Mounts Pearl’s new GyroLock-L tom holder is the first omnidirectional, gearless drum mounting and positioning system made for ultimate adjustability and security. Its solid universal 12mm L-arm offers secure placement from a singular drum key lock…
1928 Ludwig Rialto and 1933 Ludwig Pioneer Trap Kits
The drum set has come a long way from the simple trap kits of the 1920s and 30s. Ironically, many drummers today are returning to these very simple sets for busking (type) gigs, favoring the convenience and ease of packing…
Drum Workshop’s New Hybrid Purple Core Shells, Serious Low-End with Serious Durability
Drum Workshop’s John Good has been experimenting for years with a hybrid shell idea that would provide the lowest fundamental tone from a drum shell without sacrificing strength. After much experimenting, he finally succeeded. That prompted DW to send Modern…
Cymbal Swap: Try Cymbals Before You Buy
If you’ve ever shopped for cymbals, you know that it can be frustrating and expensive to find the perfect cymbal that harmonizes flawlessly with your drum kit and produces the sound you desire. A new service called Cymbal Swap is…
New and Notable
Lauten Audio Snare Mic Family-owned microphone maker, Lauten Audio, has announced the release of Snare Mic — a purpose-built FET condenser microphone designed explicitly for use on snare drums. At only 4.2” in size, Snare Mic is optimized for use…
Rick Allen’s Def Leppard Collection
It was a thrill when I got a call from the iconic Def Leppard. They started out in 1976 like countless teenage bands in Sheffield, England. Over 100 million albums later, they are still going strong, selling out stadiums all…
ddrum SE Flyer Pitstop 4 Piece Shell Pack, Vintage Sparkle, Vintage vibes in a small footprint
Beginning last year, ddrum has offered what they refer to as the “Pitstop” configuration of their SE Flyer line of shell packs. The Pitstop configuration features smaller drum sizes than the original SE Flyer kit, which makes it very compact.…
